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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Abby is a strange kid at times. When it's cold and snowy out, she'll watch things like our Disney Videos, planning videos, her sing alongs that are outside, etc. When it's hot as anything out, usually in July, she starts watching all Christmas programs and listening to Christmas music. For years it annoyed me - I felt she was rushing the seasons. So what am I sitting here doing? Making discs for us to listen to next week when we drive down - with Christmas Music. But I'm not just making them, I'm actually listening to the music as well and ENJOYING IT . Someone help me.
BTW - I thought she was rushing it but it's still July and our local garden center/pool supply store has gotten rid of the pool stuff and replaced it with you guessed it, Christmas stuff already
I love Christmas music and listen at all times of the year. Just enjoy!!
Pretty soon the Christmas decorations will be left out all year long. It seems like every year they come out earlier and earlier.
I'm not a fan of the early Christmas music. My fave radio station that I always listen to starts playing it day after Thanksgiving; I like it for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and that is enough for me.
But if you like it, you like it! Atleast you both like it now, so one isn't going crazy while the other listens to it....
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maybe it's her way of mentally 'cooling off' from the heat! Listening to Christmas music puts me in the mind of snowy days, fires in the fireplace and hot chocolate...even when I lived in Georgia....
I just look at it like "Christmas in July;" i.e. early shopping season!
Well at least you're doing all of this in preparation for your highly anticipated WDW trip -- then when you get back you can look forward to Fall (best time of the year! ), and then Christmas -- and you're outdoor Disney vids! LOL
I'm a huge lover of all things winter, and Christmas is the second most celebrated holiday at our house, after Halloween.
HOWEVER - I have a hard, fast rule. Christmas music, not until Thanksgiving is over. We even take Christmas CDs to my in-laws, for the ride home, but not the ride there on Thanksgiving. The other rules: decorations do not happen until the 10th, and it's all got to be gone by the 6th of Jan. at the latest. Christmas day night is good. One year, we had DH's family Christmas at our house on the 23rd. After everyone was gone, and we were faced with cleaning up after 50+ people (he has 7 siblings) - we had Christmas for our own family that night, and it was all down and packed away for the next year by morning of the 24th!! Best Christmas I ever spent!!
Anyway - enjoy whatever music you like. Hope you have good memories of this time while you're driving south!
I love winter and the holiday season. But when I was working retail one year, all that Christmas music made me crazy. I swear, if Bing Crosby had still been alive, I would have strangled him. My new Christmas playlist has lots of odd Christmas music that does not include "White Christmas", "Silent Night", or "Joy to the World." I'm afraid JC Penney ruined traditional Christmas music for me!
I have to hide our Christmas DVDs until November. If not Santina would be watching them now also. She is making due with her musicals .This past week her new fav is Hello Dolly.
We were watching "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day" last night that was DVRed during the 25 Days of Christmas on ABC Family. So, Christmas ads included. DD also pulled out Arthur's Perfect Christmas to show the little cousins last weekend.... I guess we're not far behind you, Darlene.
Abby loves this one - which is partly why she loves WallE so much too - because she recognizes the music from Hello Dolly
She loves musicals old and new. King and I, Hairspray, Grease are a few. She also loves older movies like the Long,Long Trailer and Ours , Yours and Mine. Oh and the musical episone of Buffy -Once More With Feeling.
One of the lesser known movie channels that are free to view over here on SKY have been showing continuous Christmas movies. The really cheesy made-for-TV ones. As much as I usually love them , I think it's a bit too early just yet. xxxx
Went to Old Navy in South Louisiana today and although there were no Christmas decoration there were alongside the school uniforms down vests and jackets. Ok that is a little much! It's not even August and still even in the Winter they are not necessary. I totally don't understand the whole let's put out the Christmas decorations before Halloween and let's put out the winter clothes for sale in July. !!!
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Check out my Pre-Trip Report for our 9/18-9/23/12 trip here:
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