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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 am thinking of getting a rental house for a week this summer and inviting my son and his wife and infant as well as my sister and her husband (both were wonderful when I was sick) to be my guests.
My sister and her family would frequently join us for our week at the Cape when the kids were growing up. We stopped going to the Cape when we decided it was too crowded during the summer.
I have to do it in the summer. DinLaw is on leave until mid-September and Bin Law is a college professor so early fall doesn't work for him.
My second son is getting married Labor Day weekend (I think) so the week before would be one flight for my other son and family. DD also has her white coat ceremony the following weekend.
The big advantage to the Cape is it is a few hours closer for my sister, DS also has a friend who is in NYC and more likely to make it to the Cape for a day or two. I think Maine would be a little too far and he could take the train into Providence.
I think Maine is more pristine and quieter although less easily accessible.
Which would you prefer? Cape Cod or Southern Maine?
I've never been to the Cape. I did work on the Maine coast one summer near Rockport. I loved it there. I hope to get back some day and see the area again.
Even though the Cape is closer to everyone, if you don't enjoy the ambience, is it going to be a good vacation? That's my once concern about you choosing there.
I think it's best though to talk to the people you want to invite and see what they think. This is not the type of thing you can spring on people outside your household anyway. You'd need to know they can get free for the week and that they'd be able to travel.
Tough call. Cape Cod is beautiful, but it will be crowded and the traffic can be problematic in the summer. I agree with Hidden Mickey, ask those you plan to invite which they would prefer.
The Cape is packed. We've done Bar Harbor ME twice now and love it! There are some nice lakes etc. in Maine New York and New Hampshire that might be an alternative as well.
If it seems like some people won't come if you rent the house in Maine because of the distance, I'd go for the Cape. If it's a family gathering you want everyone there. Otherwise, I'd choose the relative quiet of Maine. Rentals will probably be less expensive there as well. It's actually possible that even if it's closer, the drive to the Cape with traffic could take longer than southern Maine!
If going to mid coast or northern Maine was an option, I would pick Maine hands down. I think southern Maine has some of the same issues as the Cape. It has taken me hours to We stopped going to the Cape because of the crowds. I think of the Cape in a very nostalgic way and would love to be able to invite my son's friend. I also think I should introduce my grandson to the Cape ASAP.
I really wish we could do the week after Labor Day but I know it won't work for my brother in law and I really want to thank my sister and brother in law for all the help they were to me.
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Sounds like you would prefer the Cape then. I would suggest you try for a rental on the water with direct beach access as you would be able to enjoy the beach without dealing with the traffic. Of course, where you choose to stay on the Cape and what you plan to do will also have an impact as well. Hopefully DS's friend will be able to schedule a mid-week visit, that'll be easier on him travel wise.