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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Cute, but not worth the $59 or even the $47 (AAA discount.) There was confusion on where to meet. By three different CMs, I was told two different places. Inside DL or Guest Relations on the DCA side. (Our tickets said DCA.) It was DCA. Apparently they recently changed meeting sites and not all the CMs are informed.
There was a sign stating we were in the right spot when we got over there. Only, it was sort of confusing. I had my tickets in hand, but yet you still had to check in. There was nothing saying you had to check in. It was only because of people watching that my group figured out we had to check in.
After 5:30pm (tour was to start at 5:30) they take you thru GR and into the VIP waiting room. There were 24 people and not enough seats for everyone. We waited about 5 minutes before our guide came in. She (can't remember her name) acted as if she was hunting ghosts and was glad that we were there to help her. It was a cute act, but considering the tour isn't slated for little kids, the acting was a bit much.
We followed our guide out of GR and right into DCA were we were led to Tower of Terror. This is the first time I have been on this ride. The park was close to closing so there was no queuing line. Once we were went thru the library spiel, we were shown to an elevator. There we waited about 10 minutes. It was sort of frustrating. The guide was still playing her act of being scared and the elevator operator played his act, but paying $59 I didn't think we'd have to wait in line for anything.
The ride was great! We were greeted by a young lady, Rachel, dressed in moth eaten old fashioned clothing. She stared us down as we left the ride. Outside we couldn't find our tour guide, but Rachel suddenly showed up. For various reasons (I won't mention because of spoilers) Rachel was now going to be our guide. She was very sardonic (agian acting) and we received our lighted lanyards with key from her.
She talked for a bit guided us thru DCA. Talked some more about Halloween traditions, guided us out of DCA, stopped between the parks to talk some more, went into DL, talked some more and took us to Main Street. All of this talking was Halloween related. Old myths, history and about the park decorations. Nothing in depth.
We were led to Snow White's Scary Adventures where we had to wait in line... again. After that we were led to the old entrance of the Sky Way. Our first guide reappeared and she took us to the petting zoo area. In there, Rachel came back and took the tour over again. We sat in that area for a short story about how the jack-o-lantern came to be. Then we were led to Thunder Mountain.
We didn't have to wait on this ride. Rachel took us thru the exit and we got right on. After this, we wound thru that area of the park and we were told the Mexican history of Halloween. I won't say much because of spoilers, but Rachel then took us to New Orleans square for more talking. Once again, we switched tour guides.
Now, we were led to the Haunted Mansion, for our final ride. Again, close to closing, so no line. A slight twist happened here and we met our original tour guide after the ride. We were given our candied "poisoned" apple and sent our way. Since it was 8pm, that meant out the park.
The apple part and our glowing lanyards drew lots of attention. I could have worked for Disney's sales department selling the tour with as many questions as I got asked. One little boy, not in the tour, tried taking an apple on his way out of the ride. I felt bad when he was told no and his mom whisked him away before I had a chance to give him mine. He would have enjoyed it more than me, I'm sure.
All in all, I don't think it was worth the money. The history of Halloween they told I already knew. I did learn some things about the Halloween decorations. I wish they would have given more history on the rides. Instead, they made it seem like the rides were real places. Such as Thunder Mt. was really a mining community, etc. A lot of play acting that would have more geard for kids and was too cheesy for the adults. Also, for the price you pay and consider the time of the tours (5:15 or 5:30-dinner time) it would've been nice if they gave a boxed meal. They could have been waiting in the VIP room. We would have munched while waiting for our guide.
If you really want to know what the twist was, feel free to send me an email. I don't want to post it on the board and spoil it for those going on the tour.
About This Page: 
There was confusion on where to meet. By three different CMs, I was told two different places. Inside DL or Guest Relations on the DCA side. (Our tickets said DCA.) It was DCA. Apparently they recently changed meeting sites and not all the CMs are informed. 
I had my tickets in hand, but yet you still had to check in. There was nothing saying you had to check in. It was only because of people watching that my group figured out we had to check in. 
Then we were led to Thunder Mountain.
After this, we wound thru that area of the park and we were told the Mexican history of Halloween. I won't say much because of spoilers, but Rachel then took us to New Orleans square for more talking. Once again, we switched tour guides.
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