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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Has anyone ever done the Meet & Greet at Epcot for Disney Visa cardholders? It says that it is located at Innoventions, but does anyone know exactly where? Is this only for cardholders, or is it a regular M&G that cardholders get special access to somehow? And which characters are there? I'd love to hear all about it if anyone has been!!
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I can never remember which Innoventions building it is, but all you need to do is ask. Yes, you must be a Disney Visa cardholder for this meet & greet. They actually check to see your card before you go in. I have done this twice, and both times the characters were Mickey & Pluto. I have heard that it varies, though. The characters do spend a fair amount of time with you, but even so, the line does move rather quickly. Enjoy!!
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We haven't done the one in WDW yet but are planning to in August. We did the Visa M&G in DL. It was really nice there. They had a little shaded lounge like area we waited in. We got a free 5x7 photo which we had printed at a photopass store. We had to show our Visa card to the CM before we could go in so make sure you have your actual card with you.
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We too have done this M&G. As stated not only do you have to be a Disney Visa cardholder, but you also have to show it to the CM who will write down the last 4 digits on a slip of paper. I believe we had to hand over the paper when we got the actual photo. The first time we did this, it was Goofy and Minnie, the second time it was Mickey and Pluto. The line can move slowly - we've been in it for like 45 minutes before but the line didn't look that long - so be prepared to wait. As to which Innoventions it's in - on your way into the park, it's the one on the right heading towards the Land, Nemo, and Imagination. The last time we were there, it was near the Fire Safety exhibit (it had something to do with fire so I think it was fire safety). If that exhibit is still there, look for the line that seems like it's not going anywhere because the characters are behind curtains so you can't even see who's in there until it's your turn.
As Darlene said it has been near the fire safety exhibit in the innoventions on the right the last few times I have been there. I agree that the line does move slow, but I think it is because they really let you take your time inside. I think that Mickey and Pluto have been the characters every time I have done it. They let you take several pictures and poses, sign autographs, there is a photo pass photographer in there and they will take pictures with your own cameras as well. So the line does move slow but it is a nice experience. Don't forget to get your free 5x7 of one of the pictures!!
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Thanks so much for all the info, everyone! We will definitely check it out when we are there in August. But will be sure to be aware of the size of the line!
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We just learned on a recent trip that you can do this once a day, every day you visit EPCOT. So if you have a couple of days there, you could have two different photos. For us, we had Minnie and Goofy one day. Then the second time through they added Mickey with Minnie and Goofy!
On our trips, the line has not been that long. We usually hit it about mid-afternoon.
We just learned on a recent trip that you can do this once a day, every day you visit EPCOT. So if you have a couple of days there, you could have two different photos. For us, we had Minnie and Goofy one day. Then the second time through they added Mickey with Minnie and Goofy!
On our trips, the line has not been that long. We usually hit it about mid-afternoon.
Oh, that's great!! I didn't know you could go more than once! Thanks for the tip!!
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We have yet to do this and have been Disney Visa holders for each of our previous trips. Your entire party can go, right?? Our friends that are traveling with us do not have a Disney Visa card, but we do - so they should be able to come with us since we're holders, right?
If we can get our entire group (7 of us) in, maybe we'll do it if the line isn't too bad.
I want to say it opens at 2pm, but you would have to check. Perhaps some other PPers know that answer. The first time I did the M&G, I happened upon it while in Innoventions, and we were the first ones on line. Last year, I was with DH, and the line was kind of long. I left him there with my Visa card to use the rest room, and by the time I got back, the line had moved significantly, and they already checked to make sure we had the cc. We only waited about 10 more minutes after that.
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First trip DW--Nov. 1975; Senior Class Trip DW--Oct. 1979; First trip w/kids--Oct. 1995; Halloween at DW--Oct. 2002; Spring Break at DW--April 2004; Christmas/Pop Warner Nationals-POR--Dec. 2005;Cruisin'--April 2008; Mom/Son trip-POP--March 2010;Taggin' along w/DD on DH's conference-BWI--Oct. 2011; 50th birthday with the Gartner Geeks--Adults only!--BWI--Oct. 2012; The Trip That Almost Wasn't--BWI--Oct. 2013; We climbed The Summit (National Cheer Competition)--ASMovies--May 2014
We were going to do this on our last trip, but the hours were very limited. Maybe because we went in January. I think it was only open for 1-2 hours MAX. And it was really hard to figure out what the hours were. There weren't any signs and I had to ask several CMs before I found one who could tell me. Again it might just be that we went at a slow time of year.
The exact hours are posted on the Disney Visa website under "perks". I want to say it is available daily from 1- 4pm or something like that. It is not available all day.