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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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In 51 days we leave for WDW!!!! 1 week after returning from our family vacation, I need to leave for Holland for work. I'm torn about this trip. I don't want to go because I hate leaving DS8 behind and i cannot afford to take him with me ($1,000+ for plane ticket). I tried to talk DBF into flying there and "sneaking" into my hotel room but no dice since it's so expensive. I'm excited to go since I get to see Holland on the company dime! The opportunity career wise is also an excellent bonus but that's about it! I really don't want to go!
I leave Oct 1 and fly back Oct 8. I'm flying with 1 co-worker from Cleveland to Detroit and we are meeting up with several other co-workers from our MI office. We, a total of 4-7 ppl, are flying to Amsterdam together. After arriving in Amsterdam we are traveling to the city where our company HQ are located and have dinner at 6pm (we arrive about 815am).
I HATE flying. I HATE going through security (tho I know it's important!), I hate boarding, I hate take off, I hate being cooped up in a seat, I hate landing, I hate de-planing, and I hate waiting for luggage. Oh and I HATE the way flying makes my head feel. I take Xanax while flying and it helps a little. I feel terrible after flying. My ears don't balance out for days so I'm usually deaf in my left ear for about 2-3 days. This trip will be my 2nd 12 hour flight in the same year. I flew to Maui with DBF in January and yeah...we can say that was a disaster. We ended up fighting the whole time and didn't talk nicely to each other until the 2nd day of our trip...and that was in paradise! I can just imagine how badly this trip could be considering I'm traveling with co-workers! I'm also the only one under 40 on this trip.
So that little background leads me to the questions. What can I expect to be different since I'll have to go through customs? Is that the only difference? What should I pack? I always over pack...and I'd like this trip to be different but I feel the need to be prepared. My dad was very awesome and added me onto his cc (I don't have one!) so i can make purchases and then get reimbursed from my company upon return. Well except for the gift I'll buy my son. I have to buy him something! I'm not sure how much sightseeing I'll get to do but I'm not the only one who is itching to request some down time at night so we can have a look around!
If anyone has any tips about overseas travel, how it compares to US travel I'd be most appreciative if you'd share with me! Any tips on what to pack and what to leave behind is also appreciated!
Immigration and customs are about the only thing that's different. You usually have to pass through immigration, which is about getting you into the country, first. You'll probably have to fill out a form on your flight across to Amsterdam (I'm not sure how it works for US citizens coming into Europe, but I know on flights back home to the UK, they walk around with them). If you need any help, the stewardesses are usually very good.
You'll hand your passport over and any form and they may ask you some questions (in English) - it's been English everywhere we're travelled in the world, i.e. how long are you staying, why are you here etc. Then you'll get your passport stamped and enter the country.
The next thing you do is pick up your luggage and then clear customs. Again, you may have to sign a declaration form for your luggage, saying that you're not bringing things into the country as presents/merchandise etc. Basically, they're interested in things that will be staying in that country, rather than what's returning home with you.
That's usually the only difference we encounter in flying into the States, compared to domestic flights.
About This Page: 
First overseas trip...help!
1 week after returning from our family vacation, I need to leave for Holland for work. 
I'm torn about this trip. I don't want to go because I hate leaving DS8 behind and i cannot afford to take him with me ($1,000+ for plane ticket). I tried to talk DBF into flying there and "sneaking" into my hotel room but no dice since it's so expensive. I'm excited to go since I get to see Holland on the company dime! The opportunity career wise is also an excellent bonus but that's about it! I really don't want to go!
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