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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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You have picked a very excellent tour to go on and it includes lunch!! I really don't want to give too much away, but your guide will take you all over the Magic Kingdom and tell you all sorts of behind the scenes info. You do get to go in the underground workings too which is very exciting!! You will definitely enjoy it!!
It's excellent - and like Lori, I don't want to give too much away, but I honestly don't know anyone who's taken this tour and not enjoyed it. You will learn so much on it!
You have picked a great tour!
My Mum and I went on that one in January 2004. We learnt so much. It really makes you appreciate what goes on to create the magic.
Hope you enjoy it too.
If you want to know more about the tour www.allearsnet.com has great tours reviews.
This is truly a wonderful tour. Before taking it, I was a little concerned that perhaps learning a lot of behind the scenes information might possibly spoil the magic a bit for me. However, exactly the opposite happened. Getting a little glimpse into how Disney accomplishes the magic only served to make the Magic Kingdom that much more enchanting to me.
I'm glad to hear everyone enjoyed this tour.
I've hesitated too...like Joy, worried it may take
away some of the magic for me. It's nice to hear that
does not happen, you just appreciate all that goes into
the MK's
Hubby and I did this tour in Apr. I was worried about taking too much time away from touring, but boy was it worth it. This tour was so worth the money and time. I wrote about it in my trip report called 'Romance in the World' if you want to read more.
Me and the dh just got back and we did this tour. EXpect to be on your feet for 95% of the time. Usually when you are in the park being on your feet is broken up by the rides so it doesn't feel so bad. They take you thru main street into adventureland and into frontierland. You don't go to Fantasyland or Tomorrowland. Lunch was good and we learned a lot of fun little things. Definately worth it!!!!!!!
It is a great tour as others have said. The guide gives you a chance to ask questions and you learn alot! My sister who is an Annual Passholder and lives in Kissimmee even learned alot and she is at WDW just about every weekend.
I just wanted to add that I absolutely loved this tour as well. In fact, I might do it again, just to experience it with a friend who has not been on it before!
I loved this tour too! (In fact, I rank it as my third best day of my life!)
I just wrote about it in my in-progress trip report. (It's not full of spoilers, but I do tell some of the design stuff I learned. If you want to read it, go here Scroll down until you see the words in bold.)