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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We saw Michael Bolton walking around the lobby area of the Boardwalk, and we saw Mario Lopez at the CP (but that doesn't count because he was scheduled to be there).
Slightly off-topic but still celebrity related....
My family and I attended a "Sporting Event" of sorts for those of you who love wrestling. Well after the show, we went to a restaurant that a few of the "Performers" were eating at. The kids and even I got so excited to see them. We did see one (Balls Mahoney) who was glad to have his pic taken anytime, But then when we sat down we saw 3 others and the kids wanted to rush right over to them.
I said, "NO!" I saw that they has just started to eat their dinner, so I told the kids that they would have to wait just as much as Mommy does. We sat and watched a fe people come up and interrupt them and the kids were like, "Why can't we do that?" I said because they are eating and it is rude. So we waited til they were done, then we approached them for autographs and pictures. They were so great and fun to be around. We saw Sabu, Gene Snitsky and The Sandman. Sabu was so nice he even gave my son a $1.00 to go play a video game while he snuck nachos off of DH's plate.
But everyone is human and they all deserve their own space. If you must see a celeb and get their autograph while dinner is being eaten at least wait til they are done. Let them digest a bit before charging them. They were once hard working people just like us.
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I have a new one!! Thursday night (last week, Dec. 4) we were eating at the California Grill and our waiter pointed out that David Cook (who won American Idol this year) was in the private room in the back - the doors were wide open, and you could see him sitting right there wearing a white baseball hat! I think he was filming a song for the Christmas parade on Friday or something. I could've kicked myself though - he walked right by our table and my back was turned because it was during Wishes! By the time I realized he walked by, all I saw up close was the back of his head...
During a trip in 1989 I saw and got to meet Ernie Hudson (Winston Zeddmore) who was in Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2. He was a really nice guy and I recognized him right away! He was also Grand Marshall of the MGM Studios parade that day.
I also saw Nick Lachey back in May of 2008. He was filming scenes for the HSM auditions for HSM3. I don't find anything attractive about him, but my sister almost lost it when I sent her the pictures! LOL. I also saw Michael Phelps riding in the Main Street Parade at the Magic Kingdom in August.
I never think to look for anyone famous or that any celebrities will be there at the same time that I am!
Back in the early 1980's when I worked Walt Disney World Reservations Michael Jackson used to come through our office every so often. He would walk through with his entourage and wave at us as we worked to create lovely vacations for people. This was about the time they were creating "Captain Eo" the 3D movie that replaced "Magic Journeys" and preceded "Honey I Shrank the Audience" at Imagination in Epcot.
Melissa
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Last edited by Wintersong; 12-09-2008 at 03:14 PM..
Reason: adding name
I have seen John Travolta, Jay Leno, Gloria Estafon, Debbie Gibson and Kevin Johnson (retired Basket ball player from Sacramento, CA) At Disneyland. Did they wait in lines like the rest of us....some of them did and others had escorts through the fast pass line or other special routes to the rides. We stood in line with John Travolta and chatted, very nice man. Jay Leno was funny, he wasn't getting into lines but he was picking on every little kid that would give him attention. We only saw Gloria, she was escorted around.
I think it depends on the celeb for their experiences with Disney.
I have seen John Travolta, Jay Leno, Gloria Estafon, Debbie Gibson and Kevin Johnson (retired Basket ball player from Sacramento, CA) At Disneyland. Did they wait in lines like the rest of us....some of them did and others had escorts through the fast pass line or other special routes to the rides. We stood in line with John Travolta and chatted, very nice man. Jay Leno was funny, he wasn't getting into lines but he was picking on every little kid that would give him attention. We only saw Gloria, she was escorted around.
I think it depends on the celeb for their experiences with Disney.
That's cool that you stood in line with JT I would've wanted a pic but would've been too afraid to ask
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I saw Rosie O'Donnell @ the princess breakfast in Norway. She waited in line, and sat at a table with her 2 girls. Then later that day I went to the bathroom @ Brown Derby and she was there sitting right outside the door. She was very nice.
I have a new one!! Thursday night (last week, Dec. 4) we were eating at the California Grill and our waiter pointed out that David Cook (who won American Idol this year) was in the private room in the back - the doors were wide open, and you could see him sitting right there wearing a white baseball hat! I think he was filming a song for the Christmas parade on Friday or something. I could've kicked myself though - he walked right by our table and my back was turned because it was during Wishes! By the time I realized he walked by, all I saw up close was the back of his head...
He is a very nice guy(quite the cutie too). While it was NOT at Walt Disney World, I got my picture taken with him in the Indianapolis airport. I was my WAY to WDW. I'm counting it.
When i visited WDW last year i was so annoyed..... we came all the way from the UK to WDW only to see one celeb - Jody Marsh (i would imagine alot of you have no idea who that is but she is ) a girl famous for being a party girl and stripping off who only lives about an hour away from home.
I saw her loads of times but did not spot anyone else
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Clare Loves Stitch
"sometimes the right path is not the easiest one"
Grandmother Willow - Pocahontas
Proud DVC owner at BWV from March 2011
We ran into Kelly Ripa in the concierge lounge of the GF on Sunday morning after the taping of the Christmas party. She was heading down the stairs to go for a run. Goood Grief that girl is TINY!!
Wish I could say I saw someone but I haven't. Once I was back from one of my trips to WDW and looking at People Mag ....... John Stamos and the Olson twins were there the same week I was there ..... I don't understand how I could have missed them????
From everything I've seen and heard John Stamos seems like a nice guy.