Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
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04-29-2002, 01:50 PM
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#1
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Community Rank: Scout 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: VERMONT
Posts: 4,201
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Reader\'s Clubhouse to become a subscription service?
OK, first of all I don't like fighting or bickering and personal comments and name calling are totally uncalled for.
I feel like I needed to make that preface to this post as I think that it makes a good debate if it doesn't become personal.
The rumor is that Reader's Clubhouse and The Breakfast Club that Howie has made famous may become a subscription service. You would have to pay to be a member or post there. They are making profits from this whole scandal already because of advertising revenue. In a sense, Howie's Angels would then only be helping those who have paid for the help. What do you all think? Fair or unfair? Would that change anyone's mind about whether their practices are OK?
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04-29-2002, 02:11 PM
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#2
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Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Chapel Hill, NC USA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 36,592
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Re: Reader\'s Clubhouse to become a subscription service?
It actually used to be kind of a subscription service board. Only those with an edition of Rita's guidebook could get in. You had to register and had a password to enter. Sometime in 2000 or early 2001 it seemed to have become available to everyone. Not sure why.
-HiddenMickey
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04-29-2002, 03:12 PM
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#3
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Community Rank: Legend 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Slate Belt, PA
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 15,346
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Re: Reader\'s Clubhouse to become a subscription service?
Have to say that I didn't have a problem with Howie's practices as long as they were available without cost to anyone who needed his help. If I'm required to pay a fee just to see the site, I'll stop using it. (Actually, I haven't visited it much since I found the Passporter Boards. I joined the site back in 2000 because I bought Rita's book.) I can understand the advertising to maintain the site, but I'm bombarded enough as it is with ads. I'll probably never hit the site again if this becomes their standard. Besides, Passporters are some of the friendliest folks on the web! Why go elsewhere?
[ 04-29-2002, 03:13 PM: Message edited by: Beaner ]
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04-29-2002, 03:31 PM
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#4
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Community Rank: Tourist
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 21
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Re: Reader\'s Clubhouse to become a subscription service?
IMHO, I believe that Howie started of very well intentioned and he may still have the purest of motives. However, the website and its owners are clearly profitting by this whole thing and the publicity it has generated. They are getting increased web traffic that lures more advertisers which in turn increases the amount they can charge to advertise on their site. Also, someone is making some money with the "Angel" merchandise they sell on the site. They are basically running a "brokering" service but not directly charging for their services. There is what I see is the problem. It is Disney's job to dole out the PSs not Howie or anyone else. They are clearly non transferable.
In closing, i just hope Disney changes their policy to put all this to rest.
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04-29-2002, 04:05 PM
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#5
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Community Rank: Jetsetter 
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: New York City
Posts: 2,471
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Re: Reader\'s Clubhouse to become a subscription service?
That would change my mind.
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04-29-2002, 04:40 PM
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#6
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Community Rank: Jetsetter
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Boston, MA USA
Posts: 2,535
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Re: Reader\'s Clubhouse to become a subscription service?
Yet another reason for Disney to change the process for CRT.
Aside from what you think about this membership thing in relation to CRT though......who's actually gonna pay for membership to Readers Clubhouse when there are plenty of other incredible (and I would argue better) online disney resources/message boards available free of charge? Am I missing something? Cause I don't get how that's gonna work out for em at all.
The whole thing gets more and more bizzare every day. Did you see the Howie comments in that Sentinel article about being more famous than Bin Laden? I mean is this guy for real? He's pushing the unintentional commedy scale off the meter. It's almost as fun as The Osbournes.
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04-29-2002, 07:45 PM
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#7
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Mrs. Jack Sparrow
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Aboard the Black Pearl
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 21,228
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Re: Reader\'s Clubhouse to become a subscription service?
Quote:
Originally posted by Elliot'sDragon:
That would change my mind.
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<font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS, Arial">Plain and Simple well said Joe. |
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04-29-2002, 09:21 PM
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#8
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Community Rank: Traveler 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Michigan
Posts: 411
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Re: Reader\'s Clubhouse to become a subscription service?
Yes
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05-01-2002, 04:01 AM
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#9
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Community Rank: Jetsetter
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: The land of the free and the Home of the Brave!
Posts: 2,694
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Re: Reader\'s Clubhouse to become a subscription service?
The prespective of one who has been affected by this whole scandal.....
I would not pay for the use of that site.
The only reason my family chose to go there in the first place is because we knew we had a difficult request..if it had been just myself needing seats I would have done so on my own. Yet I dont see the harm in what they do nor do I care if howie gets a buck or two buy selling angel merchandise....I dont think anyone is forced to buy merchandise or advertize there. It is business...services are free with an option to buy....no big whoop.
I also tend to agree with mattjs...it is ALMOST as fun as the osbournes! (my fav episode..the oz complaining about having to wear the cape).
I do agree that this is by far the best place on the web.
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05-01-2002, 05:57 AM
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#10
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Community Rank: Wayfarer 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Ohio
Posts: 191
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Re: Reader\'s Clubhouse to become a subscription service?
Dawn has a point. The average person is looking for a reservation for 4-6 people. Those reservations are extremely hard to get. Dawn wanted 15 (I think). It is virtually impossible to get a reservation for that many by calling WDW Dining. I tried for days to get a reservation for 9-and was overjoyed to get 8. I don't think Dawn had a choice. If she wanted the breakfast, her only way to get all her seats was through Howie.
As for Howie, I'm not really acquainted with him-only what I've heard recently. I wouldn't subscribe. The bottom line is-It's still just breakfast.
Tracy
Dawn-let us know what happens...
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05-01-2002, 10:35 AM
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#11
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Community Rank: Tourist
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 21
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Re: Reader\'s Clubhouse to become a subscription service?
"The prespective of one who has been affected by this whole scandal....."
You act as you been victimized by this whole thing. Truth be told, you caused this to happen.
"nor do I care if howie gets a buck or two buy selling angel merchandise"
There in lies the hypocrisy. Everyone involved in that site say they do it just to help people out but someone is making money over there on something that Disney is supposed to have control and responsibilty over. IMHO, it has gone beyond the simple wanting to help someone. It now is an ego thing. People are calling him "King Howie" over there and one poster was so elated that "King Howie" actually called her on the phone.
If they truly wanted just to "help" people why dont they start a non profit site, switch to a .org site. Have the support and expenses for the site paid for by donations from the "Angels" and various other donors and run it break even. It is obvious that they have no desire to do that. So all the talk about "paying it forward" and such is all rheoretic. If they were in it for that, no profit would be gained from their website
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05-01-2002, 11:09 AM
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#12
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Community Rank: Legend
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Slate Belt, PA
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 15,346
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Re: Reader\'s Clubhouse to become a subscription service?
This is obviously a hot topic...
I'd hate to see any Passporters resort to name-calling and nastiness over a simple thing like breakfast...
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05-01-2002, 11:57 AM
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#13
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Community Rank: Jetsetter
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: The land of the free and the Home of the Brave!
Posts: 2,694
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Re: Reader\'s Clubhouse to become a subscription service?
Just for the record...Dawn and I are sisters. Dawn posts under hootbird here..yes the seating was for fifteen..Howie got us twelve..the others were secured by Dawn(I think...I am getting confused about it at this point!)
None the less...it matters not to me who is making money and who has an inflated ego..there are other things I worry about more......like who is going to clean my house while I visit over here when I should be packing.
2 days for me!!!
Still waiting for a word from Disney!
[ 05-01-2002, 11:59 AM: Message edited by: Kruggie ]
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05-01-2002, 02:31 PM
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#14
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Community Rank: Jetsetter
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: The land of the free and the Home of the Brave!
Posts: 2,694
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Re: Reader\'s Clubhouse to become a subscription service?
I have to a gree with y ou again Mattjs...I never thought I could find so much amusement in watching ozzy take out the trash....I loved the o ne where he was complaining about his tatoo's too...cracked me up.
Thanks for the well wishes...I will insist that my family form a huddle just inside the gates of Mk...we will high five one another and then "break!" before we unleash our offensive touring stategy on the park!
That sounds like a good plan to me! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
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05-02-2002, 12:30 AM
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#15
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Community Rank: Jetsetter
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Boston, MA USA
Posts: 2,535
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Re: Reader\'s Clubhouse to become a subscription service?
Kruggie,
That cape scene was brilliant. Every day's like a Munsters episode in that house. High comedy.
I hope you get to use your PS but, once you cross through those WDW signs CRT will be nothing but a fleeting memory anyhow. You'll be too busy singing Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, and slapping high fives like you just won the Superbowl. Not that that's what I do [img]graemlins/ukid.gif[/img]
Have a great, safe trip and let us know how it worked out when you get back. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
[ 05-01-2002, 12:42 PM: Message edited by: mattjs ]
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