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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Just got back from a week in WDW. Everywhere we went in the parks, either they didn't have lids or they didn't have straws. Have you ever tried drinking a slushy without a straw? The whole thing hits you in the face when you try to drink it. After a few days of frustration, I started bringing my refillable mug with me to the parks and transferring the drinks to the mug. And I brought along a few straws that I took from the food court to make drinking easier.
And kids with no lids? Lets just say that WDW is going to be a lot stickier.
So, my tip is: buy the refillable mug at your resort and carry it with you everywhere. You won't be sorry.
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.
Though I can appreciate the environmental reason for this it certainly would be tricky being on the go with uncovered drinks and no straws. The refillable mugs would be helpful but we don't ever purchase those. Thanks for the heads up.
Launching Pad, Electric Umbrella, the stands of the Food & Wine Festival: the Almond stand with the strawberry smoothie, and the Light Lab, Pinocchio village hause, columbia harbor house, cosmic ray's --- None of them had straws or lids.
We were relieved to see lids on our recent cruise, as we were worried about the danger of spillages on board. While I appreciate the environmental reasons for this, safety is supposed to Disney's number one concern and I think they do need to give some serious thought to how removing lids from drinks could impact that....
Thanks for the tip about slushies, as I hadn't thought of that. I am thinking of bringing my Tervis cup with me, and transferring drinks into there. They'll keep colder longer that way too.
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Don't let your heart be filled with sorrow, for all you know, tomorrow, the dream that you wish will come true.
We were there for 5 days in late October and as mentioned, there were many places that did not have straws. Most places had lids. I actually took straws with me from home - thinking I would not be able to get any. (and I wanted to have them for my granddaughter) But there were straws readily available at Roaring Forks at Wilderness Lodge.
I did find out that you can ask for straws and lids - they will give them to you - at the sit down restaurants.
We were there late October, too. Didn't see any issues of not finding straws or lids; we always had what we needed. Of course, there were paper straws in AK.
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Haimia
2018 Scrapbooking Goal - 125 - actual - 30
2017 Scrapbooking Goal - 130 - actual - 0
2016 Scrapbooking Goal - 125 - actual 29
2015 Scrapbooking Goal - 100 - actual 75
2014 Scrapbooking Goal - 100 - actual 74
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I found straws and lids gone at most locations, but I was able to get a straw one time - and I rinsed it and reused it. I understand the idea, but walking around with a drink is very difficult without a lid and a straw. I will be taking my own cup or buying a resort mug to carry with me on future trips.