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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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More great photos! That gelato looks more yummier than your previous flavors for some reason. Maybe it's because I haven't had breakfast yet. Anyway, I can't wait to read more! I know I say that in almost every post, but I really can't wait to read more!!!
A wonderful afternoon! My favorite thing about the Pantheon is the way it's nestled into modern Rome. Such a surprise when you turn the corner and see it. And it is amazing that it's survived both World Wars and modern pollution! The interior marble and the structure of the dome is amazing. What I don't like are all the more modern additions and reconstructions... the upper level is 18th century and the sculptures cover a range from medieval to 19th century. The conversion to a Christian church is what saved it from being pillaged, though, so I guess we should be grateful for all the changes.
That explains it. I thought it looked a bit more "modern" than 126AD
"A little something"? What makes me think you had gelato for dinner that evening? Great pics--love the Trevi fountain ones!
No gelato for dinner that night. Too much other yummy Italian food to tempt me!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
A wonderful afternoon! My favorite thing about the Pantheon is the way it's nestled into modern Rome. Such a surprise when you turn the corner and see it. And it is amazing that it's survived both World Wars and modern pollution! The interior marble and the structure of the dome is amazing. What I don't like are all the more modern additions and reconstructions... the upper level is 18th century and the sculptures cover a range from medieval to 19th century. The conversion to a Christian church is what saved it from being pillaged, though, so I guess we should be grateful for all the changes.
Being American, my concept of old is maybe 100 years or so, so it's a little mindblowing for me to see stuff that is thousands of years old.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubfancolleen
I must get to Rome one of these days! LOVE your pictures. The Pantheon looks amazing! And it is mind-blowing to think of the differences in technology today versus then, and then remember that was built almost 2000 years ago!
So, the shopping area - did you get all your souvenirs there!? Looks like JUST the kind of place I'd shop in! I'm wearing Versace right now, sitting in this 102 degree heat.....NOT! But I'm sure you have lots of people who would have been happy with a pair of Ferragamo's!(don't even know that I spelled that right)
Looking forward to your next destination - especially since I think that might have been where you made your homemade pasta, right?
Well, I do normally buy all my stuff from those stores, but I didn't do any shopping because I didn't want to hold up the group! And we made pasta on what'll be day 6 (currently on day 4).
Quote:
Originally Posted by DrDolphin
I am right there with Heather - as I see everything I say "I remember that" - although you had so much more time than I did - and I seems like some of the lower levels (closer to the "floor") of the Colosseum are now open - we were not allowed to go down there in 2007.
As much as I'd love to do a cruise of European cities, I really enjoyed having time to get to know Rome. Three days there was perfect!
Quote:
Originally Posted by DrDolphin
Ok - the "Gawd, I must go back to Roma" feeling has GROWN so much during this report. I didn't get to see the Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, The Panethon.... and on and on and on.... ok - so - when to budget for this????
Even after 3 days, there was stuff I didn't get to see, so I'll be heading back sometime too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lexiemom
More fantastic updates! I wish I had a time machine. I find the history of Rome fascinating.
Me too! And some of the old buildings are sort of time machines. It's fascinating to get a real live (although not in the original condition) look at things. And some places, like the Pantheon, are virtually trips through the ages!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Principessa_di_Fata
LOVE the updates, Sharon! Just wow! Great photos all around, but I have to say, your photos are even better than the photopass ones! The only thing they really have over yours is that you are IN many of them!
There are only a few instances where the photo CD pictures captured something I didn't with my own camera, but I love that I'm in a lot of their pics!
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcc0313
Loved the CD photos...YEAH for it finally finding its way to you
Lunch looked delicious, what a great variety and that salad looked yummy too. The pictures of the Pantheon are amazing, I loved the first shot as you see the neighboring buildings and then right in the middle is this building 1900 years old...I still cannot get over it and inside looked even mre amazing - to realize what people have done to preserve it. What a great ending to the tour of the day, your gelateo choice sounds wonderful.
I wish I'd taken more pizza photos. I'd say there were about 6 different varieties!
Quote:
Originally Posted by coffeechef
Great updates and so happy to hear that your CD finally arrived. I love the pictures... thanks for posting them for us to see right away. That Pizza lloked good. Was it like you get in NY? how does it compare Also I have a question?
Is that can say Coca-Cola Light? yeah I know of the all the photos and historic sites and wonders.. I focus on this
The pictures are all so beauitful, What a memorable trip this must be. I can't wait to read more....
Italian pizza is kind of similar to NY style pizza. I mean, you can definitely tell that's what NY pizza was based on. But the crust was a lot thinner (especially in Rome, which I think has the thinnest crust pizza in Italy). It was very good. And yeah, Diet Coke is called Coke Light. I ordered a Fanta, and it was a very pale yellow but tasted pretty much the same, so now when I see one here, it just looks like a bottle of food coloring.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubfancolleen
Diet Coke is called Coca-Cola light in most of the world outside the US.
Quote:
Originally Posted by honeybee723
More great photos! That gelato looks more yummier than your previous flavors for some reason. Maybe it's because I haven't had breakfast yet. Anyway, I can't wait to read more! I know I say that in almost every post, but I really can't wait to read more!!!
Well, luckily you won't have long to wait!
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
Back at the hotel, I was planning to pack up a little, but instead I got on my computer and caught up my notes and backed up my pictures (this will be important in a moment). I called home and had a nice chat with my parents, because I knew I probably wouldn’t be calling again. I then headed out to stroll along Via Del Corso, with no real agenda other than: walk to end; return.
It was quite busy, being Saturday evening. The people watching was a lot of fun. I tried to get some photos only to discover that I forgot to replace my memory card in the camera. I do have a few pictures that I took with my iPod (which I was using as a clock since I can’t wear watches).
The main thing I wanted to see was the Disney Store, and I found it without a problem.
It was a lot like the Disney Stores here in the U.S., namely mostly toys and kids clothes. There was a really cute Donald Duck dressed as a gladiator that I almost bought, but I didn’t have anyone to give it to! Oh well, a picture will have to be good enough!
Then I continued along, checking out some of the more interesting shops. I didn’t make any purchases, which frankly surprised me a bit! But the window shopping was great, as was the people watching.
I made it all the way up to Piazza Del Popolo, which I’d seen from above the day before.
I recognized it from the giant inflatable container of toxic waste.
I loved Piazza Del Popolo. It was great for people watching, as it seemed to be a popular spot for people to just come out and chill.
Then I headed back to my hotel along another street. I found a place that looked good, and I had a panini, but I didn’t take any photos. This road led to the Spanish Steps (again) and I watched the flower shovers one last time before leaving Rome.
Back at the hotel, I figured I’d have time to pack in the morning, so I just puttered around a little and then went to bed, but not before setting my alarm for 6:30.
Up Next: I heart Orvieto
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
Nice Update... and sorry to hear that yo left your memory card behind .. I have been known to to do similare things. Once left the spare batteries back in my room, so rather than go back to get them , I bought batteries at the Park I was in. But at least you had your phone camera to capture some moments. The Gladiator Donalds were cute... but still just as cute in a picture.
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What a relaxing evening. And I'm glad you were able to squeeze in a little Disney too.
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It's great that they build in a lot of free time on the ABD tours. I always worry that I won't have enough time for shopping! Oh, boy, you're going to Orvieto next! I'm glad they're not taking you right to Tuscany. A stop in an Umbrian town is perfect!
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Anyway, I can't wait to read more! I know I say that in almost every post, but I really can't wait to read more!!!
Holly: 
but I didn't do any shopping because I didn't want to hold up the group! 
I am right there with Heather - as I see everything I say "I remember that" - although you had so much more time than I did - and I seems like some of the lower levels (closer to the "floor") of the Colosseum are now open - we were not allowed to go down there in 2007.
I find the history of Rome fascinating.
I do have a few pictures that I took with my iPod (which I was using as a clock since I can’t wear watches).
But the window shopping was great, as was the people watching.
.. I have been known to to do similare things. Once left the spare batteries back in my room, so rather than go back to get them , I 
bought batteries at the Park I was in. But at least you had your phone camera to capture some moments. The Gladiator Donalds were cute... but still just as cute in a picture.
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