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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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How are they being turned down at the podium if you are able to make the reservation without the invite?
Has anyone on here been turned down because they didn't have the invite?
We had a FP without invite in Dec. They didn't find us on the list at first and I was ready to whip out my printed copy of the FP, when the CM 'found' us. I was not turned away.
I don't think I got an invitation for our trip next week either. I moved my trip up three weeks and I think that threw things off. I went ahead and logged in and it let me make the FP. I didn't even have to put in my room reservation number...it recognized me.
I'm interested to see if anyone without an invitation got turned away as well. I'm hoping to go during our Oct trip and have the link saved, but want to know if that alone will work in case I don't end up getting an invite!
I've also seen the rumors online about people who didn't get "invited" being turned away at the podium. We have gotten FPs twice by using the link and had no problems either time.
I am just wondering what the point of the invite is if anyone can go to the link and make a FP? I thought about going and just making one at my 26 days, but my TA is the one that said they were turning people away that make FP without the invite, so now I am afraid to make one with out it. My luck I would be the unfortunate one that has their FP not honored and be totally embarrassed. I just figured if we don't get the invite we will just try for a late lunch walk up. We have three MK days, so surely we will get in one day.
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It seems I remember they were initially using the invite system when they rolled out the new program but at some point opened it up so the invite is not require? I can't recall where I read that. Since there's been no big announcement I think it's worth a call to Disney Dining to get their official answer. That way you don't risk embarrassment at the check in counter. I wouldn't want to go through that either.
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Don't let your heart be filled with sorrow, for all you know, tomorrow, the dream that you wish will come true.
It seems I remember they were initially using the invite system when they rolled out the new program but at some point opened it up so the invite is not require? I can't recall where I read that. Since there's been no big announcement I think it's worth a call to Disney Dining to get their official answer. That way you don't risk embarrassment at the check in counter. I wouldn't want to go through that either.
My TA is the one that told me recently that you had to have the invite and that they were turning people away at the podium who didn't use the invite to make their FP, but yet I have read on this thread that other poster's TAs have given them the link and told them to make their FP without the invite. I am just totally confused. Plus you never know with the CMs you get when you call either as to who has correct info.
I think I will wait for the invite and if I don't get it will just try for a late lunch walk up. I really don't want the embarrassment of being turned away.
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