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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Essentially - WDW sold ear hats, wands, mickey hands with LED lights that were RFID controlled and would flash different colors in time with music and sync'd during events like Fantasmic, fireworks shows, etc. They had been called "Glow with the Show" as well, in case that is more familiar. We loved this during the MVMCP, Wishes fireworks shows, and the Osborne Family Lights display when that was still around.
My question is - is this tech still a thing?
WookiePants & I have our ear hats and wand. For our trip in October, we were going to put in new batteries and schlep these things with us to WDW to see how cool they would be during the MNSSHP and new fireworks shows. Who knows, maybe they set up something for Rivers of Light too?
But before we shell out battery money and secure a place in our luggage for these things (every ounce is sacred, you know...), we wanted to know if the tech is even being used. It would suck if we brought these things with us only to find that they're useless now.
Please help - if you've been to WDW lately, have you seen these hats around and part of the shows?
We haven't been lately but were all psyched to use both my Minnie ears headband and new wands for each of us on our Christmas week trip in '15. We hauled them all home unused.
Hardly anyone was wearing a GWTS ear hat or headband anywhere. In fact, I don't think we saw more than a half dozen people wearing either the entire week we were there. We were out lots after dark, too.
When we did MVMCP in '14, the hats were everywhere.
I think the thrill wore off once people found out A) how expensive they were and B) how hideously uncomfortable the battery pack in the top of them pressing into your scalp was. We both tried on hats shortly after they were first sold and quickly decided we weren't buying for that reason. I have thick hair and couldn't stand how the battery pack felt. DH with a shaved head quickly said forget that idea.
Not sure we'll even pack ours this fall even though it's no hassle since they're in the Disney-only case, and we drive. If we flew, I definitely wouldn't bother and would just goodwill them.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
We still have the interactive Mickey that we bought around 8 or 9 years ago...the one that would tell jokes, remind you about parades and shows, tell you what was near you in the park...you know, all the stuff that the DME app does for us these days!!
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Jennifer / Eeyore is my favorite!! OMG - He's sooooo grown up!!!! And an EAGLE SCOUT!! I can still remember my cute little Tiger Cub! 2016 Reading Goal - 75 books
And this is why I love PassPorter people so much – thank you both for your experiences. When we were last at WDW during the 2014 Christmas season, there were quite a few people with ear hats on and it was really cool. @Dotness: I’m sorry you didn’t see many people use them in 2015. When I called WDW today to ask if “Made With Magic” tech was still being incorporated into events, the cast member didn’t even know what I was talking about, nor did her “fairy godmothers” (read: co-workers). That didn’t bode well.
Between our 2 ear hats with batteries and my wand, we’re looking at nearly a pound of junk in our suitcase that won’t get used, AND would have to be sherpa’d around the parks. And you know that as the woman who wears the purse, I'd be expected to carry all that crap around, because King CargoPants wouldn’t have room for anything more substantial than a sugar packet. I’d rather leave these items at home than to bring something useless. After all, I’m already bringing WookiePants! ROFL Kidding, kidding! I’m just being silly – he’s my favorite guy in the history of ever!
I think you are 100% on target about why this tech may have not gone over well. The battery pack was uncomfortable, and I have thick hair as well. Then again, I’ve put up with worse for looks – I mean, how else do you explain why women wear heels? LOL The items were more expensive than I expected, which is doable for 2 people, but much more of an indulgence if you’re talking about a family.
I’m going to leave these at home and save the battery money (figuring around $10-15) for more snacks. Thank you again! <3
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¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨) DisneyWitch
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~~ Magick is not just for vacations! ~~
Last edited by DisneyWitch; 08-24-2017 at 02:17 PM..
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