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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Ohio started EZ Pass on the turnpike at the beginning of the month. I don't use the turnpike much but for $8 a year, I signed up. EZ pass users get a fairly substantial discount so my cost will be less. I have not used it yet but I have a couple of questions:
When you enter a toll road that still uses tickets, do you need to take a ticket or does the transponder record your entry point?
Are there batteries in the transponder? It appears to be sealed and I don't see where you would put them.
Any help from you EZ Pass veterans would be appreciated.
I know we when I had EZ Pass for travel through New England, we put it in our window and drove through the lanes that are marked for EZ Pass and it marked our entry point and took out tolls appropriately as long as we used the lanes marked EZ Pass.
In Florida they have the Sun Pass which does NOT accept EZpass so we had to buy a new transponder and we just do the same go through the lanes marked for Sun Pass.
So I am assuming that they did the same thing for Ohio. If for some reason a booth isn't upgraded yet they might have it posted on the website for EZpass for the state of Ohio and you could probably get more info on how they work it. Ohio Turnpike Commission - EZPass FAQ
Good Luck!
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Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust! Studying Hard to Make a Difference!
So I am assuming that they did the same thing for Ohio. If for some reason a booth isn't upgraded yet they might have it posted on the website for EZpass for the state of Ohio and you could probably get more info on how they work it. Ohio Turnpike Commission - EZPass FAQ
Good Luck!
I read the EZ Pass FAQ on the Ohio Turnpike website but it does not really tell you how to use it. They tell you how you can pay for it though, LOL.
I also saw in today's paper that they have had some cases where people were charged the maximum charge because the transponder did no pick up their entry point. The turnpike is giving them all a credit though.
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Bruce
Last edited by bcuinohio; 10-11-2009 at 04:03 PM..
I got an EZ Pass last year (through Pennsylvania) to make life easier when I drive to visit my parents in New Jersey.
At most toll booths I've seen in Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey, there are signs as you approach saying something like "EZ Pass use any lane." With those signs, you can drive slowly through any lane, and the transponder should be read -- if there's an attendant, I just say "I have an EZ Pass" and drive on through. If you don't see those signs, I'd use an EZ Pass lane just to be safe.
I remember asking my father about batteries, but I can't remember what he told me. I think he said there are batteries but they last for years.
With all our Passporter friends in the Northeast, someone should come along with more definitive answers.
At most toll booths I've seen in Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey, there are signs as you approach saying something like "EZ Pass use any lane." With those signs, you can drive slowly through any lane, and the transponder should be read -- if there's an attendant, I just say "I have an EZ Pass" and drive on through. If you don't see those signs, I'd use an EZ Pass lane just to be safe.
Did you have to get a fare ticket in PA when you entered the turnpike?
If there is an EZpass lane or signs that are marked with the EZpass logo you do not need a ticket, the transponder will read where you get on, and charge you accordingly when you get off the road.
I had my ezpass for about 8 years and never had to replace the batteries. They last for a long time. If you use it a lot may have to replace sooner but I turned the pass in after 8 years and never had to replace them.
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Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust! Studying Hard to Make a Difference!
Any time something new is installed there will be glitches I'm sure they will credit those who were over charged and correct the problem.
You can always call them and ask questions about any charge you feel is incorrect or mismarked or questions in general I did that with NJ's Ezpass (where i got my transponder) when I first got it as I didn't know how to use it either.
Good Luck
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Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust! Studying Hard to Make a Difference!
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I've driven all over the East Coast and towards the midwest to Michigan. Anywhere the EZPass is accepted, we've never had to pick up a ticket, you just fly right through. Florida was not on the system and at the time Ohio was not. Glad to hear they got with the program. I check my statement online, and when traveling for business, I can print out the toll receipt to submit for travel expenses. I just love it. Can't wait for all states to accept the EZPass.
My family and I drove to visit my aunt on the east cost this weekend. We took a differnet route in each direction. We used the EZ pass in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware. It worked great. I didn't have to stop to pay a toll anywhere. Some places I was able to drive by at the legal speed limit. I was especaiily pleased in Delaware and Maryland where I was able to bypass the long lines.
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we didn't have to stop for tolls anywhere between our home and the Rainbow Bridge over the Niagara this summer -- and it was about four different toll roads in PA and New York -- it was great! The only problem was that we maxed out the credit card that it was attached to, but fixed that when we got back home!