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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Just Ignore them, I personaly feel bad for people who can't understand how magical THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH is!! I have yet to come across a DD thank goodness. I would just go on with ur planning.
I always nod and smile when people give me advice to go somewhere other than Disney. And while they're yapping their nonsense, I zone out and imagine myself walking up Main Street USA.
When their lips stop moving, I return from my little mental vacation at my Favorite Place On Earth.
I totally don't understand the Downers. I just figure they're jealous or ignorant. I usually get the...It's so expensive...or.....It's just for kids...attitude. I agree with the other posts that these type people must not have planned out their vacations. I actually tried to tell a friend about many sites and such to plan her trip to WDW, but she didn't take my advice and her trip was horrible. Oh well.
I understand and it sounds like all these PPs understand too. That song from Toy Story is going thru my head.....You've Got A (PP) Friend In Me!!!!
My brother used to be the biggest disney downer when we were growing up. He used to complain relentlessly that the rides were not that big and were to babyish and that he would rather go to Universal Studios or Six Flags. He did this consistently every few years (During my early twenties and his teen years) when we would visit WDW.
I'm 32 now and he is 25. He visited WDW a couple of years ago with his wife after not going for about 7 years and literally broke down in the middle of Main Street USA. He said he finally "got it" and was so filled with remorse for putting us through so much grief (we just ignored him as "Jonathan being Jonathan"). Now he is a completely born-again Disney fan and always is looking forward to the next trip to WDW and the next blu-ray release.
Just goes to show you that you can never really put too much stock in a disney downer.
If that's where the graduate wants to go, go there. If the others want to be part of this special vacation tell them to start booking Disney now. We do divide our vacations between Disney and non, but start planning and looking forward to Disney sooner.
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Disney Vacation Specialist Magical Memories Travel Chelsey
Personally, I never listen to the downers, takes too much energy. I have 2 Disney trips planned for 2010 (disneyland & disney world) and planning for 2011 Disney. I ignore those that criticize my love of Disney.
But if you really want them to talk: just smile sweetly at them and changed the subject, it will drive htem crazy. Then when you bring back any souveniers for those back home and they ask if you broght them anything just smile sweetly and say No, you don't believe in the magic. Some will get it and others won't.
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Jennifer
Taken April 24 - May 2, 2009 My mom Linda & I
Everyone is entitled to their opinions however those that don't think Disney is a vacation destination for all ages and stages in life need to revisit "the World". It's your vacation happy planning and celebrating.