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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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've seen posts here that mention sending a package home from WDW, rather than packing the items and taking them on the plane home. How does that work? Where will we go to send said package? Do we need to take our own box or will they have some to use or to purchase? I want to send a package of goodies to my brother's family, since they won't be able to join us on the trip. In fact, I'd like to take a couple things from here to add to the one or two things I buy in the parks. Is that going to be a problem?
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DD and DS, May 2008
"I am purple today; Bright and happy like a butterfly in the air." -Kira Willey
I think you go to your resorts gift shop to take care of this or maybe the concierge desk, but my mom is the one who always does it so I'm not sure. I do know we never bring a box but we get one somehow. Sorry I'm not more helpful but I'm sure someone else will be
I read somewhere on another thread, that this lady would go to the Post Office before she left and buy one of the flat rate boxs, (the ones that are cardboard, with red and white color) and pack them in her luggage (since they were flat) then when she got there at WDW, she would shop for what she wanted, go back to the room, pop the boxs open, fill 'em up, seal them closed and go down to the front desk and give it to them to put with there outgoing mail. No need to worry about postage vs. wieght of pakage, how much money, so forth. I have never been, this trip will be our first one, so I am just telling you what the fellow passporter told us here on the boards. Good luck.
I read somewhere on another thread, that this lady would go to the Post Office before she left and buy one of the flat rate boxs, (the ones that are cardboard, with red and white color) and pack them in her luggage (since they were flat) then when she got there at WDW, she would shop for what she wanted, go back to the room, pop the boxs open, fill 'em up, seal them closed and go down to the front desk and give it to them to put with there outgoing mail. No need to worry about postage vs. wieght of pakage, how much money, so forth. I have never been, this trip will be our first one, so I am just telling you what the fellow passporter told us here on the boards. Good luck.
Thanks for the info ! We were wondering how to get everything home.
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*Debbi*
Next Vacation: Oct 5 to Oct16 at BLT our first time home
Our past trip I sent a package to my dad for his birthday from our resort gift shop. The package we sent contained just disney merchandise we had purchased while there, but the CM added stickers and bead necklaces to make it a little more festive since it was his bday!! All the items were placed in a bag and i paid for shipping, they then box all the items and ship them for you. Hope this helps!! Good Luck!!
If you purchase from many Disney shops (I've only done this only from World Of Disney), they will box it up for you. However, the price of shipping jumped exponentially this past year and it's now waaaaay more expensive that it's worth (IMHO.)
I'm one who brings the Flat-rate Priority Mail boxes with appropriate postage on them flat in my luggage. But, many other people get a UPS account and box up their stuff, putting their UPS tag on the front. They then take that to the gift shop and they will arrange to have UPS pick it up. (I've never done that though, so I'm hoping someone with direct experience will come to give advice.)
Eileen
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.
Great info, everyone! Thanks! We are now packed and ready to go, but I think I'll stop by the post office tomorrow to get a priority box. That's a great idea!
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DD and DS, May 2008
"I am purple today; Bright and happy like a butterfly in the air." -Kira Willey
Last time we got a box, tape, etc from the lobby concierge and packed the box. They gave us the UPS form to fill out. As DBF was carrying the box back, a bellman stopped and took the box from him and told him to call the next time. I think this time we will pack a few flattened boxes and some labels. It was so easy to ship home. I did have the Christmas store and the scrapbooking store ship things directly.
What an awesome idea to bring the USPS boxes!! I can print the postage ahead of time, too and have them really ready to roll! I want to send some things to my niece and nephew who won't be going on either of our next trips, not because we didn't ask to take them...grrr.
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