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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 seen either online or made their own US Autograph Books? It's been a while since I've been to US and collected Characters Autographs (my 1st trip back in Elementary School) and the last trip I took there I was 19 and wasn't into getting Autographs. Since I'm making an Autograph Book for my son for Disney, and we will be hitting both US & IOA wanted to have one for him for the characters there if we run into any to sign. Does anyone know what Characters are at US & IOA that sign Autographs? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
I'm pretty sure all the characters sign autographs- some of the characters include Nick Toons (Jimmy Neutron, for example), Shrek and Donkey, the Simpsons, Marvel Comic Super Heroes like Spiderman and villains like Dr. Doom, cartoon favorites like Popeye and Olive Oil, The Cat in the Hat, Whos from Whoville, the Grinch if you go during Christmas time. Those are ones I've seen around the parks. I also have seen US autograph books sold there. Hope this helps! Enjoy meeting all the characters!
Thank you for your reply. The last time I collected autographs there were very few characters out that would sign autographs and this was shortly just after Universal Studios opened.
I agree--Uni Characters aren't really out and about enough to warrant an autograph book. I'd just have your kids make a little one because the ones you buy almost always go home pretty empty
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Jen
Mom to 4 Disney Lovin' Kids: Kyleigh, Connor, Caden & Kellan
I agree--Uni Characters aren't really out and about enough to warrant an autograph book. I'd just have your kids make a little one because the ones you buy almost always go home pretty empty
Maybe it wouldn't be worth making one. My son will only be 2 (a month shy of 3) when we go, so he probably won't know the difference. I only saw the Grinch and a few Whos my last visit and that was in December. Thanks for your honest answers.
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I've seen lots of characters at Universal, but never done autographs (my kids were too old for that). We've seen and had our photo taken with Shrek, Donkey, Scooby Doo, Shaggy, Marilyn Monore, Lucy & Ricky. Other characters we've seen there are the Madagascar characters, Woody Woodpecker, Curious George, Sponge Bob, Dora the Explorer, Doc and Marty from BTTF (I would think they have been replaced with The Simpsons now), Men in Black and Frank the Dog, Ghostbusters, and Zorro.
I think you're right they only pose for pictures. I don't remember if my sister and I got autograph Books or any autographs for that matter when we went years ago when it was only US no IOA then, and characters were so hard to find. Even if we spot any, pictures are great. Thanks for the tips. We could make extra pages to put in his WDW Autograph Book and if we come across one who will sign an autograph add it in there, if not just get pictures.
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