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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We are going to be in WDW at the end of September for my 37th birthday, and I do plan on getting and wearing a birthday button - I have never done it before! I have seen things in other posts about wearing the button for just one day, and I have seen some people mention they wear it the whole week.
So...can I please get your opinions on wearing the button for one day vs. the whole week? It sounds like fun to wear it the whole time, but I don't want to be greedy...
I wear mine for the entire trip! I actually had a CM ask me "Is TODAY really your birthday?" I explained that my birthday was actually the NEXT day...then he whispered, "When you get older it is okay to spend a whole week celebrating!" They kinda expect you to milk your birthday for all it is worth!
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Robin Twitter name: @NKsDogwalker Find me on FB: robinkay6573@yahoo.com 38th Birthday with Mom, Dad and friends 2011
Next Trip: Cruise on Jewel of the Seas for Christmas 2012
When I was in WDW last year, I got a pin at each park and at DTD too. I wore pins all week. I'm going again this year and plan on getting 'the pin' as do my DSister and DNiece. We are celebrating all our birthdays together this year.
I've only worn it on the day itself, but having worn anniversary pins for much of our last trip and seen the attention we got, I think I might wear it throughout this upcoming trip!
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I like to milk it, but within reasonable limits. I got one for each park, so I got to celebrate my birthday for four days. This year, I will do it for 5, by wearing it in Downtown Disney one day. I would do it at the water park as well, but you can't wear pins on your bathing suit on the slides! LOL
But I personally wouldn't do the same park twice. You will likely get some special benefits and even some free desserts and such, and I would feel dishonest and like I was expecting overly special treatment over the other people in the parks, based only on my desire to get that treatment, not because it was truly "my day". But that is me. I only justify doing multiple days because each park will celebrate you differently, and I want to experience that. I don't get to the parks but every few years at the most, so without doing this, I wouldn't get to experience my birthday celebrated in each park. To do so at my rate of visits, I would only get to celebrate at each park within 16 years!
Bottom line? Nobody will have ANY idea how many times you decide to celebrate! Do what limits make you feel comfortable and fair.
I wear mine for the entire trip! I actually had a CM ask me "Is TODAY really your birthday?" I explained that my birthday was actually the NEXT day...then he whispered, "When you get older it is okay to spend a whole week celebrating!" They kinda expect you to milk your birthday for all it is worth!
That's exactly what I was afraid of! At least they said it was ok.
I also liked the post about spending one day in each park celebrating - I think I just might do that!
i will only wear my pin on my birthday, i feel bad wearing it on any other day...i enjoy feeling special, but i dont like lying in general, but in Disney it feels even more wrong....
that is just how i feel about it though..everyone has a different conscience....the beauty of individuality
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Me & Josh, best friends
i just hate being here.
rock <<<<<me>>>>>hardplace
My motto is if Disney doesn't care then not to worry. After all, if they were going to be fussy about this they could ask for your ID when you get your button. Right? So, I am going to get DH a button when we are there over Christmas even tho his birthday is in Jan. because our boys would not otherwise get to celebrate with him on his real birthday. He will wear it once each in MK, AK, MGM and DTD. That should be enough fun and attention for him. I've read several threads on these boards about this and they all say the same thing. GO FOR IT! Bigred