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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Well. Meri and I went on a whirlwind trip to Disney World in September. Then three weeks later, we went to California in October and spent a day at DisneyLand. And apparently that just wasn't enough for us. Ok. For me.
I have a number of facebook friends who have recently been in (or are currently in) Disney World. Their ADR lists alone were causing me physical pain, lol. The photos were just wrenching my heart! I just KNEW we HAD to go back!!
Since our whirlwind September trip was so short and exhausting, I said there's just no way we can do a tiny trip like that again. However, I just can't pull Meri out of school for an entire week (especially after she's already missed a week this fall for Disney trips)... AND with all of this traveling, it would be pushing the budget to go for as long as I really wanted to go.
I came up with a compromise. Five nights in our magical place. It's not the three from the whirlwind trip. It's not the seven (or ten, or twenty) that I would prefer. But it will work with my budget, with Meri's school AND with my vacation time!
The first question was "When?" We had a few options. We could do spring break, but I really didn't want to deal with crowds. We could do the week after Memorial Day... but that's SO FAR AWAY! Then I said, "Maybe somehow we can work this around Meri's birthday again", making this her fourth birthday trip. I took a look at the calendar and saw that her birthday is on a Friday next year... so that would work in our favor! Then I saw that her birthday was actually a teacher work day again! Sweet!!! One less day of school missed!
After some thinking, tweaking and retweaking (lol), I came up with the following dates - we will depart here (driving - no more standby to Disney for THIS girl) immediately after school on Wednesday, February 6, arriving mid-day on Thursday, February 7. Then we will drive home on Tuesday, February 12 in our typical "do-it-all-in-a-day" stretch. So Meri will only miss three days of school, Thursday, Monday and Tuesday, and she'll get to celebrate her actual birthday in Disney World again!! Sweet!!!
I told mom my idea, and she, predictably, rolled her eyes. Then I asked her where she wanted to eat. She said, "Wait, I'm supposed to go?" Once I started listing off my planned itinerary (which we will get to in a later update), and started listing a few of her favorite restaurants, she perked right up. All of a sudden she had opinions, lol. So, with mom securely on board, we were off and planning!
Wait a minute! 2 PTR at the same time? Way to go!
What a special way to celebrate a birthday! We did a birthday trip for my middle son this past June and it was awesome. He had such a great time and the CM really go out of their way to make you feel special.
I love it! I lOVe to celebrate Lillian's (DD) Bday in the bubble. We do it every year! Except this one, we are going to Disney to take our FAMILYMOON!!
Wait a minute! 2 PTR at the same time? Way to go!
What a special way to celebrate a birthday! We did a birthday trip for my middle son this past June and it was awesome. He had such a great time and the CM really go out of their way to make you feel special.
I love Disney Birthdays! You're so right, they do go out of their way to make things special!
Quote:
Originally Posted by llgmommy2
I love it! I lOVe to celebrate Lillian's (DD) Bday in the bubble. We do it every year! Except this one, we are going to Disney to take our FAMILYMOON!!
We did Meri's second, fourth and fifth birthdays at Disney (I think.... lol) - we skipped three because she was having a huge farm birthday party, and we skipped six because I was going to Disney a week after her birthday for Crissy's bachelorette weekend. But I'd love to continue the tradition year after year! It's such a wonderful way to celebrate!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
I'm impressed - two pre-trip reports started on the same day!
It might be a little ambitious, lol, but I think since this one is started so early, it shouldn't be too bad. Of course, I'm also WAY behind on reading TR's... particularly your DLP one - I need to get on that!
Quote:
Originally Posted by rlb38
Sounds fun ! Glad your mom's going along , that should help with the driving.
It is nice to have someone to trade off with, definitely!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coop
Signing in here too! Our trip isn't for over a year yet so I need to live vicariously through you!
Before long it will be here, and then I will be living vicariously through you! I'll do my best to provide you with a little fix between now and then!
Yay for another February trip! I'm sort of glad you're driving, so I can avoid the stress of your stand-by flying (once I get over the stress from your cruise vacation in a couple of weeks)! Is this a surprise for Meri, or does she know already?
Yay for another February trip! I'm sort of glad you're driving, so I can avoid the stress of your stand-by flying (once I get over the stress from your cruise vacation in a couple of weeks)! Is this a surprise for Meri, or does she know already?
Don't worry, Laurie - I assure you will have zero stress for me regarding travel for these two trips!
Meri does know about the trip. I considered doing another secret one but couldn't keep my trap shut, lol!
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMB733
First I saw you started a PTR for you cruise, now I see a trip for Disney!! Great start!!
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