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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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OK .... I have been reading about 'Rope Drop' - does this happen in every park ... is it a big thing? A must see?
Can someone tell me a bit about this and what happens at each park.
We only caught the one at MK twice. It was our first trip to WDW and I thought it was something fun to do. My husband and I really enjoyed it but DD was indifferent about it and was just ready to get into the park.
For the ceremony at MK, you stand in front of the park and watch it as it takes place on top of the train station. One day the "mayor" came out and the other day it was the "fire chief" that started it all off. He comes out and says a bit, then there were some singers/dancers and then the train arrives with some of the characters on it (Mickey, Pluto, Donald, Snow White, Mary Poppins and some others)
I thought it was something fun to do since it was our first trip!
Here are a few pics from the one in MK:
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I finally made it to a rope drop at the MK on Labor Day. It was a really nice ceremony.
You can see the rope drops on youtube. Just look for disney world rope drops. lots of videos of them are on there.
All the parks do something to open the parks in the morning
The MK has the most "Disney" magic around it, IMHO. The Animal Kingdom is charming, but short. The one at the Studios is very "Hollywood." The one at Epcot is probably the shortest.
Basically, you need to be at the park entrance about 15 minutes before official opening on a non-EMH morning. At the MK, you need to be facing the lagoon side of the train station. At the AK, go through the Oasis and be watching the Tree of Life. At DHS, you go up Hollywood Boulevard, facing the hat. At Epcot, I believe it starts before Spaceship Earth and they escort you up towards the Fountain of Nations. (I haven't seen it in a long while.)
I hope you get to catch one or two of them -- especially the one at the MK.
MK is a must do for us!!! LOVE it and it makes me teary every single time!!! DHS is probably my second fav....but that's probably because I got to participate once!! But the last few times I've been to WDW, they haven't included any guests in the little show. Epcot is nothing special. AK is cute but we don't rush to get a spot at the rope anymore.
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Stephanie- Mom to Jaden and Emerson, Wife to Keith, Novelist
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We have seen them once. They were ok but nothing I would consider a must see. I think the easiest one to see is at MK because it is at the train station and elevated so everyone can see it.
MK is a must do for us!!! LOVE it and it makes me teary every single time!!! DHS is probably my second fav....but that's probably because I got to participate once!! But the last few times I've been to WDW, they haven't included any guests in the little show. Epcot is nothing special. AK is cute but we don't rush to get a spot at the rope anymore.
The MK has the most "Disney" magic around it, IMHO
I agree! Rope drop at MK is one of my most favorite parts of the trip!! There is something magic about the whole thing, and c'mon, who doesn't love a little pixie dust?
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Epcot is nothing special. AK is cute but we don't rush to get a spot at the rope anymore.
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