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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Doesn't something like this depend a lot on the weather? I would hate to see it non-operational a lot due to wind/rain. We have a balloon sort of like this at our zoo that is never operating when we visit.
I thought the 30 people limit was strange as well...Something tells me it must be bigger then a standard hot air balloon and the "basket" is also bigger.
Doesn't something like this depend a lot on the weather? I would hate to see it non-operational a lot due to wind/rain. We have a balloon sort of like this at our zoo that is never operating when we visit.
Yeah, I read somewhere about the weather conditions. In perfect weather, they can fill it up with 30 people. And then as it gets windier, they reduce the amount of people. It was something like 7-12mph, 20 people, 13-18 mph, 10 people, and above that they don't fly it. (These numbers aren't correct, but it's in the ballpark!!)
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Tanya
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I got a couple pix of the balloon last week: IMG_3893.jpg
This was taken from the ferry boat going from POR to DD on Monday, March 30. It was so beautiful at night, lit from inside the balloon!!
IMG_3772.jpg
This was taken from the trails near Typhoon Tillie in Typhoon Lagoon, also on Monday, March 30. This was the only time we saw the balloon in the air.
We were told that it would open on April 1 by one boat driver. On April 1, it didn't appear to be open, and another boat driver said he hadn't been given a solid opening date. My guess is that they were doing some testing while we were there but weren't actually accepting passengers yet.
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DD and DS, May 2008
"I am purple today; Bright and happy like a butterfly in the air." -Kira Willey
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I want to try this but 30 people? That sounds like a lot of people and a lot of weight. Can that be safe??
I think it is actually pretty normal, despite how most people think of hot air balloons (in my mind I always picture a small square basket that would hold like 3-4 people). A friend of mine went on a balloon tour when she was in Napa Valley (really flying, not attached to anything) and she said there were 20 people in her balloon. I think it sounds like lots of fun!!
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MNSSHP 2015: DH (Bane), Me (Batgirl), Genie, and our friends
I got a couple pix of the balloon last week: Attachment 28814
This was taken from the ferry boat going from POR to DD on Monday, March 30. It was so beautiful at night, lit from inside the balloon!!
Attachment 28815
This was taken from the trails near Typhoon Tillie in Typhoon Lagoon, also on Monday, March 30. This was the only time we saw the balloon in the air.
Thanks for the pictures! It shows the carrier/basket more clearly so I can tell what it will be like!
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