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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 have always wanted to fly Virgin but haven't succeeded yet. I hear fabulous things about them.
I am NOT a good flyer...nope. I am TRYING To be though. I have a 5 hr straight through flight in April that I am not looking forward to (the flight, not the trip).
I will bring Adivan with me but I don't want to take it because of the kids. I don't take the stuff normally, but on a 5 hr flight, i might need it. Bring some Tylenol/Advil and some allergy stuff for your child. Also, some surprise type of book or magazine for him too. Something light to read too.
I wouldn't hesitate spending abit of money for snacks on the trip. I mean, bring some along with you, but sometimes, it is nice to try some of their food too. And get a game for your sons DS. I find they help to keep me occupied for a few min too.
Remember to get up and keep your legs moving off and on for both of you.
Hope this helps.
I sometimes find that a small pillow (I have an inflatable one) that I can put behind my back for lumbar support goes a very long way towards making me comfortable. I also pack a pair of cheap ballet flat style slippers in my carry on & leave enough space in my carry on to put my regular shoes in it. I change in to the slippers & put my shoes in to my carry on at the gate before boarding the plane. I'm much more comfortable when I do this because my feet aren't in confining shoes & because I get my feet further under the seat in front of me giving me a little more leg room.
I think you have it covered. I am another one that pays a lot of attention to what I wear on long haul flights. I literally have a "flight suit" that consists of pull on black pants, a 3/4 sleeve print top and a matching black jacket. The fabric is some crazy travel knit that is impossible to wrinkle. (and I have washed it in many a hotel room sink, hung to dry and wore it on the return) I wear black leather flat comfy slip ons and keep a pashmina shawl within easy reach for when it gets cold. Comfort goes a long way. I also make sure everyone has comfortable headphones and the electronic devices of choice. We fly a lot and for some reason we find long haul flights sometimes easier to deal with than our 5 hour flight to Florida. Long hauls tend to really work to keep you entertained. (food, movie, nap, snack, read, snack, nap, food, movie...) I joke that I catch up on all the movies I have missed while flying to Europe.
Dave's tip about headphones is a good one - I have often had to give up on a movie because I'm finding the cheap plane headset too uncomfortable.
My longest flight(s) were UK to Australia flying on my own. The fact I had nice non annoying people next to me made the trip much more bearable .
I also had a soft over-sized button free cardigan which was easy to shrug off and on when the cabin temp changed- I was glad to have that with me.