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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Do people look at you like you have 3 heads when you tell them you're going to WDW alone?? I am still kind ofconsidering a solo trip, but when I tell everyone I'm going solo I'm getting very few positive responses. Even my family thinks I'm "crazy" for going alone. I was just wondering how all you "experienced solo travelers" dealt with the negative reactions (if any). Thanks for the input/encouragement!
Yeah, I've had some people think I was strange for wanting to go alone, but it doesn't bother me. I love going alone because it's all about me, me, me! Seriously, though, it's so nice to be able to do what I want, when I want. I want to do a character meal? I do it! I want to shop? I do it! I want to do IASW? I do it!
I've gone solo and LOVED it! Nobody was whining, hogging the bathroom, messing up the hotel room, or complaining. I ate what I wanted when I wanted, I rode the rides I wanted to ride, I slept when I wanted to sleep, I took a long bath without interruption, and there was no complaining when I wanted to use the restroom for the third time. I came back rested and ready to be a Mom again. Don't worry ab out what other people say, they probably wish they had the nerve to do it themselves!
I'm only just barely planning a solo trip (hoping for free dining in September!), but so far anyone I mention it to gives me a hard time. I've had the "don't waste your money, just stay home" (staying home is nice, but not a vacation), the "why don't you find someone to go with" (usually with a pity look), and a whole bunch of confused looks. I've been finding it a bit embarrasing. Not because I want to go alone, but because these people think its a reason to pity me. And when I tell them I'm looking forward to it, they get even more confused. I'm starting to tell people I'm going away for some "me time" and that I'm going to a place that makes me happy. If they can't understand that, then I feel sorry for them.
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I am The Muffin Queen, Do Not Question My Fluffy Golden-Brown Authority!
So just tell them that you're going to the Grand Floridian for spa treatments. I think that people could sort of understand that. Why should you have to explain yourself, anyway? I've enjoyed my time alone there - total freedom to do whatever I wanted and whenever I felt like it! I would only tell people who needed to know, and not because of any shame or embarassment, but because I wouldn't have to explain it to people who clearly don't get the magic of WDW. If they did, then they would understand how a solo trip could be so appealing. I hope that you have a fantastic time!!
Yes, but I really don't care! And besides, most people that know me, have finally figured out that I am a Disney nut, so nothing surprises them!
Pretty much the same here. I've gone on trips with DH and friends. Each group travels differently. With my friends all about shopping. With my hubby it's about eating and shows. I sometimes like to do my own thing. I'm planning one now and I plan to do very geeky things. I'm going to take the Hidden Mickey book with me and try to track a few down. I'm downloading Lou Mongello's podacsts where he walks thru an area and really talks about the details. Very few people would put up with that. So I'm going alone.
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Oct '99: CSR ~ May '02: CR ~ Nov '04: SOG ~ May '06: SOG ~ Dec '07: Solo @ Pop ~ May '08: Pop w/friends ~ Oct '08: SOG ~ Dec '09: Pop w/LeAnn ~ Sept '10: Solo @ Pop ~ Spring '11: AKL ~ Jan '12: Pop for 1/2 Marathon ~ Sept '12: 1st trip for DL 1/2 Marathon? ~ Feb '13: Pop w/pals? ~ Mar '13: Tokyo Disney w/PP's?
Since I'm the kind of person who does plenty of stuff on my own anyway, nbobody who knows me batted an eye when I started going to WDW solo.
But I still get the classic WDW comments: "Again? Aren't you tired of going to the same place over and over?" "How can you afford that? It's so expensive!" and "Why would you go to a kid's place for vacation?"
Other peoples' opinions and judgments are not important. All that is important is that you do what is right for you. If you like WDW, and you can afford the trip, and you want to go, then go, and pay no attention to what other people might think about it.
Do people look at you like you have 3 heads when you tell them you're going to WDW alone?? I am still kind ofconsidering a solo trip, but when I tell everyone I'm going solo I'm getting very few positive responses. Even my family thinks I'm "crazy" for going alone. I was just wondering how all you "experienced solo travelers" dealt with the negative reactions (if any). Thanks for the input/encouragement!
Yup, they often do look at me like I have 3 heads. I remember once a friend of mine said, sort of sarcastically, "So what do you do when you go to Disneyworld by yourself?[roll eyes] Go on Dumbo?" Well, she changed the subject when I said "Oh, yes and I can hardly wait!" I remember one time on the ME bus, I got talking to another woman solo traveler. Like me, her DH understood and supported her comfort in going to WDW alone. However, her DMIL was shocked and couldn't understand at all. So they'd "solved" it by just not telling DMIL when she went to WDW. "However, she probably wonders why I'm in the shower a lot when she calls!"
I honestly don't care what people (friends, family, strangers etc.) think about where I go on vacation. Granted, I'm lucky have family that likes/loves Disney, or believes in & likes to travel & friends know me well enough to know that I enjoy Disney & will go regardless of whether they like it or not. The common comment I get from people (not friends or family) is you're really going alone?! To which my response is to tell them that I'm single & if I waited until there was someone that wanted & could go with me to wherever I'd rarely if ever go anywhere or do anything. However, if friends & family were to bring up legitimate concerns such as safety, timing, money etc. I'd listen & possibly change my plans after some serious thinking & possibly some research.
Yup. And then I pointed out that I call the trip Mom's Mental Health Trip.
Most folks I know get it then.
It honestly doesn't matter to me what my friends think. The kids and DH know that I love to have time away alone and I love Disney so that's all that counts for me.
I have had the same reactions from family and friends. I, like everyone else, loves to do my own thing. I really enjoy traveling by myself. I have been to WDW and DR by myself. All of my trips have been GREAT!
Go and enjoy yourself. It matters not what anyone else thinks. Only that you are doing what you want.
I too get the "you're going again?!" more than the "you're going alone?!" these days because they all know I'm Disney obsessed. It also has to do with the fact that I am a young, single, well-employed woman with a very flexible work schedule. It's easier for me to take a weeks vacation down to Disney then for any of my friends, so I just end up going alone. As others have said, it is SO NICE to be able to do what you want, when you want.
[QUOTE=ShellingConnie;3203859]Yup. And then I pointed out that I call the trip Mom's Mental Health Trip.
That's exactly what I'm talking about!! I have never gone on a Mom only trip, but I really need one now!! Thanks for all of the responses and I agree with you all........who cares what anyone thinks! Right now I'm looking to see if I can do a "brief" trip with DD#2....if she can miss 2 days of school, it's a "GO". If not I am definately planning a SOLO trip! I don't know which trip I want more!!
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I was just wondering how all you "experienced solo travelers" dealt with the negative reactions (if any). Thanks for the input/encouragement!
Me & Tigger - WDW '11
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Seriously, though, it's so nice to be able to do what I want, when I want. I want to do a character meal? I do it! I want to shop? I do it! I want to do IASW? I do it!
JulieB 
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I have never gone on a Mom only trip, but I really need one now!! Thanks for all of the responses and I agree with you all........who cares what anyone thinks! Right now I'm looking to see if I can do a "brief" trip with DD#2....if she can miss 2 days of school, it's a "GO". If not I am definately planning a SOLO trip! 
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