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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I'm looking forward to it. I think it will ease a little of the traffic as well as make it prettier! It will be a bit of a mess while they work on it but the end result will be worth it, I think.
The first thing I thought when I read the first couple of lines was that the gardens will be like the castles over here and I was really pleased to read that's the idea - very authentic. I like the fact there will be more pathways, that will help things during the busy times of the year.
Personally I am not happy about it at all. Mainly because they are filling in part of the moat to expand the walkways. I would rather look out over beautiful waterways toward the Crystal Palace and Tomorrowland than more sidewalks.
It seems everything these days is about cramming more people into the parks, building more hotels, and decreasing quality of the experience.
I was in the Haunted Mansion on a recent trip and grossed-out at the amount of trash on the floor in the queue. Sadly, quality is slipping in favor of quantity.
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I really am not sure how I feel about it. I guess I will need to experience it before I can make a decision!
I am not very happy about filling up part of the moat!
I've only been to WDW in the off season, so haven't experienced the congestion. I guess I always hate to see plantings make way for paving. In some ways WDW is a victim of it's own success, I can see the danger of its "being loved to death" like some of the national parks. Short of limiting ticket sales at the busiest times (which brings a lot of other complications) I'm not sure what else can be done besides routing traffic as smoothly as is possible.
Disney is going to do it in such a way that we'll eventually think it was that way all along (like the turkey legs - Disney hasn't always had them and that bridge in France in WS wasn't always there either). I'm personally not opposed to the changes.
I am a TOTAL Disney-Phile everything Disney and have been going to the parks for over 30 years. I am totally cool with this change... a little worried about Fastpass + and conjestion, but this one is fine....
But here is the deal.. I have heard SO many people complaining about change and the FAstpass + seems like every littel change there is a group that swears they will never go back and tells horror stories and tells others to never go to Disney World...
The truth is they are going to make changes period. It will not always be exactyl the same. They have to cycle out rides, they have to cycle out shows. ANd this change is to alleviate crowds.. why.. .becasue we all complain about crowds. So this is in answer to that. Their Fastpass system has ALWAYS been too good to be true. In all honesty, I think the sustem will get the kinks out eventually but they don't know it's broken if you don't voice concerns to them...
Anyway enough of that.. I think the change will be great! I know as a vertically challenged individual I am looking forward to it!
I think it will really easy the congestion, especially during parade and fireworks. The last few times I've been there it's been ridiculous where you could and couldn't walk while trying to get around near parade or firework times. Like cinderabby said, I don't think we'll even be able to tell that much once it's all done!
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I think it will ease a little of the traffic as well as make it prettier! It will be a bit of a mess while they work on it but the end result will be worth it, I think. 
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