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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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've decided I'm going to try a PTR for our next trip. I think I've only done TR's for DCL up to now...
I hope to add pictures as we go along, but haven't tried photobucket since they changed everything and I'm intimidated! So today's installment is just words. Sorry, as I know that's not nearly as interesting!
So, who are the characters for this trip?
Me, Colleen: Over-worked, stressed out mom, clinical social worker, and most importantly, Disney lover!
DH, Mike: Mike is an actual rocket scientist by training, but sadly has been unable to work for the last three years due to a mystery condition. Despite seeing every kind of specialist under the sun, the doctors cannot determine the cause of him passing out without warning. To say this has been frustrating, and very stressful, would be an understatement.
Story behind the trip: When Mike turned 30, I decided to plan a surprise trip to WDW for him as his big gift. He'd never been to WDW, although we were frequent visitors to DL as we were living in LA. I'd been to WDW as a teenager, when it was only the MK (Epcot was under construction), so I was anxious to get back. The trip was less of a surprise than originally conceived....because I had to tell him all about it within 12 hours of booking! I was too excited to wait 4 months to surprise him! We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter (although then, it was the only Port Orleans - POR was called Dixie Landings back then). We had a GREAT time exploring the 3 parks, and heard all about rumors of an animal-themed park under consideration, from one of our Disney bus drivers.
When his 40th birthday rolled around, we had two kids. We'd been to the World as a family but found ourselves wistfully recalling that 40th birthday trip. So, we told the kids we were going to Florida, but didn't specify where (and since they were only 7 & 4 at the time, they didn't ask!) and took a long weekend just the two of us, at the World. This coincided with the Mickey display - like the ones done around the world where there are artist renderings of some common object painted in some unique way. Chicago did cows, here in DC we've had pandas, as well as elephants and donkeys (the party animals). Disney did Mickeys, and we loved seeing all of them, and taking lots of pictures. And now, one of those Mickeys "lives" at National Children's Hospital in DC so I get to see it every time we're at Children's with our DD, and I fondly recall that trip.
So 2014 marked Mike's 50th birthday! Our son graduates from HS this coming June, and we celebrate our 25th anniversary the same month. In July we travel to Vancouver where we spend 5 days before taking a Disney cruise to Alaska. Given that trip, and Mike's health issues, we just didn't think we could keep up the tradition of marking his "zero birthdays" at WDW......
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Hey, don't give away the secret - I'm keeping everyone in suspense!! Although given I'm writing. PTR, I'm guessing most people will come to the same conclusion!!
I'm just sorry my trip doesn't overlap with yours. And that mine isn't quite as long as yours......
Great start Colleen. Can't wait to read more. Pictures can always be added in. PB was a bit intimidating to me too but once you figure it out, it's great. Looks like we have something in common. My DH turns the big 5-0 this year and we are also celebrating our 25th.
Hey, don't give away the secret - I'm keeping everyone in suspense!! Although given I'm writing. PTR, I'm guessing most people will come to the same conclusion!!
I'm just sorry my trip doesn't overlap with yours. And that mine isn't quite as long as yours......
yeah. ending this with 'so we decided we aren't going to go' would be the worst PTR ever!
also sad we are not overlapping. but i'm also going to be mostly living in baltimore this year (with a few days in DC) so perhaps we will cross paths again!
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(I almost missed this because it isn't in the TR forum!)
Laurie, yes, Lisa just pointed that out to me!
Sorry about that! But no fear - Lisa is going to move it to the RIGHT forum so there's less confusion.
Hoping I'll get an update posted today or tomorrow, just depends on time. Some days I am looking forward to DS leaving for college, so we'll only be dealing with one kid's schedule! I really have no idea how Cheryl juggles sometimes 4 (have there been times with more than 4?) reports all at once?!?!
Laurie, yes, Lisa just pointed that out to me!
Sorry about that! But no fear - Lisa is going to move it to the RIGHT forum so there's less confusion.
Hoping I'll get an update posted today or tomorrow, just depends on time. Some days I am looking forward to DS leaving for college, so we'll only be dealing with one kid's schedule! I really have no idea how Cheryl juggles sometimes 4 (have there been times with more than 4?) reports all at once?!?!
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To say this has been frustrating, and very stressful, would be an understatement. 
I was too excited to wait 4 months to surprise him! We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter (although then, it was the only Port Orleans - POR was called Dixie Landings back then). We had a GREAT time exploring the 3 parks, and heard all about rumors of an animal-themed park under consideration, from one of our Disney bus drivers. 
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Dreams, Wishes, Hopes... these are the parts of childhood we should never lose.
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