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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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With three measly weeks to go, I am starting a PTR for my upcoming cruise! I am SUPER excited about this, and as you read, you'll see why!
First let me start with the "cast"...
Melanie (me) - 36 (for another seven weeks) - Single mom of a crazy little girl named Meri, Disney addict, travel addict, works a second job to fund said addictions, volunteers at church and school, positively exhausted! LOL!
Toni - 42 - Very good friend of mine who lives in Northern VA. Works for a house painting company. Loves to dance, socialize, and is VERY extroverted.
Some Background
About three years ago, Toni worked for this same house painting company. They send their employees on yearly cruises each December, if the company-wide goal is met... and the sales reps that qualify can bring a friend / spouse. Toni is the company administrative assistant, so she gets her ticket paid for, but anyone else that goes with her has to pay for themselves. She is single, so she asked me if I'd like to go, and I said absolutely! It's quite a good rate and, of course, I never turn down a vacation opportunity! We were in planning mode, when unfortunately, early that fall, times got a little tight for the company and they had to let Toni go. So, of course, our cruise was canceled!
Flash forward to this spring. With business booming, they rehired Toni, and by summer, they had extended the offer for her to again go on the cruise! Yet again, she graciously extended the invitation to me, and I leaped at the chance to have a few kid-free days in the sun!
What the company does is, they offer an inside cabin (the least expensive level) to all employees for free... and if the employee wants to upgrade to an outside or balcony, they pay the difference themselves. After much discussion, Toni and I agreed to just stick with our inside cabin and save our money. I still had to pay for my airfare, after all, and turn in my cruise payment for the inside cabin.
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.
You hadn't posted in a while and I was getting worried that maybe you had to cancel this trip. Glad to see that's not the case and excited to read along and get all excited for you!
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
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.
So, after everything was settled, I was ready to write the check to Toni's company for my portion. We were just waiting to find out if they wanted the entire payment or just the deposit... and what amount exactly I should write for. Then Toni called me with some amazing news. She was beside herself as we spoke, and just kept saying, "I have the best news!" FINALLY I dragged it out of her... her company had offered to pay for MY cruise, too!!!
I could NOT believe it!!! Not just a nice, inexpensive cruise, but a FREE one! How incredibly generous!!
So, our adventure will begin on Wednesday, November 28! We will overnight at a hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, and we will board the ship on Thursday, November 29. We plan to arrive at the port as early as they will allow us to board, so we can drop our carry-on luggage in the room and go spend a few hours exploring the ship! This is always my favorite thing to do! Then, that afternoon is a sail-away party with her company. Friday is a day at sea (oh bliss), Saturday we are in Cozumel from 8am to 5pm, and Sunday is another day at sea. Then we dock on Monday morning, and fly home that day. It will be a really lovely, relaxing long weekend!
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Welcome aboard, thanks for reading! 
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