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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Normally we drive to Disney, so I don't think that much about what we might get for souvenirs. This year we are having to fly due to a more limited time availability for the trip.
I do like to occasionally get things like snow globes or maybe a blown glass piece from Main Street. Will they ship these to our home?
jovigirlnj - Did you have the shop ship it for you when you made the purchase? Also, which MVMCP are you going to? We're going to be there at the same time. I think we are going to the one on the 6th. I haven't bought the tickets quite yet.
jovigirlnj - Did you have the shop ship it for you when you made the purchase? Also, which MVMCP are you going to? We're going to be there at the same time. I think we are going to the one on the 6th. I haven't bought the tickets quite yet.
We are going to the party on the 6th!!! This will be our first time going to the MVMCP - I cant wait!!!
Yes I had the shop at Wilderness Lodge ship stuff when we stayed there - that box took 2 weeks to arrive - It was shipped UPS....Then I also had a box shipped from World of Disney that box took 3 weeks to get shipped UPS. Not sure if maybe others had shorter waits or not. I couldnt wait for my stuff to come. I was so happy when they came.
I had the same problem - usually we drive down but last October we had to fly. I had gotten a SnoGlobe and some other breakables that I didnt want to pack in my suitcase. I would have the stuff shipped again if I had to but now I know not to expect it quickly!!
You are really going to enjoy MVMCP. The fireworks are fantastic. Thank you for the notes on shipping. I think that is what I'm going to do for any non-clothes stuff we get. 3 weeks later it will be a nice treat and a Disney Christmas when it shows up at home!
Do have the shop where you make the purchase ship the items. They assure that the items will arrive in one piece. If not, they replace them free of charge! DD had a rather large snow globe that she purchased in 09 with her birthday gift card from Disney. We paid the extra money to have it shipped. When it arrived, it was broke. I called and they sent a brand new one, no questions asked and I did not have to send the original back.
If you do plan to have a shop ship your package, tell the CM as soon as you reach the register. Life can get frustrating for everyone if they ring-up the purchase before identifying it as an item to be shipped.
While it wouldn't necessarily be subject to the same insurance coverage, if you had several smaller items, you could ask your resort front desk to ship it home for you, and you'd probably save some money on the shipping charges. Different resorts have different charges and policies (the resorts with convention centers are different than the others), so it's probably worth asking early in your stay, to see which option would work better for you.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
That is an excellent point about telling them at checkout. I will definitely remember that.
I was also looking into getting some flat rate boxes from the USPS to put in the bottom of my suitcase that I could ship from the Contemporary's business center. That might actually be cheaper in the long run than shipping from the stores for the non-breakable stuff.