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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Another Tara PTR!
How wonderful to spend 8 days in Rome! And Congrats on 35 years!
The loft looks awesome. Jeff suggested doing airbnb on our trip out west, but I was not convinced!:
It's funny you should say that, Donna!! Even though the loft looks terrific, I am still a little wary about the idea! I figure it will convince me one way or the other for sure!!
Let me start this post out by saying that United airlines sent Muffin an email saying that our flight to Rome would now be from PHL to Chicago. Still no upgrade to First Class. We were both a little upset by this as our original flight was from PHL to IAD (Washington, DC) and then to Rome.
Then Muffin read more reviews on the AirBnB apartment that we booked and, although we still thought it was adorable, most of the reviews stated that the hot water tank was only ten gallons and the kitchen was literally 5 feet in height. Me being 5’5” and Muffin being 6’0” and both of us loving a hot shower in the morning pretty much negated the cuteness of this place.
Now we were really thrown off and although we got the airfare refunded and we got the AirBnB apartment refunded, we were now starting from scratch.
We started looking for other ways to get there as well as other places to stay. We went on Trip Advisor and the cheapest decent hotel that we could find was 400 bucks a night. The cheapest alternative airfare was on American with a direct from PHL at 1,246 round trip per person.
This went from being an fairly inexpensive trip to costing a whole lot more overnight! So! I texted Muffin today at work today and said that we should reconsider our Rome trip and I had some ideas on how to spend our 35th anniversary.
He said that we should go to our favorite place for dinner, the Firepoint Grill, and talk about it. I said that would be okay. Then we had a long talk and we decided to really shake things up tonight!
We decided that instead of going to Rome this year, we would work on the house, pay off the rest of Sean’s law school bill and do WDW a little differently. We decided that we would give Sean the balance of his law school bill for a Christmas present and I will not give you guys a figure, but this check will be way more than it would have been to go to Rome in any case. We are both fine with this plan!
Not to slight ourselves, we are having three more rooms done with hardwood floors. And! Instead of Rome, we would go to Toronto for our actual anniversary for a few nights and then really celebrate in Orlando, which may sound weird to some of you, but we decided that this is truly our happy place and would be a perfect way to celebrate!! Anyway!
You will have to visit my Me, Muffin, Disney World and Universal PTR to find out what happens next!!
Sorry Rome didn’t work, but sounds like you’ve both come up with something that works for you two.
But, man, it’s exhausting keeping your details straight!
And then there’s me, with trips planned 2+ years out.....
Sorry Rome didn’t work, but sounds like you’ve both come up with something that works for you two.
But, man, it’s exhausting keeping your details straight!
And then there’s me, with trips planned 2+ years out.....
I hear you! We were talking today and I was like "maybe we'll put that back from 2020 to spring 2021"
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Sorry about Rome, but it sounds as if things have worked out for you in the end.
They have!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubfancolleen
Sorry Rome didn’t work, but sounds like you’ve both come up with something that works for you two.
But, man, it’s exhausting keeping your details straight!
And then there’s me, with trips planned 2+ years out.....
I know it is Colleen!! We are so weird with our planning but somehow things usually work out!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by DMA
Sorry you had to cancel your trip to Rome, but I'm glad you still have some special anniversary plans. And more days at Disney is a great compromise!
Seems like this will work out for the two of you. Some nice anniversary plans and trip as well as a WDW/Universal trip in November to look forward. Plus all the nice additions you're making to your home.
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Seems like this will work out for the two of you. Some nice anniversary plans and trip as well as a WDW/Universal trip in November to look forward. Plus all the nice additions you're making to your home.
We are pretty happy with the way things turned out.