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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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So, DH is an optician. He just found out that Opticon (big ta-do for the optical field) is going to be held at WDW next year at the end of September/beginning of October!!
It is looking like he will get to go...with the boss picking up the tab for his airfare and hotel (at least for the days of the conference). And when you are flying from Alaska, getting free airfare to Orlando is a MAJOR perk. Plus having half our hotel paid would be rock star!!
SO....it is possible we will get to go in 2016 instead of having to wait until 2017 or early 2018 like we thought!!!!!!!!! But what's cool, we can still manage to go again when we originally planned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have told DH to keep on top of this at work and make sure the boss knows that I would be happy to make any travel arrangements etc!! We suspect that the conference would be held at the Coronado...which totally works for me!! If this does happen, we will probably stay an extra 4 or 5 days and just enjoy some time with just the two of us...DS won't be going!!!
Anyway, you all keep your fingers crossed for us!!!!!!!!!!!
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Jennifer / Eeyore is my favorite!!
OMG - He's sooooo grown up!!!! And an EAGLE SCOUT!! I can still remember my cute little Tiger Cub! 2016 Reading Goal - 75 books
Company-paid trips to DW are the best! I went several times with DH to a conference there, and got to stay at BWI! Deluxe is not something I would normally be able to do otherwise! all works out & you get to go!
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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
Company-paid trips to DW are the best! I went several times with DH to a conference there, and got to stay at BWI! Deluxe is not something I would normally be able to do otherwise! all works out & you get to go!
Deluxe would be AWESOME, but I won't hold my breath!!!
But I'll be happy with the Coronado if that's what we end up with...If its a value, I may have to pay to upgrade to a moderate!!
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Jennifer / Eeyore is my favorite!!
OMG - He's sooooo grown up!!!! And an EAGLE SCOUT!! I can still remember my cute little Tiger Cub! 2016 Reading Goal - 75 books
I had several trips to DLR when my husband attended an annual company-paid symposium at the Grand Californian--WAY more expensive than I'd be willing to pay for accommodations. I hope you get this!
2 summers ago DH had to attend a convention at Disney. We used points for air for DS and I. All we had to pay for was park tickets and food. We even got a discount on convention tickets. It was during DS's bday which made it even better. The only bad part was DH only got to see DS for breakfast on his birthday.
awesome! my first trip was a conference trip (NCTE--an english teacher convention). not to get your hopes up, but the yacht club is also a conference center property. we stayed next door at the beach club (and then i went home and tried to plan a return 'fun' trip--when i saw how much rooms typically cost there i was FLOORED!) either way, coronado is LOVELY. probably my favorite moderate. i hope it works out for you!
awesome! my first trip was a conference trip (NCTE--an english teacher convention). not to get your hopes up, but the yacht club is also a conference center property. we stayed next door at the beach club (and then i went home and tried to plan a return 'fun' trip--when i saw how much rooms typically cost there i was FLOORED!) either way, coronado is LOVELY. probably my favorite moderate. i hope it works out for you!
The Yacht Club or Beach Club would be AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! We haven't ever stayed at either, but have wandered thru both. But I will happily take the Coronado if that's where it ends up being. I didn't realize that the YC was also a conference center property...learn something new every day.
We are still waiting, may be a month or so before we know more. But DH has told his co-worker who goes to most of these that he "has dibs!!"
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Jennifer / Eeyore is my favorite!!
OMG - He's sooooo grown up!!!! And an EAGLE SCOUT!! I can still remember my cute little Tiger Cub! 2016 Reading Goal - 75 books