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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 to all that sent me pixies and such regarding my battle with the germs and Disney Downers. I'm starting to get excited about the trip again.
I have done all the packing I can possibly do aside from clothing. Need to wait on that since the weather has been so up and down, I don't know what to pack yet. Plus, definitely don't want to jinx myself by packing shorts.
Figure it's time to let y'all in on our plans....
T-1 and counting....
Friday, Feb. 4th
Our last day before the trip!!! Jennie#1 and I will be taking a half day from work - leaving at noon.
First stop, Costco. We will be purchasing the last of the perishables for our meals.
Second stop, Walmart. For all the remaining perishables (that we don't need a huge supply of).
Third stop, home. To chop all veggies, seperate the meats (pounding chicken) and prepare anything else to save time and room. Then packing up the coolers and taking them to the Penguin stand for ice. The coolers will stay in the Yukon XL (aka "the bus") overnight.
Fourth stop, PetSmart. Sid will staying at the PetsHotel during our stay. I had a falling out with the dog sitter so to the kennel he goes. Luckily, Sid is somewhat of a celebrity over at PS. He's been going to training there since he was 4 months and attending doggy daycare since he was 6 months. He loves it so I'm not upset. He'll be on vakay too!
Final stop, home. Final boarding for all clothing into the suitcases. A light dinner, showers and EARLY to bed where I will attempt to sleep. The alarm will be set for 4:30AM!!!!
I'll introduce you to the players as the days unfold. Our itinerary is not set in stone but rather a guide. There are too many people attending this celebration (some only staying one day) to try to get everyone on the same page. One thing I know for certain, Saturday, February 5th, we WILL be on our way!
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I'm very impressed! My trip starts on Jan 25th and I haven't even opened up my suitcase yet. I did actually buy some sunscreen yesterday..... I hope that we need it! I felt a little sad thinking that the day that you leave for your trip is the last day of ours...... Guess I shouldn't be sad about the end of the trip before it even starts.
Sound like you have everything planned out! I wish that we could get that many friends together for a trip....none of mine are Disney fanatics like me!
I wish that we could get that many friends together for a trip....none of mine are Disney fanatics like me!
I must confess, I lived in FL for a few years and was an annual pass holder back when Disney practically gave away hotel rooms at the last minute to AP holders. This quickly became an excuse for a girls' getaway weekend which ended up happening every 8 to 12 weeks or so. Sometimes we didn't even make it to a park, the resort and Pleasure Island (R.I.P. Adventurer's Club) were enough! So Disney becomes our gathering spot since I never travel anywhere else (ok, so we went to Savannah, GA for St. Pat's this year - Woweeeeeeee~!) since the majority of my girls are scattered around the Sunshine State.
Now that most of us are having a milestone birthday in 2011, we decided to still go to Disney, but go BIG! Deluxe 2bdrm villa, outrageous menu planned, fantastic wine and martini menu planned, apps/dessert & wine at Cali Grill during Wishes, the Superbowl, etc. 8 days of mayhem planned (instead of the usual long weekend - it's always been mayhem!)
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.
Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and we will have smooth sailing from South Carolina to Florida.
4:30am: Alarm set to go off! Amazing how on any other day, it takes four to five whacks on the snooze button to get my butt outta bed. On a Disney day, BOING! I'm up, no hesistation. Coffee should be brewing by this point (as long a I remember to set timer the night before). Brush teeth, brush hair, wash face, get dressed.
5:00am (or sometime around there) Jennie #1 & Joe (1 is my coworker, Joe is her hubby) should arrive with "the bus" and we'll start loading up with last of the bags. Coffee & breakfast on the road, no time to waste!
It normally takes me 7 hours to get to Orlando but that's in my silver bullet, since "the bus" is ALOT larger (think Wonder vs. Dream), it will proabably take us 9 hours. Luckily, the gas tank is as large as a smart car so we won't have to fill up again until we hit I4 in FL. N I C E!!
3:00pm This should put us at Old Key West, one hour before check-in so I'm hoping our villa is ready. If not, explore the resort for an hour or so, then time to unpack and decorate the room! I've never used one of those disposable helium tanks but we've got over 100 balloons to blow up and I don't have that much hot air. Close, but not enough. I've purchased a ton of command hooks for balloons and decorations (this is afterall, a birthday party).
After all the goods have been unloaded and put away, it's time for an adult beverage and some well deserved relaxation. A nap perhaps?? Just some shut eye until the next group shows up.
Not sure who's showing up Saturday nite or when, somewhere around 4-6 more peeps, but we'll be making a huge amount of spaghetti for dinner. For some reason, none of us eat pasta on a regular basis so we figured this will be light and easy. Throw some meat and mushrooms in for good measure. Probably pop a bottle or two of red wine as well. Then our half sheet cake we're bringing from Costco!
10:00pm: We then plan on going out for some good ol drinkin' & dancin'. First stop, Jellyrolls! We always have a great time there. If we're up to it, we'll run over to Atlantic Dance Hall to cut a rug! Got to love Disney busses, no DD needed! This is where the nap from earlier kicks in and allows me to stay up well past my bedtime!
2:00am: "You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here" Back to OKW and my pajamas. We'll probably be asleep before our heads hit the pillow.
Sleep tight for the next day, we Drink Around the World Showcase & Superbowl!!!
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Disney Magic - Oct 2015
Guess I shouldn't be sad about the end of the trip before it even starts. 
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