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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Having just unpacked this last weekend after our trip to WDW, I then had to repack for our visit to DLPR at the end of this week!
Taking extra sweaters and socks though, as well as a pair of gloves - I think the weather looks to be dry but cold for our 5 day trip.
Looking forward to dinner at Walt's American Restaurant one evening (dined there last year and really liked it), seeing all the holiday decorations and parade, and riding the new Ratatouille ride, which opened shortly after we left last year! Plus doing some last-minute Christmas shopping for family (as we didn't buy enough stuff at WDW!).
I think I need a vacation to get over my Disney vacations ......
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Silvercat
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I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time.
We have a love/hate relationship with DLP.
We always enjoy a visit but it is so not like a trip to WDW.
The Ratatouille ride is first class as is the themeing and food at Chez Remy next door.
Enjoy :-)
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Check out our web site all about our next visit at www.wdw.me.uk
Silvercat, I know this is an older thread, but you had some great suggestions for me before so I thought I'd ask, what DLP hotel did you stay at? On-site or off-site? Gearing up for our first visit to DLP now that we are in Europe, so I'm expecting to go back on several occasions.
Silvercat, I know this is an older thread, but you had some great suggestions for me before so I thought I'd ask, what DLP hotel did you stay at? On-site or off-site? Gearing up for our first visit to DLP now that we are in Europe, so I'm expecting to go back on several occasions.
Well, I'm going to jump in here as I think it might be a while before Carolyn can come back to you.
We love the Disneyland Hotel, it's the best, but it's also exceptionally expensive. We only do it through our DVC points. Outside of that, we've really enjoyed our stay at the Vienna House Dream Castle and more recently, we stayed at Relais Spa Val d'Europe and loved that. If it's just adults and you like spas, this is the place for you!
Well, I'm going to jump in here as I think it might be a while before Carolyn can come back to you.
We love the Disneyland Hotel, it's the best, but it's also exceptionally expensive. We only do it through our DVC points. Outside of that, we've really enjoyed our stay at the Vienna House Dream Castle and more recently, we stayed at Relais Spa Val d'Europe and loved that. If it's just adults and you like spas, this is the place for you!
Oh, no, thanks for jumping in! That's great, Vienna House Dream Castle is the very one I was considering. Not sure if a stay at the Disneyland Hotel will ever happen, but for when we do go with on-site, I'm leaning towards Newport or Sequoia. But, I think I'm going to save it (and some money) for a special occasion, particularly since this trip is coming around last minute.
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We had previously stayed in Sequoia Lodge, but during this particular trip we were a bit disappointed with the location of our room - for the first time ever we were put in one of the outer wings, which was quite a long way from the main building with the store and restaurants in. It was a huge hike to breakfast every day! We didn't visit DLP in 2016, and for our visit in March this year, we opted for the newly refurbished, and new to us, Newport Bay. We LOVED this resort, it was so pretty and the rooms were light and airy. We will definitely stay there again!
If you are thinking of Sequoia, just ensure you request a room in the main building if possible, unless you enjoy a long walk before breakfast each day!
I'm glad I have been of some help in the past!
Right, off to Hollywood Studios we go ..........
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Silvercat
(Enjoy reading trip reports? Why not try my books, "Tiggerific Travels Parts 1, 2, 3 & the new volume 4" - available now as e-books)
Well colour me wrong - that's why I thought you wouldn't be checking in, as I assumed you'd be having far too much fun in the Disney bubble! Enjoy the rest of your time out there!