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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I love all the models in One Man's Dream! They are so cool!
I do too. it is such an interesting place!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
The detail on that model of new Fantasyland is just incredible, isn't it? I wonder how much longer that will be there, now the real thing is completed...
It has been a few years since I have last rode this as well. I keep hearing rumors of this being closed, this being changed slightly or this becoming a new ride. I still don’t know what will happen, but I am glad we rode it again.
I wish my Mary Poppins pictures came out better.
We got the Gangster…and it was a girl and she wasn’t very good. Very hard to understand as well as she was trying to talk like a gangster, but her words were all mushed together.
I swear it sounded like she was talking with a mouth full of marbles.
Oh dear…what is happening here?
We got our guide back! Yay!
The Tarzan room cracks me up. He keeps hollering over and over.
I have a thing about trying to get shots in the Wizard of Oz room.
I’ll get you my pretty! And your little dog too!
That was fun. I don’t think Claire remembered much from that ride either, so it was nice for her to do some newer stuff or old stuff that seems new.
We decided to head towards the Back Lot Tour as that was also in the plans of being closed (and is now ).
Remember the old days when they had people participate in this? Not so anymore. It was just a brief run through of what happens and then we were on our way. I am actually happy about that as this was my least favorite part of the tour.
We were moved to the prop room and it was actually quite full. I tried to take pictures as we walked through but I didn’t get many good ones.
I believe this was Mary Poppin’s bag.
Soon we were lined up for our tram. Rememeber!!!! No Dancing on the tram!
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Are the parasol's from The King and I? I took the backlot tour in 1998 and what I loved most was seeing the front facade of the the Golden Girls house. I was a huge fan then, and still am now.
Sad the backlot tour is gone but it is not as it was in it's hayday! I am glad my niece/family/friends go to do this during the summer on her graduation trip! They were the whole show! Her father and my DH have also participated in it at various times. Can't wait to see the rebirth of this park. I am in the minority but it is my favorite.
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I'm trying to catch up on all the TRs I've missed while on our vacation. Looks like you two had lots of fun at DHS, and I love all your photos.
I hope you had fun!
Quote:
Originally Posted by KimmyAnn1147
Are the parasol's from The King and I? I took the backlot tour in 1998 and what I loved most was seeing the front facade of the the Golden Girls house. I was a huge fan then, and still am now.
I am not sure if they were or not. I hate to say it, but I don't think I ever saw that movie. A lot of people were disappointed when they took out that area of the tour for LMA.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
It sounds to me like they were running down the Backlot Tour before closing it, if they got rid of that first section.
Now I have read reports of people going this summer and they had the beginning show. Maybe becasue it was so crazy busy while I was there they just kept things moving.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MayraLR
I got that same "gangster" when I rode in June. And I also thought she was one of the worst gangsters I've ever gotten at that ride.
Glad it wasn't just me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by xwewhisper
Glad you were able to squeeze in Backlot Tour and great pics from GMR! You're getting a lot of "classic" DHS in!
I am glad we did get it in one last time
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grammy Grumpy
Sad the backlot tour is gone but it is not as it was in it's hayday! I am glad my niece/family/friends go to do this during the summer on her graduation trip! They were the whole show! Her father and my DH have also participated in it at various times. Can't wait to see the rebirth of this park. I am in the minority but it is my favorite.
It sure isn't. I remember the first time I went on it it seemed to have so much more to it. So much has changed at that park.
Our tram soon arrived and I tried to take a picture as the doors were lifting open.
I took pictures along the way.
It has been several years since I have ridden this and I think this was Claire’s first time. Glad we got it in before it closed.
And the first “icon” of Hollywood Studios, back when it was MGM. And it is now going to be the icon once again from what I have read.
I love seeing this stuff and we whizzed by way to fast to see much.
A look over at Lights, Motor, Action, which I believe is going bye bye too.
And then we entered Catastrophe Canyon. The last time I rode this it was not working and we got routed around the back and our tour guide was making stuff up as we went along. It was kind of funny, but it felt like I was stuck on the ride for way too long. One thing that was different this time as well….most of this was told to us by an automated voice and not much by a live actual person.
Claire was intrigued by all of the happenings.
Claire squealed with glee as we got a few drops on us.
This did not seem as impressive to me as it did 15 years or so ago. I am glad we rode it one last time, but I am not sad it’s closed.
This is the backside of the canyon. Not very pretty is it? They told us how many gallons of water is pumped for that scene, which I no long remember but I do remember it was a lot. And of course they recycle the water over and over.
We finished up and exited the ride. I took a shot of LMA as we passed by. I have only seen the show once and I wasn’t a fan.
We moved on. Claire was dead set that we would do the drawing class once I told her about it so we headed back that way to see if we could get in.
We shuffled our way there. It really was so hard to get anywhere in the parks with the crowds.
We found where the class was and was told one was going to start in about 20 minutes or so but it was full, but we could stand in the standby line for now and most likely we could get a spot without a desk. Claire said yes and I figured we better give it a try now. As we stood there the large family in front of us left. YAY! We pretty much were guaranteed to get in now. Then some people from the inside roped off waiting area left and Claire and I were let in.
We talked with people as we waited which made the time go faster. We were standing as it was pretty full in there, but actually close to the door as that was the only area for us to be comfortably.
One family was telling us that a store at MK had the next generation of Disney Infinity packets. They told us they were hidden behind the current ones so to look further back. Of course that was all Claire could think about now. I told her we would try to get back there, but it was no guarantee on that one.
We also saw a family playing a game with their phones. It was basically a version of Headbanz. One person held the phone to their forehead and everyone would give him clues of what the word was and that person would have to guess. Claire and I played silently along. We ended up seeing lots of people playing this for the rest of the trip. What a good idea to help waste the time.
Finally it was time to go in and we actually got front and center.
Claire was excited and ready!
We were drawing Tigger today.
We really enjoyed doing this and Claire was watching the instructor like he was God. I think this might be something we have to do every trip now. This is Claire’s finished drawing.
I thought she did an EXCELLENT job.
And here is mine…I actually forgot to add his whiskers, but I did add them later.
When we left we had to browse the gift shop as Claire had lots of money still burning a hole in her pocket. She ended up choosing 2 drawing books and has really enjoyed them and it was a very good purchase.
We headed out and took a small break and I took a picture of her with her picture.
She also had to look through her new books to see what she wanted to draw first.
We moved on. We were getting hungry and went looking for lunch. I was still mad at myself for scheduling the Toy Story FP’s for later than I thought. I had planned to head to MK later today and this was going to make us go even later than planned…Oh well.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World Its hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
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