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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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any other December travelers getting ready for Christmas early?! I nearly have the Santa "must-haves" purchased or ordered and tonight I'm going to wrap what I have so far! six weeks until magic time and once we return, there's only one full week until Christmas!
then there were the leftover summer clothes still hanging out in DD4's dresser. hated to stash them in her trundle storage when I'm going to dig them back out again to pack in a few more weeks!
I've done that in previous years. This year, I've written the Christmas cards for my American friends to take with us, which is a bit surreal to be doing that in October.
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Join Date: Feb 2000
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Good for you. My trip will bring me home only five days before Christmas.....
I've barely started my shopping. I've got to get through hosting Thanksgiving for 28 first.
fortunately for us, Thanksgiving was two weeks ago! I have become lazy on the Christmas effort in recent years and don't bother with Christmas cards or baking. I even talked the extended family out of buying for each other's kids and the shopping list is only my two girls and my parents! sometimes something small for my nana. that's it! My girls are getting 3 Santa gifts this year and a few small things. They have been told over and over that their big Christmas present is a) Disney and b) MVMCP!! besides, Nannie is a pathological shopaholic and many Christmases it's been pointless for me to have bought the kids anything at all!
We don't go overboard on decorating. we'll probably get everything out of storage the weekend before we go away and put out a few decorations. then we can put up the tree when we get back and cheer ourselves up after the post-Disney blues!
plus, I'm contemplating a weekend trip to New Hampshire in mid-Jan. for a Disney on Ice. that'll help with the blues!
I'm getting ready to kick into high gear to get ready for the holiday.
With driving, we're leaving December 14 and will be home December 22 (actually in Disney the 15th-21st) -- so everything NEEDS to be done before we leave.
That means I've got to take the photo for our holiday cards, order holiday cards, mail holiday cards, finish shopping, do all the wrapping, decorating, etc etc etc.
I'm already feeling a little frazzled.
I cannot wait for Disney and vacation time, but I do believe this will be the ONLY time we go on vacation anywhere in December.
We leave on 12/14 and come back on 12/21. Most of my Christmas shopping is done or ordered. My Christmas cards just need to be addresses. Will take down fall decorations and put up Christmas decorations right after Thanksgiving. Need to wrap before we go also. Trying to decide if we bring our elf on a shelf with us or just take some photos in different poses on my iphone to show my lil guy each morning!
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Silvana
Mark (DH)
AJ and Jack
Harry (Our Golden Retriever)
We will put up our tree the weekend after Thanks giving, We only do "stocking stuffers" for ourselves,and our grown children. Christmas cards are always just for close friends,and we don't have a lot. I am planning on sending a couple of coconuts from the Polynesian for some of our Doctors,and the clinic,and ER.
Christmas really doesn't start for me until we get to WDW.
It is just so special in the "World"
The parks have those huge decorated trees,The gingerbread at the GF, The lobby decorations are just so classic for their theme, But the real topper are the Osborne Lights. Coop and I love the lights. Finding the purple cat is the first priority,then just taking it all in,with a Mickey icecream bar in hand gets me in the spirit.
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"Life can be as easy as a fall,it's all so easy once you just let go."
It is just the three of us for Thanksgiving, so we do a very simple meal or eat out--because the next day, we'll be hopping in the car and driving to Florida, where we visit my FIL and of course, Mickey. We'll be at the Mouse December 1 - 10, and that's when I'll do a lot of my shopping, right there at WDW. Some stuff I will order online though, to keep it secret from the guys and just because I really hate shopping in stores, anytime. We don't put up our tree until Christmas Eve or a day before, and we don't decorate outside much except for a door wreath. We have picked up lots of new Disney ornaments already from Hallmark and the Disney Store, so hopefully I'll find something else unique to add to this year's festive haul.
yes, I'm bringing a "food" suitcase, which will become the souvenir / Christmas present suitcase. I don't anticipate buying very much, but will try to conceal my purchases so they aren't discovered until Christmas morning. of course I can't let my girls go through the whole trip without getting to choose a few things to purchase. DD7 has some money saved and I match what she has for the little one.
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