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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 so much for taking the time to chronicle it all for us who are living vicariously through you! I know you're busy and (at times!) stressed and I just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to post!
Can the Dino ride photos be added to Photopass? I thought that some of the ride photos were going to be (TestTrack is already).
Currently, Test Track is the only one on PhotoPass. I know, it's a bummer. We are offering a single 5x7 now for $16.95, though, so that's not too bad.
My day off turned into another day of moving adventures. I finally had to lay down the law to 23 yo (Miss My Hands Are So Swollen And I Have Ankle Inflammation) and told her she was NOT going to work today until the trailer was ready for storage. Lo and behold, chop, chop, she made it to work on time. I spent the afternoon taking the trailer to the storage place and getting that all set up, then doing some furniture placement and such.
On the way home, we had to stop by Goodings to pick up some first aid supplies as I had sliced my arm open on the trailer door this afternoon , then we went to DTD to get our t-shirts. They turned out really cute (I'll try to get pictures soon) and I give the Design a Tee thumbs up. We came "home" to AKV and I made the ultimate comfort food...baked mac & cheese for dinner and spent about an hour in the whirlpool tub in our villa. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Tomorrow is my first real day on the job. I'm working stocking the store and/or carts, so it will be interesting to see how that goes seeing as I have had little to no training in that area! At least I get to wear the comfy safari shorts and "mud" shirt costume. I think it's kind of awesome looking, so I won't mind my stock time, I'm sure.
As an aside...I am asked a LOT if I really am a College Program participant and I love telling people, "YES!" So many Cast Members have been taken aback by it and have congratulated me on taking such a bold step at this point in my life. For some of them, I can see the wheels start to turn with the "maybe I could..." look and that has been the most rewarding thing I've experienced so far. It's very empowering to me knowing that maybe, just maybe, I've inspired someone to go after his or her own dream, whatever it may be. "It's time to remember the magic" keeps playing in my head. I want people to remember their dreams and their magic and know that it is never too late to go after them. I've watched "The Kid" several times in the last few weeks (it's 12yo's favorite movie right now) and that has been a lot more meaningful to me, too (you should watch it!)
The views and opinions expressed on this post are mine and do not necessarily represent or reflect those of The Walt Disney Company and Affiliated Companies
Wahooooooooooooo I am so glad that you are living your dream. I keep your christmas card still up on the wall for inspiration. Thank you so much and I hope that all of your other dreams still come true.
Who knew stocking 3 carts in Dinoland for 6 hours would WIPE this ol' dinosaur out??? Good heavens, but that was a lot of hard work. But, each and every time I walked onstage, a voice in my head reminded me what a blessing and a privilege it is to have my job. Where else can you walk past Pluto on your way to the break room?
I did get some exciting news today. I'm our area's "RAFIKI" which is an acronym for an RA type position. This is only the 2nd semester they've had it and DAK is the only park to offer it for the CPs, so it's quite an honor for me. Basically, I am the liason between the CP manager in Dinoland and the CPs. I'll keep up with the bulletin boards and help plan events, plus sit on the committee when it meets. The managers choose the RAFIKIs, so I'm even MORE blessed.
I have another stocking shift tomorrow, so I'm heading to bed to rest these weary bones.
The views and opinions expressed on this post are mine and do not necessarily represent or reflect those of The Walt Disney Company and Affiliated Companies
Congrats on making it through your first official day, Dawn. We're all proud of you!
That's great that they chose you to be the RAFIKI. And, the best thing is you don't have to live down the hall from everyone and listen to their stories about bad boyfriends/girlfriends, problems at home, or roommates they hate! (that's what the RAs at school tell me they do more than anything else!)
Doing anything for 6 hours would wear someone out - especially when it's your first 'real' day on-stage, and you have to remember all the info you've gotten in the last week.
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