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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 would drop the child off and leave. If I invited kids to a party, and one of the parents, that I didn't know, stayed, I would feel like I had to entertain the parent and the child. I didn't invite the parent, I invited the kid. If you don't feel comfortable leaving the child at the party, decline the invitation. Or maybe before the party, invite the child to your house with the parent and invite the parent in for coffee while the kids play.
Well, what should I do?I'm not asking in an argumentative or mean spirited way, but I'm having such a hard time with this. My child has to have epi-pens with him at all times due to a peanut allergy. I don't think the birthday child's parents want the responsibility of keeping an eye on him at all times, and giving him a shot if he has a contact reaction to something in the birthday cake or (my worst nightmare) cut up peanut butter and jelly sandwiches put out for the kids(he brings his own treats and cupcake). If he doesn't get the epi-pen within minutes of a reaction, he could die (depending on the severity of the reaction, but he has been anaphylactic in the past). Should I decline all birthday party invitations. I'm just asking because I really don't have a choice to leave, and I'm always afraid the parents feel the way you described. I never expect to be entertained. And, our situation isn't that rare. Aidan is one of 2 in his class that are Peanut allergic, and he was one of 2 in his class at pre-school as well.
In answer to the original question, my son is 6yo, and I stay. Luckily most parties around here aren't at houses, they're at bowling alleys or bounce arounds, chuck e cheese-- places like that, and my staying is no big deal. The one we had this year that was at a house--- the parent and I were pretty friendly, so I know she didn't mind my staying, I tried to help with the other kids.
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Dina
Last edited by Happymommy; 04-21-2007 at 12:24 PM..
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I'd find out who else has been invited. Then, if you know any of those parents well, ask if they know these parents.
Pershaps tell the mom that you would like to stay for just a few, until your child is comfortable. Then, as soon as he (and you) are okay, leave. Hand the mom a piece of paper with your child's name and your contact numbers on it. Go shopping, to a movie, to the bookstore or the library.
Personnaly, as a mom, it always annoys me for parents to stay, unless I've planned on it. First - I know they're there because they don't trust me. Second - I have 10 to 25 kids to keep busy - I don't need to keep that many or more adults occupied too! (of course, we live almost an hour away from most of the kids that DDs go to school with, so I always assume that the parents will stay)
My child has to have epi-pens with him at all times due to a peanut allergy. I don't think the birthday child's parents want the responsibility of keeping an eye on him at all times, and giving him a shot if he has a contact reaction to something in the birthday cake or (my worst nightmare) cut up peanut butter and jelly sandwiches put out for the kids(he brings his own treats and cupcake). If he doesn't get the epi-pen within minutes of a reaction, he could die (depending on the severity of the reaction, but he has been anaphylactic in the past).
Dina - I forgot about your son's peanut allergy. That is a different situation. Bring your son and explain that because of the allergy, you'd like to sick around. If a mom told me that, I'd be happy to have her stay, and relieved that I wouldn't have to be so vigilent myself.
Dina - I forgot about your son's peanut allergy. That is a different situation. Bring your son and explain that because of the allergy, you'd like to sick around. If a mom told me that, I'd be happy to have her stay, and relieved that I wouldn't have to be so vigilent myself.
That makes me feel so much better-- THANKS. It's so hard, because I would probably leave. At the last party, at the house--- I felt like such a pain staying (there was one other who stayed, but that was because her son has some behavior issues, and hits--- so she wanted to be there to make sure he wasn't misbehaving). Well there was a family party during the kids party. The other mom started eating the food etc. I just couldn't do that (it was offered)--- Luckily the mom has always been really friendly to me, but I still felt a little weird being there with all of the family. We just got an invitation yesterday to a party, but luckily it's at a gym, but I'm still going to have to call and explain our situation and why I have to stick around. I feel like such a pain.