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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
On Wednesday, August 29, the PassPorter Community welcomed our 20,000th member -- ELYSE LYNCH! In recognition of this milestone (and our two-millionth post coming soon), we've installed a cool new feature as a special thank-you to all our wonderful members!
The new feature is called "Living Avatars," and it's a very nifty system that allows PassPorter members to create "living" avatars that they can constantly tweak and update as fits their mood and circumstance.
Quick Start Instructions:
1. Go to My Home, then click Edit Avatar (it's on the left side), and finally click the Living Avatars graphic (or link).
2. Click the "Purchase Item With Your Points" link. (Note: You need to have at least one point to your credit to purchase an item -- you earn one point for each post you make in our forums.)
3. Find a few things you can afford -- I suggest a body (in the Basic category) and some clothing (also in Basic). To "purchase," just click the "Purchase Now" link below the item displayed.
4. Click the Edit Avatar link near the top of the screen.
5. Click one of the items you purchased in step 3, then click the Add Item button. You'll see it appear in the box on the left. Repeat until you have all items you want showing in your avatar.
6. Use the Layer Up and Layer Down buttons to change the visibility of particular items. Use the Crop Tool to how much of your design you want shown in your avatar. You may resize any object by holding down the Shift key and click/dragging the item.
7. When you have your avatar the way you like it, click Save Avatar.
That's it! Your avatar will now appear on the left side of any post you make on our message board.
More Detailed Information:
How Do Living Avatars Work?
As you make posts in our forums, you earn points (1 post = 1 point) which you can redeem to create your own living avatar. Once you have at least one point under your belt, you go to our Living Avatars page (located under My Home > Edit Avatar), where you can find a selection of avatar items you can purchase with your points. Once you've purchased something, you then edit your avatar and add the item(s) you "bought." This is just the start. You can buy as many different avatar items as you like, then mix and match them to literally build a custom, one-of-a-kind avatar. You can go back at any time and add and remove items, or start over from scratch and build something totally different! It's up to you.
Currently the avatar items are pretty basic, but I will be adding custom Disney backgrounds, cool accessories, and other fun things over time.
How Do I Use It?
The first thing you MUST do to use Living Avatars is make at least one post in our forums. This will get you started, but the more you post, the more items you will be able to afford. But please note, this does not mean you can should go into the forums and post a "me too" in every topic you can to gain points. This system is meant as a fun reward to members who actively participate in discussions.
The next step is to go to My Home, which you can find in the navigation bar at the top of this site. From there, find the "Control Panel" on the left side of the page, then under "Settings & Options" find and click on "Edit Avatar". On this page, you will see a blue and white Living Avatars image -- click that image to be taken to our Living Avatars page.
Navigating the Living Avatars pages is simple. Look for the instructions at the bottom of the welcome page, and click the appropriate link. Follow steps 1 through 3, and you should be set.
Editing Your Avatar
By the time you reach step 3, you should have one or more items purchased. You will see an "avatar canvas" on the page, and below it will be the items you've bought. Click on an item, and then click the "add item" button in the editor. You should now see that item appear in the avatar canvas box. Now by clicking the image, you can move it around wherever you like on the canvas. Once you have it where you want, click the "Save Avatar" button. You have now successfully created your own avatar. But don't stop with a single image. Make more posts, buy more items, and build a totally custom avatar!
Cropping and Resizing
The crop tool is the most important thing you will use when editing your avatar. If you only want the shoulders and head of your avatar to appear, simply select the crop tool, and move it so that what you want displayed is inside the crop box. To resize the crop box, simply hold down the "Shift" key on your keyboard, then click the crop tool and move the mouse to adjust the size of the box. The Shift key can also be used to resize any and all images you purchase, so you can make them bagger, smaller, or anything you want!
But what about the avatar I already have?
Unfortunately, you can't use Living Avatars and keep the avatar you may already have. If you are attached to the one you have, but want to use Living Avatars too, add the old avatar your using to your signature. that way you get to keep the old avatar AND use Living Avatar.
Can I request a particular item?
Sure, you can make a request -- post your requests here and work on items based on how popular I think it might be. I intend to do some special "limited edition" items only available for certain periods and in limited quantities, so watch for that, too!
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
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.
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
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
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Dreams, Wishes, Hopes... these are the parts of childhood we should never lose.
this. First time ever having a live avatar. You guys rock.
What no doggies? I am gonna keep Belle for now! 
Tenya
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