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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.

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Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.

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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!

Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!

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Old 01-22-2005, 10:27 PM   #1
hmears
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Cool things that happened to me at WDW last week.

I was at WDW last week. My husband and I were in Orlando for a Builder's Show and stayed at POR. Had a great time.

Anyway, we went down without purchasing our park tickets in advance like we usually do. After checking in, my hubby decided to take a nap, I couldn't sit still and decided to go to the Magic Kingdom solo. He said, "Go ahead- maybe I'll meet you there later." So I go down to the guest services window to buy my park ticket. I decided on a 2 day, 1 park ticket and charged it to my room (about $126.) They said I could use my room card as my ticket so off I go to MK. When I slid my card in the reader, the turnstile didn't turn. I was directed to the guest services outside the park entrance. I showed the cast member there my receipt and explained what happened. She called the resort and tried to figure out the problem. Apparently, the resort cast member should have printed out a new card for me, but did not. So the cast member at MK said she'd take care of the problem for now, when I returned to the hotel I could work it out with them. She gave me a complimentary ticket to the park and a bunch of priority passes to go to the front of the line on any attraction- for my time and being inconvenienced. The whole transaction took less than 5 minutes and I was not upset or mad so I'm not sure why they went to such lengths to keep me happy. Other than that is typical Disney service. They were so helpful and nice about the mix-up. It turns out that we were able to get "after 2:00" tickets through the convention we were attending so I asked to have the $126 refunded and then bought the cheaper tickets for the rest of our trip (since we were at the Builder Show in the morning, then the parks after 2:00.)

So here I am by myself at MK for the first time ever with no kids to slow me down and no husband to keep me out of the gift shops. Plus I had those cool priority passes so I didn't have to wait in any lines. The sun was shining and life was good. I think that was the best 3 hours I've ever experienced. Hubby called me when he woke up and could tell by the sound of my voice he was missing out on a good time, so he met me in time for a hot dog at Casey's and Wishes over the castle. Then I found out that the MK is the park with extra magic hours that evening so we stayed late and played like children. What a wonderful day.

Another note- I was kind of bummed that I didn't have my lanyard of Disney pins to wear and trade. I didn't plan to buy more while I was there. I usually buy inexpensive ones on eBay, then trade them with Cast Members. (I know that sounds cheap, but I just like trading the same 5-6 pins over and over- I don't usually add to my collection.) Well, my pins are in storage while we prepare to move so I didn't have any to trade. While at the Builder's Show, I visited the Disney booth and talked to a cast member there. He gave me 5 different pins (old ones that I didn't particularly want but could trade) plus he took a handful of small character toys out of his pocket and said to pick out some to take home to my kids. WDW is my favorite place in the world. Everything about it is just magical and so cool.

And thanks to a tip on this board I saw the message that's spelled out in the bottom of the information board at Tower of Terror. Way cool.

Oh yeah, something really fun happened at the Builder's Show, but since it's not WDW related, I'll post it on another board.

- Lisa
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Old 01-22-2005, 11:26 PM   #2
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Re: Cool things that happened to me at WDW last week.

Lisa, how great that you got a solo 3 hours, sounds like you put it to good use.
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Old 01-22-2005, 11:43 PM   #3
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Re: Cool things that happened to me at WDW last week.

Your trip keeps sounding better and better!!!
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Old 01-23-2005, 09:58 AM   #4
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Re: Cool things that happened to me at WDW last week.

It's stories like this that make me love Disney so much! I just love happy endings!

Glad you had a great day!
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Old 01-23-2005, 11:09 AM   #5
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Re: Cool things that happened to me at WDW last week.

I'm so glad you had so many great experiences!
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Old 01-23-2005, 06:07 PM   #6
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Re: Cool things that happened to me at WDW last week.

Lisa, that is SO cool. I can't imagine going to MK childless (although I will know this May )
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Old 01-23-2005, 08:21 PM   #7
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Re: Cool things that happened to me at WDW last week.

Lisa - sounds like you really enjoyed those 3 hours of alone time! That was great that you got those additional priority passes too. Great Disney service - we love to hear those stories.
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Old 01-24-2005, 08:11 AM   #8
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Re: Cool things that happened to me at WDW last week.

Wow, Lisa!! Those are magical things!! That is so cool!!!
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Old 01-25-2005, 03:24 PM   #9
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Re: Cool things that happened to me at WDW last week.

What a cool day! Now that's the Disney Magic that I know and love!

Jill
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Old 01-26-2005, 08:21 AM   #10
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Disney Magic is wonderful and often it's the little things that really make the biggest difference and give us the biggest smiles.
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Old 01-26-2005, 04:42 PM   #11
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Re: Cool things that happened to me at WDW last week.

Lisa, what absolute magic you experienced! You must have returned from your trip positively coated in pixie dust.

Joy
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Old 01-29-2005, 10:04 PM   #12
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Re: Cool things that happened to me at WDW last week.

Wow, Lisa, you got the best of both worlds...time to yourself AND time with your best friend & at WDW, no less. You go, girl.
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