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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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One of my best friends called me in tears today. She wanted to know if I could do something for her. "Of Course!!" I responded, "what do you need me to do?"
Well - her kids (Senior in HS and Sophmore in university) were going through what they need for school in a couple of weeks, and found they need: NOTHING. No items to shop for. No lists of supplies needed. No markers or pencils to look for.
This wouldn't be a problem, but you see - my friend LOVES back to school shopping. I don't mean she likes it and likes the challenge of finding a good deal - I mean she LOVES the entire experience. She gets giddy over the smell of notebooks!!
She also can't drive due to MS and other problems, so she has to have someone take her wherever she's going. I have school aged kids, and she knows that my kids always have a huge list that the school thinks we need.
She asked me to not do my BTS shopping without her. I had to tell her: "Well, I just assumed you'd go with me. You've gone every year for the last 10! I figured we'd go when I got back from taking the grandkids back." (I love to have her along - she can find the best deals!!)
I love being able to make a friend happy!!
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
That will be fun. I, too, love school supplies and my DD does as well. Unfortunately, like your friend, there is no longer a need. I do buy some things for my classroom, but this year I just had to buy myself a pack of twistable colored pencils and crayons. Now I just have to find things to color!
Maybe she can sponsor a child! We buy supplies and bring them to a local Rec Center for kids who can't afford supplies. They use the supplies as prizes for good behavior and the kids get what they need.
Awww.....you guys are going to have a great time! I am another one who loves back to school shopping, but DD is in college so she doesn't need all the traditional supplies either. We were out getting dorm stuff yesterday and I just had to get a package of markers and colored pencils! lol
Thats great! I love wandering the back to school sales--I always stock up on stuff I'm going to use during the year--even though no one is going back to school!
That is so nice of you. And I can totally relate. I love back to school shopping with the kids. My daughter is in her last year of highschool and my son is going in to Grade 10 so my days are coming to an end as well.
Awww! Very sweet. I too love back to school shopping. Okay. Okay. I admit it. I'm an office/school supply addict. Since I don't have any kids & I can stand on my balcony & see 2 schools (an elementary & a middle school) I've started collecting school supplies when I see them on a really good sale/clearance & than at some point during the school year (try to do it at the begining or middle) haul everything I've collected over to a school & donate it. I get all the fun of looking at & even buying the stuff & doing something good for others at the same time.