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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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After reading Tara's post of her purchase of DVC, I told my husband that we really should buy into it. We just returned from a week at Hutchinson Island Fl in which we used my cousin's timeshare. My other cousin, her brother, also a timeshare there and of course we got to talking about timeshares. Honestly, the place is beautiful, but I felt extremely bored as there was nothing to do.
Fast forward to Tara's grand announcement. I told my husband that we should buy into DVC and that it would save us money since we have 2 trips planned, one in Oct and the other Dec 2019. Much to my surprise, he said "ok". We then discussed resorts. I mentioned Copper Creek and he said NO. His weird reason was that it was in the woods, then I mentioned AKV. He again said no and his stranger reason was that of the animals and how you have to wait to see them. Hmmm, Ok. I then mentioned OKW and he was very agreeable. I think he really wants the beach feel. I did make sure that he knew this was Disney World and we weren't buying a timeshare in Key West.
I then did an online chat with a guide who I did end up talking to. Since, like Tara, we have a vacation booked, I wanted to make sure that there was availability. He wasn't able to check yesterday since it was a holiday. I did not hear back from him this morning and gave him a call. He said he would put us on the waitlist for a couple of different UY for OKW and would check on availability for our Oct Trip. I haven't heard back from him so as of right now I have no idea if we are on a waitlist or not. I'm not feeling good about this guide. I was expected an email or a call by the end of the day. I guess I'll have to call him back tomorrow.
I'm extremely excited that this might finally be happening!!
You have no idea how much I needed this post right now!! You guys should just do it!!! Muffin says the only regret he has is that he didn't see the light sooner!!! I really think you should tell your husband that!! Our home resort is Copper Creek which looks amazing, but the only thing available for our upcoming trip was OKW. I will be sure to let you know how that pans out but the bottom line is you sound like you go to WDW as much as we do and if that is true, just do it!!
Thanks for the props!! I positive attention as anyone here who knows me will attest to!!!
Hope it all works out for you. I would have expected an update about availability for your forthcoming trip, but maybe he hasn't called you, as there's good availability? Old Key West is one of the last places to fill up out of the DVC resorts. Also, he may be checking on availability of contracts and that's going to be a longer process, as Disney may not currently have anything (it's not a property they're selling), so they will probably need to use their right of first refusal on a contract someone is looking to sell. Hopefully you'll hear something shortly...
Add to that the fact that Member Services was likely playing catch up after the holiday.
It was a boringly ordinary time when we made a similar request, which took a few weeks for any result. Boy! do I know how hard it is to be patient, but patience is unfortunately what it takes when you want a sold-out resort.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
You have no idea how much I needed this post right now!! You guys should just do it!!! Muffin says the only regret he has is that he didn't see the light sooner!!! I really think you should tell your husband that!! Our home resort is Copper Creek which looks amazing, but the only thing available for our upcoming trip was OKW. I will be sure to let you know how that pans out but the bottom line is you sound like you go to WDW as much as we do and if that is true, just do it!!
Thanks for the props!! I positive attention as anyone here who knows me will attest to!!!
Love to give you positive attention because it is well deserved! We do go practically every year, so it does make sense!
Hope it all works out for you. I would have expected an update about availability for your forthcoming trip, but maybe he hasn't called you, as there's good availability? Old Key West is one of the last places to fill up out of the DVC resorts. Also, he may be checking on availability of contracts and that's going to be a longer process, as Disney may not currently have anything (it's not a property they're selling), so they will probably need to use their right of first refusal on a contract someone is looking to sell. Hopefully you'll hear something shortly...
I hope he is working on it. Maybe we're lower priority since it's an old resort? Also, I think the promotion ends today so maybe they are just busy.
Add to that the fact that Member Services was likely playing catch up after the holiday.
It was a boringly ordinary time when we made a similar request, which took a few weeks for any result. Boy! do I know how hard it is to be patient, but patience is unfortunately what it takes when you want a sold-out resort.
I'm surprised by the lack of response time because after all, it's Disney. Hopefully, he will call or at least email me today.
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Hmmm, Ok. I then mentioned OKW and he was very agreeable. I think he really wants the beach feel. I did make sure that he knew this was Disney World and we weren't buying a timeshare in Key West.
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You guys should just do it!!! Muffin says the only regret he has is that he didn't see the light sooner!!! I really think you should tell your husband that!! Our home resort is Copper Creek which looks amazing, but the only thing available for our upcoming trip was OKW. I will be sure to let you know how that pans out but the bottom line is you sound like you go to WDW as much as we do and if that is true, just do it!! 
PassPorter Guide Author
Hopefully you'll hear something shortly... 
Just tell him this really happening chick bought into DVC so there is no reason why he shouldn't consider it!! 
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