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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 read that Southwest is raising the EBCI fee from the current $15 - I remember when it was $10
“Starting Aug. 29, EarlyBird Check-In will cost either $15, $20 or $25, depending on the route. Southwest said the price will be determined based on the length of the flight and the popularity of EarlyBird on the route. “
Annoying yes but I’ll take it over a checked bag fee anyday
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Wow, that is a hike and it's frustrating that you won't know how much it's going to cost for your flight, but as you say, if you've got a couple of pieces of luggage, it does all even out, I guess…
I wish that SWA had just as cheap flights as American Airlines 6 months out. If they did I wouldn't fly AA, even with the $25 (RT $50) checked bag. And it seems like SWA is starting to be like all the other airlines, charging...it may be disguised as Early Bird Check-in, but depending on the route & Popularity- then the baggage charges of other airlines isn't that BAD.... just saying....
I am now getting off my soap box.....
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Kate in PA All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them- Walt Disney
Hearing about all the extra fees (especially the bag check fees) makes me grateful for Alaska Airlines. While they are not perfect and not the cheapest...I know what I am paying when I book my flight.
And as a resident of Alaska, I am a member of Club 49...one of the perks we get is two free checked bags coming and going as long as our flight originates on an Alaska Air flight.
This little perk just saved my sister and I around $400! My sister had paid at the UPS Store to have some milk glass (that belonged to our grandmother) boxed up when she was down in New Mexico visiting our aunt last year to bring back. She was not on Alaska Air that trip and didn't want to pay the checked bag fee. HOWEVER....the UPS Store wanted almost $400 to ship the darn thing!!!! I just came back from a visit to the same aunt. I was flying Alaska...took the box with me. We figured that even if we had to pay an "overweight" fee of $75 - it would be way better than the UPS Store. Well, we lucked out...box was less that 40 pounds so it didn't cost anything to bring back!
Knowing that we have this option is great, because we don't have to worry as much when packing and/or buying stuff on vacation. It's not going to cost us an arm and a leg to get things home.
That all said...the "unbundling" of fees and services on airlines is becoming ridiculous. I would much rather pay a little more on the ticket and get all the services included. I would probably still print my own boarding pass (or use my phone app), print my own baggage tags, and do most of the stuff required online or at their little "ATM" machines at the airport, but having to figure out all the little charges is just a pain.
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Jennifer / Eeyore is my favorite!! OMG - He's sooooo grown up!!!! And an EAGLE SCOUT!! I can still remember my cute little Tiger Cub! 2016 Reading Goal - 75 books
I bet it's becoming more popular, so they feel they can get more for it. And you do have the option of not paying it. I want to fly out of Manchester, NH with a direct flight, so SWA gets my business. I would be happiest if I could choose my seat when I book my flight. But EBCI is the next best thing for me.
I bet it's becoming more popular, so they feel they can get more for it. And you do have the option of not paying it. I want to fly out of Manchester, NH with a direct flight, so SWA gets my business. I would be happiest if I could choose my seat when I book my flight. But EBCI is the next best thing for me.
Agree 100%. My little airport is 1.5 miles from my house and still has direct flights and I think longest we waited for security was 5-10 min. All in all worth it for me. I just went online and booked EBCI for all my upcoming flights.
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Our last WDW trip as a family 
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