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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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we barrow every yr we get our points in dec but know that our sons in school we go away during the summer used to go day after thanksgiving know june july or aug
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Off site -1990, Carribean- 1997 Honeymoon,
all star movies- 2001,2002, All star sports/BCV 2004
BWV- 2005 Steven's 6th Birthday\DVC Member since 2003-BCV 2005 SSR\POLY,BWV,SSR,VWL,DCL,AND BCV-2007\ BWV & Cabins-2008\ Disneyland 2009\ Disneyland & Disneyworld- 2010 wdw. universal.vero beachand disney dream aug 2011. wdw 15yr anny june/july 2012
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I have never borrowed in over 6 years of owning. Last year I was 9 points short for a ressie at AKV, and I was in a use them or lose them place, so I purchased the extra points using their new system instead of borrowing. I love to bank and have lots more to use than I need.
we borrow points every so offten this year we are last year we did not so it feels like every other year we are doing this . thank pixies not every year lol
We just bought last year and did not take a trip so banked the 160 and even with last years banked and this years we STILL had to borrow. Of course we are taking my whole family and so a 1brd and studio for 9 days makes for some borrowing. However I am thinking next year we will probably no go or only go for a small vaca to help balance it out. Maybe.........
That or for Christmas I will ask my whole family to save the gifts and buy me more points!
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In 2006 we borrowed some 2007 points to stay for 7 days at BCV in a 2BR with my dad and stepmom. We took a trip at Easter 2007 (high points) and paid cash for our room and stayed at POFQ. We banked the rest of the 2007 points into 2008 and then used them to book a 1BR at BWV for 10 nights.
We borrow a few each year depending on where we stay, size of accommodations etc. We used to have it figured out for a one bedroom savannah view for our anniversary week every year but DVC upped the number of points that will cost us so we don't have enough now and can't afford to add on. Now we just vary our stay between one bedroom and studios depending on how long we plan to stay.
We borrow and bank points from time to time but usually only a few here and there. I have already borrowed all of our 2011 points since we won't be going back to Disneyworld for a while after our trip next month. We are heading to Vancouver and Alaska on the Wonder this summer and we have a couple of other non-Disney trips next year so we decided to use next year's points now while we still have AP's.
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We also vary between banking and borrowing. Last year we paid for part of our cruise on points, so that took more. This year we had a surplus. Then I used our surplus points to pay for a studio for DMum and DSis later this month. Now we have very good friends who are going for their first trip in May. If we decide to join them for a couple days it will mean borrowing from next year. There have been years where we've banked points, too. That's part of the fun of owning DVC!!
We have 300 pts at the BWV which is enough for us to stay there about 10 days in a 2 BR. We also bought 60 points at BLT which would give us a several nights in 2 studios every other year (which was the plan when we added on).
We've borrowed for our upcoming trip, as well as our next planned trip for November. But it is not that many points that we borrow. As an example, for our November trip, we will be borrowing 6 points. We like to travel to WDW more than once in a 12 month period, and I think we are doing pretty well in managing our points.
As Tim explained, I don't think borrowing points is a bad thing. But I think it works better if you are able to anticipate your travel needs over the next few trips.