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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 would like some advice, or maybe some reassurance.
I have cats. I adore them, and when we've gone on trips before, I get very worried (paranoid, really) about their well-being while I'm gone. We always get someone we trust very much to take care of them and nothing's ever gone wrong, but I always worry.
But this time...we're leaving next Monday. Last Monday, I unexpectedly had to have one of my sweet baby girls euthanized. I'm TERRIFIED that something will happen to one of my remaining babies while I'm gone. My pet sitting friend will be checking on them daily, and she'll have our vet's phone number along with the number for the after-hours emergency clinic. My vets already know we'll be gone and someone else will be caring for the cats, and have said if anything happens she can bring them in and they'll take care of them, and either call me or let me pay when we get home. So I have lots of people in place whom I trust and who genuinely care about us and our furbabies. I've done everything I can think of to make sure they're all happy and healthy and comfortable while I'm gone.
Still, I know it's going to be rough this trip, since I just lost Salome. Besides the guilt that comes with trying to enjoy yourself after losing someone, I know my paranoia is going to be cranked up like crazy. So...does anyone here have separation anxiety when they leave their pets? Do you have any advice? I'd love some tips on how to minimize my worry.
Thank you so much.
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Best Disney moment: Stitch proposed to me, recognized me years later, and tried to end a Meet & Greet by waving bye to the line & leading me away!
I think the only advice I can give is go knowing you've put in place every measure that you could think of. Will it lessen the worry until you go? Maybe not by much but you've thought ahead. And calls home too will help you as well.
I think the only advice I can give is go knowing you've put in place every measure that you could think of. Will it lessen the worry until you go? Maybe not by much but you've thought ahead. And calls home too will help you as well.
Good luck and try to enjoy your trip.
Thank you. I have already warned my friend I'm going to call and text a lot, and she's prepared for it. She's also INCREDIBLY supportive and understands my attachment...you know how some people will tell you "it's just a cat, just a dog, just a ___"? She treats my pet losses like other people treat human losses, because she understands for me, it's just as powerful. So you're right, I'm trying to remind myself that I've tried to do all I can.
This will be my first Disney trip with a phone that will handle photos in texts (I was a luddite for many years ), so she can actually send me pictures of the cats not caring that I'm gone. I'll ask her to do that. Thank you for prompting that thought so I can mention it to her specifically.
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Best Disney moment: Stitch proposed to me, recognized me years later, and tried to end a Meet & Greet by waving bye to the line & leading me away!
To the people that say it's JUST a dog or JUST a cat - they've either never had a pet or they've had one merely as a status symbol because they are not a JUST. They are part of the family. I currently have two Golden Retrievers and 2 domesticated rabbits. They are all very young (all under 2 YO) so I didn't worry while I went on vacation but I still asked about them when I called home so I do very much get where you are coming from.
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Our rabbit just turned 10. Tomorrow is our gotcha day. She's nearing the end of her lifespan, so I do worry about her, but I also know that there isn't much I can do differently if something does happen to her than the person caring for her (we also get a good friend or family member). You know that they'll do all that they can for your family's loved one. I hope you can keep that in mind and enjoy yourself. It would be a shame to let your anxiety keep you from a good vacation.
I understand. I have a 14 1/2 year old dog that we will be leaving when we go on vacation next month. I found a good kennel very close to my sister. We've used them before and have had excellent service. DSis is going to check on Rico each day and the kennel will email me a photo of my sweet Rico each day so I can see that he's ok. If anything happens, we have a trusted vet nearby. But, I still worry.
The daily email is a great relief to me when I'm on vacation. My brain thinks: "ok, he's still alive and looking good, I can have fun now. " Perhaps that would work for you too.
Go on vacation, have a great time, and then come back and snuggle your fur babies. A little break is a good thing.
I had anywhere from one to three cats for fifteen years and went to DW two weeks after having to have one euthanized so I truly understand how you're feeling. You have someone you trust and who cares about both you and your animals checking on them and your vet is aware that someone else will be caring for your animals while you're out of town and has said they will treat them if something happens; so you've done everything you can. A lot of this is probably a result of the unexpected loss of your dfb (dear fur baby or dear feline baby) last and keeping that in mind might help.
I was out of town once years ago before cellphones were common and returned home to a machine message from the vet where I boarded my kitty kids that the male had required emergency surgery.
I was soooooo grateful that my vet also did boarding so that my baby got immediate care.
Sounds like you’ve taken wise precautions. I hope you can relax somewhat and enjoy your trip.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Coreada - You do the same thing we do for our pets. We have someone come in and we know the Vet well and would let us pay when we return. Our person comes in three times a day and they spend about an hour there each time. We also have cameras set so we can see the house online. Anything can happen anytime but it would be extremely unlikely something bad happens.
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), so she can actually send me pictures of the cats not caring that I'm gone. I'll ask her to do that. Thank you for prompting that thought so I can mention it to her specifically. 
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