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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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The number one accessory at Disney is a camera. Most people have digital cameras now. However, my complaint with digital cameras are their lousy night shot capabilities, unless you have a DSLR or a tripod or both.
Well, I'm not a camera person. I want to take the thing out of my purse and shoot. However, I was very, very disappointed with my pics from May. Since Mikey and I hung out in the parks mostly at night, we had hardly any photos. 90% of my photos were unusable as you just couldn't make out what it was supposed to be. I decided I would start camera shopping. I stumbled upon the press release from Canon about it's SD4500IS to be released in fall of 2010. It promised fantastic night photos without a tripod.
Well, that was what I wanted. Since I have MS, I have HORRIBLE hand shake and I figured it if could do what it promised for me then I would have exactly what I needed in a camera.
I made my purchase the other day and picked it up tonight. Without a tripod, without a garbage can, with my shaky hands alone this is the shot it took:
With some minor editing (included software with the camera):
It's a little noisy with the edit, but I think I can tweak it further.
Absolutely amazing for a simple point and shoot camera. It took 5 shots in rapid succession, all I did was press the button once. Then it took a second or two, merged the shots together, and gave me one perfect shot!
It has the color accent features as well as the ability to take pictures in black and white. It also has a fireworks setting that I fully intend to try while in Disney. If you're looking for a new camera, consider the SD4500!!
Thanks so much for the info. The same thing happens to me. I'm horrible at getting a night time shot and forget fireworks. Your pictures look great! We will have to check that out. I'm all for pointing the camera, shooting and getting a great photo! Thanks again.
I am better with the night shots! Day always blurs on me! I have a Nikon Coolpix and it's digital... it has a setting for "night party" and one for "fireworks" so far I love it for here at home, the 20th I will be taking it to WDW and we shall see how it handles... it must meet my Disney standards!
Glad yours worked out! Try to get deep inside the camera and see if there is a night shot setting... mine has NIGHT PORTRAIT and NIGHT LANDSCAPE... there is a night star beside a person on the icon... good luck!
Got to love Canon. I'm on my third (2nd point and shoot - taking both to Disney) the new one SD780, has a night setting which I've used several times and the pics have come out great.
Can't wait for Illuminations next Friday to try out the fireworks setting and HD video capabilities.
I recommend Canon to everyone, easy to use, great pics & S M ALL!!
How big is your new Canon? I have a large canon eos rebel but would like something smaller for the parks but still want great pictures! Thanks for sharing your info!
I am better with the night shots! Day always blurs on me! I have a Nikon Coolpix and it's digital... it has a setting for "night party" and one for "fireworks" so far I love it for here at home, the 20th I will be taking it to WDW and we shall see how it handles... it must meet my Disney standards!
Glad yours worked out! Try to get deep inside the camera and see if there is a night shot setting... mine has NIGHT PORTRAIT and NIGHT LANDSCAPE... there is a night star beside a person on the icon... good luck!
Yes, that's what I used. I used its "Hand Held Night Shot" setting. When in this mode, it will take 5 shots in rapid succession. Then, it takes a second or two, and merges all 5 shots into one picture so there is no blur or light refraction. It is absolutely incredible.
It's about the size of a small index card, but is rather heavy for such a small size. The lens completely retracts and the flash is built in and not a pop-up. One of Canons recently released model had a lens that sticks out just slightly and the flash pops up. When the lens retracts fully, it also has a built in cover. I love this. I don't like covers that have to be put on manually or lenses that retract that don't have a built in cover.
My only complaint is that the camera does not charge through its USB portal. If my Kodak was hooked to the computer with the battery in place, the battery would charge off of the USB connection. For the Canon, I have to remove the battery and place it on the wall charger, which is included. A nice feature, I thought. It also requires a special sized battery, exclusive to this model, for the moment. Hopefully, it is just a thing of the future and other cameras will have this battery and it will be more readily available. An extra battery is $40 through canon.com.
Overall, I am incredibly impressed with this camera and its included software and cannot wait for my trip to test the Fireworks setting as well as play with the color accent.
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Last edited by TheMadonna3; 10-11-2010 at 01:53 PM..
I'm in love with Canon. I finally ditched my Kodak's and bought the Canon S90. It's beyond amazing with the night shots - and day shots too! Love this camera!! Congrats on your purchase, you will be happy for years to come!
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Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
Disney Trips: BLT & Poly Bungalow 2016, VGF 2015, Fantasy 2015, Saratoga Springs Resort 2014, Grand Villa at VGF 2013, Fantasy 2013, BWV and Kidani Village 2011, BWV and Kidani Village 2010, BWV and Saratoga Springs Resort 2008,Beach Club Villas 2008,Villas at Wilderness Lodge 2006, BWV 2006, BCV 2005, HHI 2004,Polynesian 2003,Grand Floridian 2000/concierge, Honeymoon at Polynesian 1994,Polynesian 1980,Polynesian 1978
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Sue