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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Hope things work out for you with the PI
How come your girls never talk to their father? Honestly, I would make that happen if only to say hello- thats an important relationship for them- you not wanting to be married to him shouldnt interfer with their relationship with him as their father- ok, off my soapbox and I'll mind my own business-
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Sorry you were late and did not even know it. Things like that happen sometimes. Good luck with your latest application. I understand why you haven't told your DH yet. I too would make sure of what your situation is going to be before you tell him. It would probably be bad to tell him one thing and then have to change it.
Hope things work out for you with the PI
How come your girls never talk to their father? Honestly, I would make that happen if only to say hello- thats an important relationship for them- you not wanting to be married to him shouldnt interfer with their relationship with him as their father- ok, off my soapbox and I'll mind my own business-
They all have cell phones w/unlimited time and I do tell them all to call. He never does, either, only sends an occasional email and it is usually "woe is me, I'm all alone here with no one to take care of me" kind of thing. If I'm talking and they're with me, I'll hand the phone back, but it's usually very brief and usually only about the dog. The problem is, he's not interested in hearing about what they want to talk about so he cuts them short and he usually brings up aliens or some other weird thing that annoys them. 13yo is particularly irritated by it. Believe me, it's not that I want to keep them from him, FAR from it (in fact, I'm planning on them going back for a few weeks this Summer) it's that they are smart enough to know that he doesn't care about anything except what matters to him personally and they don't like that. It is something that I am going to have to address with him, but I really want to know what is going on with my situation before I get into any of that. It's not that I don't want to be married to him anymore, it's that he's so psychologically far away from the person I married it's like being around a stranger, if that makes sense. The girls want someone who will listen and he won't. It breaks my heart that he's missing out on so much b/c he can't get out of his little bubble.
ETA: I don't mind soapboxes one bit...they help keep me in line!
capt. clueless, me ex, has never grasped the concept that he needs to connect with the kids and be interested in something they are interested in. dd is still trying to keep in contact with her dad. ds isn't.
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Dawn, I just know as someone who got divorced when my kids were pretty young, it was ALOT of work to keep them connected to their father- both pushing them at times to see/talk to him and also to keep my feelings about him hidden- They are in their 20's now and I still remind them, strongly encourage them to call on Easter etc to talk to him ( they dont need any prompting for bdays etc) He is still their father and I think its important
And I didnt want it to be on them if there wasnt a relationship, if YKWIM
Good luck with all that- I know its been a struggle for awhile with him
Last edited by wheatenwalker; 04-13-2009 at 10:31 AM..
Reason: added a thought
WOW...I'm away from the boards for a few days & so much has happened! Congrats on the extension! for your PI. I also want to thank you for sharing in your journey with us. I think I had said this before, but it really inspires me that those goals I have put on the backburner really are acheiveable not matter how much time has past since they were made.
I think if your DD's are seeing their dad as he is might just be good for them.
They are learning that people are different and you have to take the good and
the bad. It's sad but it may help them deal with "the public" if you know what
I mean. Since your husband is an adult he should try harder to stay in contact
with them and he should also listen to them. I'm glad you've given your DD's
the ability to talk to their dad (phones) but to force them to talk to him when
they know he doesn't want to hear about their day isn't great for them IMHO.
I'm glad you don't do that.
Hope something in a PI comes in for you. You sound so much like the Dawn that I first "met" many moons ago! I' m glad you're happy and the girls are content.
It's hard to see your parent as anything less than ideal. Poor girls, I wish them the best.
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What a day today was! I was all over the place and had some really pleasant guest interactions. Even though it was SUPER busy, it was nice having the time to chat awhile. I did have a lost "parent" today, the poor thing was crying and I was working one of the games. I told the guests we were taking a little pause before we started and they were all so nice and understanding. It was hardly any time at all before his Dad ran over, scooped him up, and was crying. The boy was crying. *I* was crying. Some of the guests at the game were even verklempt. I climbed back up and we started again and a couple of guests told me I'd done a great job and that just made my day. I also had a fellow CM tell me that I am very good at what I do on the games and that made me smile. Little does she know how I feel about them, but I try to do my very best in such a way that Walt would be pleased. I miss that SO much.
I had a nice talk with a manager this evening while we were waiting for the last Nemo show to come out and she asked what PIs I'd applied for. When I told her Guest Relations, her face lit up and she told me I was PERFECT for that role. I told her that I was torn, *IF* I get offered Guest Relations and a management role, which would I choose. Obviously, the mgmt money is MUCH better, but it's a different animal with long, wacky hours and a Crackberry that can't be more than an arm's length away. She asked me a very good question: "Is it about the money or is it about the dream?" Wow. Food for thought.
It's funny, I have to walk by the Guest Relations costumes on the way to where mine are and I always get a little pang and feel the desire to reach out and touch them. Weird, I know, but they are like the rock stars of Disney to me and to be counted among their ranks would truly be an honor. It would put me guest-facing in real and tangible ways each and every day (although I'd have to toughen up emotionally if a lost child/parent reunion makes me cry!) while management would not necessarily do that for me. I'm WAAAYYYY ahead of myself, since I've not even had a call on anything, but I feel like I need to think about it so if the decision ever comes, I make the wisest choice.
Dawn I just finished all of our adventure over the last couple of days. You are such an inspiration. I hope that you do get PI so that you can stay on. I am hoping you are still there in Oct when we come down. What part of Ohio did you come from. Glad you get all of the bonding time with your girls even is not all the days are roses. Can't wait to hear more.
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Congrats on the extension! 
Weird, I know, but they are like the rock stars of Disney to me and to be counted among their ranks would truly be an honor. It would put me guest-facing in real and tangible ways each and every day (although I'd have to toughen up emotionally if a lost child/parent reunion makes me cry!) while management would not necessarily do that for me. I'm WAAAYYYY ahead of myself, since I've not even had a call on anything, but I feel like I need to think about it so if the decision ever comes, I make the wisest choice.
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