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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Yes, I did notice that. It was especially difficult for me when I was alone, because it was harder to keep people from getting ahead of me. The queues are much wider (they fit 3 or 4 people across). And I learned on the Backstage Magic tour I took at WDW that Europeans don't need as much personal space as we Americans, so they stand much closer together in the queues (and consequently, when the park first opened, this caused the wait time estimates to be off by a lot!)
I didn't even attempt to get photos with characters because of the behavior I witnessed (and if I had attempted, I'm sure some random kid would be half in the frame anyway). They would take turns (though not necessarily in order of who got there first ), but they didn't go out of their way to make sure they weren't obstructing your photo.
This was something I feared not just at DLP, but in the city of Paris as well. From talking to Chez, I learned that much of London has gone smoke-free, so I knew it wouldn't be that much of an issue there (and it wasn't). Surprisingly, it was a whole lot better than I expected in Paris and DLP. I had fears of people smoking in queue lines and such, but I can say that I wasn't bothered by smoke the entire time I was there. It's possible that I was just lucky, though, and rather than smokers I ran into lots of oddballs.
I just wanted to comment on some of your comments! I'd be interested to hear from Sabine from a German point of view, but I don't buy the comment at all about Europeans needing less personal space than the Americans. : I think the British and the Americans certainly like about the same amount from all my visits across the pond over the years. And of course, the British LOVE to queue in an orderly fashion - it's what we're known for.
So sad to hear things are no better with the characters. That is such a shame. But at least your comments about the smoking were more positive than our previous experiences. I hope it wasn't just luck and that things are improving on that count there.
Well, what can I say. Personally, I like my personal space a lot - thank you very much! Also, I don't skip in line, don't smoke, and am not rude when trying to get a character's autograph. So obviously, it's hard to generalize. However, I have to agree that on average, Germans tend to behave less considerate towards others in crowds. Skipping in line is just one of those things that, unfortunately, often keep me away from amusement parks over here.
I wish Disney would take action at DLP, though. They could start by establishing orderly lines for the characters and banning smoking in the parks completely.
Looking forward to another great trip report. You should be on Passporter staff. Period.[/quote]
YES! I really enjoyed reading and seeing all of the cool stuff you got to do through Disney Adventures. I loved the views from the London eye and all of the neat pins and attention to detail on everything! I look forward to reading about your next adventure. Thanks so much for sharing your vacations with us!
About This Page: 
PassPorter Guide Author
), but they didn't go out of their way to make sure they weren't obstructing your photo.
I'd be interested to hear from Sabine from a German point of view, but I don't buy the comment at all about Europeans needing less personal space than the Americans. 
: I think the British and the Americans certainly like about the same amount from all my visits across the pond over the years. 
And of course, the British LOVE to queue in an orderly fashion - it's what we're known for. 
But at least your comments about the smoking were more positive than our previous experiences. I hope it wasn't just luck and that things are improving on that count there. 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Linear Mode
