Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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04-21-2011, 09:50 AM
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#1
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PassPorter Guide
 Community Rank: Globetrotter 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,041
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Feature Article: Safari Celebration Dinner - A Magical Offering for Grand Gatherings
Safari Celebration Dinner - A Magical Offering for Grand Gatherings
by Michelle Loomis
In February 2010, I took a trip to Walt Disney World with four generations of my family.
Since there were eight of us, we could take part in the Grand Gatherings offerings, special events reserved for groups of eight or more. We decided to try the Safari Celebration Dinner. This is held at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park and consists of our own private safari and a celebration dinner at Tusker House afterwards. To give everyone a chance to compare the Kilimanjaro Safaris ride to the Safari Celebration Dinner we would have later in the day, we planned to ride on our own, as soon as possible. We were the first people on Kilimanjaro Safaris in the morning! There we met Frank, a cast member who told us lots of interesting facts about the safari while helping us all walk at a slow pace to the ride vehicles. Why is meeting Frank important? We will see him again later.
That evening, we met for the Safari Celebration Dinner at the Flights of Wonder theater. There we were given a sticker and a special collectable pin. We also got to meet our guide for the evening, and ours was none other than Frank! He pointed out to the group that we were the first people on the safari in the morning. Frank then led us and another family to our ride vehicles for the safari. This safari was much slower than the one in morning, taking about 30 minutes. The safari trucks did stop a lot more, and Frank did the commentary on this trip, as opposed to the morning safari when the driver did the talking.
We were fortunate that when we got off the safari and headed to Tusker House for supper that the parade was still going on, so we got to stand in the front, right by the rope, and see the parade. They aren’t always timed right to catch it, but this night it was perfect. Frank dropped us off at Tusker House and we all were very appreciative of the great job he did on our safari and for remembering us from the morning. We were shown to our family’s table and the server quickly got our drink order and sent us to the buffet. We all enjoyed the great selection of African foods that were available (and for the less adventurous there were American selections, too).
Then our host for the evening, "Mama," came out and entertained us. Since this is a celebration, she would announce any birthdays, anniversaries, etc. She called on my brother and his wife, since they were on their honeymoon. Mama wanted to know why my brother brought all of us along. He said to keep the peace, and got a laugh out of the group. They also had the children join in a dance around the room. Rafiki and Timon were available for pictures and autographs, too.
Once we were full and ready to leave, they had two cast members escort us at a leisurely pace through the closed park, to a bus that took us directly to our resort. This made for a very magical ending to a lovely meal and safari.
Added to PassPorter's Article Collection on 04-19-2011 10:04 AM
What do you think? Please add your own comments, experiences, or news related to this article in this thread! Reader feedback is welcomed and encouraged.
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