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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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.
I am surprising my fiance (DF) with Star Wars Weekend. He knwos we are going to WDW for 8 days, but he doesn't know that Disney has added that weekend to the SWW dates. He is under the impression that we will miss SWW by a few days.
I would like for us to have some sort of costume, if possible, but they have to be something that I can hide in the suitcases without him knowing. I will be packing the suitcases, so I think I can hide them fairly well, depending on the costume.
Can y'all give me any ideas on easy (to make and hide) costumes? It will be me, DF, my 18 year old daughter, and my 6 year old nephew.
Hmm, Han Solo-white shirt black cargo vest, belt. Jedis could be hard to hide as the cloak would take up a lot of room.
They sell SW Costume T-shirts which would be easier to pack away and hide. They have Chewie, Vader, R2D2, C3PO, luke's flight suit and others in both mens and womens's.
Good luck in your search. DH belongs to the 501st and has Stormtrooper armor. One of these SWW, I hope he's able to attend.
__________________
Michele
I'm living the dream 20 minutes from Disney! Next trip...tomorrow. Follow me on instagram at ShirtsByShell
Just an idea.... We were in WDW last October and of course didn't miss MNSSHP. There were three adults and three children in our group so the task of coming up with costumes and the discussion on how to get them all packed began all the way in April!! The best idea that came up was to send the costumes ahead of us to the resort! I personally used the "if it fits, it ships" boxes from the USPS. It cost me $15, which was definitely worth it. I called the resort, AoA, let them know I was sending a package, and they let me know about how far in advance to send it. This may work out for you as well, as you DF would never accidently find them in your suitcases. What an awesome surprise to get there and find the package! Hope you have a great trip!
I'd try the costume t-shirts. Remember it's June & FL - it's most likely going to be hot & sticky. For the girls check out heruniverse.com - they have dresses & t-shirts and the designer (Ashley Eckstein) is usually one of the hosts at SWW.
Shipping something ahead might be a good option, depending on how I decide to dress us.
The fact that it will be June with the hot FL sun is a big factor in deciding what we will wear.
He almost ruined the surprise the other night.
Him: "We won't be there for the Star Wars thing, right?"
Me: "Uhm"
Him:"When we originally booked it, we were going to miss it by a couple of days weren't we?"
Me: ~phew~ "Yep"
I didn't want to outright LIE to him. So I had to be careful what I told him. I did tell him what I have been reading here and other sites about SWW, but I told him it was other people planning their trips to SWW.
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.
~sigh~ No. He will be there the weekend before we arrive. I'm a bit disappointed as I know DF would absolutely LOVE to meet "Luke freaking Skywalker" as he says.
I don't have a better suggestion for a costume, but I will say you will see a little bit of everything, so don't think you might look "overdressed". Some people wear "civilian" clothes, while others let's just say go all out. It will be hot, so personally I think the t-shirt idea is practical, yet could still be fun.
Too bad you're going to miss Luke Freaking Skywalker. When I told my DS about him this morning, he said, "If it was ANY other year!" Still, you'll have a blast (no pun intended) at SWW.