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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Then, he turned to his little sister, handed her the prize and said, "I won this for you!"
I am tearing up too just reading this!! ... I can cry at the drop of a hat these days...must be something to do with that 'growing up' lark I've heard so much about...
and very many that everything works out just as you want it to. I've been reading through all 80 pages of this thread (over time, not all in one sitting!) and you sound like you really deserve the best that WDW can offer you. I look forward to meeting you next year when my still-in-planning-stages trip becomes a we-are-definitely-going trip!
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Tinkerboo (or in the real world, Toyah) Reading Challenge 2015: 0/84
Follow my journey from sweaty panting mess to running goddess (I hope!) Out walking with The Boy...
On the way home from there, my phone rang with a 407 area code (love me that area code...) and it was someone from the PI office. He said that they noted I'd applied for retail management last semester and were just wondering if I would still be interested IF a position became available. I tried to maintain my composure and told him, absolutely, without a doubt, 100% interested. I also told him that I'm already here on a merch CP, so it wouldn't be a big leap for me, either. He laughed and told me that he would put me down as a "yes", "just in case" something opens up. PIXIES PLEASE!!! .
Today was my Disney Leadership class. I guess I'm just an old fuddy-duddy, but I expect my classmates to follow the rules/guidelines/expectations and if they don't, I expect the instructor to take them to task for it. We have these 2-3 girls who sit and chatter all through class. It's like a constant, annoying hum. Today, they showed up in jeans and tennis shoes which is a HUGE no-no as we are to be in "Disney Look" for all classes (business casual, no unnatural hair color, one ring per finger, no bracelets, conservative earrings, etc). Again, all through class, chatter, chatter. It irritates me. It irritates me to distraction and the instructor just let it all go. I've decided I'm not going to class next week. We're allowed to miss one, hubby is leaving that day, and I just don't have the patience for the annoyance anymore. I did email the instructor today about it (I also had a question), so I'm hoping he understands that he has to model leadership, too, and step up to the plate when someone is behaving inappropriately. I'm sad to say that what I'm learning (and what is in Creating Magic) is a far cry (so far, you can't even hear it) from reality here in the House that Walt built.
Having come home irked and depressed, I decided to take younger DDs to Winter Summerland for mini-golf! Gotta love those CM discounts... We played the Summer side and it was so much fun. I was one shot over the record for the day (darn it!) and we had fun. Both older DDs are working, so we'll have some peace and quiet around this evening.
23yo also announced today that 20yo told her she wasn't going to go to 12/13yo's birthday dinner "b/c she didn't want a confrontation with [hubby's first name]". WTHECK?!?!? Confrontation??? He keeps his mouth shut and always has around her, he's not totally insane. 12yo is VERY upset as 20yo is her sister and she wants her there. She has said, however, that she does NOT want the boyfriend along and I've agreed, we have a party of 6, not 7 reserved. I don't think that's too much to ask. We are also going to have it out over next Thursday night when the BF WILL NOT BE HERE at all b/c hubby is spending that night in our house. I'm looking forward to next week for DDs', but I'm also dreading it b/c it could be permanent unhappy memories for 13yo, depending on how it all goes down. With her Asperger's it's hard enough (flashing back to the bicycle for the 6th b-day that didn't have the exact perfect streamers on the handles... )
I am so sorry today put you in a down mood but glad that you did not let it keep you down and that you and the girls enjoyed a fun afternoon. I am not at all suprised at your remarks regarding the Magic (or lack of)....
I have heard things before and while I try to look at everything with that a positive attitude...sometimes it is sad to realize that what is so magical on the outside is not magical on the inside.
I think the magic that we feel at Disney is the magic we create, and the magic that is created by CM's like you who feel the same magic as we do. And like any company there are going to be those who are there for a paycheck and really could not care less about the job or the foundation that it was built on.
Disney needs people like you Dawn who smile when they come to work and actually mean it, who finds joy in seeing others smile and I do beleive there are many of those out there (I have witnessed many) but there are those that I can tell just don't feel that spirit and it is apparent in how they do their job.
I hope you daughter has a wonderful birthday and that the 20 yo comes to her senses and does not ruin this for her sister...and if she doesn't come then I hope that she will be so delighted in the rest of her family sharing in this special day that her missing sister will go unnoticed.
Many pixies to you Dawn as I know that situation must be really wearing on you. (I am keeping my fingers crossed that you get the PI job which will lead to another job that pays more money and then the older ones can go on their own and you can all be in peace - see I am doing that positive attitude thing).
Dawn, you should tell your story in a BOOK! I am certainly ready to place my order for it!!!!!
Reading this read and keeping up to date with your journey is one of the highlights of my day. I feel I know you as a friend even though we've never met.
Your honestly, clarity, love and "magic" make you truly unique. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your story.
If Disney doesn't find you a permananent position of some sort, well, that's it for me! If they can overlook someone who so clearly eminates "magic" as much as you do, they must be blind!! Your managers should be fighting to find you a position! In my mind, you are everything that embodies a Cast Member!!
Millions and millions of pixies for EVERYTHING in your life at the moment!!!
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.
As an older woman, I really have a hard time hearing if there are rude people in room who are talking while someone is trying to speak. I usually mention it to the leader of the group because I hate to waste time and money sitting around straining to hear. You might want to mention to your professor that the constant humming can be an issue for lots of people.
As for 20 year old, I would just tell her once that her sister would like her there and then leave it up to her. If she doesn't come, than she can answer to her sister. You might also want to talk to your birthday daughter about the fact that her sister is invited, but may not come and the the other 5 of you can still have a great time. Even if she has Asperger's she will need to learn there's only one person's behavior she can control, her own.
I think as mothers we try to hard to make everything right for our kids when what they really need to learn is how to roll with the punches and deal with disappointment. I can see how hard you try, but I've learned that it takes too much emotional energy to make everything right. My kids cannot complain to me about one another. They have to deal with each other directly. It works much better for all of us, but especially me.
Hopefully, you'll have a more magical day tomorrow.
What a sweet story about the little boy thinking of his younger sister. If only life could be that simple to make things better for someone else. I hope it all works out for you with your job hopes. How wonderful that you get to live this Disney Dream . Don't let the others get you down. Good things will come to you.
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Aug,1978- LBV;Apr,1987-Disneyland;March,1993-offsite;Jan,1997-offsite;Aug,1999- CBR;Sept,2000- ASMo;Aug,2001- ASSP;Aug,2002- ASMU/AKL;Jan & July 2003-POR;June,December 2004- PC;January 2005- ASMU; Aug 2005-PC;Dec 2005-AKL;Jan 2006-CBR ; July/Aug-Saratoga springs; Dec. PC;April 2007- Disneyland;Aug 2007-Disneyland & So Cal;Dec 2007-POFQ; Aug2008-POFQ & Nov 2008 PC,Y&B May 2009 ASmu, June 2009 PC ; Nov 2009 WL & POFQ;Jan 2010 BW & WL; June 2010 POFQ ; Aug 2010 Poly ;Oct 2010 WL; Jan 2011 PC
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I can cry at the drop of a hat these days...must be something to do with that 'growing up' lark I've heard so much about...
and very many 
ANGIE
and told him, absolutely, without a doubt, 100% interested. I also told him that I'm already here on a merch CP, so it wouldn't be a big leap for me, either. He laughed and told me that he would put me down as a "yes", "just in case" something opens up. PIXIES PLEASE!!! .
I did email the instructor today about it (I also had a question), so I'm hoping he understands that he has to model leadership, too, and step up to the plate when someone is behaving inappropriately. I'm sad to say that what I'm learning (and what is in Creating Magic) is a far cry (so far, you can't even hear it) from reality here in the House that Walt built.
)
- see I am doing that positive attitude thing).
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