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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Hi and Welcome to the boards.
For our first trip together, way back in 1990, we bought the Unofficial Guide. I guess it was better than nothing. Fast forward to our next big trip in 2001 I stumbled onto the Passporter. Thanks to all the uuseful info and wonderful tips I think we enjoyed our trip even more. So much so that we haven't been able to go a year without returning to WDW or getting a new PP.
I think the nicest thing about the PP is that it is like a one stop shop. It has all the phone numbers you need, plus a place to write down plans, confirmation number(which I could never keep track of before) budget work sheet you name it. It also has the pockets that are wonderful. There is a place for your travel stuff like plane tickets and rental car info, there is a place for all of your lodging info incl brochures and receipts and a pocket for each day of your trip so you can keep track of spending or slip little souveniers into like fancy napkins from restaurants, anything you need you can find in the PP(except the $$ for thos Ap's you will want)
Also another great thing about PP is these boards. Using the info gleened from the book and these boards I know we have saved $$$ on our trips. Just the secret 800 number alone(found on the dining board) has saved me probably $10-$20 on phone calls over the years.
So long story short(too late) I would say go to your local library and check out the Birmbaums book, read it thru, and take any notes you may bind useful. Buy the PP book and put those notes in one of the pockets.
Happy planning!
I think the Birnbaum is a good place to start for those who are going for the first time, because the pictures and descriptions allow you to start acquiring your "mental map" of WDW. [Let's face it, no picture or description will do it total justice.]
Unlike a lot of people, I do not find the Unofficial Guide to be overly negative, and have found it to be very informative and a good source of tips and visitor impressions.
From a trip planning and management standpoint, I think PassPorter is tops! It is well constructed and a real aid to preparation and organization. It helps keep you from overlooking vital trip elements in your excitement! [By the way, the people who frequent these boards are just the best! They share great--and timely--information.]
Another great source of information is allearsnet.com. This is an especially great place to find restaurant menus. And lots of pictures.
A lot of us have discovered that some research and up-front planning can greatly enhance your WDW experience. I hope you have a wonderful time. And remember, we're all willing to help if we can.
Although I LOVE the Unofficial Guide, Passporter is definitely my favorite. I love all the little pictures spread throughout the book, and I absolutely love how everything is so "interactive" and personalizable. You can jot down your plans in several different sections of the book, including the Passpockets. During your trip you can bring the book along to store all your small souvineers, notes, etc in the Passpockets so everything is in one place. I love this book
We always get both Birnbaums and Passporter. I cannot live without my Passporter to keep me organized. Birnbaum's does have some descent coupons in the back you can use.
I used both last year because a friend of mine had the Birnbaum and let me have it after her trip. This year I'm only using Passporter only because I don't feel like I need to buy a new Birnbaum book. Passporter is all I need.
I have both the Passporter and Birnbaum's. I prefer Passporter because of the detail, plus online updates. I like the Birnbaum's because, this sounds cheeky, I love the pictures! I buy both every year.
thanks everyone...I think i am going to go with the passorter, birnbaums and the unofficial. Like most of you said...you can't have too much info for your first trip!
Has anyone ever used the brinbaum dining guide?
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