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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I've been wanting to take a friend with us for a while since my DS only gets to go with adults. I thought it would be nice for him to have a buddy to hang with. My SIL doesn't like disney so the cousins are out. My sister went with us last December and wouldn't hang out with us so DS had no time with those cousins. We have friends who have never taken a vacation with their kids. They haven't been on vacation themselves for 10 years. We were talking about them joining us for our annual December trip next year. They are a family of 4. It would cost me 70 points for a studio for them at AKV (our prefered winter resort). I charged my sister $10 a point for last year. Mainly because she is a PITA and I came pretty close to losing the points. Would you charge friends? I want the trip to be as cheap as possible for them since they are still recovering from the husband being laid off for 2 years. Also I never purchase trip insurance but will be next year since we are going to Aulani and since it is such a far trip I want to make sure we are covered for at least the points incase something goes wrong. I know the insurance is good for an entire year. Would it also cover the room I would be booking for friends? Thanks in advance.
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I think that if you can afford to give them a place to stay without putting your self out, go for it. It would be an incredibly generous gift, and hopefully appreciated since your friends DH was out of work. Lord knows just the park tickers and food will cost enough for them let alone everything else.
We've never asked for money from our friends or family when they've stayed with us, but they insisted on picking up the check at a sit-down meal.
On the other hand, if friends or family were to initiate a discussion about traveling with us, I'm sure I would make mention of the cost of accomodations and have them realize that it's not "free".
We invited our friends and booked them a room with our points, so no we would not think of accepting money from them. Knowing them they will either insist on paying for some meals or paying for groceries. They did offer to pay a portion of accomodations. Now if someone were to ask outright for use of our points, it would depend on different situations. Good luck on your decision.
If I did the inviting, I would not ask for money. However, if someone asked me if they could stay with us or on our points, then I would charge them at least $10 per point. DB flat out said I should give him our points for his 5 day stay because we go every year. I told him I would charge him $10 per point and he was shocked.
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We have not yet invited friends to stay with us, but I think if we did I would be inclined to just treat them. Particularly in your friends' situation, with the husband having been laid off, I would be hesitant to charge - just my opinion.
I am thinking of inviting my daughter's friend (or my son's friend on a different trip) at some point and we would need larger accommodations but, to me, that's the beauty of DVC - to be able to treat now and then.
But financial issues are so subjective - whatever you decide to do will be the right thing.
Since you are inviting them for your son's benefit - you should definitely treat. Its a nice gesture, but it doesn't sound like they asked for this trip so I think it would be pretty rude to ask them to pay.
Not to be a widse guy...but let me get this straight...you'd charge your sister $10 a point, but grapple with the morality of charging a friend?
Like my friends. Don't like my sister. Felt obligated to offer her some points because my parents were staying on our points. I refused to take money from my parents. My sister sucks with money and is often bailed out by her inlaws. We and my mom didn't think it was a good idea to give her something. Plus then she was about to screw me out of the points because she wanted to cancel after being told 10 times when I needed to know by so my points wouldn't go into holding. I'm not able to utilize holding points.
It isn't a financial burden for us to offer the points. We will be in borrow mode but we always are. Between the 2 rooms it will cost me 140 points. I have 200 a year. We are also planning on not visiting Disney for the next 2 years other than our annual December trips so we can get caught up on points. I figure they can save money on the dining plan and buying tixs through undercover. We all live in NC so we can drive. I'll just tell them they can by the beer (I've been buying the beer recently becuase it helps my husband loosen up for some romance).
Not to be a widse guy...but let me get this straight...you'd charge your sister $10 a point, but grapple with the morality of charging a friend?
I'd totally charge my sister as well being she's like the OP's sister - a PITA. I wouldn't think twice about not charging a friend but I sure as heck wouldn't be offended if they offered to pick up something either.
If you have the points and are comfortable offering I would, but I would make it known up front that points is all your giving. Don't let them think there's anymore too it otherwise you might end up with a sticky situation on your hands. This happened to me a few years ago and I still live with the impact now - this person and I don't get along nearly as well as we did. And it's all because she thought I was offering more than I really was.
I would charge them the same $10 per point. It is a great deal and a very inexpensive vacation. Afterall you are paying the annual dues on those points so it is costing you something.
If you have the points and are comfortable offering I would, but I would make it known up front that points is all your giving. Don't let them think there's anymore too it otherwise you might end up with a sticky situation on your hands. This happened to me a few years ago and I still live with the impact now - this person and I don't get along nearly as well as we did. And it's all because she thought I was offering more than I really was.
Good luck though.
I agree. Originally my December trip we were just supposed to be treating my family to the room. All of a sudden it has turned into us paying for tickets and dining. (Long story - had to do with DDP and ridiculousness of my parents)
Now we can afford this (hopefully) but I never meant it to be this. My parents are treating us all to HDDR which is nice and I think my sister and BIL will end up treating us to something. However again make sure everyone is on the same page.
By the way - I think this will be the last time I treat my parents. It has made this trip a little more crazy. So I understand you charging your sister since I probably will do the same for my parents if they ask to go again. Just easier that way.
We have people travel with us all the time and if they persist or we think it would be awkward we don't charge $10 We calculate the cost of the dues for the number of points that they use. They end up with 6 days of accomodation for around $300 and there is no wierdness. It really depends on how it came up and who it is but with this system we aren't charging, they are paying what we would be out of pocket for the year.
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