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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Each time I start to plan a trip to WDW I start a Disney Box. Inside this box I place items that I want to take such as:
Ponchos
first aide items
personal care items
film
soap free hand cleaner
Items that are specially purchased for the trip such as new packages of sox/underware etc..
dollar store ponchos (2 for 1) for the water rides
suntan lotion
Anything that comes to mind I throw in the box. Then just prior to our trip I go through the items and see what I have. Usually I end up removing a few items but since I have started doing this I have never forgotten anything! So when you think of somthing that you may want or need on your trip, throw it in.....
As I find items on sale I buy them and put them in the box. Right now I have deoderant, tooth brushes, film........
I do the same thing! I also put in pins and souvenirs from earlier trips and any special Disney stuff that we buy from The Disney Store while we are waiting to leave (T-shirts, etc.) It's great for keeping the magic alive as you sweat out the wait to leave! ºoº
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It all began with a father with two daughters...
[This message has been edited by Cruella (edited 03-04-2000).]
Thanks Cruella..... I forgot the pins! Need to add them to the box! I purchased some DisneyLand Pins at a Disney Warehouse sale for pin trading while at the parks!
I do the same thing. I have a hide-away couch and that's were it all goes. I actually have 2 boxes going right now. One is for our camping trip to Panama City Beach for spring break and the other is for our trip to DW in July.
I put the autograph book, maps, reservations, MKC card, etc. That way I won't forget anything (I will anyways though...LOL).
I use the "box" also and suggest maybe let the kids decorate it to add to the planning and anticipation of the trip. We are staying in a unit with a kitchen so we throw in so non-perishable food items or samples we receive, left over condiments (salt and pepper, sugar). We suggested this to the other family traveling with us and they even have the people at the office helping to stock it up. I also put coloring books, or the books you can color with the "magic pen" when I see the stuff on clearance. Wedding bubble also get added. I also bought those snack size ziploc bags when they where on sale, for storing laudry detergent, trial mix or whatever.
Our kids are grown but I really like the idea of letting the kids decorate the box (think I will do that to mine!) Also the wedding bubbles.....gives the kids something to do when you are at the resort and need a quiet moment!
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Take Care & "Remember the Magic!"
debe-nj
I like the box idea. I always used my suitcase for that, but found it kind of cumbersome. The box works great! I keep it on the bed in the guest room. I drive DH crazy when we go to Wal-Mart because I want to buy everything for the box!