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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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My family has given birthday presents to all the nieces and nephews since they were babies.
My question is, when should the presents stop being given and a card just sent? I don't remember my aunts and uncles sending me presents when I was a young adult.
Is 21 a good stopping point? It may seem silly to think of this, but should I really give a 25 year old a gift card for their birthday? They may be married by then (gasp!).
No help here. My family does birthdays and presents until you die. I just gave my aunt her belated birthday gift at Thanksgiving and I'll be getting birthday gifts for my birthday (Dec. 20th) and Christmas.
My family has given birthday presents to all the nieces and nephews since they were babies.
My question is, when should the presents stop being given and a card just sent? I don't remember my aunts and uncles sending me presents when I was a young adult.
Is 21 a good stopping point? It may seem silly to think of this, but should I really give a 25 year old a gift card for their birthday? They may be married by then (gasp!).
Answers, anyone? Thanks!
Not sure how to answer that one. Sometimes the $$ is not the problem as much as the burden of all that shopping! Whew! Holidays can be a nightmare, too! Ba humbug!
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My aunts and uncles stopped sending me gifts/gift certs. when I stopped having kiddie parties around when I was 11. Except for my Aunt Joanne and her husband whose anniversary is on my birthday and my Uncle Gene whose birthday I share. They both still send cards. Only cards. (My parents still drop off cards full of money, though, but only because they know I'm going to spend it on something fun for Walt, DJ, and I. )
My mom and dad give me $$$ and my sister gives me a gift. The rest of my family stopped giving me gifts when I turned 18, but, they still send cards. Works for me.
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I can't remember when the last time an Aunt gave me a b-day present. Gosh had to be in HS 20+ yrs ago.
Now, DH has an Aunt that will give all of us Christmas checks. (very modest amounts).
I still send my 19yo step-sister a card with like $15 - $20 check or starbucks card in it for her birthday. But that will stop in a year of so, probably when she gets out of college.
But if she weren't in college she would probably just get a card.
My Aunts and Uncles, except for a few I was really close with, never really gave birthday gifts...but when you consider my mom has 11 brothers and sisters, and most of them have at least 2 kids...I can't really blame them. We send gifts to our nieces and nephew...they are all very young...will probably just get cards once they hit high school...mostly because who knows what teens like...
I don't want to be the Aunt from A Christmas Story who sends ralphie a pink bunny suit...know what I mean?
I think 18 is a good stopping age, except if you have a special relationship with your niece or nephew. My niece is my godchild and instead of giving her a gift for her birthday we go out for lunch...
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So much of this depends on how large your family is and how close you are to everyone. I've never felt like giving gifts should be an obligation - or even sending cards, for that matter.
And (we've run into this a lot in our family) - how often do the ones you send cards/gifts to return the favor and remember YOU on your birthday? Not that we give to receive, but I have seen so many young people raised to believe that adults are there to give them things - but they have no idea how to do the same or at least appreciate the gesture. (Can you tell this is a hot issue on my DH's side of the family?)
The cut off for all of us kids was 18. You would still receive a card just no money or gift. At that point you were considered an adult, so you were cut off at the knees!
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Except for my Aunt Joanne and her husband whose anniversary is on my birthday and my Uncle Gene whose birthday I share. They both still send cards. Only cards. (My parents still drop off cards full of money, though, but only because they know I'm going to spend it on something fun for Walt, DJ, and I. 
)
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