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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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for the characters? My DH said he is glad that this year when we go, the kids (will be 9 and 12) probably won't make us stop and see the characters. Excuse me? The kids may not want to stop but I will! Yes, I know it's someone in a suit, but for that moment, it IS Mickey Mouse or Goofy or Pooh! Does anyone else feel this way or am I the only 36 year old mother who goes crazy when she sees Tigger?
For many of us, Disney is the place that allows us to retain the child inside no matter what the age. DS took a friend in '03 when both were 9 and I had autograph books for both. It became a contest to see how many autographs they could get during our 8 day stay.
They even signed each other's books at the end of the trip just to get in one more signature! So warn DH that the fat lady may not have sung yet.
I'm the same, I love posing with the characters - for me, it's Mickey Mouse or Goofy or whoever, I don't think of the suit aspect. Hubby's the same, he loves posing for characters too. It's great fun - I don't think either of us will be ready to give up meeting characters ever Maybe you should mention to DH that there'll be some character meeting going on for some time to come yet
actuallu dh really wanted to eat at the crystal palace agin since the kids won't be with us bc he likes the puffed french toast but thinks it will be wierd being there w/o them.........
I am older than you and I HAVE to have my picture with Eeyore! DH always has his taken with them and so do the boys-ages 12 and 14! We don't stop in the parks but they always get the pictures and autographs and character meals!
I'm 62 and DH is 55 and we both love to pose with the characters - in fact, when we visited WDW in December, just the two of us, we enjoyed no less than 4 character meals! And my DM (aged 86/87 on her two trips) insisted on posing with characters at every opportunity!! So no, I don't think anyone is ever "too old" to get caught up in the magic.
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Re: Is anyone ever too old . . .
At this point my family only really gets excited about the characters if they are one's we haven't seen before. We don't take time out for the ones we've had autographs and pictures with on another trip. That cuts down on a lot of character time and leaves more for doing other things.
38 here... and not only do I get my picture taken with the characters, I cried when I got to be with Minnie in her be-yew-ti-ful Animal Kingdom hat!
Eileen
Oh gosh you're never too old. I am a perfect example. In my last few trips I have had more pictures taken with characters then when I first went back in 84. It also helps though that the lines are much better run then when I first went. I drive my poor husband crazy with all the pictures I make him take of me with Tigger, at least 3 a trip.
When I went with my parents back on 2002, they were even excited to get into the fun. My dad is a big Goofy fan and my mom likes Eeyore. They had a great time. Minnie was even flirting with my dad. It was really cute.
NO!!! Disney is for the young...AND young at heart! Heaven forbid I ever get too old to hug Pooh or Mickey, or ask them to sign anything! Enjoy, and be young forever! Ruth
I'm exactly the same! I'm 18 and trying to put our July trip together and when I mentioned a character meal my mom said "No, we're going to adlt places this time." That's no fun! I'll sneak one or two in there, though, lmao! I know the reality of the characters but Disney is such a fun place where you really can be a kid again and believe in make believe so I think it's great to get all excited over the characters. Disney does such a great job crating the whole mood and atmosphere that you get completely caught up in the moment and for the one brief second you really do think, "Oh look, it's Mickey!" HaHa, I know for many, many years to come I'll still love seeing the characters. Whether you think you're "too old" or not, it still makes for some really fun and really cute photo opportunities!
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Maybe you should mention to DH that there'll be some character meeting going on for some time to come yet 
Disney is for the young...AND young at heart! Heaven forbid I ever get too old to hug Pooh or Mickey, or ask them to sign anything! 
That's no fun! I'll sneak one or two in there, though, lmao! I know the reality of the characters but Disney is such a fun place where you really can be a kid again and believe in make believe so I think it's great to get all excited over the characters. Disney does such a great job crating the whole mood and atmosphere that you get completely caught up in the moment and for the one brief second you really do think, "Oh look, it's Mickey!" HaHa, I know for many, many years to come I'll still love seeing the characters. Whether you think you're "too old" or not, it still makes for some really fun and really cute photo opportunities!
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