Let's Start at the very beginning - PTR:August 17-31 2014 - Page 23 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Well the decision I have been dreading has been made - we are cancelling this trip.
The icing on the cake was that I have gotten some sort of eye infection. I thought it was a stye but my entire eye lid is swollen and I wasn't able to drive for 2 days so I missed more work time.
Between the dog getting sick and the car repairs my funds are about half of what I wanted.
The biggest reason is just my mom's strength and stamina. I don't see any way she is going to recover in enough time to have an enjoyable vacation. Even if she feels better and is not in pain she will be tired and I can't trust her to navigate around by herself. It is just too much stress for everyone. I've decided just to wait, save my tax refund and try for next August 2015. I'm bummed but that really is the best option. Perhaps Mom will be better and able to travel then. But At this point I'm mentally planning just me and Evan.
I decided not to do November either as we are also cancelling a trip to Washington DC and Mount Vernon we had scheduled for the end of June. We are pushing back that DC trip to Teacher's Convention in November and my sister and her kids will be coming and if Mom is feeling up to it, she will be a last minute add on.
I haven't told Evan just yet that we are officially cancelled. I'm going to wait until school is over.
I guess the only good news in all of this is that I still have something to look forward to and plan.
I'll be back to post when I can but right now life is just too crazy with end of school and running my mom all over and a new assignment at work. I'm on the computer all day and then barely look at it at night or over the weekend. But hopefully be popping in and out over the next few weeks.
I'm sorry to hear that, Holly It's a bummer to have to cancel for this year, but you're doing the right thing. It just wouldn't be an enjoyable trip for your mom if she wasn't feeling 100% by then, and then there would be the added stress on you worrying about her and if she is doing ok while you are there. At least you can look forward to going next year! Sending lots of your way!
So sorry to hear Holly. I know it was a tough decision but one that had to be made. Continued pixies for your Mom and adding a bunch in for you and Evan!
Sorry to hear this! It is so nice though that you can look forward to next year You did do the right thing, though. We had to cancel last years trip in part bc of finances. Now this year, we have an even better trip in the works!! you will get your trip too! AND
Holly - so sorry about your Mom's diagnosis, and having to cancel the trip (for this year).
Cancer wiped out most of my 2014 Disney plans as well. The important thing is to get the treatment plan going, and try to keep the stress levels down - easy to say. As others have said, there are many people living quality lives with metastatic breast cancer - and there are many available treatments. It sounds like her doctors are on top of things. Many, many good thoughts coming your way.
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