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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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After reading another post it got me to thinking if anyone has ever seen anyone famous while at disney, other than a show or interview, you know just with family or visiting WDW?
Do they wait in lines like us or get fast passed right to the front? Do they walk through main street or off stage? Or do they get the park when not open to the public after hours? And do they get to shop?
On one of our first trips - when Fulton's was still the Empress Lillie and a steakhouse - DSonIL called our attention to the party in a booth across the way. Seems that Jerry Lewis was dining with an entourage. Don't know what he did while out and about in the parks, but in the restaurant he was in the main dining room with all the rest of us, and no one was making a big fuss about him.
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Sharon - Kitty and me
2013 Scrapbook pages count: 631 / 350
2014 Scrapbook pages count: 60 / 250
We saw Kelly Ripa a couple of years ago with her family. A couple of months ago we spotted the Attorney General of the U.S., Alberto Gonzales, who had recently resigned his post under pressure. Both were accompanied by escorts.
I love when other people post about the celebrities they have seen - - such fun! From what I've witnessed, they are given the VIP treatment. I would imagine so that they can get in and get out without attracting too much attention.
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We were in line at Rock n Roller Coaster in MGM and Lou Diamond Phillips was ahead of us. He was in the regular line. My DH spoke to him after the ride. Had his significant other and 2 daughters with him. He also had a bodyguard. It was funny, because as we exited the ride, the bodyguard held one of the daughters while mommy took the other to the restroom. Phillips just sort of hung around outside the restroom. It was Christmas time and he was one of the narrators at Epcot Candlelight Processional. We had just seen him the night before there. Our very brief brush with fame.
We saw Joe Piscopo in Toontown a few years ago. He was waiting in line with his children to get their faces painted. They did have a CM with them (she was in the "tour guide" outfit), but they were waiting in line with everyone else.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
We saw Phil Donahue in the same visit we saw George Lucas at the book store. We regret to this day not buying a Star Wars set for him to sign. We just said Hi.
In DL we tell our friends that we had lunch with Larry King and his family as they sat right next to us. My son even went to the restroom with him. That still makes us laugh. On my birthday at DCA my daughter and I had our picture taken with James Denton the hunky plumber from Desperate Housewives. Wow that made my day. he was so nice.
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Kristie Brinkley and her daughter were a few seats up from us in the Universe of Energy ride. We didn't recall seeing her in line, and DH did see her and the CM with them head toward a different exit. BTW - she looks good in person.
Quite frankly I like it when I hear they're behaving like "normal" folks, although I can understand sometimes why they need to have some extra protection from the masses who can't behave like respectful human beings.
Whoops; forgot my celebrity contact! I saw Bo (I forget his real name) from One Life to Live with his wife and child at a busstop at DTD; he was very nice, although I didn't pester him. Also, from a distance, saw Fergie at DL -- she was riding the rocket cars.
We saw Vincent D'Onofrio (I think one of those Law and Order shows) while standing in line waiting for the Gingerbread house to open at GF. He was about 20 people in front of us