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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Got an email survey from Disney Cruise Line today that asked an opinion about using an electronic kiosk to book your next cruise while on board rather than the future cruise sales person.
Wondering if they are testing the waters to make rebooking on board a process that doesn't involve a Cast Member at the Future Cruise Sales Desk. Hmmm. . .
Even though we have rebooked on board during our last 3 cruises and have communicated via the "Request a Quote" flier, voice mail, and notes/receipts left at our door, I have appreciated having a real person to direct a question to if needed. I also see the need for something else when I witness the lines snaking down the corridor of people waiting to visit with the Future Cruise sales person on the last day/night of a cruise.
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Their survey questions are always interesting. In a case like this, I don't think it's a matter of figuring a way to eliminate the on-board booking agent. Face-to-face sales are just too effective. More likely, they're trying to improve on-board sales. Currently, people come by the desk, find the CM deep in conversation with another guest, and walk away. Maybe they come back again, but if the CM is busy again, will they come back a third time? If there's a kiosk, perhaps fewer people will walk away unserved, and they can also book when the CM is off duty. But... DCL also needs to know whether a reasonable percentage of cruisers would use a kiosk if it existed.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
I got survey too today. I for one think kiosk is great idea.... especially if just a holding cruise, you know exactly what you want or you want to finalize details with your TA.
I very nearly didn't book onboard because of lines whenever i went to desk, think was 5th time i got a line that was OK.
I can see this being useful, as we encountered some really long waits the last time we went to use the future cruise sales desk and a kiosk would've been perfect for us.
Maybe they should let us travel agents pull up a desk next to the future cruise sales desk Hey....a girl can dream!
It is hard to get a spot there, the best thing to do sometimes is just to fill out the brochure and drop it off, and go from there. But of course that works best for people who have cruised multiple times and basically just need the final figures and the booking number.
It will be interesting to see what happens!
I like the idea.
I am one that typically fills out the card to get quotes on a few options and drop it in the box, then call and tell them which option to book (usually by leaving vm) as the lines are so long. I love the idea that I could get some prices and book without talking to anyone, as I usually don't get to actually talk to anyone anyway!
I got the survey today (off the Dream yesterday) and they asked about the Kiosk. I am for it as long as they have an actual person too as I know some people have questions. I rebooked onboard and never spoke to the agent. Just filled out the card and told them to book it.
Even people who are on a cruise may feel a little uncertain about booking the next one. "We're on a 3 night, what's the 7 night Eastern like?" I think that the kiosk is for, as suggested, quick booking. Or maybe setting up some sort of pre-trip arrangements.
I agree i do not think they would get rid of the cm , but if they added at leats 2 machines it would help ,because when we went to re book we went back twice but it would of been so much easier to be able to hit a kiosok machine thanks for the info
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