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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Eeep thank you! The one I'm planning to go on is the updated Knights & Lights, so this is perfect
A wonderful choice! If you need any help with planning for either leg of your trip, just shout! We know London very well and go back to Paris in the morning for the weekend!
Thanks so much! I'm just starting the "free time" planning so no questions yet, but you might have opened a bag of worms letting me ask you them!
As of now I'm hoping to do Kensington Gardens in London free time and maybe the Warner Brothers Studio, but I've been to Paris before so I need to dig a bit deeper for other non-included things to get to (but I'm tacking on DLP of course!) But reading Sharon's trip report I'm sure will make me want to do PLENTY
I've done the Backstage Magic ABD (Adventures by Disney) in Disneyland and Knights & Lights is at the top of my wish list for my next one! Two things really sell Adventures by Disney for me - the incredible Adventure Guides (each tour has two) and the access to amazing VIP tours that are exclusive to ABD.
I was a little nervous at first about the concept of group travel but found it to be one of the highlights of the trip. 3 years later and I am still in touch with my ABD family and have had the chance to see them both at DL and WDW!
I've done the Backstage Magic ABD (Adventures by Disney) in Disneyland and Knights & Lights is at the top of my wish list for my next one! Two things really sell Adventures by Disney for me - the incredible Adventure Guides (each tour has two) and the access to amazing VIP tours that are exclusive to ABD.
I was a little nervous at first about the concept of group travel but found it to be one of the highlights of the trip. 3 years later and I am still in touch with my ABD family and have had the chance to see them both at DL and WDW!
It's no longer called Knights & Lights as far as I can tell (none of them really seem to have fun names!), and the itinerary has changed a little bit - but I'll be sure to write a TR about it But it's so great to hear the group wasn't awkward at all and that everyone still keeps in touch, I love that!
I did the Backstage Magic also and loved it. With that one, especially, the access was amazing because it was mostly Disney backstage tours. As Sara said, the guides are just awesome. I originally wanted to do the South Africa one, but they said none of the tours were wheelchair accessible except the one in LA. If they were accessible, I'd do the Norway one tomorrow!
It's so great to hear so many glowing reviews I'm really feeling better about biting the bullet with those prices
From your signature, I'm guessing that you are a DVC member? If you are, do you know that DVC members pay the opening price for the AbD trips even if the demand causes trip prices to rise? Something to keep in mind.
I am and I did know, cause the nice ABD people told us when we called to inquire (but haven't booked yet) definitely a good tip to know for anyone else considering though!