As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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As I'm sure some of you have "heard", DD Kathryn is in France. She didn't have a good start to her time there, but that's settling out and she's really starting to enjoy her life (Going to Paris for dinners and movies with an old friend, heading for the weekend to Strasbourg, going to DLP for Halloween - yeah, I'm jealous!, she's planning a wine country trip, and may be heading to Italy or Spain for Spring break) - anyway, what's really been getting to her this past few weeks is the non-Halloween. Holidays are huge in our home, mostly Halloween and Christmas, but Thanksgiving is a wonderful time too.
My sister was in Switzerland earlier this month, and took the 1 hour train ride to visit Kathryn. I had her take a care package - the coat liner she forgot, some smart phone gloves, a scarf I thought was cute, a book on Hidden Mickeys, and some Halloween candy. Kathryn loved it.
So, I'm thinking of sending her a Thanksgiving care package: all dry/powdered mixes; pumpkin bars, Stove top stuffing, instant potatoes, instant gravy, cranberry jello, Thanksgiving paper plates and napkins, and I don't know ....
Trying to think what else. Does anyone have any ideas?
I'm going to the the grocery on Sunday and hoping to have it ready to mail on Tuesday, to make sure it gets there on time.
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I think that's an awesome idea! Very thoughtful, and I'll bet she will be so surprised!
__________________
First trip DW--Nov. 1975; Senior Class Trip DW--Oct. 1979; First trip w/kids--Oct. 1995; Halloween at DW--Oct. 2002; Spring Break at DW--April 2004; Christmas/Pop Warner Nationals-POR--Dec. 2005;Cruisin'--April 2008; Mom/Son trip-POP--March 2010;Taggin' along w/DD on DH's conference-BWI--Oct. 2011; 50th birthday with the Gartner Geeks--Adults only!--BWI--Oct. 2012; The Trip That Almost Wasn't--BWI--Oct. 2013; We climbed The Summit (National Cheer Competition)--ASMovies--May 2014
I always loved small care packages from home - I would suggest a package or 2 of decorative fake leaves. She could spread them out around her apartment and they really add something. Used them recently for a meeting and it really worked some fall magic on the empty hall. Also my son just received a chalk pumpkin as a gift that came from walmart. It was a nice fall touch and it could be used for notes or drawing a fun pic.
When I was away at school my mom sent small meaningful gifts/treasures that I could unwrap one at a time only when I was having one of those days. She included favorite candies, cocoa, tea, a favorite book from childhood, a cute magnet off our fridge at home, etc. Sometimes they included a note saying why she picked that item and why it should cheer me. They really helped on those homesick lonely days.
What can you buy at home - food or snack that is unavailable for purchase there...my cousin walkways asks for peanut butter and mac & cheese bc she can't get them in Korea. Just a thought.
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What can you buy at home - food or snack that is unavailable for purchase there...my cousin walkways asks for peanut butter and mac & cheese bc she can't get them in Korea. Just a thought.
I love this! We took peanut butter when she moved there, two very large jars. I'm sure she's still got plenty left. But, so good ol' Mac and Cheese would probably hit the spot, too. Comfort foods! Thank you so very much! I want her to have as close to a Thanksgiving as she can. Yet, some comfort foods for other times might be well appreciated.
I think it's a great idea - your daughter can't be home for the holiday so what's so nuts about sending a little bit of the holidays to her? I'm not sure what decorations you or she would like but at school, I have a wax turkey that was suppose to be a candle. I also have some of those centerpiece turkeys. You know the kind, it comes flat but then you open it and it has tissue paper for the body, etc. We also have different pictures and window clings I hang up. She might like some of those but I'm thinking more a centerpiece type of something for her table. Good luck deciding what to send her.
I think it's a great idea - your daughter can't be home for the holiday so what's so nuts about sending a little bit of the holidays to her? I'm not sure what decorations you or she would like but at school, I have a wax turkey that was suppose to be a candle. I also have some of those centerpiece turkeys. You know the kind, it comes flat but then you open it and it has tissue paper for the body, etc. We also have different pictures and window clings I hang up. She might like some of those but I'm thinking more a centerpiece type of something for her table. Good luck deciding what to send her.
I love the ideas! She doesn't have a table - she has a studio with a counter that is actually fairly large, but I'm sure she could stick a turkey somewhere!
Thank you all so much. DH just thinks sending the instant stuff is silly. He doesn't know why she can't just figure things out there.
We lived in Germany and Holland. And my German neighbors loved our jack-a-lanterns!
Here some thoughts for your care pkg:
Thanksgiving napkins, postcards from your hometown; themed stamped post-its (these are so easy to diy and you can make a homemade flip book, self addressed envelope (postage wouldn't help her), hair ribbons for Thanksgiving and Christmas; and lastly colorful, funky holiday socks.
Hope she gets a chance to skirt across the border to a German Christmas Market - Trier is about 3 hours from Paris - just so much to do all around those areas.
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Fall colors of crepe paper streamers, maybe? You can drape those lots of places for a festive look. Rather than send whole rolls which would be a bit much in a studio, you could wrap some around a toilet roll or paper towel tube.
Check Dollar Tree for small, inexpensive holiday decorative items.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
I love the care package Idea. How about a stuffed turkey. I know beanie babies used to have a small one. My mother sent me one while I was in college and every year I get it out I just laugh. It brings back great memories
I am not sure why your DH thinks you are crazy. Will your DD use the things you send her? Can she make her own fresh? I am not sure my kids wouldn't have thrown most of the stuff you mention away. They would not like fake mashed potatoes, packaged stuffing, any kind of jello and instant gravy. They might do the pumpkin bars. You know your DD and what she would think. Will she like this or prefer to make her own mashed potatoes and some homemade stuffing with a day old baguette? My DD probably would have preferred some high quality chocolate in Thanksgiving/fall shapes.
I think care packages are nice for "poor starving college students." I am not sure I would send one to any of my adult children. They are grown up now and independent. Is that why your DH does not think it is the best idea?
I also wonder if it will make your DD miss being home more. Could that be why he doesn't support it.
I assume your DD is making a decent living. Would sending her a gift card for a nice meal on Thanksgiving day be well received or looked upon as questioning her independence?
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.