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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Back story: DBIL and his wife are due for their first child. DBIL calls and asks if I want to help with the shower, I say yes. I get a call from DSIL's mom to attend a "planning" mtg. Basically, they had everything planned: where, when, invite list, activities etc. and it became evident that I was there as a wallet. I offer to do the favors figuring I'd get stuck with something so might as well pick it. Big mistake. Turns out other than the chick who bought the invites, I am the only other dope laying out more money. They decided against getting flowers, decorations and a cake is included in the restaraunt. I have no communication from her family for weeks. It takes me multiple e-mails and phone calls to even get a head count so i can order the favors. Then this week I get an e-mail "Okay, your share is $300. mail me a check this week". Um, seriously? There are 62, yes 62 people attending this shower. It is a Sunday brunch & based on teh restaraunt's website should be about $30pp for the meal. This cost is being split between 8, yes 8, people. Based on my calculations there's $600 unaccounted for. now at the "meeting" they (her family) decided they would give raffle tickets and award prizes to people who brought diapers. Um, it's a baby shower not a State Fair. They also want to play Bingo and give prizes. I spoke up, told them it was a bad idea & that we shouldn't have to give people anything for attending a shower. Very long, convoluted story, I think part of the $300 is going for the prizes I disagree with. I only have an e-mail address for the chick "in charge" of the money and I have asked what the $300 is for and keep getting "covers everything". WWYD? Mind you, I am paying over $200 for favors. I don't mind chipping in my share for the meal which would be about $240. My issue is with paying for something I don't agree with, not knowing what I'm paying for, the fact that the shower was basically planned w/o my input, etc. I am giving the money chick (her sister) until tonight to SPECIFICALLY tell me what the $300 is for then I think I'll have to call the expectant mothers mother. I do have her number.
WWYD? My girlfriends are so exhaserbated by this whole thing they keep saying "there is so much wrong with this I don't know where to start". My DH (its his brothers wife) thinks $300 is extreme but is so the polar opposite of non-confrontational (surprising since he's been a cop for 20+ yrs) he has no advice for me & keeps saying, "Ah, whaddya gonna do".
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Sixty two people at a shower? Whatever happened to showers as gatherings of the mom-to-be's closest friends?
I've done entire showers by myself for less than $300 -- I can't help but think what $2,600 could do for a college fund for a newborn.
I think a $300 share is excessive -- but you are kind of stuck with the party they've planned. Could you tell them you can afford $300 but the favors are coming out of that? Can you do favors for less than $200? Jordan almonds in tulle? Pink and blue m&ms?
No advice, only pixies!
__________________
Carolyn
Last edited by Carousel96; 10-05-2011 at 03:10 PM..
OMG!!!!! I would never expect anyone to fork over $500 toward a shower. No way. Sorry but tell them that you will deduct the favors out of the $300 since the price of the stuff should have been split up and send them a check for $100
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Ive done several showers for my friends and in all I've never spent that much! I think thats way too much money! I would def deduct the favors from that price.
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I nearly fell off my chair when I saw 62 people are intending! Did they hand out invites to random people on the street??? I agree with your girlfirends, that this is over the top. And with you already spending $200 on favors, I wouldn't be spending another dime on the shower. Especially when you haven't been apart of a lot of the planning, and don't even know what the $300 is for. I would write a check for $100 and call it even!
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I'm just going to say what everyone else wants to: those people are crazy as bat poop!!
I guess they invited everyone who ever told this woman hello, probably because the gift potential is astronomical.
62 people is ridiculous. $30 a head for a meal is just plain deranged. What happened to a shower for family and friends, at home, with cake and snacks?
What I'd do: I would have told them no. Plain and simple, as soon as you got to that meeting, you knew they invited you because they wanted your money.
I honestly think you can say: "I had no say, no input into what was done. The party was planned before I was even invited to help. I objected to raffles, etc. and was ignored. I volunteered to provide favors for 62 people, and it appears I'm the only one spending money separately. I'm deducting the money I spent on the favors, and I'm also deducting the amount of money I feel is being spent on things I object to. That leaves roughly the price of my meal. I'll send you a check for $40 (include a generous tip)."
BTW - I agree with you: the raffle thing and gifts are ridiculous. I actually detest going to showers/parties and being given "door prizes". I usually don't like them, and it makes me feel as if the hosts/planners felt I wouldn't come without bribery! I also don't give out gift bags at children's parties. We didn't have them when I was a kid, and yet we always enjoyed parties and had a wonderful time.
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people attending this shower. It is a Sunday brunch & based on teh restaraunt's website should be about $30pp for the meal. This cost is being split between 8, yes 8, people. Based on my calculations there's $600 unaccounted for. now at the "meeting" they (her family) decided they would give raffle tickets and award prizes to people who brought diapers. Um, it's a baby shower not a State Fair. They also want to play Bingo and give prizes. I spoke up, told them it was a bad idea & that we shouldn't have to give people anything for attending a shower. Very long, convoluted story, I think part of the $300 is going for the prizes I disagree with. I only have an e-mail address for the chick "in charge" of the money and I have asked what the $300 is for and keep getting "covers everything". WWYD? 
Mind you, I am paying over $200 for favors. I don't mind chipping in my share for the meal which would be about $240. My issue is with paying for something I don't agree with, not knowing what I'm paying for, the fact that the shower was basically planned w/o my input, etc. I am giving the money chick (her sister) until tonight to SPECIFICALLY tell me what the $300 is for then I think I'll have to call the expectant mothers mother. I do have her number.
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