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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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'm looking into going back to the World for the first time in several years next year, as a sort of "hooray, I'm not on deployment anymore!" gift for my family. I'm excited to bring my husband there for the first time (this is the guy who flat-out stated before we were married that he'd NEVER go, so this is quite an occasion, let me tell you!), making it our first complete family trip ever! My concern, however, is for my son. Last time we went, he was 2 and Magic Bands weren't a thing yet. Since then, we've gone through a lot, and my son has since been diagnosed on the autism spectrum. Not only am I concerned about him wandering off (as he very nearly did last time we were there), but I'm also worried he won't like the Magic Band. As with many kids with autism, he has a particular 'thing' about textures, and if the Magic Band is his ticket, I don't want him to lose it or melt down because he doesn't like the thing on his wrist. Does anyone have any experience with this kind of thing? Should I look into getting a cover for the band maybe? He'll be 6 when we go back.
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"You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality." -Walt Disney-
He does not need to wear the band on his wrist. He can keep it on a belt loop or you can hang on to it for him. It is no uncommon to see parents with multiple magic bands on their wrists! But if you want a cover for the band, there are many on etsy or here is tutorial on how to make one yourself: http://www.passporterboards.com/blog...ched-versions/
Also if it would help I have a magic band collection going and would be happy to send you one ahead of time that has been disabled so he can get used to it and play with it. What is his favorite color? Currently they offer many different colors, and if he could "borrow" one of mine and you could order the same color for him for you trip?
Just a thought!
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Dreams, Wishes, Hopes... these are the parts of childhood we should never lose.
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The band will continue me before you leave so you'll have time to prep him for it and see his reaction. My son is autistic as well so I know where you're coming from. What I can tell you is that EVERY time we go to WDW my son does ssomething he's never done before - in a good way. He's 12 and we've been going every 1.5-2 years since he was 2.5. It really is a magical place when he's there. I digress - try the bands when they come, show him some YouTube videos on them. He can always attach it to a belt loop so no worries. He's going to surprise you - just wait.
@Belle - Oh, that's good to know. And that tutorial looks pretty easy to use! So either way, there are options that should work regardless of how he feels about the bands.
@ Hugmonster - Wow, that's really generous of you! His favorite color is yellow, and sometimes blue. And red, whenever Cars is involved, haha.
@ notjustamom - I'm always happy to see him stepping out of his comfort zone, because he REALLY doesn't like to, if that makes sense. The YouTube thing is a good idea, one I hadn't really thought of. Which is silly, because I know we watched a couple videos of rides from Disney World last time! But it's nice to hear from someone else in the same boat.
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"You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality." -Walt Disney-
My daughter is Autistic as well and truthfully, the magic band is the ONLY thing she will wear on her wrist. She's been given all sorts of Disney bracelets and such over the years and while she will look at them and touch them, she will not wear them. We have one that she asked for - and said she would wear - that is still brand new in the package. The MB however, once we get to Disney, goes on her wrist and she'll leave it there all day long until we get back into the room. I have more problems with my husband wanting to take it off than I do with Abby.
As others have said though, your son does not have to wear it on his wrist. It can be attached to a belt look, he can wear it on a lanyard or you can even wear it for him (I wear Lenny's when he takes his off).
One thing I have to mention - I know it applies to us, it could apply to you as well because of the Autism - reassure your son that if the MB gets lost somehow, someway, it can very easily be replaced. I do not know what the process is (I think Disney gives out standard grey ones, but I'm not sure) but they can be replaced. Abby was concerned about that happening but once I told her it's not an issue, there is no information in the band itself and many of the Disney gift shops sell them, if hers fell off or got lost, it wasn't a big deal. Now as I said, once we get there, she wears it all day and doesn't worry about it.
My son, an older teen on the autism spectrum, wears his Magic Band, no problem. I agree that you can try it out ahead of time, and if your son hates it on his wrist, then you can come up with an alternate plan. You might be surprised, though. If you use the words Magic Band and explain that it gives him access to some magical things, he might love it.
@Cinder Abbey - That's good to know. Dante is picky at the strangest times - sometimes he doesn't mind things on his wrist, sometimes he won't let anything near his arm. It's hard to know when it'll happen. But I'm going to go on hoping for a little Disney magic here.
@joelsmom - I hope so! I think I'll be more excited to go than he will be, but who knows?
@Sandra Bostwick - Oh, I hadn't thought of a lanyard. He likes those, too, because he likes to be like Mama sometimes. Haha. Thank you!
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"You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality." -Walt Disney-
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But if you want a cover for the band, there are many on etsy or here is tutorial on how to make one yourself: 
Dreams, Wishes, Hopes... these are the parts of childhood we should never lose.
Our last WDW trip as a family 
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