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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Is it possible to give the kids their own forums in each world? I think that it was be fun if they can share ideas and tips too. Some of the message boards might be a little older for some kids to understand some of the topics. I just think it would be nice for the kids. Even a place where they can give their own thoughts about the adventure clubs for kids...
When a site specifically caters to children 13 and under, the requirements of COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) kick-in. Complying with that law would not be a huge burden if we thought there was substantial benefit to encouraging under-13 participation. However, we're concerned that child-specific forums would increase children's exposure to risk, especially when one likely purpose would be to arrange face-to-face meetings at theme parks, on cruise ships, and in other locations. While we don't like saying no to folks, this is one of those times when concern for safety comes before community.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Marx
When a site specifically caters to children 13 and under, the requirements of COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) kick-in. Complying with that law would not be a huge burden if we thought there was substantial benefit to encouraging under-13 participation. However, we're concerned that child-specific forums would increase children's exposure to risk, especially when one likely purpose would be to arrange face-to-face meetings at theme parks, on cruise ships, and in other locations. While we don't like saying no to folks, this is one of those times when concern for safety comes before community.
Very valid points, Dave! I never thought of all that. While I know my kids would love it, it is best left undone. Thanks for the insight! And thanks for keeping the boards a safe and fun place to be!
We as parents should be near the kids when they are on the internet for safety sakes. I know that if my children had access to a child-friendly forum they would be instructed for no meets if they want to get together with someone then it should be arranged through the parents not the children. Maybe we adults could choose the topics that they discuss?
We as parents should be near the kids when they are on the internet for safety sakes. I know that if my children had access to a child-friendly forum they would be instructed for no meets if they want to get together with someone then it should be arranged through the parents not the children. Maybe we adults could choose the topics that they discuss?
I can't speak for Jennifer and Dave but unfortunately not all adults that have responsibility for children are well that responsible. So you would still have the same very legitimate safety concerns. Also we all know that just because someone be they adult or child are told to do something doesn't mean they do it. The adults choosing the topics the kids can discuss is an interesting idea however as an administrator at another site I can see all sorts of potential problems with that. Which adults decide the topics? The parents? The site's moderators? The site's administrator(s)? The site's owner? All of the above? The kids' forums would need to be moderated and moderators are volunteers (or at least from what I've seen and experienced). There would have to be some very clear and detailed guidelines not only for the kids but the mods as well and I imagine it would be ALOT of work for the mods trying to keep everyone on topic, appropriate etc. It's a nice idea but having a very real idea of what Jennifer, Dave and all the mods do to keep these boards up, running, and pleasant to participate in I must agree with Dave.
We just booked our next trip today and I am planning on having my 11 year old son come up with a list of topics that he would like to discuss or questions he would like to ask and then he and I will discuss them and post them together. This way he can be active on here and we can spend extra time doing something together.
Well since the Kid's tips board is outta the question, maybe we can plan once a week a kid/parent chat. We can do it early enough before they have to be in bed. But make sure that it is parent and child chat. I do like the kid's list of questions that was mentioned before me. Maybe that is another idea to give the kids a voice on here.
Right now I am not working, but going to school. I am home full time, so I would be willing to work it out with any mods or even Jennifer and Dave. I love this site and my kids enjoy it too.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Well since the Kid's tips board is outta the question, maybe we can plan once a week a kid/parent chat. We can do it early enough before they have to be in bed. But make sure that it is parent and child chat. I do like the kid's list of questions that was mentioned before me. Maybe that is another idea to give the kids a voice on here.
Right now I am not working, but going to school. I am home full time, so I would be willing to work it out with any mods or even Jennifer and Dave. I love this site and my kids enjoy it too.
Unfortunately,There is no sure fire way to verify that the child has an adult with them during the chat.
Unfortunately, anything that is kid-focused and encourages them to chat or interact is not going to work. Like Debbie said, there is no way to guarantee that someone has a parent with them or even to verify that the chatter is, in fact, a child and not an adult psoing as a child. It's sad but true.
While I initially liked the idea of a kids forum, I must also agree with the safety concerns expressed here. I know whenever my dd had/has a question regarding an upcoming trip or something Disney related, I have had no problem posting the questions for her and then relating the answers to her. This gives us some good driving topics on our way into town.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I too have posted Q's of DD's for her or solicited her thoughts when people want ideas for their kids.
That very real possibility of adults posing as children is what scares the pants off me with my DD and the internet. Predators go where the kids are and a Disney-oriented-kids-board/chatroom would be ideal territory.
Unfortunately, anything that is kid-focused and encourages them to chat or interact is not going to work. Like Debbie said, there is no way to guarantee that someone has a parent with them or even to verify that the chatter is, in fact, a child and not an adult psoing as a child. It's sad but true.
I work for law enforcement and unfortunately this is so very very true.
In my day-to-day work I have heard and read about the horrible realities of the internet and the predators that are out there. While there are some very responsible parents who do their utmost to keep their children safe, all it takes is a few minutes online and a trusting child to create potentially life shattering situation. The internet is a wonderful tool, but we all need to remember that all tools can be misused or used as a weapon.
PP is a wonderful site and as a parent, my DS and I often read posts together and talk about our time at WDW and offer up advice/suggestions to other posters. More often than not, they are phrased in such a fashion that they sound to be coming from just me. Luckily there is a section here "Disney for Kids" and my DS loves reading that with me, but he can't get to this site in general without me due to passwords etc. I would suggest that if your child is interested in PP - sit with them and talk about the site and the different threads. Of all the message boards I've lurked at - this is the best (and not because its about Disney). The people here are kind, polite and respectful. They are more than willing to offer advice when asked for or a little pixie dust when needed. There are rarely any "dust-ups" and anger or viciousness going on. I find it a great place to have my child learn the etiquette of the internet - but only with my supervision til he is much older and better able to protect himself.
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