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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Okay - I had to run to our local Kroger a few minutes ago to pick up some milk. DD Alexa asked me to get her a pumpkin (I bought pumpkins for her little sisters but neglected to get one for her - bad mom!)
Anyway, as I pull in the parking lot, I noticed that all the fall decorations, mums, pumpkins, hay bales, etc. are gone from the front of the store. And in their place are Christmas trees and wreaths!! The windows are painted with bells and snowflakes.
I'm sorry, but isn't Halloween still several days away? And whatever happened to Thanksgiving? And the rest of autumn?
This 'rushing the seasons by retailers' always gets me every year, but this has got to be the worst I've seen. I decided to talk to the manager (who was not there, by the way) but I will be sending in a letter to let them know how I feel.
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I hear ya! I hate how the stores rush the seasons. And every year it seems to come earlier and earlier. Soon they will be putting up Christmas stuff in the summer! Luckily I haven't seen any ads on TV just yet for Christmas.
I agree. And I love the holiday season more than the actual holiday with the decorations and music etc. But its way more enjoyable when you only hear it for the month of December, when they start it too soon I'm really kind of over it by the time the actual holiday arrives.
I think they're pushing it this year because they are so worried that it will be a bad retail season of shopping.
That is happening by us too...yesterday we went into a variety discount store and already they have the ornaments up, and the toys set up on the shelves (they only sell toys during the holiday season). I have seen them starting in the pharmacies as well...
I am not ready for the holidays yet...I hqaven't even decided what I am cooking for Thanksgiving yet.
The Dollar Tree by my house was doing the transition of Thanksgiving to Christmas yesterday when I stopped by ....
Now, yes, I agree that it's early ... but since is the first Christmas with our son, I will confess that I bought a bunch of decorations and CANNOT WAIT to decorate!!
(Actually, I also bought the Disney Monorail from WDW Merchandising yesterday to put it around the tree!! -- I've been wanting that for years ... and now that Henry is here, I figured that now is the time!!)
Henry's Baptism is on November 9th... so I figure that I'm going to decorate the house for Christmas right after that ... my brother and I have set up blue prints for the lights -- I want it to be like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation for Henry's first Christmas!! (Without the rogue squirrel, of course.... )
I went into the Dollar Tree today to look for a red wig for dd's costume but I couldn't find one since most of the isles were filled with Christmas decorations. I think the stores shouldn't put anything out until the Friday after Thanksgiving.
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WOW! I agree! Every year it seems like the stores are getting earlier and earlier with the Christmas stuff. We haven't made it through Halloween yet and already Christmas stuff is out in full swing! I just would like to enjoy Halloween, Thanksgiving and then Christmas one Holiday at a time.
I totally know what you mean!! There are some people in my neighborhood that already have their stinkin' Christmas lights on their houses, wreathes on the doors... sheesh! By half-way through November, I am sick of Christmas already!
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Saturday, October 9, 2014 - Kaitlyn and I before the Happy Haunted 5K at ESPN Wide World of Sports
People are asking for it! We put all our Halloween stuff at 50% off last Friday b/c they want to quickly make room for the Christmas stuff. Never seen that before!!!
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*~*Tina
Picking up our Brasilian exchange student at the a/p
Last weekend there was one lone SA responsible for stocking the christmas decorations at our local WallyWorld....he didn't look too happy about it either. And get this...they were on "sale" for 17 cents LESS than their "usual" price!!!
Having worked retail for years I can tell ya it starts early every year. But if the customers didn't buy the stuff early when it is put out, then it would not be put out so early.
Working retail I would be sick of Christmas decorations by Thanksgiving, did not care to see it anymore. It is one of the reasons I skip putting up the tree, well that and mom's cat climbs the darn thing
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I just would like to enjoy Halloween, Thanksgiving and then Christmas one Holiday at a time.
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