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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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It still amazes me how many people spend their hard earned money and don't do their homework before a vacation. How many people still do not understand what DisneyWorld actually is.
I teach 2nd grade & we just came back to school from our Easter break. A little girl in my class was so excited to share with me that she went to WDW. (they know I'm a big fan) Well, after asking her about several major attactions to which she said "no we didn't do that" I became puzzled. She kept talking about whales, fish, a boat ride...I said "did you go to Sea World?"-"Yes" she said with a big smile. Then she said she road SpiderMan...IOA--& saw Nickolodeon..Universal!
After school her mother came over to tell me they had a wonderful time in WDW...except it was very expensive about 11,000 for a family of 5-6days!!! They stayed OFF-SITE.
She then went on to say we only saw 2 parks because it was so crowded, then asked me how many parks does Disney have? I told her 4 to which she replied, "well, we only have 2 more to see." I almost hit the ground. Sad, but true.
This little girl still hasn't been to DISNEYWORLD.
Sorry for chuckling here on this end.. do you teach in our area? LOL My niece who is 9 yrs old basically says the same thing when she goes down with her Uncle Jack & mom. Elizabeth told my mom she wants to go back down with "Grams" & Aunt Deb (Me) . She said they (her mom and uncle) don't know how to tour the parks. Elizabeth said they spend more time walking around than they do going into attractions... UGH!!!
They just came home from WDW (yes, they did stay in the park) & went to Universal this trip. Elizabeth still has never gone to the AK with them & they have been down a few times! (Mom "gram" and I did get her there when we went down together).
Hate to admit it, there are many out there who don't do their homework , or realize that Universal, Seaworld & WDW aren't all one park!!!
It really amazes me that there are actually some people who have NO IDEA what they are doing when they go to WDW (or the area)!!! How can you not look further into your vacation . . . and make a little plan!!!???
It also really gets me when people think that Universal and/or Sea World are part of (or the "same thing" as) WDW . . . GRRRRRRRRRRR . . .
. . . do your homework, people!!!
I sure hope that little girl gets to see WDW soon!!!
Wow!! How can people spend so much money on a vacation and not have a clue where they're going? I hope that little girl gets a real trip to Disney World soon!!
I had almost the same experience with a little boy in my first grade. His family went over spring break....when I ask him what he did he said he saw a movie. His family did all kinds of Orlando things but very little Disney....it's sad when people spend all that money and don't really "do Disney".
I hate to say it, but on my first trip I didn't plan either - (Our honeymoon '90) We flew into MCO with no reservations. Luckily, it wasn't a crowded time of year, but I didn't really enjoy it because we followed the crowd. i.e., entering the parks around 10:30 AM. Trying to eat at noon and 5:30 PM, making no plan and standing in lots of lines. Also, trying to go all day! I didn't *love* WDW like I do now! Planning and info. make all the difference! I learn more every trip, too. My family and friends tease me a little about my Pporter and schedules, but they've seen what a difference it makes!
Wow, that's so hard to believe. I was a natural born planner by age 7. Since we lived in FL at that time, I had park maps and would spend hours going over every attraction and it's description, planning what to see 1st, 2nd, 3rd. That was back in the ticket booklet days! The Passporter was a natural for me - I just LOVE it. Now I've gotten friends hooked on it. LuvMinnie, it looks like that poor little girl need some education from you in other areas than reading, writing and arithmetic! So sad...apk
Well, I'm not surprised at all by the non-planning, but I am surprised that people keep refering to "Disney World" as any and all parks in the Orlando area. Nothing could be further from the truth.
And to top it off, they spent $11,000???? That's $366. per person for the six days, or $2200 per day. Even the Ritz-Carlton would have been cheaper. Even with airfare, it's still too much...
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She kept talking about whales, fish, a boat ride...I said "did you go to Sea World?"-"Yes" she said with a big smile. Then she said she road SpiderMan...IOA--& saw Nickolodeon..Universal! 
They stayed OFF-SITE.
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. She said they (her mom and uncle) don't know how to tour the parks. Elizabeth said they spend more time walking around than they do going into attractions... UGH!!! 
(Mom "gram" and I did get her there when we went down together).
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