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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Okay guys, it is so weird not having a race to be thinking about/planning for. I know most of you are heading back to the World to run various races during Marathon weekend (luckies!), but I have nothing planned until next Fall. So, after going on the RunDisney website I am now honed in on the Expedition Everest Challenge. Thinking that looks pretty fun!! DD15 who has caught the running bug now is definitely interested too.
I'm pretty sure quite a few PP'ers have run this. So can you guys fill me in on ALL the details of this race? Sign up starts 12/16. Thanks!
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I am interested in hearing about this one too. My DD thinks it might be fun, but is a little bit worried about the 'obstacle challenge' part. Would love to hear any past experiences!
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Saturday, October 9, 2014 - Kaitlyn and I before the Happy Haunted 5K at ESPN Wide World of Sports
Hey! I did this in 2012 with my daughter, age 9 at the time. It was a hoot, despite some issues that did bother me a bit. All things considered, I would do this race again. I feel like I answered this awhile back so I searched the running forum here.... but couldn't find it.
The good: You run a lot through AK. Like, a LOT! So that was cool.
Scavenger hunt is a really unique feature.
The medals are really cool!
The after-party, but there's not a whole lot of rides...
The obstacles were a nice break up of just boring run/walking. But worry not, you don't have to do them if you don't want to. Just run by them. I walked along and watched while my DD did the obstacles.
The bad: crowded. Crowded. Crowded. I heard they added 2000 more entrants for 2012 (when we did it) and other repeat-runners said it was ridiculously more crowded than they've ever seen it. So I'm hoping they've stopped adding runners and keep it capped at a low amount. Not sure.
The heat, oh the heat. First weekend in May can be smokin' hot. I think it was close to 90 as a high that day, and still 80-something at race time. Those of you who have been unfortunate at ToT or W&D are aware of lingering night heat. And for EE5K, you wait in the hot asphalt parking lot of AK. Yikes.
The ugly: again, I'm expanding on the crowds. Only it got worse inside AK when there wasn't enough direction as to where the runners should have steered clear of the scavengers. See, you run the 5K/obstacle course first. Then (there was a finish mat but no clock, so wear a watch if you want to know your 5K time right away) Then, you start the scavenger hunt, which is also inside AK. So for those runners in the later waves/corrals, you are running into/alongside/knocking over those who already finished running and are trying to do the scavenger hunt. CM's and/or volunteers were trying to direct runner traffic, but it was downright confusing in parts.
The finish line was a huge letdown, especially as this was my DD's first big race, I was really bummed for her. Those who have finished other rD races (and otehr well organized local races) know the finishers chute is long. There's plenty of space to get your medal, walk, get your water, walk, get your banana, walk and then linger. The EE5K finish line was (maybe they've since changed it) just outside of the EE ride. Literally, right there, inside the park. It took us 10 minutes - I'm not exaggerating - just to get our medals. And then I line-jumped ahead to get water cuz my DD was about to pass out she was so sweaty. After such a great high one gets after crossing that finish line, it was such a disappointment to have it end that way. I'm not sure, but I think they've since changed it so the finish line is now in the parking lot.
Assuming they've fixed those two major issues (which could have to do with capping the number of entrants), I would definitely still do this race again simply for the super unique features about it being an obstacle and scavenger hunt.
OH -- the scavenger hunt!! There's like 5 cards with clues to solve. And there's like 5 different varieties. So you can ask other runners, but they may not have the same card as you. You can definitely ask the CM's/volunteers manning each area where the clues are as they do know all the answers. They won't flat-out tell you, but they'll give you a huge you're-a-dummy clue. I had to ask twice. Yes, I am a dummy, I just couldn't figure it out!! But once I realized it, it was so simple!! So some clues are harder than others.
I'm sure I'm forgetting some items, ask away!!!
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Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
Last edited by disney_duke; 11-23-2013 at 04:11 PM..
You know what? I remember now - I read on another message board about someone doing this race just this year. If you want to read more current details (which sounds like they did change the course to end in the parking lot. Yay!!) here's some light reading: Expedition Everst Challenge Trip Report
Great details there!
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Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
Thanks so much for all of the info. Tanya!! Last night while we were out to dinner we decided to run in this race. We are really excited about it! As soon as we figured out we have more than enough DVC points left to cover our stay at AK, plus our AP tickets are good until the end of May we decided we would be fools not to. Plus, I am hoping that the expo. will be pretty tame and I may even be able to get the cool new NB shoes.
That was the one thing that I was EXTREMELY dissapointed about!! The sold a few of their shirts, here and there in AK, and right there at packet pickup, but that was about it. No expo...sorry. Though I am curious if they will sell the NB shoes at the expo....let us know about that!
We did EE in 2012, and all I gotta say it hot, hot, too many people hot hot and exploding guts. :P
Tanya pretty much said it all.
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Kim
"I am a runner because I run. Not because I run fast. Not because I run far. I am a runner because I say I am. And no one can tell me I'm not."-- John Bingham
I know! I was quite dissapointed when I arrived thinking that there was going to be an expo and found out it was a small thing that had their shirts and a few things and thats about it! Maybe they will still do the NB shoes as it is a Disney thing? Keep your fingers crossed!
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Kim
"I am a runner because I run. Not because I run fast. Not because I run far. I am a runner because I say I am. And no one can tell me I'm not."-- John Bingham
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So, after going on the RunDisney website I am now honed in on the Expedition Everest Challenge. Thinking that looks pretty fun!! 
DD15 who has caught the running bug now is definitely interested too. 
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Plus, I am hoping that the expo. will be pretty tame and I may even be able to get the cool new NB shoes. 
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