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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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It really only will impact the early risers and ones who wish to be at park opening - particularly MK. It also affects traffic, especially those driving their own cars. Disney Transport knows how to get around it so it's not an issue for buses. Except maybe time-wise, allow a little extra. But people in cars will be re-routed since roads are closed. Take a look at the course here http://adisneyworldsports.disney.go....honMap2010.pdf
and you can see the road from EP to MK is the biggest road used. I believe it's down to 1 lane each way for traffic. The runners have the other lane(s). The majority of the pre-post race and finish line is in the far (east side, I think)parking lot. We actually start our race though out on the street that goes from/to Epcot.
As far as the parks are concerned, it doesn't really affect much as far as people congestion. They rope off sections of MK and EP for the runners to go through. Generally speaking, most of the crowd steers clear of the runners with the occasional "Wooo!! Go Tanya!!!" (we have names on our number bibs) But inevitably, the crowd needs to cross the runners' path at some points. So they have certain areas with CM's guarding the *crosswalk* and the CM's really do make the crowd wait for a good clean opening to cross infront of the runners. I did see someone get decked by a runner in 2008 cuz they actually stopped to take a picture of us runners coming at him. Duh. Anyway, like I said the race should be over around 10am or so, maybe 10:30 at the very latest since we start at 5:45 am. They have a 3 1/2 hour pace requirement, but it takes quite awhile to get everyone across that start line.
I hope that answers your question!!! I've only done the 08 Half and it was lots of fun. Tons of people run/walk it, I do it that way too. Makes it easier and less intimidating. But yes, you still really do need to be in fairly good shape!! You should try it next year! I'll be doing the DL Half this Sept. and then the Full Marathon in Jan. '11. Now that is scary.
Wonderful! Thanks for all of the information!
Do you happen to know what the "easiest" of the Disney marathons is? I'm just starting to work out again after having babies. (who are now 3 and 4!!) Combined with being busy with them and revelling in the fact that I didn't "have" to like I did when I was in the Air Force, well...lots of excuses. But, I'm really starting to enjoy time in the gym again and truthfully, our Disney trip is a huge motivator...so I'm thinking a Disney marathon would be a tremendous motivator!