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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 need some help from a PP'r more creative than I.
DD is afraid to ride the Haunted Mansion.
I think she thinks she should be afraid, but for whatever reason, she really doesn't want to go. It's my SIL's favorite ride, and I'd like to do it as a family in Dec.
I thought that maybe if she gets a letter from the "head ghost" or some such character, inviting her to ride, she might go for it. I also thought that the letter could come with a HM pin -- as long as she's wearing it, she'll be safe. That kind of thing.
My SIL bought the pin on their last trip to WDW, so we're covered there.
But I can't come up with a letter that sounds like it comes from a HM ghost.
Anyone want to help?
That's a cute idea! I thought of maybe having the letter be from the hitch hiking ghosts. I did a little Google search and found their names are Phineas, Gus, and Ezra. Or maybe from the "Ghost Host" himself?? Just a thought.
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Tanya
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How old is DD? Will she be reading the letter or will you read it to her?
I would try and incorporate "ghost" type of words (if that makes any sense, lol!) I'm racking my brain trying to come up with an example , but like use the word "boo" instead of "who", etc. I swear I've seen something like this done before (I know they did it for the promotional signs at Target at Halloween, and of course I can't think of any of then now!) Let me see if I can get examples of what I mean.
How old is DD? Will she be reading the letter or will you read it to her?
She's 9 1/2 and she's sharp.
It needs to be written with "the voice" of a HM ghost. She'll figure out if it sounds too much like mom or if it's too cutesy -- so it needs to be more Mr. Gracey and less Casper if you know what I mean.
But since I haven't ridden HM since she was 2 (when she rode with and loved it BTW!) I don't have a clue what the ride is like anymore.
This is going to be long, so bear with me.
Here's my first stab at a letter. I liked the hitchiking ghosts idea -- partly because they're what scare her, partly because they're more playful than Mr. Gracey and partly because using their names (she doesn't know they have names!) adds an air of authenticity.
I need to ask my SIL for a description of the magic pin, but anyway, here's a start. Any suggestions?
Dear [Name],
Greetings from the 999 happy haunts who inhabit the Haunted Mansion!
We've heard a rumor that you are coming to Walt Disney World and aren't going to pay us a visit. That makes us so sad we could just die ... again!
There are lots of secrets we’d like to share with you. Did you know that there are Hidden Mickeys in the Mansion? The Imagineers put some here, but we like to play tricks and move them. See if there’s still one in the plates on the banquet table. We made a new one today just for you. Can you find it?
What are the figures on the top of the mansion? Which piece is missing?
Can you find Mr. Toad in the pet cemetery?
Your mom will have a special prize for you if you can answer these questions:
How did Dave die? (Hint – the answer is in the graveyard!)
What about Fred?
We promise we won’t hitchhike home with you. Well, one of us might take a short ride in your Doombuggy (then again, we might not!) but we won’t leave the Mansion as long as you have a ____ pin on your lanyard. So don’t trade this one away!
We like to be silly, not spooky. Remember, the song says we come out "to socialize" not "terrorize"!
PLEASE come visit us. You won’t need a death certificate.
Gus, Ezra and Phineas
The Hitchhiking Ghosts
__________________
Carolyn
Last edited by Carousel96; 11-10-2009 at 08:16 PM..
Reason: fonts messed up
Love it Carolyn!!! Better than what my parents did to me when I was about 6! I was a big scaredy cat, and they knew they'd never get me on HM. They fibbed and said we were in line for a fancy restaurant! Of course I cried for the whole ride, but by 8 I was an HM fan!
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The letter idea is great and hopefully she'll want to go.
I had to do a little convincing to get my son on it when he was younger, but he eventually made it and was amazed at how "unscary" it really was. (One trick I've heard it to give them a tiny lightup toy -- not bright enough for other guests to see, but enough to give the child some security.)
Keeping my fingers crossed that she wants to go There's nothing worse for the child, the family and other riders if they are crying and scared.
Eileen
You can avoid the stretching room and go right to the doombuggy loading line if you stop at talk to the CM at the entrance to the line -- they will direct you to a special door.
I would just explain the whole scene -- or watch it on YouTube, if you can find it. The first time, my son just hugged me tight and closed his eyes. I whispered to him when the thunder was about to boom. That seemed to help him. And keep your fingers crossed that you don't get a smart alec in the room who decides to scream bloody murder as a joke.
Eileen
You can avoid the stretching room and go right to the doombuggy loading line if you stop at talk to the CM at the entrance to the line -- they will direct you to a special door.
I would just explain the whole scene -- or watch it on YouTube, if you can find it. The first time, my son just hugged me tight and closed his eyes. I whispered to him when the thunder was about to boom. That seemed to help him. And keep your fingers crossed that you don't get a smart alec in the room who decides to scream bloody murder as a joke.
Eileen
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, but like use the word "boo" instead of "who", etc. I swear I've seen something like this done before (I know they did it for the promotional signs at Target at Halloween, and of course I can't think of any of then now!) Let me see if I can get examples of what I mean.
Danielle Harmon
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