IllumiNations: Reflections of PassPorter - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
PassPorter.com
Award-winning travel guidebooks

   guidebooks   |   news   |   podcasts   |   boards   |   blog   |   worksheets   |   photos   |   articles   |   updates   |   register   |   follow us on


Forums Closed
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!

Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!

Go Back   PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums > Welcome! > Using Your PassPorter: Tips and Answers
Register


Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.

To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.

If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 01-01-2019, 09:11 AM   #1
Jennifer Marx
Club President
PassPorter Author


PassPorter's Club Passholder
What's this?

Community Rank: Explorer
 
Jennifer Marx's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Concierge Level: 10
Posts: 14,552

Post Thanks / Like
IllumiNations: Reflections of PassPorter

Did you know IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth debuted the same year we introduced our first PassPorter? The show has always been one of our all-time favorites. Not just at Epcot, but anywhere on a Disney property. Not only is it visually stunning, the but lyrics to "We Go On" are particularly compelling.

And it's sad that IllumiNations will be concluding its run in the second half of 2019. Such a long run, so many fans, such poignant memories.

And like IllumiNations, PassPorter is also changing.

As of January 1, 2019, we are closing 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, career 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 Belle* (Sara Varney), who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), chezp (Cheryl Pendry), our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and GingerJ (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!

Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
__________________


Author of PassPorter guidebooks
Webmistress of PassPorter.com
PassPorter Blog | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram | Google +

My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsWalt Disney World (100+ visits from 1983-2018), Disneyland Resort (19 visits from 1996-2018), Disney Cruise Line (21 cruises from 1999-2018), Disneyland Paris (1 visit in 2005), Disneyland Tokyo (1 visit in 1992)
Jennifer Marx is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 01-01-2019, 12:42 PM   #2
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
Not only am I so sorry to see PassPorter's forums come to an end, but also IllumiNations later this year - my favourite thing at Disney World. You are right though Jennifer, we will go on and I hope people will continue to stay in touch. See you guys on Facebook or on Pixie Dust Lane!
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 01-01-2019, 04:46 PM   #3
doombuggy
Community Rank: Traveler
 
doombuggy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Orlando, FL
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 366

Post Thanks / Like
So sorry to see this news, but I totally get it. My passporters sit on my coffee table shelf and I treasure them. They are so much better than the other guides.
Hugs ~
__________________
DVC Member since 2006
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips1974 - 1983 WDW day trips*1992 WDW off site*1994 WDW Contemporary*1997 WDW off site *1997 WDW Polynesian*1998 DL PAC*1999 DLH*2000 WDW Coronado/Port Orleans*2001 WDW off site*2002 DLH*2002 WDW Happy Haunts Ball*2003 WDW Riverside*2003 WDW Happy Haunts Ball*2004 Moved to Orlando*2006 DLR*2007 DVBR*2007 OKW*2007 VWL*2008 GCH*2009 BLT*2009 AKV*2010 OKW*2010 SSR*2010 DLP DLH*2011 BLT*2011 ALK-Kidani*2012 BWV*2014 Aulani*2015 DLR Star Wars Celebration
doombuggy is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 01-01-2019, 04:49 PM   #4
nancy heaston
Community Rank: Visitor
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 2

Post Thanks / Like
Too bad. I depended on Passporter for the tips and info in planning our Disney vacations. My girls are adults but we still use the resources. Hopefully funds can be raised to keep this small business going. Much luck to you and your family in 2019
nancy heaston is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 01-01-2019, 05:54 PM   #5
lindawdw
Community Rank: Trailblazer
 
lindawdw's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 5,668

Post Thanks / Like
Beautiful farewell Jennifer. Many thanks for creating such a wonderful community for us all these years. It's really like no other online Disney forum because we all respected each other and kept the conversation positive. We loved sharing Disney knowledge and future Disney possibilities. The best thing though was the online friendships that were made along with some incredible WDW meets. I hope that you're able to keep some of the Passporter website alive and best of luck with your crafting blogs/videos.
__________________
My Previous Trips1975 Off-site, 1982 Poly, 1985 CR, 1987 Poly, 1988 Off-site, 1990 Off-site, 1992 - 2015 CBR, CR, POFQ, CS, ASM , POP, WL, YC, BW, BWV, OKW, GF, GFV, BCV, BLT, AKL
lindawdw is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 01-01-2019, 06:44 PM   #6
revral
Community Rank: Scout
 
revral's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Seattle, Washington
Posts: 4,639

Post Thanks / Like
Well said Cam. I most likely would never have gone to DW if I hadn't discovered Passporter as the other guides I looked at were overwhelming in the amount and detail level of information they gave. Passporter struck the right the balance and ended up also providing me an online home and family for a little over twelve years. Thank you Jennifer for Passporter, these boards, my online family and agreeing to be pdl's fairy godmother.
__________________
I've created a new home for us at
https://www.pixiedustlane.com/
My Previous TripsDL not sure probably 20+ DW ASMu December 07-17, 2007 ASMu January 26-February 03, 2009 POR February 01-09, 2010
revral is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 01-01-2019, 07:16 PM   #7
Patrick FaMILY
Community Rank: Adventurer
 
Patrick FaMILY's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Posts: 521

Post Thanks / Like
Sad to see this end.
This community is the BEST!
__________________
Terry
My Countdown Counting down to: Can hardly wait until we hear them say, "Welcome Home"!!!
Time To Have FUN!!
My Previous TripsWDW 2008 - Pop Century, WDW 2009 - All Star Movies, WDW 2010 - Caribbean Beach, WDW 2012 - Caribbean Beach, WDW 2013 - Art of Animation, WDW 2015 - All Star Sports, WDW 2017 - Beach Club, DL 2018 - Off Site
Patrick FaMILY is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 01-01-2019, 09:44 PM   #8
SHEANA1226
But why is the rum gone?
 
SHEANA1226's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Needville, Texas
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 12,286

Post Thanks / Like
So sorry to see this end. I met some wonderful people through here. Thank you for everything Jennifer
__________________
My Previous TripsWDW 10/01, 10/03, 05/05, 11/05, 03/06, 04/06, 09/06, 12/06, 06/07, 08/08, 07/09 Universal Studios 11/04, 11/07
SHEANA1226 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 01-02-2019, 06:19 AM   #9
suzanne1972
Community Rank: Traveler
 
suzanne1972's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Scotland
Posts: 343

Post Thanks / Like
Thank you for giving us Passporter and I wish you and your family the best for the future.
__________________




Disneyland Paris approx 2004, Caribbean Beach April 2013, Polynesian May 2014, Old Key West October 2015, Wilderness Lodge Oct 2017, Disneyland Paris October 2018 and looking forward to AKL Sept/Oct 2019 trip!
My Countdown Counting down to: 4 nights Universal then 14 nights at Wilderness Lodge (hopefully!!).
Off we go!!!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsWDW Caribbean Beach Resort April 2013, Polynesian Resort 2014 OKW Oct 2015, Wilderness Lodge Oct 2017
suzanne1972 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2019, 03:00 AM   #10
edubirdie21@gmail.com
Community Rank: Day-Tripper
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 11

Post Thanks / Like
Nice Post
edubirdie21@gmail.com is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2019, 10:26 AM   #11
leslishambly
Community Rank: Day-Tripper
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 11

Post Thanks / Like
Thanks for sharing.Big hands for professionals!
leslishambly is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-18-2019, 03:42 AM   #12
Shiv01
Community Rank: Day-Tripper
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 12

Post Thanks / Like
Thanks for viewing up such wonderful information. I like this post, keep writing and give a useful post.
Shiv01 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 08-06-2019, 12:57 PM   #13
KamPlaupt
Community Rank: Tourist
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Panama
Posts: 15

Post Thanks / Like
IllumiNations Reflections of PassPorter

I looked through most of that and am very impressed with your accomplishments I was, however, hoping to find some animations and such from your work with MH and how you applied that work. I see though, that you work on the nightly builds and that your area of work does not seem to branch out to actual animations. Too bad, Id love to see some. Still, very impressive
KamPlaupt is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 10-15-2019, 11:06 PM   #14
RealtyPoing
Community Rank: Traveler
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: РФ
Posts: 355

Post Thanks / Like
: , , , ,

( ).
. . , , . .
:




2
__________________
My Previous TripsIvanPoingTI
RealtyPoing is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 10-15-2019, 11:08 PM   #15
RealtyPoing
Community Rank: Traveler
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: РФ
Posts: 355

Post Thanks / Like
: , , , ,

( ).
. . , , . .
:



1

__________________
My Previous TripsIvanPoingTI
RealtyPoing is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Reply




Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump














Please login or register to hide these ads -- it's free and easy!

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:04 PM.

-->

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like v3.4.0 Patch Level 1 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
(c) 1998-2017 PassPorter Travel Press/MediaMarx, Inc.
Celebrating 19 Years of Making Dreams Come True
Ad Management plugin by RedTyger