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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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It looks from the article linked below that someone has figured out a way to profit from Disney's somewhat unquestioned accommodations for handicapped guests. I wonder what they might do to limit the use of these accommodations just because some have figured out how to abuse them.
There is a thread going in the parks touring forum about this. I don't think it's a PR problem for disney, I think it's a PR problem for the company and losers doing this if true. Disney can only so so much under the law to be accommodating. It's not their fault there are people out there with no morals apparently.
There is a thread going in the parks touring forum about this. I don't think it's a PR problem for disney, I think it's a PR problem for the company and losers doing this if true. Disney can only so so much under the law to be accommodating. It's not their fault there are people out there with no morals apparently.
I agree, this is definitely not a PR issue for Disney, but for the tour company who is accused of doing this. There are laws out there to protect the privacy of guests, which is why Disney does not question people when they try to obtain a GAC. It's hardly their problem that there are people who lack morals and would obtain one fraudulently.
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There are laws out there to protect the privacy of guests, which is why Disney does not question people when they try to obtain a GAC. It's hardly there problem that there are people who lack morals and would obtain one fraudulently.
If you're speaking of HIPAA, that only applies to medical facilities, not public venues like WDW. WDW would be well within their rights to ask for proof of what accommodations each guest needs. Maybe not what is wrong with them, but to say that without a physician's note (on his/her letterhead/prescription pad), they will not be able to accommodate special requests.
Maybe they should start asking for some proof that people are together, but that could be a nightmare.
More likely, now that this has come to light - WDW could find out who the people are who are selling their services and let them know they are not welcome to continue this service.
If you're speaking of HIPAA, that only applies to medical facilities, not public venues like WDW. WDW would be well within their rights to ask for proof of what accommodations each guest needs. Maybe not what is wrong with them, but to say that without a physician's note (on his/her letterhead/prescription pad), they will not be able to accommodate special requests.
Maybe they should start asking for some proof that people are together, but that could be a nightmare.
More likely, now that this has come to light - WDW could find out who the people are who are selling their services and let them know they are not welcome to continue this service.
I was thinking of ADA laws, actually. I've seen it mentioned before that under those, Disney cannot ask for proof of a disability.
I agree, that Disney now should crack down on those people who are selling these services, but that would be a hard thing to enforce when people get to the parks. I'm sure they look like a group of people traveling together, rather than standing out as a tour group.
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While these people are SLUGS who should be ashamed of themselves for abusing the system like that, I think Disney is totally right in it's good faith policy when it comes to GACs. I think it's far better that some people who abuse the system slip through, as long as it means that every man, woman, and child with a genuine disability gets the consideration they need-- without having to be hassled about their disability. People with invisible disabilities often get looked at askance because there's no evident sign of their different needs and it would be a bummer to have to deal with that on a Disney vacation.
Sorry, I'll dismount my soapbox now. This one hits a little close to home.
-MissFrizz
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and positive thoughts for everyone ELSE who can enjoy the GAC and use it properly. 
This one hits a little close to home.
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