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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 have 89 days until we leave for our first WDW vacation!
-Our vacation package is booked, discount for the special while we are there is applied
-Dining reservations are made
-Airline tickets are bought
-General itineraries for each day planned.
What do I do now??? I am going through planning with draws. I can't pack yet (well, I could, but we would all be wearing the same outfit for the next 89 days). I am going through planning withdraws! The only thing that I can think up to do it start memorizing park maps.
Great ideas everyone! I have also thought that I can start watching the ads for toiletries and other misc. items for our trip and try to get some stuff cheap instead of paying full price for everything at the last minute.
Also, if I buy extras of toothbrushes, deodorant, etc, I can just pack them and we can use the stuff we have at home the morning of the trip. No worrying about a toothbrush being left behind.
We always get toothbrushes, paste, razors, deoderant for the trip and prepack that, before we started doing it we always forgot something. My Dh always forgets his cell phone charger so this year I purchased an extra and I pack it ahead of time. We also take a power strip too. Mousekeeping envelopes made? I make a list of things I need to do closer to time like stop mail and newspaper. Read TRs here to get more ideas and tips.
I make lists; i.e. packing lists, ADRs lists to take with us and I keep checking to make sure the park haven't changed and if they have I update my calendar for wwhen we're going (I make one that has each park and it's hours for the day plus any EMHs). OCD much?? That keeps me planning and keeps me up-to-date on park happenings.
We have 89 days until we leave for our first WDW vacation!
-Our vacation package is booked, discount for the special while we are there is applied
-Dining reservations are made
-Airline tickets are bought
-General itineraries for each day planned.
What do I do now??? I am going through planning with draws. I can't pack yet (well, I could, but we would all be wearing the same outfit for the next 89 days). I am going through planning withdraws! The only thing that I can think up to do it start memorizing park maps.
....well...now you have lotsa' Disney-day-dreaming time!!
....and YES....you can pack!! I'll be at WDW in 69 days...and I started to pack.
....got a suitcase ready...got 8 new pairs of really soft & "cushy" socks....got my travel/shaving kit ready.....I've set aside a bunch of short sleeved shirts.....and there's more done each day. I figure..at this rate...I'll have everything ready by Thanksgiving!!
Read trip reports, read the boards, you pick up lots of info. Make some touring plans up of the order you will go to the attractions in each park. The Unofficial Guide has some great ideas, and touring plans.. I've heard some people pick it up at their library.
It makes a big difference IMO on the order you go to the attractions so you aren't caught up in more time waiting on lines and less time actually doing things.
At this point I get into the nitty gritty itinerary planning. Which attractions, what Fastpasses, where to eat our counter service meals, etc. I'm at 90 days too so I'm right there with you!
You could start making your Mousekeeping envelopes and any shirt/bag design
stuff if you are doing any? I like to be really far ahead in my planning so I
can just sit back and relax at the end. Oh and then I read all the TRs.
Wow, I guess there is still plenty for me to do! Thanks for all the ideas everyone, and keep them coming.
I started a shoe box to put toiletries, etc. in. I will have to come up with some cool Mousekeeping envelopes (I'm a huge paper crafter, so I will most likely be making my own - where did I put that Disney scrapbooking paper?).
As for in depth planning, I was already told I can't plan every minute of the day. I can get some touring plans thought up though - I believe that would be acceptable to the other member of my traveling party!
1. packing list for each person (that way each person has their own and you do not forget anything) (There is some people that can hear we're going to disney in 2 days pack and be ready to go in 5 minutes )
2. have you made autograph books for everyone?
3. have your pennys and quarters together for pressed pennys
4. memory cards cleared off
5. have a list of all electronics you are taking with power cords to go with them
6. have swim sutes together? (we keep them together now...one year we were still up at 4 am looking for one-not mine-and we had to leave the house by 4 to get to BWI on time for the flight
7. made shirts yet-if you are going to make them.
8. print out when, where, what cards for each day for everyone in your group
9. if you are driving do you have a list of food/games you want to take
10. a list of any suprizes you want to do for the group you are traveling with-like gifts to leave on the beds from Mickey for everyone and so on
11. a list of all that you have to make lists for
12. a list of all the stop and start dates for things like the mail, newspaper, trip forms for school if you are taking kids
That is just some of the things that I make lists and such for. hope that helps....dont worry the time will fly by...my nephews jumped for joy when they seen that our count down for yesterday was 12 days before we go.
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