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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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02-04-2016, 05:10 PM
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#1
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PassPorter Guide
 Community Rank: Globetrotter 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,041
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Feature Article: 2016 at Walt Disney World - A Look Ahead - A Walt Disney World Planning Article
2016 at Walt Disney World - A Look Ahead - A Walt Disney World Planning Article
by Cheryl Pendry
The start of a new year is always a good time to look ahead to the future, and for many of us, that means vacation plans.
We all look forward to our next visit to a Disney park, and we’ll be returning to Walt Disney World in September of this year. By that time, it will have been over 18 months since we were last there, and there will have been huge changes during that time, so what new things am I most looking forward to experiencing the next time we visit? Perhaps surprisingly, one of the biggest things I can’t wait to see isn’t actually inside any of the four theme parks. I want to enjoy Disney Springs in its completed glory, as the last time we were there, it was home to numerous construction walls, as Downtown Disney was gradually converted into a much bigger shopping and retail outlet, but it’s much more than that. When we last visited though, even in the midst of the work, you could tell that the whole area had a different feel to it.
The reason for that is that there’s more than just a name change going on here. In line with everywhere else in Walt Disney World, the area now has a back story, with the town having grown up around a natural spring. There will be four distinct neighborhoods, the Landing, Marketplace, West Side, and Town Centre, and personally I can’t wait to wander through all of them, and experience what I hope will be a truly relaxing area to shop and eat in. For a long time, I’ve hoped Disney would make more of Village Lake, and now it looks as if finally that wish is coming true with all the changes they’re making, and waterfront dining in the likes of the Boathouse.
The other really exciting development for me is at Animal Kingdom. Many, many years ago, we were fortunate enough to visit the park after dark, and we took an experimental night-time version of Kilimanjaro Safaris, which we adored, so I was truly delighted when Disney announced plans for a sunset version. Even better, African wild dogs and hyenas will be introduced in this version, which is a real treat. Alongside this, with Disney’s efforts to make Animal Kingdom into an evening destination, Rivers of Light will debut on Discovery River, which is described as combining live performers with floating lanterns, water screens, and swirling animal imagery. I’m thinking a nature version of Fantasmic!, but with a few added extras, although I’m only guessing, given what tantalizing information Disney have teased us with so far.
I’m also hoping there might be a dining package with the Rivers of Light, and preferably with the option of dining at Tiffins, which will be the park’s debut signature restaurant. We love our signature dining, and it’s a rare pleasure to discover Disney will be adding another one in one of their parks, as the majority are currently located in the various resorts.
Dining is going to be a real theme of our next Walt Disney World visit, although in truth, who am I kidding? It’s always a feature of every one of our Disney vacations. However, this time around, Disney will have a wide array of new places for us to sample. Alongside Tiffins, there’s the Skipper Canteen in the Magic Kingdom, with its Jungle Cruise theming, Trader Sam’s at the Polynesian Village Resort, which sadly opened just after our last visit, along with numerous new offerings at Disney Springs. I’ve already mentioned the Boathouse, then there’s Morimoto Asia, which I’ve heard mixed reviews of, Jock Lindsay’s Hangar Bar, which I’ve heard very good things about, and the forthcoming STK Orlando. Then there are a number of restaurants adding in new meals to their repertoire, with the Garden Grill and Be Our Guest having added in breakfast since our last vacation, and Hollywood and Vine changing their dinner to offer meetings with Minnie and friends in a variety of themes throughout the year. Decisions, decisions…. Making Advanced Dining Reservations for this trip is certainly going to be a challenge!
In Epcot, I was very sad to see the demise of Maelstrom in Norway, and in truth, I’m still not 100% sure about its replacement, Frozen Ever After. I’m personally getting the feeling that there’s a little too much Frozen in the parks, although I’m sure there’s a legion of young girls who would disagree with me on that count. However, the concept art does look intriguing, and Norway has always been one of my favorite pavilions, so fingers crossed, the Imagineers will come good, and deliver something truly spectacular to replace a much loved attraction.
Turning to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, while there will be many changes coming to this park over the next few years, some have already arrived. Ahead of the development of Star Wars Land in the park, guests can still celebrate the magic of those particular movies in a number of different ways. I’ve heard reviews of the Star Wars Launch Bay, and I cannot wait to see the exhibits, models, and costumes they have in there, although I have heeded the warnings that fans can easily spend a couple of hours in there. And that’s before you get to the line to either meet Chewbacca or Darth Vader.
As huge firework fans, I also can’t wait to see the new Symphony in the Stars: A Galactic Spectacular, presented on select nights. Who knows, we may even spring for the dessert party to celebrate properly!
We’ve only got a few short days the next time we’re in Walt Disney World, and now I list everything that’s new that we want to see and do, I realize just what a challenge that’s going to be. Where else in the world can somewhere undergo such radical changes in just over 18 months? I guess that’s one of the reasons we love Disney so much, it’s constantly evolving with something new to enjoy on every visit.
Added to PassPorter's Article Collection on 02-02-2016 09:02 AM
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