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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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After several years of problems I won't bore you with, we're finally (FINALLY!) going back to WDW! I'm thrilled, but also trepidatious-- we leave at the end of September, which doesn't give me nearly as much time to plan as I'd want. We don't even have plane tickets yet. This will be our first trip using Magic Bands, and My Disney Experience, and the new Fast Pass system-- we're relearning everything!
So I'm here asking for advice. What do you think I need to be aware of, generally, to make the trip go as smoothly as possible? We are two adults, one in a wheelchair (though I can get up and walk when necessary). No kids. We're doing a split stay between the ASM and the Pop (first time at ASM).
I also have a couple of specific questions:
I adore Stitch, but I understand he's getting harder to meet-and-greet. Does he have set times he comes out in the parks anymore? I was only able to secure one reservation for breakfast at 'Ohana, and I'm thrilled to have that! But if I can see him more than once, I want to. Yes, I'm just a big kid. But aren't we all?
Magic Bands! I've seen a lot of people customizing them and would like to do the same. Is there anything I should be aware of? I don't want to paint over anything sensitive and interfere with how they work.
And My Disney Experience. What's the best way to let MDE help with vacation and planning? (I realize that's a pretty broad question, but I really don't know where to start.)
Thanks for the help, everyone! I've been away too long...I'm afraid breakneck planning like this will get the better of me and I'll wind up "missing" my time in the park because I'm so stressed about it!
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Best Disney moment: Stitch proposed to me, recognized me years later, and tried to end a Meet & Greet by waving bye to the line & leading me away!
Congratulations and let the planning begin. The best advice I can offer you is to relax and just go with the flow. Think about the rides you really want to do and make those FP right at your 60 day mark, which should be soon (if not already passed). As to decorating your magic band, I did that a few years back and used nail polish and stickers. I don't think you can cause a problem with that, but I basically stayed away from the main portion of the band where the sensors are.
I'll take the Stitch question. . . he has his own indoor meet & greet in the Magic Kingdom at the location of the previous Stitch attraction in Tomorrowland. Based on our experience, it's open daily! Check the Times Guide just to be sure.
Pris, thank you for the info! Clogging up my magic band would be hyper-embarrassing.
toddjodybrent, thank you! Our travel agent said he had a meet-and-greet there, but in her experience it was never open. I'm glad to hear she maybe had an atypical experience with it. I'll definitely check the Times Guide first thing. Wow, I'm a bit more hopeful now.
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Best Disney moment: Stitch proposed to me, recognized me years later, and tried to end a Meet & Greet by waving bye to the line & leading me away!
I agree with relax. I'd say each of you pick a few things in each park that are absolute, ride or die must do's for you and make a point of getting those things done as soon as you can once you get in to a park. That way once you've checked those off your list everything else is a bonus you're happy to get. Remember Disney isn't going anywhere and you've been before and are back again so don't try to do everything. Also for me Disney is in the details and you can't appreciate those if you don't slow down and look. Take breaks and drink ridiculous amounts of water.
Thank you, revral. I agree we need to make sure we get our E-ticket stuff done first, and let the rest follow. We've got a lot of time in the parks (10 days), just not much time to plan. I'm so glad we've been before so I have an idea of what to expect! And yet so much is new-- we've never done a split-stay before, or used the bands, or MDE...and I've never planned a trip so close to leaving that I couldn't get the reservations I wanted. You are all right and I need to relax and let it be magical.
I do plan on lots of breaks (my body kind of demands it) and water is always a good suggestion. I'm also planning on taking a watercolor sketchbook-- I'm not any good yet, but it will be a wonderful way to make myself be still and quiet and appreciate WHERE I am, while feeling like I'm not wasting precious park time. In fact, I was going to post to the forums asking if anyone else sketches or paints in the parks, and if they have any pointers.
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Best Disney moment: Stitch proposed to me, recognized me years later, and tried to end a Meet & Greet by waving bye to the line & leading me away!
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