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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I'm new to the boards and am in need of some advice. I'm thinking about planning a surprise trip to WDW for my hubby's 30th birthday at the beginning of May! I have two major concerns: 1. Keeping the cost relatively low and 2. Keeping this a surprise! The cost is less of a priority than the surprise since this will most likely be our one vacation of the year and DH absolutely loves WDW. If anyone has ideas on how I can be sneaky and keep the financials hidden from DH and tips on keeping the cost down, I would be very appreciative!! Oh, my initial thinking is that the trip would be 5-7 days, if that helps at all. Ok, thanks!
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I would def suggest a value resort, we have stayed at all except ASMu, and love them all. Pop is our fav though! Also, dont know how important dining is but if you plan on trying to have at least one sitdown meal a day i would suggest the dining plan. If not maybe go for just the quick service plan and just a special meal for his bday. Good luck planning!!
I'm new to the boards and am in need of some advice. I'm thinking about planning a surprise trip to WDW for my hubby's 30th birthday at the beginning of May! I have two major concerns: 1. Keeping the cost relatively low and 2. Keeping this a surprise! The cost is less of a priority than the surprise since this will most likely be our one vacation of the year and DH absolutely loves WDW. If anyone has ideas on how I can be sneaky and keep the financials hidden from DH and tips on keeping the cost down, I would be very appreciative!! Oh, my initial thinking is that the trip would be 5-7 days, if that helps at all. Ok, thanks!
1 SURPRISE factor is all in your ball court . you are the only one to keep it a secret .
2. hope they come up with a free dining plan that would really help .
stay at a value resort , . but also check sometimes the difference between a val and mod can be peanuts to pennies when you start planning so do comparing between them .
keep atching the boards people get pin codes for discounts all the time and they might be able to help more then i can . good luck and have a magical tip.
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The surprise factor will be the hardest part LOL...trust me. We went in 2005 and it was my children's first time. We didn't tell them at all. They thought they were going to the beach. I woke them up at 4 am lol...our flight was early....and gave them Mickey ears, disney money, autograph book, etc. They were so stunned that my one said "We aren't going to the shore?" LOL Before they could blink we the limo pulled up and off to the airport....I think the shock factor wore off around the 2nd day LOL. It was great. But just a little warning...don't anticipate their reaction too much. I thought my kids initially reaction would have been totally different....when my son said that comment I want to die lol. They had the best time!
As others said, I'd definitely go with a value resort to keep costs down, as well as a meal plan.
To try and keep the financials from him, well, that's a tough one. Do you have any credit cards in your name only you could use? Another thing would be to create an on-line account at the Disney website and make your payments online-that's how I've paid for our last 3 trips. Then the trick would be watching for your travel documents coming at around the 30-40 day mark so he doesn't grab them from the mailbox.
Won't he wonder why there are sums of money being withdrawn from the checkbook? Or are you a keeper of the funds so you'd be able to get away with it? Either way, lots of luck pulling off the surprise!!
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If you want to keep the costs down, I'd suggest a Value Resort.
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Before they could blink we the limo pulled up and off to the airport....I think the shock factor wore off around the 2nd day LOL. It was great. But just a little warning...don't anticipate their reaction too much. I thought my kids initially reaction would have been totally different....when my son said that comment I want to die lol. They had the best time!
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