Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
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07-17-2003, 02:23 PM
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#1
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Community Rank: Trekker
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 1,798
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I\'m back...the trip fell through!!!
Well, we started out with 8 kids who wanted to go. Then we got down to 6...then 5...then on SUNDAY afternoon, the DAY BEFORE WE WERE SUPPOSED TO LEAVE...two more backed out, leaving us with 3 kids, 3 sponsors (including two sisters and their mom). It just didn't make sense for us to spend that much money on three kids.
Needless to say, we're a bit miffed. I think the main problem is that it was free and they took advantage of that (as did their parents). It's so irritating b/c I took a week's vacation, planned for at least a month; jason went out on a limb to get the church to approve the trip b/c some thought it sounded to much like a fun trip...AND the church may have lost $850 for the cabin! The place DID give us a credit for that cabin that's good for up to one year, but after that it's adios!
Sigh. My plan (if we EVER decide to go on another trip) is to make them deposit $100 when they sign up. If they go, they get the money back. If the back out, we keep the $$. I think if we'd done that this time, we'd all be in Gatlinburg right now. [img]graemlins/pout.gif[/img] Live and learn, live and learn.
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07-17-2003, 02:36 PM
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#2
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Longfellow's "Jewel by the Sea"
Posts: 14,165
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Re: I\'m back...the trip fell through!!!
Aw bummer! If you don't mind me saying, I think it's pretty lame that the parents allowed their kids to just back out like that...what does that teach kids? I think your $100 deposit solution is a good one.
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07-17-2003, 04:34 PM
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#3
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Community Rank: Jetsetter
Join Date: May 2002
Location: georgia
Posts: 2,818
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Re: I\'m back...the trip fell through!!!
sorry about your frustration. that really stinks. hopefully someone will be able to make use of the cabin in the next year so all is not lost.
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07-17-2003, 05:21 PM
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#4
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Mrs. Jack Sparrow
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Aboard the Black Pearl
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 21,228
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Re: I\'m back...the trip fell through!!!
Sorry to hear about your trip. what a bummer. I like your deposit Idea.
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07-17-2003, 06:09 PM
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#5
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Community Rank: Navigator
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Tioga County, PA
Posts: 6,102
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Re: I\'m back...the trip fell through!!!
The parents really let you down. They should have made their child go. Truthfully I'm suprised they backed out. When DH was a Boy Scout leader there were a lot of times he had boys but no other adults to help. Free babysitter is what we called it. Next time ask for a deposit. Don't let on the parents may be getting it back (after the trip). Maybe you'll have better luck.
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07-17-2003, 06:54 PM
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#6
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Community Rank: Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Michigan's Upper Peninsula
Posts: 27,691
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Re: I\'m back...the trip fell through!!!
Geez, what a bummer, Lanie. That really stinks for the 3 who were ready to go and had their plans ruined by another's doing. I hope some use can come of the cabin in the next year.
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07-18-2003, 05:26 AM
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#7
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Community Rank: Trailblazer
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Pittsburgh, PA , USA
Posts: 5,943
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Re: I\'m back...the trip fell through!!!
Sorry to hear this - working with youth, I have found these types of situations to be common, unfortunately. I like your idea about the deposit, and am going to start to charging a nominal fee (couple of bucks) for things like lock-ins, so that the kids have some buy in to the event before it happens. The last event we had we bought a ton of food based on feedback as to how many would show, and only used a fraction of it.
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07-18-2003, 06:53 AM
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#8
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Community Rank: Legend
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Newtown Square, PA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 23,859
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Re: I\'m back...the trip fell through!!!
Lanie, I'm sorry that your trip didn't work out. [img]graemlins/pout.gif[/img] You really need to get to Disneyworld soon! Here's some I hope you get to Disneyworld soon pixie dust!~*~*~*~**~*~**~***~*~
Sincerely,
Tara
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07-18-2003, 07:19 AM
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#9
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Community Rank: Jetsetter
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Seward, NE
Posts: 2,025
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Re: I\'m back...the trip fell through!!!
That is so disappointing. I think the deposit is a great idea. I think sometimes that people forget that there are real people, with real lives that took time out to help their children. You are a generous soul! I hope you don't get too discouraged!
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07-19-2003, 12:52 AM
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#10
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Yeti Chaser
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Way down south
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 20,411
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Re: I\'m back...the trip fell through!!!
I hate to hear that the trip fell through - I know you were excited about it. I personally don't think it's unreasonable to ask every kid that signs up to pay a small fee - refundable or not. If my kid were getting to go on a trip like that, I would be more than willing to help pay for it.
You should have used the cabin for a honeymoon getaway! [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
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07-19-2003, 04:58 AM
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#11
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PassPorter Message Board Manager PassPorter Guide Author
Community Rank: Legend VIP
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285
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Re: I\'m back...the trip fell through!!!
Sorry to hear about your trip, but I think the $100 deposit for any future trips is a great plan.
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