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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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04-28-2005, 09:19 PM
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#31
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Magic Happens!
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: E. Stroudsburg, PA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 29,184
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Re: Austins in the Big Apple- Pre Trip and Background
Poor Nemo! But I am loving your TR!! More please!
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04-29-2005, 08:23 AM
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#32
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Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Tulsa, OK
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 21,627
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Re: Austins in the Big Apple- Pre Trip and Background
Glad you arrived safely. Your hotel sounds nice. Can't wait to hear more.
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04-29-2005, 09:22 AM
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#33
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Wannabe Snowbird
Join Date: May 2002
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 34,137
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Re: Austins in the Big Apple- Pre Trip and Background
Looking forward to the next installment Maureen!
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04-29-2005, 09:57 AM
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#34
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RED SOX NATION!!
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 9
Posts: 136,854
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Re: Austins in the Big Apple- Pre Trip and Background
Another great update Maureen! The pictures from the plane are awesome, and your room looks fabulous! Hurry back  |
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04-29-2005, 10:27 AM
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#35
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Community Rank: Trailblazer 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: South East London
Posts: 5,164
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Re: Austins in the Big Apple- Pre Trip and Background
Sorry to read about Nemo  Your trip sounds like it's gotten off to a great start - great photos too  More please! |
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04-29-2005, 10:46 AM
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#36
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Community Rank: Explorer 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Fort Smith, Arkansas
Posts: 10,721
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Re: Austins in the Big Apple- Pre Trip and Background
We realized on our way to Times Square our hotel was very close to the New York Public Library:
If you are a David Letterman watcher- you probably know Rupert Jee- he’s the owner of the Hello Deli just around the corner from the Ed Sullivan Theater where David Letterman tapes. Lots of times, Dave does funny bits from the Hello Deli and Rupert is on quite a bit. We figured this would be a great place to lunch and as we wanted to at least see the Ed Sullivan Theater and take photos- it was definitely convenient!
We walked the 10 or so blocks to Times Square and when we got there- had to stop to take it all in. It was busy and even in the daytime, the lights were bright and big. It’s so different than on television and in film. We immediately recognized the MTV Studios:
 
It was here in Times Square we discovered the artful method of crossing the street in NYC. Be quick and pay attention- as well as don’t test your luck. We saw several tourists do it and they almost went home in bodybags.
We headed up Broadway to 53rd to find the Hello Deli. The Late Show sign came into view- Kevan and I both were smiling ear to ear- it was just surreal to see it in person! We were starving so we decided to pay Rupert a visit first, and then go take photos after lunch.
There were several folks in the Hello Deli and this is one tiny storefront- we could barely all fit. As soon as the people paying for their meal left, all of a sudden there was room. Rupert was about as big as he looks on Late Night. He had a few people working with him, one of which a woman who was really funny- she took our orders. Kevan and I got some 20 ounce cokes and Rupert worked the counter. Both Kevan and I had the “Letterman”- which was basically a club with oil, vinegar, mayo and some really good sweet peppers. The sandwiches came with chips and a pickle. As Rupert was ringing us up, I asked him if I could have a picture (Kevan said he felt like an idiot asking- fine then- more Rupert for me) and he was very kind to do so:
We also asked him about how they tape the Late Show segments. Told us that sometimes he gets a day’s notice and other times five minutes notice- it just depends on the day. The he sort of laughed and said, “I just stand here like an idiot”- I told him I thought he was funny- not an idiot at all. It was so neat to be standing at the counter where people play those ridiculous trivia games that David Letterman tapes.
We went outside to eat our lunch (total was $16.29) and one of the other customers saw us taking photos of each other- he offered to take one of us both; one of the few we have of us together:
After we were through, I threw our trash away inside the deli and thanked Rupert for the photo again. Then we headed around the corner to the CBS Shop for some Late Show goodies. Beware if you go here- this store is about as big as a small bedroom- it’s tiny!! I picked out a Late Show T Shirt and Kevan got a Late Show cap- total was $ 42.76. Then we headed a few doors down to take a picture or two of the Late Show sign and the Ed Sullivan Theater…
Having gotten the Late Show fix, we then headed up and over to 5th Avenue to the World of Disney NYC. 
Continued Next Post- because I know making you guys wait for WOD would be rather mean.... |
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04-29-2005, 10:58 AM
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#37
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PassPorter Message Board Manager
 PassPorter Guide Author
Community Rank: Legend VIP 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285
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Re: Austins in the Big Apple- Pre Trip and Background
Great updates!  |
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04-29-2005, 10:59 AM
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#38
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Fort Smith, Arkansas
Posts: 10,721
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Re: Austins in the Big Apple- Pre Trip and Background
Whooopppeee- the World of Disney NYC!!!
I spotted it straightaway and it’s got the most lovely window displays. Of course, they were all about Disney Destinations and the 50th Celebration. As we approached, one of the most interesting things were Mickey’s handprints along side each Disney Resort logo- WDW, DL, TD, DLP, etc- of course, I had to put my hand on the WDW print.
The store is three floors of Disney stuff galore- and it’s a very attractive entrance. Kevan liked seeing Goofy as we entered:
Immediately, we noticed a great wall mural to the left and one to the right- one had Sleeping Beauty Castle and the other Cinderella Castle- all decked out in the finery for the 50th.
After admiring all of these great displays, I was ready for serious shopping but had to keep in mind that I would be at WDW in 2 weeks- oh well- I’ll TRY not to go overboard. We browsed through the first floor not spotting anything of must-have status and headed up stairs. There were huge Stitch plushes- and if I could have fit one in the suitcase he would have been mine! We found cute Ariel and Snow White play sets for the girls. Also on display were some of the large figurines I’ve seen from time to time in the Disney Catalog. They are really quite magnificent and I wish I had room for one in our house, especially this guy:
Up on the third floor was the area of the Cinderella Court program- there wasn’t much going on there. Also there was the DVD and electronic sections- Kevan browsed there while I went to check out the brochures and display for Disney Destinations. There was a desk for Disney Cruise Line too- with a scale model of the ships:
Ahoy mateys! 
This store was quite good in that it was a lot more spacious and less crowded than the one at Downtown Disney- the stuff was displayed in a way you could actually really get a good look- sometimes, that annoys me at DTD- there is SO much there it can be frustrating and overwhelming to browse it all, especially with the crowds.
The character appearance today was Pooh and friends and I hinted at staying around for another 30 minutes or so to catch him- but Kevan pleaded to speed it along (his argument being How Many Pictures Do You Have with Pooh??) so I went along with it. Back downstairs, I had to find something to take home!! Somehow on the first round, we missed the NYC merchandise and I found a lovely Mickey purse- he was dressed as the Statue of Liberty- and “NYC” appeared in the front- it was a perfect souvenir! We also picked up some chocolates and I got a red WOD poncho for the May trip. There also were some very fetching mousears for sale:
 
As we approached the check out line- we noticed that with every $50 purchase, WOD was giving away a free lithograph of Central Park in black and white- then the Disney characters appear in it in full color. I couldn’t get over we were going to get such a cool souvenir for free! The CM checking us out was so friendly- we had a great conversation as he rang us up and he laughed at how giddy I was to be there. He was sure to give us the lithograph as our total came to $77.89. Not too bad at all I thought!
Since we were on Fifth Avenue, we decided to check out some more “famous” shops along the way…
Coming Up Next: The only one we met…. |
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04-29-2005, 11:40 AM
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#39
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Community Rank: Jetsetter 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 2,929
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Re: Austins in the Big Apple- Pre Trip and Background
It sounds like you guys are having fun Maureen! I love the Statue of Liberty Mickey ears ! |
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04-29-2005, 11:43 AM
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#40
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 9,547
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Re: Austins in the Big Apple- Pre Trip and Background
Great update, Maureen! I still haven't gotten to the WOD store, I have to check it out soon!
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04-29-2005, 11:47 AM
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#41
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Fort Smith, Arkansas
Posts: 10,721
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Re: Austins in the Big Apple- Pre Trip and Background
[ QUOTE ]
I still haven't gotten to the WOD store, I have to check it out soon!
[/ QUOTE ]
Run, Melissa, Run!!  |
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04-29-2005, 11:49 AM
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#42
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Community Rank: Globetrotter 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Corona, New York
Posts: 3,436
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Re: Austins in the Big Apple- Pre Trip and Background
<font color="purple">Great pictures Maureen! Can I just tell you, I went to WOD yesterday (to buy my AP voucher ) and guess I was on a mission, cause I didn't notice the murals or the Mickey ears! I did notice the lithograph and would've been highly upset if I would've left without being given one. Turns out I have to return, because the systems were not allowing the CMs to ring up any park tickets!  I hope when I go back they still have some liths! </font> |
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04-29-2005, 11:55 AM
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#43
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Community Rank: Globetrotter
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Virginia
Posts: 3,498
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Re: Austins in the Big Apple- Pre Trip and Background
"It was here in Times Square we discovered the artful method of crossing the street in NYC. Be quick and pay attention- as well as don’t test your luck. We saw several tourists do it and they almost went home in bodybags..."
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You better believe it. Cabbies don't stop too often and usually by that time you are under the car! 
My husband used to have an apartment in NYC/Times Square - Jamie Farr was his neighbor, HA! (it was cheaper than paying for a hotel everynight while on business) I always tell people when they haven't been to NYC and are going for the first time that it's just like in the movies. Horns blowing, people walking everywhere, everything is bigger than life itself!
NYC is a great place to visit. |
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04-29-2005, 12:15 PM
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#44
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Community Rank: Navigator 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Chester County, PA
Posts: 6,404
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Re: Austins in the Big Apple- Pre Trip and Background
Glad you're having a great time... love the Statue of Liberty ears! |
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04-29-2005, 12:37 PM
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#45
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Columbia, SC
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 7,014
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Re: Austins in the Big Apple- Pre Trip and Background
We have that same picture of The Letterman Show marquee. On our trip a couple of years ago, we were in the standby line and missed the show by about 8 people. Almost killed DH, but the whole experience was still fun! Next time we're just getting tickets!
What great things at the NYC WOD store! How  !
Jill |
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