BIG Star Wars Weekends news! (for Star Wars geeks anyway ;) ) - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
BIG Star Wars Weekends news! (for Star Wars geeks anyway ;) )
Attention fellow Star Wars geeks! While the schedule of celebrity appearances for Star Wars Weekends (every weekend between May 16 - June 15) has not yet been announced, there are little bits of goodness starting to be leaked! Just this afternoon the official Disney Parks Blog announced that, for the first time ever, LUKE SKYWALKER himself, actor Mark Hamill, will be appearing for Weekend IV (June 6-8)!
We will be at WDW at that time (arriving on June 7th) but will not be in the parks for another couple of days and won't be at HS doing SWW "stuff" until the following weekend (Weekend V, the final weekend). Mr. Skywalker . . . erm, I mean, Mr. Hamill . . . needs to add the final weekend to his schedule! (I'm just sayin' )
Darlene, apparently one year (last year, maybe?) there was a many hours long wait to meet Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian). I imagine the wait for Mark Hamill could be MUCH worse. I also wouldn't be the least bit surprised to find that folks are starting to (or at least attempting to) camp out the previous afternoon to be first in line the following morning. I think they may allow folks to start the actual camping out/lining up stuff after the parks closes at night but I wouldn't be surprised to find people trying to do it much earlier.
However, the only thing they are saying he will be doing is appearing in the daily motorcade and participating in the talk show so there may not be an opportunity for autographs necessitating an hours long line up!
I'm a Star Wars nerd but I am not *that* crazy. I would just be happy to get a photo from afar and see him in the parade!
I know this sounds crazy, but I'm suddenly so glad we're headed to DLR for my son's high school graduation! He is a Star Wars nut, and Luke is his absolute favorite. He would absolutely wear me out over the chance to see Mark Hamill, so I'm glad I can legitimately tell him there's no way.
We've been to SWW weekends twice, and we really enjoy it. I heard the stories of the lines for Billy Dee Williams last year, and while I would love to have seen him, I'm not going to camp out for anything like that. I hope WDW has a good plan in place to deal with the crowd on weekend IV this year. Surely they do! Good luck to everyone involved. This really is big! What's next? George Lucas? Harrison Ford? Talk about c'razy!!
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s 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.
However, the only thing they are saying he will be doing is appearing in the daily motorcade and participating in the talk show so there may not be an opportunity for autographs necessitating an hours long line up!
I'm a Star Wars nerd but I am not *that* crazy. I would just be happy to get a photo from afar and see him in the parade!
DF, Jamie, heard that Mark Hamill would be there the weekend before we arrive. I said "Maybe we will get lucky and he will stay to enjoy the parks for a few days. Maybe we can catch a glimpse of him if he did." His response was "There is not enough security that could keep me away from meeting him!" LOL
but oh wouldn't it be nice that Mark Hamill was making this one time appearance to help Announce the addition of Star Wars Land to DS? I mean come on...he's already there....let's make this thing official!
__________________
Faith, Family and Pixie Dust - Vicki
WDW trips with family 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2012 & 2015!
We were there when Billy Dee Williams was there and while we didn't wait in line to see him, it was still cool to see him in the parade. I image Mark Hamill will amp up the crowds. We had planned to be there that weekend but had to cancel. I was a bit bummed.
I will be there that weekend and have a Star Wars Dinner reservation for Friday night. I am hoping that the crowds aren't too bad in the rest of the park. I have my FP+ ressies already made and a game plan in place.
__________________
Sandi
mom of 6: dd25, ds22, dd17, ds13, dd12, and dd9
mawmaw to 3 beautiful granddaughters: 5, 3, 1 and #4 due in February
16 trips to WDW
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
About This Page: 
BIG Star Wars Weekends news! (for Star Wars geeks anyway ;) )
)
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
PassPorter Guide Author
Sandi
Linear Mode
