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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Hi!
I would like to surprise my DH with a short (4 day) trip for our 20th anni this year. I was thinking of going in March, as a delayed celebration, as he might be accepting a new job next week, which will entail a move to Chillicothe, Ohio..(For any Ohio natives, what is your lovely state like? I will remain here with the 4 kids until June, so my eldest son can graduate HS with his class. Are the housing costs reasonable? Weather? Parks and outdoor areas? I already know EXACTLY how much it will cost us to fly to our anual WDW trip, LOL!!)
Back to March..We have never gone at that time of year, and I was looking at March 11-15. Am I right smack in the middle of Spring Break? Easter vacations? I would also like to go concierge this time, with a few special surprises, so ANY suggestions would be welcome!
Thank you SO much, you guys! I recommend your board to everyone I work with. We are all teachers, so we LOVE any helpful ideas about making trips affordable!
You are right into the early range of spring break time. I am a teacher also and have gone around this time with no major problems. Of course, Easter was in April that year and it is in late March this year. I just don't know how much impact that will have. Have fun!
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We have never gone at that time of year, and I was looking at March 11-15. Am I right smack in the middle of Spring Break? Easter vacations?
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Easter is March 27th this year -- our school is off the week leading up to Easter, so your schedule might take the edge off the crowds, but that is the prime time for schools - both primary and university levels -- to schedule spring breaks. It'll be crowded and considered regular or peak season at Disney.
Ohio's weather is like Michigans. Fickle. I am not too sure where you are moving too, but if you are more north, you will get more snow, in the middle is more likely to get ice and rain and towards the south, not much snow and more rain then anything. I am ready to move out of our northern area and move to Florida. I can deal with a hurricane more then I can be snowed in and no power. Cold and wet vs warm and wet. I think I know the later. Ohio also has Cedar Point, Castaway Bay and Kings Island. Michigans winter break is at the end of Feb and Easter break at the end of March.
You will be able to get a job faster in Ohio then in Michigan. Michigan is saturated with teachers. I know, I can't get one and are planning to move east where jobs are better there. Good luck with the move and the trip.
Your March celebration trip sounds like a wonderful idea. Although it most likely will be rather crowded while you're there, it's still amazing what a difference it makes if you hit the parks early each day. In the first couple of hours you can usually hit all the more popular attractions in each park before the thundering hordes show up.
As for something special to do on this trip, if you're going to be staying concierge anyways, what about concierge at Animal Kingdom Lodge which then also gives you the special privilege of being able to book one of their wonderful Sunrise Safari Tours? If you're not interested in staying at AKL, I still heartily recommend trying one of Disney's other backstage tours. Which one would depend largely on the age of your children as there are minimum ages for some of the tours. Ones I've taken and highly recommend are: Backstage Safari at AK, Keys to the Kingdom at MK, Mickey's Magical Mousedom Tour at MK, Family Magic Tour at MK, and Dolphins in Depth at Epcot. These are a fabulous way to surprise your family and really add new dimensions to a WDW holiday.
You will be picking up the Spring Break crowds, but something DH and I noticed when we stayed concierge the first time was that we spent a whole lot more time at the resort than in the parks (usually in the afternoons). I think just staying concierge makes the trip special. What are some of the surprises you're planning?
THANK YOU!
Well, I am just not certain about what to do. DH loves WL, but I think the AKL would be lovely, especially with the special safari's offered. Since we have been so frequently, we are OK with deakling with crowds, and this will be an adults only trip, so Dumbo and Alladin are OK to skip. I am thinking of possibly even a secret vow-renewal at the Boardwalk, if I can arrange a private one just for the 2 of us. ( we have been through some REALLY hard challenges, and with a child's cancer scare, our marriage has had it's ups and downs..I would love to celebrate the fact that we hung in there) He also loves EPCOT, and even when there are crowds around, they do not seem so bad in such a large area. Aside to Courtney...What a beautiful picture of the 2 of you! I am new here, and I have not figured out how to add a picture to my post! Is there a place that will walk me through it? Thank you!
You actually won't encounter many spring break crowds. I know here in the north-east, specifically NYC schools, aren't off for Spring Break until April, as are the colleges and universities in the area!
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