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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Old 09-22-2004, 09:19 PM   #1
Cheriemek
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It really IS a small world after all!

I was wondering how many people have run into friends or family (totally unexpectedly) when they were in DW? Last month we had a truely "magical" moment when we ran into a beloved teacher. When my kids were younger they were in a crazy, progressive school where they mixed grades, or had two teachers share two classes, or had the same teacher keep the child for multiple years. Anyway, we had one young teacher for a span of 5 years (having two of my girls). The last year was about 6 years ago. Mrs. Bluman was fantastic, and she was a Disney nut! While we had her, she got a job teaching in Celebration which didn't work out, and she returned to our school . I hadn't seen her in a few years, and heard that she had been quite sick, and might not be able to teach anymore. Anyway, I had been telling my sisters about her adventures teaching in Celebration just that day. Imagine my surprise, late one night returning from the Wishes cruise, when I heard a voice saying "Is that the Mekarski family?" It was Mrs. Bluman with her kids and her mom, She looked good and said that she would be teaching again in the fall. She gave my girls (and me!)a great big hug and we took a picture. She was staying in the same resort, one building over!
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Old 09-22-2004, 09:25 PM   #2
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Re: It really IS a small world after all!

That is a wonderful story. While I have not run into anyone I know at Disney (except the characters ), it has happened to me in Charlotte, NC during a Nextel Cup race.
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Old 09-22-2004, 09:26 PM   #3
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Re: It really IS a small world after all!

Wow, what a magical story We ran into a man and his family who was in my DH's company but was transferred to Canada. We had no idea they were at Disney World It is a small world after all. . .
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Old 09-22-2004, 09:30 PM   #4
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Re: It really IS a small world after all!

We have run into co-workers many times. Funny since all of us are from PA/NY. Spent several hours catching up with one family. They had moved one way - us another. It was great. Had a rude reaction from another - "you're the last person we'd expect to run into here". Tells you how much they know me!

It is a small world - you just never know!
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Old 09-22-2004, 10:22 PM   #5
Stephanie P.
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Re: It really IS a small world after all!

Last year, we were at the Boneyard and we ran into DS's kindergarten teacher. I knew she was out out of town for Thanksgiving week, but didn't know she was going to WDW. You should have seen the look on DS's face! It was like, "Oh no!"

Stephanie
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Old 09-22-2004, 10:23 PM   #6
Linda K
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Re: It really IS a small world after all!

Last May we were leaving MGM and my DS said "hey, there goes my spanish professor". He turned around calling her name. She turned around and saw him and was so surprised. She introduced him to the other members of her party. He still talks about that.
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Old 09-22-2004, 11:02 PM   #7
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Re: It really IS a small world after all!

Sounds like there are a lot of teachers who are Disney fans! My story is the opposite. Last time we went we were having lunch at Akhershus and a child tapped me on the shoulder. When I turned around, I recognized one of my former music students!
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Old 09-22-2004, 11:08 PM   #8
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Re: It really IS a small world after all!

I guess I would have to say that teachers are kids at heart!!!
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Old 09-23-2004, 12:36 AM   #9
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Re: It really IS a small world after all!

As a teacher myself (1st grade) I would have to say that I am quite childlike. It makes teaching and parenting a little easier sometimes!
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Old 09-23-2004, 07:49 AM   #10
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Re: It really IS a small world after all!

[ QUOTE ]
Last year, we were at the Boneyard and we ran into DS's kindergarten teacher. I knew she was out out of town for Thanksgiving week, but didn't know she was going to WDW. You should have seen the look on DS's face! It was like, "Oh no!"

Stephanie

[/ QUOTE ]

That is cute

We have never run into anyone we know while at Disney
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Old 09-23-2004, 09:59 AM   #11
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Re: It really IS a small world after all!

Several years ago we happened to get in line for Haunted Mansion right behind a family from our church. We had no idea they were going to WDW! We have also run into church friends or people we went to school with the last 2-3 times we've gone to Myrtle Beach, but that's so close to here it's not that unusual.

While getting church directory pictures made last year we were talking to several other families waiting their turn--it turns out ALL of them were going to WDW in the next 6 months. So much for that Southern Baptist WDW boycott!
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Old 09-23-2004, 10:47 AM   #12
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Re: It really IS a small world after all!

I know we saw somebody we knew at WDW once, but I can't remember who it was. I do remember we were standing in line for the Hulk at Universal and my DS's teacher was standing right next to us.

We have been to Daytona Beach and met some people we knew from home before.
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Old 09-23-2004, 10:51 AM   #13
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Re: It really IS a small world after all!

Great topic!
For many years we never saw anyone we knew...
But in April one of DD's best friends from preschool, whom we hadn't seen in a couple of years, walked up to us while we were waiting for the MK to open They were in line about 20 people behind us...
And then a couple of days later I saw that the woman behind me in line at Snow White's Scary Adventures was someone I knew from DD's Swim club.
It's a Small World after all...
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Old 09-23-2004, 10:52 AM   #14
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Re: It really IS a small world after all!

We had a funny experience last year. We were staying at GF and were waiting to be seated at Grand Floridian Cafe for lunch. The Adventures in Cooking kids had just come out dressed in their little aprons and chef's hats. One little boy came up to me and offered me the cookie he had made. I thought it was cute but didn't want to take his cookie from him, so I politely declined. His Mom came up to me and smiled and said "We know you guys!" But for the life of me I couldn't think of who she was!! We had just moved into our new house and it turned out she was our neighbor!!! DH recognized them right away. They have a DD who is just a few months older than my DD. It turned out they were staying at All Star Sports and were just at GF so their son could participate in the Cooking Adventure. What a small world, huh?

Well, to make it even more ironic, both of our families had tickets for MNSSHP that night!!! So we spent the day taking the kids swimming at the GF pool, and then met up outside LTT later that evening and spent the whole evening together at MNSSHP. The girls had a blast hanging out together at MK.

Running into them at WDW was the start of a good friendship and now we hang out and our kids play together all the time. What's neat is that we will always have the pictures of the kids together so as they grow up and go through school together, we can show them (or blackmail them!) with those pics of them as toddlers together at MK!!
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Old 09-23-2004, 01:58 PM   #15
Jaya
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Re: It really IS a small world after all!

It's so true!

Just 2 weeks ago DH & I were checking into CBR for our honeymoon. I was looking around at the clerks to see if Kelly was there, and my jaw dropped when I saw Caty, a girl whom I knew from Massachusetts (of all places, I live in Cali now and I see her in Florida!)!! I was good friends with her older sister when we were at school, and her too of course. I made sure I let a couple of people ahead of me in line so that she could check us in! I was disappointed not to see Kelly, but it was great to see a friendly face all the same!
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