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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Old 04-08-2016, 01:20 PM   #181
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Wow the detail is amazing, just the stair case alone must have taken years to build.
I bet it did.
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Old 04-08-2016, 01:22 PM   #182
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This place is amazing. Stunning indeed! It should be more well known it's so beautiful.
It should be. I'd never heard of it and, as you know, we've been National Trust members for some time and it's not a property they've really promoted.

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The stairs/hall remind me a bit of Harry Potter movies. I expect the paintings to start talking.
Thank goodness they didn't - that would've thoroughly freaked me out!
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Old 04-08-2016, 01:26 PM   #183
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Looks like it could be a set for Downton Abbey. Spectacular!
Well, funny you should say that... It was a setting for a famous British TV export, just not Downton.
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Old 04-08-2016, 01:27 PM   #184
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I'm in no way disappointed with the interior. Wow!
I thought you might say that...

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Of course, so far the library is my favorite room as I can just imagine curling up to a good book there. But the hall is stunning! My goodness that is a whole lot of bells.
I know - can you imagine the racket they'd have made?
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Old 04-08-2016, 02:46 PM   #185
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Well, funny you should say that... It was a setting for a famous British TV export, just not Downton.
How ! Any idea which one?
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Old 04-08-2016, 04:23 PM   #186
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How ! Any idea which one?
Full details coming up in the morning...
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Old 04-09-2016, 02:15 AM   #187
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Saturday 26 March – part four: why the moose was surprised…

We headed next into the billiard room, although billiards were never played in here, something you could see when you looked closely at the balls on the table, as they weren’t billiards.



The volunteer in here was excellent, telling us all sorts of stories, and thank goodness she did, otherwise I’d have missed the detail on the “billiard” table…



She also told us how this area was created after Antony died, because he was a vehement anti-smoker, and so no-one could smoke in the house while he was alive. When he died, they carved out this alcove for smoking.



The last titbit she told us was about this moose:



Apparently the reason it had such a shocked look is because Antony was supposed to shoot it, but he missed, and his wife grabbed the gun, and shot him. In that day, women weren’t supposed to shoot guns, hence the moose’s surprise!

When we went into the next room, we discovered that some of the Sherlock special that aired in the UK on New Year’s Day was filmed here – neat!



This next room was where they also filmed, as it doubled as the breakfast room in John and Mary Watson’s house. Wow, the things you learn!



We headed through this alcove area…



… and into the organ room…



Now, assuming we were done with the ground floor (and I think we were!), we made our way upstairs. Wow!



Next: some pretty potent and toxic stuff!
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Old 04-09-2016, 10:37 AM   #188
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I like how close they let you get to everything, usually the rooms are roped off and you just get an overview.
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Old 04-09-2016, 11:13 AM   #189
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I like how close they let you get to everything, usually the rooms are roped off and you just get an overview.
It was very easy to just be able to stroll through each room and see and enjoy everything.
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Old 04-09-2016, 01:02 PM   #190
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How cool about it being the site for Sherlock! We watched that! And now said, it is familiar.
It really is such a gorgeous property!!!
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Old 04-09-2016, 01:24 PM   #191
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Yes, the interior appears to be somewhat dark and with all of the portraits hanging in every spare space, it does remind me of Hogwarts. Glad you were enjoying your visit.
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Old 04-09-2016, 02:21 PM   #192
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Glad you had a good time at the spa but kind of strange with the no photos policy! That was some breakfast spread at the hotel and your Eggs Benedict looks amazing!

The estate property of the Gibbs family is quite striking with so much great detail from outside and inside! A real gem!
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Old 04-09-2016, 03:04 PM   #193
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The ceiling in the Billiards room is exceptionally beautiful! And the billiards table itself is a work of art. So cool that you got to see where some of the Sherlock special was filmed. Luke and I love that show.
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Old 04-09-2016, 03:27 PM   #194
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How cool about it being the site for Sherlock! We watched that! And now said, it is familiar.
Like you, once we realised the setting, it was suddenly familiar, but I had no clue before our visit they'd filmed there. I was surprised they didn't make more of a deal about it in the members' newsletter.

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It really is such a gorgeous property!!!
It was, wasn't it? And like I say, I don't feel it got the promotion it perhaps deserved.
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Old 04-09-2016, 03:28 PM   #195
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The estate property of the Gibbs family is quite striking with so much great detail from outside and inside! A real gem!
It was!
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