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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Review by Bob Varley
12/07
Tour times 9AM (No tours on Sundays or Christmas Day) FOR 2008 9 AM ONLY
Tour requirements: Ages 16 and up with Photo ID
Price: $69.00 per person plus tax. Discounts available are 15% for AAA, AP, DVC, and 20% for Disney Visa Card holders
Tour Starting Location: Epcot at the Guest Relations window outside the main entrance to park on the right.
The tour is approximately 3 1/2 hours long and gives you a behind the scenes look at how Disney creates all of the magic happening at Walt Disney World this holiday season.
Your tour includes Epcot’s World Showcase, Disney's Hollywood Studios Streets of America, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, backstage at Holiday Services and a walk up Main Street at the Magic Kingdom.
We’re always looking for DIS Unplugged podcast segment ideas. Thanks to a suggestion by ‘Mommyceratops’ I was sent on the Yuletide Fantasy tour.
The tour gets you up-close and personal in seeing how Walt Disney World is decorated for the holidays. Not only will the guides get you into the holiday spirit, you’ll learn how some holiday traditions began.
First, there are occasions when I use an ECV. If you do the same or need a wheelchair, you should discuss your needs when booking this tour and they’ll let you know what your options are. Personally, I found it best to leave the ECV behind for the day and walk with the rest of the group. You should also know that a deluxe motor coach was used to transport us from one location to the next, which meant being able to climb a few steps to get to my seat. Again, let them know what your limitations are and they’ll do their best to accommodate you if possible.
Now onto the tour. After getting on the bus, our first stop was the backstage area of Germany in the World Showcase. Our group of 20 was split into two groups of ten. We were each given headsets which allowed the tour guides to communicate without the need of us crowding close by to hear what was being said. This is a nice touch as it gives you a little freedom to check things out as you walk around.
As we toured Germany we were told of that country’s holiday tradition, the ‘Christmas Pickle.’ You can find many websites out there that talk about this. Here is just one of the more popular tales about how it began: A very old Christmas Eve tradition in Germany was to hide a pickle deep in the branches of the Christmas tree. The parents hid the pickle while the children slept. On Christmas morning, the child who found it received an extra gift from St. Nikolas.
During the tour we passed through the gift shop in Germany where there’s a big display of glass pickle ornaments for sale. If you want to start this tradition, you may want to pick one up on your next visit to Epcot. (It sure beats hiding a real pickle in your tree.)
After visiting Germany, we stopped at the Italy, United States and Japan pavilions. At each country we were told fun facts about the countries and their holiday customs and traditions. Here are just a few of them:
There are 7 different colors of Poinsettias available and 90,000 of these Christmas flowers are used at WDW during the holidays. The color chosen in the USA pavilion is called Freedom Red.
Italy’s traditions are more religion based while Germany is more celebratory. (Think St. Nikolas.)
Once back on the bus we went to Disney's Hollywood Studios. Our tour guide discussed how Hollywood has influenced some of our holiday traditions over the years and the movies that have become part of the season’s “must see’s.”
At Disney's Hollywood Studios, we headed to the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights. Here are some facts regarding this very popular Disney display:
90 % is original lighting from the Osborne family’s personal displays
There are 5 million lights used and it takes 10 weeks to get it set up
If you ever spotted the purple cat and wondered why its part of a Christmas display, here’s how this began. When the Osborne lights were shipped to Disney World, the cat, which they used for Halloween, accidentally got mixed in with everything else. Now you’ll find the purple cat in a different spot each year.
Next we got on the bus and went to one of my favorite hotels for the holidays, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. Our guides explained how the Victorian theme of the hotel influences the holiday décor.
One of the highlights at the Grand Floridian is the life size, 12 foot tall Gingerbread House in the lobby. Each year a new design is used and it takes 840 hours to complete it. This year there are two chimneys which send out puffs of gingerbread scented smoke at timed intervals. If you go, see if you can find the 19 hidden Mickey’s that have been added to this year’s house.
A nice surprise waiting for us on the bus were roasted chestnuts and pieces of gingerbread. Speaking of which, bring a bottle of water or something to drink as nothing is provided. Also eat something before the tour. After a couple of hours, you’ll thank me. Also take a bathroom break before the tour begins. (There’s a 10 minute rest stop in Disney's Hollywood Studios.)
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