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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I love Gift cards!! I know many consider gift cards to be impersonal, but I'm not one. I've gotten my parents gift cards before as Christmas gifts and they enjoy receiving them. Especially my dad because he likes to save them so he can buy one an item that he has had an eye on for a while.
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I always feel like I've failed when I give a gift card. Like I don't know the person well enough to choose a gift, or don't have enough creativity. More and more, I do give them to adults because I love getting gift cards myself and much prefer them to gifts. At this stage in my life I'm trying to get rid of things, so I don't want more stuff. A gift card I can use for books or for eating out or for Disney is my favorite thing to receive.
I personally love them. I know they can be impersonal, but I think a lot of people enjoy them. I get my mom and her husband ones for gifts regularly. They are so hard to buy for. I do make sure that I get them a gift card that is personal to them though - EX: they have a favorite restaurant, and have gotten to know the chef\owner quite well.... luckily the restaurant offers cooking classes, so that is what I got them a gift card for.
Good Luck
__________________
~ Jenn **Disney is REAL LIFE Magic, so much more than optical illusions **
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I love getting gift cards! Especially restaurant ones so when I don't feel like cooking I don't feel as guilty about eating out.
I buy gift cards for my dad and his girlfriend so they can have a date night on me. I get some for my mom as well but I can usually buy her stuff she needs like new clothes or new shoes since she's disabled and only has SSD income. She appreciates the $10 chipotle gift card tho as that's her favorite treat to eat.
My parents are in their 80's - we've given gift cards to the grocery store, Wal-Mart and Walgreens, which are the places they primarily shop. With the cost of groceries I know they were appreciated.
My Dad only wants gift cards these days, so that's what we all get him. I don't mind getting them, either, especially if it's to a restaurant or store I frequent.
__________________
First trip DW--Nov. 1975; Senior Class Trip DW--Oct. 1979; First trip w/kids--Oct. 1995; Halloween at DW--Oct. 2002; Spring Break at DW--April 2004; Christmas/Pop Warner Nationals-POR--Dec. 2005;Cruisin'--April 2008; Mom/Son trip-POP--March 2010;Taggin' along w/DD on DH's conference-BWI--Oct. 2011; 50th birthday with the Gartner Geeks--Adults only!--BWI--Oct. 2012; The Trip That Almost Wasn't--BWI--Oct. 2013; We climbed The Summit (National Cheer Competition)--ASMovies--May 2014
I think gift cards are fine for your parents. I have given my DM a gift card for
her nail place before. She said it was like her day of beauty. I personally would
rather have cash instead of keeping up with gift cards. I tend to forget I have
one and then they expire. Except for Disney cards. LOVE those.
I love them for myself. I gave my mom one to a book store so she could go and buy something there. It is also cheaper to do this if you have to mail a gift, since it is getting so expensive to mail anything.
Personally, I like getting gift cards, but I think in your situation it depends upon what your parents would want. Only you know if they are the kind of people who would want gift cards. If they would enjoy them, then I don't see a problem giving them.
I don't think that gift cards are necessarily impersonal. If you buy them from a specific place that your parents enjoy, then I think it shows thought and care.
I like gift cards for stores I can buy something that is a splurge - my favorite tea - or my favorite restaurant. I do have a story to tell. As they got older we used to give Mom & Dad gift cards sometimes - particularly Dad because he was so hard to buy for. He always got a daily cappuccino at the local Shell station. He liked the ones there better than Starbucks - French Vanilla! He also loved McDonald's once in a while and so on. When we were cleaning the house out after Mom & Dad passed away we found a stash of gift cards carefully banded together in Dad's drawer. I'm not sure he had ever used them, but he had saved every one. There were exactly 9 of them for various places - and Mom and Dad had 9 grandchildren. We randomly gave each of the grandkids one of the cards that year for Christmas - one last gift from Grandma and Grandpa.
I enjoy receiving gift cards especially when there somewhere I enjoy shopping. I don't like getting cash because I usually spend it on groceries and such instead for something for myself. My parents are in their 80's and don't really need stuff so they get gift cards from my brother and his family. Unfortunately my brother and family don't spend enough time or pay enough attention to my parent's likes to make good choices. My mother is always fussing about having stupid gift cards she can't use. So I guess you need to take in consideration the person you are giving them to.
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