Note From Dave Regarding MouseFest and PassPorter Meets - Page 2 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Thank you Dave, Jennifer, and the whole PassPorter staff!
Thanks to you guys, I have some of the best friends of my whole life and a rich and rewarding group of people that I like to hang out with -- daily in the discussion boards, and on those special vacations when our paths cross.
Here's to the "gathering" this December and to many, many more!
Eileen
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add me to the list of admirers. had a great time this year and am going back next year regardless of what it ends up being called. i think it will be just as great meeting up with pp'ers...we already have a little group planning a grand gathering....thanks to passporter, you and jennifer, we have a great circle of friends to lean on.
While I am bummed that my first official Mousefest is not going to happen, I can certainly understand why you chose to step down. Thank you both for making this such a great place to spend time in.
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Dave, Jennifer, the entire MF committee and all the other people behind the scenes, have done a wonderful job over the years with the MF gatherings. I too am a tad bit saddened to see this event put on hold but can understand the amount of time and commitment that goes into putting on an event such as the MF (it's a job in it's self!). KUDOS to you ALL!!!
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While I am bummed that my first official Mousefest is not going to happen, I can certainly understand why you chose to step down. Thank you both for making this such a great place to spend time in.
Nothing to be bummed about especially if the PassPorters are planning on doing their own thing. Years ago many of us got together and had our own little gathering (before MF) and we all had a ball. Was almost like a big family gathering/reunion. Hopefully I'll be able to go back down this year and YES! If I do, I'll be bringing a different Stained Glass Ornament
Just adding my thanks to you, Dave, and Jennifer, the Passporter Staff anf the Executive Committee for making my first Mousefest a great experience. You are all great! I had wanted to go to Mousefest for a couple of years and was able to do so this past December. I am glad that I had the opportunity.
My BFF and I loved the cruise and land portion this past December. It was a chance to meet folks from the different sites we are on. Since Mouse Fest was a way to gather friends from the different sites, it will still be in our hearts even though not an "official" meet.
Dave and Jennifer, you gave so much of yourselves,,,many thanks.
StephaMickey and I will be at the Magic Meet. We are booked for the cruise this December and plan to come to WDW for two days before and two days after. I might even stay two more days. We look forward to many fun times with everyone.
Thanks for a job well done, Dave, Jennifer, and all the PassPorter Staff.
As Debbie said, the old PassPorter meets from years past were a fun, fun time. I have some great photos and fantastic memories of those times.
I'm sure all those fortunate to go this year will have a great time with old friends and making new ones.
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Oakley PassPorter Guide to: The Porch, The Family Room, DL: Feasting & Snacking & DL: Staying in Style
Take care- Laura
Last edited by LauraBelle V. Hime; 03-18-2009 at 10:29 PM..
Thank you Dave and Jennifer for all the hard work you've put into past MouseFest gatherings. I only attended one "small" gathering in 2005 but was thrilled to meet you and Jennifer and so many other PP friends for the first time. Checking in with PP discussion boards daily helps me stay in touch with the latest Disney news but it's also been such a nice community to chat with so many people from around the country and world for that matter.