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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 don't know if it has been posted or not, but they have an online reservation system too!
Unfortunately, character dining is only on Wed, Sat, and Sun...and my daughter's birthday falls on a Friday...but, I'm thinking Mickey can send her a card and invite her for breakfast the following day!
This just may be the absolute best thing about living in Hawai'i.
On a few side notes, we FINALLY made it over to Ko Olina a few weeks ago. I was surprised that:
1) The Black Pearl is docked just down the street! Hmm...wonder what the plans are for that? Anyone know?
2) The artists renderings are slightly deceiving. The entrance is quite a bit smaller and you also don't see just HOW close the Marriott is to them. All in all, still coming along lovely, just a bit different than what I pictured in my head.
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Is the Marriott that is close by the time share? We are hoping to book Aulani in March and my sister and her family are staying at the Marriott time share so that would be great as we would be near each other. I hope that I am able to book at the 7 month window.
Thanks for the update about the resort and the online reservations! I am still so hoping to make it out to Hawaii next December for my 40th...
I've got three reservations for various special occassions this fall. We'll be at 'Ama 'Ama opening day for lunch, we've got the character breakfast at Makahuki Buffet, and another at 'Ama 'Ama for dinner. I'll certainly be posting pictures!
Is the Marriott that is close by the time share? We are hoping to book Aulani in March and my sister and her family are staying at the Marriott time share so that would be great as we would be near each other. I hope that I am able to book at the 7 month window.
Yes, that is definitely the timeshare! If you view any of the videos of Aulani, immediately to the left of their camera angle is the Marriot...it's REALLY close, a very manageable walk.
We had friends staying at the condo's that are a part of that Marriott and they are down the road a bit further. Basically, Aulani is surrounded by Marriot. But much more area spacing them out between than condos than the main building.
Thanks! I really hope I can book at Aulani at the 7 month window. My sister and her family already have their reservations at Marriott so it would be awesome it we could be that close.
Thanks! I really hope I can book at Aulani at the 7 month window. My sister and her family already have their reservations at Marriott so it would be awesome it we could be that close.
It looks beautiful! I'm wavering back and forth...do I take money from our WDW fund to stay at Aulani or am I going to be satisfied with a few dinner reservations now and then? I'm sure I'll cave at some point!
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Aulani Dining Reservations...
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I am still so hoping to make it out to Hawaii next December for my 40th... 
It looks beautiful! I'm wavering back and forth...do I take money from our WDW fund to stay at Aulani or am I going to be satisfied with a few dinner reservations now and then? I'm sure I'll cave at some point! 
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