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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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If we're staying at a new resort, I have to buy a pin. I have bought several kitchenware items in the past, but other then that I really don't spend much on souvenirs. I'm not into Disney themed clothes or jewerly so that saves me alot of money. I have had alot of fun shopping for granddaughter Sophia the past two trips though!
I buy myself a T-shirt every trip but that is the only thing that I always get. I usually just purchase a few things that I feel I can't live without!!!
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
I always get one new pin. I don't do the trading, I just purchase it. My favorite Disney souvenir of all time is one I got when I was a kid. It is a small Mickey Mouse personalized license plate.
I collect fridge magnets from places I've been, so if it's a new resort Ill get one. I used to collect refillable mugs, but had to stop when i ran out of cupboard space. My favorite is a red hoodie I got at WDW a long time ago. It's pretty threadbare now. I also cherish my pins from my Backstage Magic Adventures by Disney trip.
We get a few Disney Christmas ornaments every trip, usually at least one that reminds us of that particular trip.
My favorites are every PhotoPass picture that has Stefanie in it and the Chamilla charm bracelet that she and Luke bought me for my birthday/anniversary and then added to for several more birthdays.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
I don't ever buy anything when we go. Originally when I went to each park for the first time I got fridge magnets. I only forgot to get one at Busch Gardens last year.
The only Disney items I collect is a vast array of Disney T-Shirts but I buy them off the Disney online store and only when on sale. I have never paid more than $15 for a shirt and I have about 20 or so.
Last year when we went in October I started collecting hoodies. lol. I actually bought a Despicable me hoodie at Universal Studios then the next day I saw a HufflePuff hoodie I wanted at IOA and DH bought them both for me. SO now I have 2 hoodies I wear. (Although that is not Disney it is on our Disney trip)
I probably won't buy any more shirts or hoodies for awhile. I don't need any more right now.
Next trip when DH and I go in November of this year I might try and buy a few Disney CHristmas ornaments. I have never seen any so I don't even know what all they have to choose from but I will see if I can seek some out.
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10/27-11/6/11 All Star Music Family Suite (QSDP) --Family trip
1/26-2/1/12 Quality Suites Lake Buena Vista --Adults Only trip
4/16-4/21/12 Rosen Inn --Adults Only Trip
10/27-11/4/12 All Star Music Family Suite (DDP) --Family Trip
4/14-4/19/13 Quality Suites Lake Buena Vista- Adults Only Trip
11/10-11/17/13 Wyndham Bonnet Creek- Adults Only Trip
11/2015 Wyndham Bonnet Creek- Family trip
Photopass has become my main souvenir. That, and all the pins that seem to find their way into my luggage! And, if I am there for a Festival or other special event I get a shirt.
But my very favorite Disney souvenir is my socks. That's right, my socks - the white crew socks with Mickey on them so that I always have a Mickey with me. Many years ago I bought a couple of pairs, and decided that these are the socks I will always wear. I tell everyone that when my socks get a hole in them I have to go to WDW to get more! It has worked well for at least 15 years, and I see no reason to change it now!
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Sharon - Kitty and me
2013 Scrapbook pages count: 631 / 350
2014 Scrapbook pages count: 60 / 250
Is there one souvenir that you bring home from every Disney vacation? Just pins for now. On our next trip, we want to start buying a Christmas ornament on every trip.
What is your favorite souvenir you have from a Disney vacation? Does my engagement ring count? It wasn't bought from Disney, but he proposed in Disney.
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