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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 done this tour lately? My DS 12 is a huge train fan and we didn't get to do this tour on our last trip. I think it is only on certain days of the week---and I think you have to be at MK by 7:30am? Is that correct? We'll be staying at Pop Century---do the buses run that early?
My husband and a friend did this tour in 2004 and yes, they had to be at the Magic Kingdom by 7.30. We drove over there, so I can't help you with buses that early, but I can tell you, they both really enjoyed the tour.
I took a cab to the Contemporary resort, then walked from there. Others arrived and said they took the resort bus. (Remember the resort buses have to get people there for 8:00 breakfasts). Unless it is your first day, talk to one of the early morning bus drivers for MK. If you do take a cab, make sure they take you to the comtemporary resort and not the Travel and Transportation Center.
Thanks for all the great info! I'll check into the buses when we get there. We'll probably plan to do it on our third day so we'll make sure we're rested.
Is it true that they give you a special pin at the end of the tour?
WE did this tour in 2006 & really enjoyed it. Took a bus from our resort & arrived with no problem. Yes, there's a pin presented at the end of the tour & lots of great info in the tour. The behind the scenes visit was great.
I called the WDW Tours # today and got the date I wanted! I was concerned it might be all booked up because we're only 3 weeks away (yay!) We're going to try to keep it a surprise from our sons until the night before we go!
We did this tour on Wednesday! It was really well done -- lots of fun! We took a cab & had it let us off at the guard shack outside the Contemporary & walked. We only got sprayed by the sprinklers a little bit. It was eerie, being on Main Street with only our tour group (about a dozen of us) and about 6-7 Cast Members doing repairs on the trolley tracks!
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My first trip to Magic Kingdom:
My next trip to WDW: March 2017!
We did this tour on our last trip and my DH just loved the 'train' part and I loved the storytelling that goes along with it. We drove and parked at the contemporary after showing our reservation slips for the tour - I would suggest checking with guest services at your resort to get the best transport for your family. Have a great time
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for sharing the photos, Brad! I have purchased this tour for our family as a father's day present for Luke. I was already having trouble keeping it secret and these pictures have me so excited that I may give up and tell. Luke loves trains (we've taken 2 long and 1 short Amtrak train ride) and then he builds model train layouts. He is going to love this tour!
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Magic Behind Steam Trains Tour?
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this tour.
If you do take a cab, make sure they take you to the comtemporary resort and not the Travel and Transportation Center.
It was eerie, being on Main Street with only our tour group (about a dozen of us) and about 6-7 Cast Members doing repairs on the trolley tracks!
for sharing the photos, Brad! I have purchased this tour for our family as a father's day present for Luke. I was already having trouble keeping it secret and these pictures have me so excited that I may give up and tell. Luke loves trains (we've taken 2 long and 1 short Amtrak train ride) and then he builds model train layouts. He is going to love this tour!
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