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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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WOW. Really and truly AWEsome. My son is named Maximus after the character in the movie Gladiator. The "utilidors" are totally cool. I'm so impressed by the "imagineering" the Romans had back in the day. I see why Rome was considered the center of the world - it was so high tech!
Not sure if you're a Harry Potter fan, but I thought I'd throw this out there for anyone who is...I'm wondering if this is why J.K. Rowling named the Hogwarts teacher who turned into a werewolf Remus Lupin. Hmmm???
I thought the same thing!
Super pictures! Like walking through a history book - WOW!
Sorry that you have been having some issues with the hard drive not liking your computer (or maybe it was your computers way of saying "Sharon...we need to expand ) either way hope that was an end to your issues (not counting the whole CD fiasco).
Loved the pictures, the ones of the Colosseum are wonderful, it amazes me how long these relics have remained and picture how life was then....and yes I can see you in ancient Rome as well, toga and all but not sure if they had gelato back then
Can't wait to hear more...but I promise to be patient.
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Amazing pictures. I love the comment about the first utilidors, I thought the same thing! You guys sure put in a lot of effort before lunch. Seeing as how you're in Rome, I'm guessing they'll replenish you all very nicely.
And Melissa, I thought the same thing about Remus and the wolf statue!
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Not sure if you're a Harry Potter fan, but I thought I'd throw this out there for anyone who is...I'm wondering if this is why J.K. Rowling named the Hogwarts teacher who turned into a werewolf Remus Lupin. Hmmm???
Guess what?!?! My CD has finally arrived! Thanks for your patience, everyone!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
Awesome, awesome, awesome! I love all the photos, especially those of the current excavations. About 45 years ago () I worked at an excavation site in Corinth. It's amazing how you can just keep going and going with these sites. It's hard to decide, too, when to stop, as often there are even older artifacts under the ones from the "theme" period of the site. I love that Stefano was having a hard time talking while holding the sign!
Stefano was telling us that they have a hard time digging anywhere at all in Rome, because they usually come across some relic or other buried. Some of the stuff in the Forum used to be half buried, and the stairs leading to the Pantheon are still buried to this day!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ilovedisney247
Great photos Sha! I keep having "I've been there" moments as I'm reading your report! It is truly great to relive my trip to Rome. I actually took two guided tours to Italy when I was in high school. One trip was Rome and south, one trip was Northern Italy and Austria. They live on as highlights in my memory!
I definitely think a return to Italy is in my future.
Quote:
Originally Posted by honeybee723
Wow...that was quite an update! I don't know about you, but when we visited the Colosseum, I couldn't help but be in awe of the whole idea that so many people lost their lives there. I'm that way when I visit Gettysburg...it's just a very humbling experience. That's what I love about history, the way it makes you think.
Not sure if you're a Harry Potter fan, but I thought I'd throw this out there for anyone who is...I'm wondering if this is why J.K. Rowling named the Hogwarts teacher who turned into a werewolf Remus Lupin. Hmmm???
I know absolutely nothing of Harry Potter, but I somehow knew that lupus is wolf in Latin, so I suspect you're right!
Quote:
Originally Posted by goofyboysmama
WOW. Really and truly AWEsome. My son is named Maximus after the character in the movie Gladiator. The "utilidors" are totally cool. I'm so impressed by the "imagineering" the Romans had back in the day. I see why Rome was considered the center of the world - it was so high tech!
I was constantly amazed at the 2,000 year old "technology." It's really awesome when you think about it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcc0313
Sorry that you have been having some issues with the hard drive not liking your computer (or maybe it was your computers way of saying "Sharon...we need to expand ) either way hope that was an end to your issues (not counting the whole CD fiasco).
Loved the pictures, the ones of the Colosseum are wonderful, it amazes me how long these relics have remained and picture how life was then....and yes I can see you in ancient Rome as well, toga and all but not sure if they had gelato back then
Can't wait to hear more...but I promise to be patient.
If I really were an ancient Roman, I'm sure I would've invented gelato.
Quote:
Originally Posted by disney_duke
Amazing pictures. I love the comment about the first utilidors, I thought the same thing! You guys sure put in a lot of effort before lunch. Seeing as how you're in Rome, I'm guessing they'll replenish you all very nicely.
And Melissa, I thought the same thing about Remus and the wolf statue!
They walked us a lot this day, but they did indeed feed us well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ciavobella
True, that's much worse.
Don't try to make me feel better or anything.
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
So my photo CD has finally arrived! I’m too lazy to go back and place the pictures where they belong, but really, it's because now you don’t have to go back and look through pages and pages of posts to find them. Gee, I guess it wasn’t laziness at all on my part. Just me being awesomely considerate. Anyway, here goes…
From Day 2
The welcome reception on the roof of the Hotel Bernini Bristol:
And then dinner in the restaurant:
I guess I ate light this meal
From Day 3
Our trip to the Vatican:
Our first group photo
Our awesome guide, Tina
Marco (also awesome) mails our postcards in Vatican City
And at our huge Italian lunch:
Now on to Day 4
The Colosseum and Roman Forum:
Putting my little fan to good use!
And of course, our fun Gladiator!
He had us cracking up the whole time! So that brings us up to date. Now that all my technical issues have been solved, expect regular TR updates, beginning tomorrow!
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
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The "utilidors" are totally cool. I'm so impressed by the "imagineering" the Romans had back in the day. I see why Rome was considered the center of the world - it was so high tech!
My normal everyday computer routine!
I thought the same thing! 
Holly: 
) either way hope that was an end to your issues (not counting the whole CD fiasco).
Well, I'm the one who compared a tapestry of Jesus to the Haunted Mansion busts, so I'm not judging. 
) I worked at an excavation site in Corinth. It's amazing how you can just keep going and going with these sites. It's hard to decide, too, when to stop, as often there are even older artifacts under the ones from the "theme" period of the site. I love that Stefano was having a hard time talking while holding the sign!
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