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PASSPORTER NEWS

News, Announcements, Updates, and Tips

May 07, 2009 * Issue 9.19

PassPorter.com - http://www.passporter.com

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Welcome to PassPorter News, an online newsletter about PassPorter travel guidebooks, the Walt Disney World Resort, and Disney Cruise Line.

PassPorter News is available by free subscription to all readers and friends of our labor of love -- PassPorter Travel Guidebooks.
Learn all about them:
http://www.passporter.com/aboutpassporter.htm


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In This Newsletter:
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From the Authors: Decade of Dreams Tour Was Dreamy!

Travel Feature: Japan

Disney Feature: Credit Card Crisis

Updates: What's New and Changed

Tips: Great Games, Perfect Playlist, Making More Magic (Part 2),

Cool Links: Disney Stuff and Services

Captain's Corner: The Perfect Present

PassPorter PhotoPick: 2009 Epcot Flower & Garden Festival

Q and A: Will they expand the monorail?

Our Sponsors: We Recommend...


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FROM THE AUTHORS: Decade of Dreams Tour Was Dreamy!
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Hi, {{user('firstname')}}!

Back from Disney!
We're back home from our nearly two-week trip to celebrate PassPorter's 10th birthday on the Decade of Dreams Tour! The trip was a success and we all had a great time! Many, many heartfelt thanks to everyone who was able to join us on the cruise and at Walt Disney World, and to all of you who sent birthday wishes in our message board. We're sure the trip reports will be hitting the boards soon, but in the meantime you may enjoy looking at all the photos we posted along the way in our Window Seat Forum.

If you're going to be near Ann Arbor on May 16 for the Ann Arbor Book Festival or in New York City on May 31 for our pre-theater gathering, there are ways you can join us for the fun on our next Decade of Dreams tour stops. We'll have free events, open to all in all of these locations. To learn more, visit our Decade of Dreams forum!

Coming Soon! PassPorter's Disney Vacation Club Guide for Members and Members-To-Be
PassPorter's Disney Vacation Club Guide is a comprehensive e-book covering every aspect of the Disney Vacation Club in detail and answers the most commonly asked questions to help you decide whether the Disney Vacation Club is the right investment for you. For those who are already DVC members, the guide brings together everything you need in one place, including a look at all the ways you can spend your points, lists of the various member benefits, and interactive worksheets for tracking your contracts, points, and reservations. Watch for more details on how and when this new e-book will become available in the coming weeks!

PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line 2009 In Stock!
The brand new PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line 2009 guidebook is now in stock and shipping the next business day. This is a great time to order if you haven't already, as bookstores won't have their books for a couple of weeks in most cases. Order at http://www.passporterstore.com/store/dcl2009.aspx

PassPorter at the Ann Arbor Book Festival
"Jennifer and Dave, what are you going to do after you get back from Walt Disney World?" "We're going to the Ann Arbor Book Festival!" The next stop on the Decade of Dreams Tour is right in our home base, Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Saturday, May 16. We'll be exhibiting from 11:00 am-5:00 pm in the Michigan League on the University of Michigan Central Campus. Dave will also be speaking in the morning at the Writer's Conference and appearing on the Future of the Book Panel at 1:30 pm. Admission to the exhibits and Future of the Book Panel is free, and we'd love to see you there! Who knows, maybe we can even turn this into a PassPorter "meet" (check the Decade of Dreams message board to see what's up).

PassPorter's Club Update

In this issue, PassPorter Featured Columnist Cheryl Pendry shares tips on Japan. Then PassPorter Guest Contributor Sandra Bostwick gives us a glimpse into Credit Card Crisis. Finally, Jack Skatt is back with a brand-new Walt Disney World Treasure Hunt.

Jennifer and Dave Marx
PassPorter Founders and Authors


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DID YOU KNOW?

MouseEarVacations.com - Introducing our NEW social networking sites!
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Calling all PassPorters!

Join your friends at MouseEarVacations at one (or all 3) of our new social networking sites and lets get to know each other a little better!

Visit our Blog - MouseEarsFun http://mouseearsfun.com/

We're on Facebook now at http://www.facebook.com/pages/MouseEarVacations /66248978333

Tweeting more your style? Visit us at: http://twitter.com/mouseearsfun

Hope to see you there soon!

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TRAVEL FEATURE: Japan
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by Cheryl Pendry, PassPorter Featured Columnist

For as many years as I can remember, I've dreamed of visiting Japan and recently I was finally able to make that dream come true.

In our two-week tour of the country, we went to the capital Tokyo, the former capital Kyoto, and Hiroshima, infamous for the events of August 1945, as well as visiting the Tokyo Disney resort. Add to that day trips to Nara, Nikko, Mount Fuji, and Lake Hakone (all easily accessible from Tokyo) and our trip certainly gave us a good chance to experience Japan.

To me, Japan is a country that is full of contradictions, and I love the idea of that. If you head to the right parts of any major city, you'll find young Japanese experimenting with the most way-out fashions they can find, many of them Western in origin, yet elsewhere in the same city, you'll also see women in traditional kimonos, taking pride in the history of their country. I can't think of any other country where you would see people in everyday life wearing such traditional costumes. They're hardly made for today's society, but the women we saw in them, without exception, looked elegant and seemed to relish the challenge of getting around in a kimono.

Think of any new kind of technology and the chances are that it probably originated in Japan, with cameras, TVs, and computers often debuting there first, before finding it into the rest of the world. Visitors to the country can see, and in some cases, try out that new technology, with many major companies having areas open to the public to market their newest inventions. The Sony Center in Tokyo's Ginza is one example, with floors full of things you've never seen before, with some clearly marked as not yet available on the market. All I'll say is keep an eye out over the next few months for Rolly, who plays music and dances to it. He's an adorable invention, the likes of which you've never seen before.

Yet, ironically, in a world where we're all getting used to the idea of being in a recession, it's something the Japanese are already very familiar with. Their economy has been in recession for the last decade, according to all the official figures, but it's not something that you'd ever know from visiting the country.

It's literally packed with designer names everywhere you go. Having visited some of the richest playgrounds in the world, such as Monte Carlo and Beverley Hills, we were amazed to find that Japan's major cities seemed to have more of these brand names than we had seen anywhere else. The recession certainly doesn't seem to be hurting the Japanese ability to shop.

If you know anything about the history of Japan, you'll know that it was a country that was closed to the outside world for 200 years, until Commander Matthew Perry led a fleet of US vessels into Edo Bay, the old name for Tokyo, in 1835. Bearing in mind that the Japanese have only had a couple of hundred years of contact with the outside world, you perhaps wouldn't expect them to speak other languages, but they do and exceptionally well.

Although I had spent a couple of years learning Japanese, I didn't get much of a chance to speak it while we were there. We had a couple of interesting experiences with taxi drivers in Kyoto, where my lessons did come in very handy! I had read that the Japanese don't like to speak English, as they're worried about getting things wrong, but there was no sign of that at all. Generally, when I did attempt Japanese, I would get stunned looks, as if they couldn't understand how a Westerner could speak their language.

And here's another contradiction. Although English is widely spoken, most restaurant menus are in Japanese, which even I couldn't fathom, with my knowledge of the language. Fortunately most menus do have pictures with them, so you could get an idea of what you were ordering. Being vegetarian I did become very adept at asking if the items had meat in them or not!

Perhaps one of the things that Japan is best known for is its public transport system, and rightly so. We were fortunate enough to take four journeys on the Shinkansen, known more commonly as the bullet train, and it is just as amazing as people say. It runs perfectly to schedule, is spotlessly cleaned at the end of each journey, with the seats giving you more room than you would find on most planes. Yet, step on to a subway train and there's every chance you'll be sandwiched into a carriage in a way you've never experienced before, with people even employed during rush hours to push you into the train to make sure you all fit!

Something else you can't escape talking about when you talk about the character of Japan is the bathroom facilities. Our hotel rooms all featured toilets with the most amazing array of functions on them, including warm seats, music– I kid you not! These have to be seen to be believed and it is something that the Japanese take seriously, as they like to exercise discretion in these delicate situations.

Contrast that then with the Japanese-style toilets that you'll find in some public places. These are literally just troughs in the ground and take some getting used to. Fortunately, in most places, they do also have the more traditional Western versions available, which came as a great relief!

One thing that isn't a contradiction is the behavior of the Japanese. At all times, they were exceptionally courteous and we would often find ourselves bowing in response to them, as it suddenly seemed the most natural thing to do. The service you receive is second to none and there is no tipping in their culture. Leave any extra money and there's every chance they'll run after you and give it back to you. It's a very refreshing change, although sadly I don't think service anywhere else in the world will now ever seem that good to us, having experienced the best in Japan.

Japan is certainly a land of contrasts and we noticed huge differences between the sprawling cities and the open countryside we saw. It was fascinating, and we loved experiencing the Japanese culture first hand, so much so that one day we hope to go back to experience some more of it.


About the Author: Cheryl and husband Mark live in England and love to travel, particularly to Disney, and they have made numerous visits to destinations across America and Europe. They recently completed their tour of every Disney theme park around the world, which culminated in their visit to Japan, including the Tokyo Disney Resort.

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Did you enjoy this article? Have questions? E-mail us at news@passporter.com or visit http://www.passporterboards.com to discuss your travel plans. Also check out our Article Collection for more great information!

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DISNEY FEATURE: Credit Card Crisis
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by Sandra Bostwick, PassPorter Guest Contributor

The credit crisis is here! Why do you care? Because credit card companies are changing terms, raising rates, adding fees, and making it harder to play by the rules. Make one mistake, and you'll have the right to remain silent because anything you say won't matter anyway! Here are two ways to stay ahead of the game.

The Sudden Rate Increase Fight Back Strategy

Cara, a full-time New Jersey mom of three children ages 7, 5, and 3, fought back when a sudden rate increase tried to take her money and run! She'd managed to pay all her bills on time and follow all the rules. Imagine her surprise when she saw her monthly minimum credit card payment jump from $166 to $250. That's with no new purchases…just an interest rate hike!

"I made the minimum payment every month for years and I never missed a payment. One month I made the minimum payment plus the finance charge, and the next month my interest rate was raised from 14.9 to 24.9! I don't know if that was a coincidence," she said. "I called because there was no explanation. I spoke to customer service, then a rate counselor, who told me they could raise my rate as long as my balance was over half the credit limit. They said they sent me a notice, but I never saw that notice, and I read everything! First they said I'd have to pay the higher interest rate until my account was below half because I hadn't frozen my account. They said I could call again and negotiate the rate when the balance was paid down. I kept insisting that I'd never seen the notice until they finally gave me the option of freezing my account at 14.9%."

When Cara called later to ask if the $100 in interest charges would be refunded retroactively, SURPRISE! There was no record of the first call. No lowered rate as promised, no account freeze…nothing. Just interest ticking away at 24.9%. Another mystery! "I had to go through the whole process again to get frozen," she said. "If I had not called right away to check on the $100, who knows what would have happened!"

Here's the plan if you get a sudden rate increase:

- Read and understand all notices.

- Call and ask questions. Be careful of "scripts" that sound like they are being read from a screen. Misunderstanding these will most likely cost you.

- If your rate increases, freeze your account before the deadline to keep your old rate. You cannot use that card until the balance goes below a certain limit, but you will save money.

- When you call, write the name, date and times for each call. If you are transferred, make sure to get the new person's name.

- Call the next day to confirm the change. Personal experience and many first-hand stories from trustworthy friends and acquaintances suggest that data entries in favor of the consumer are often lost. Don't rest easy if they assure you they've fixed the problem. You MUST call back until a new person says they see the change on their screen at the start of the call. While calling several times is annoying, being cheated feels much worse.

The Pay Ahead Elimination Notice Decoded

Do you rely on tried and true routines and automatic systems to pay bills on time? If you've been hoping for a little bill paying excitement, you could be in luck. Paying on time could be more of an adventure if you get a Pay Ahead Elimination Notice. Strategies you've been using to avoid interest and late fees may no longer work because, well ... I guess someone figured out they help you avoid interest and late fees!

These are actual phrases from different notices:

- You may no longer make minimum payments in advance.

- You must pay the Total Minimum Due each billing cycle.

- A minimum payment will be required for every statement with a balance, even if you paid more than the minimum payment or made multiple payments in a previous billing period.

- We will no longer apply any portion of payments in the current billing cycles to Total Minimum Amount Due.

Here is what it means:

Paying too early is just as bad as paying too late! If a billing cycle runs from November 1 to November 28, your payment must be recorded between those dates to count for that billing cycle, NOT EARLIER.

Here is what you need to do:

- Be alert to any notice that changes the number of days in your billing cycle.

- Fill in a calendar for a whole year with the due dates. In a 28 day cycle, you can't count on paying on the same day each month.

- Don't pay even one day earlier than the start of the next billing cycle. Credit card companies aren't big on paying it forward. You'll end up with multiple payment for one billing cycle and a zero payment for the following month. Then you'll have fees, higher interest rates and lower FICO scores for a long time.

- Don't trust the US mail OR the person opening the mail at the credit card company. Use online bill paying from your checking account. You can sit down once and schedule future payments for the whole month. This gives you a confirmation of the payment date and gives you control of timing. You also save on stamps!

- Sign up for email payment reminders. Good credit card companies offer this for free.

My December 2007 article, Credit Card 101: What The Fine Print Really Means, gave some basic strategies, defined some terms and hopefully prepared some people for the meltdown that has taken almost a year to materialize. Forcing yourself through the tedium of that piece might not be a bad idea. With companies raising rates and changing rules for card members who have a perfect track record, the penalties are even worse if you make a mistake. Fight back with a few smart moves of your own! The winner of this game gets to keep YOUR money! Good luck and be careful out there!


About the Author: Sandra Bostwick is an occupational therapist, music therapist, and adjunct professor at County College of Morris. She owns Creative Learning Studios and enjoys motivational speaking and writing. She has experience in the travel and entertainment industry on land and sea, but dreams of earning a Walt Disney World cast member pin one day.

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Did you enjoy this article? Have questions? E-mail us at news@passporter.com or visit http://www.passporterboards.com to discuss your travel plans. Also check out our Article Collection for more great information!

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WHAT'S NEW AND CHANGED
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Here are a few items of relevant news:

Pirate League Opens in June. Is your little prince or princess more of a pirate? Good news! The Pirate League, Adventureland's alternative to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, opens in the Magic Kingdom on June 29, 2009. Reservations can be made by calling 407-WDW-CREW, beginning May 11, 2009 for boys, girls, and even adults for the following packages:

First Mate: Includes bandanna, choice of facial effect (scar, tattoo, fake tooth, earring or eye patch), sword and sheath, one 5x7 photo, and personalized pirate oath. $49.95 plus tax.

Empress: Includes bandanna, make-up (face gem, tattoos, nail polish, earring and eye patch), sword and sheath, pirate coin necklace, one 5x7 photo, and personalized pirate oath. $49.95 plus tax.

Captain: Includes choice of costume, choice of facial effect (scar, tattoo, fake tooth, earring or eye patch), sword and sheath, three 5x7 photos, and personalized pirate oath. $124.95 plus tax. This updates page 125 of PasPorter's Walt Disney World guidebook

Stitch's Supersonic Celebration Now Open!. Stitch's Supersonic Celebration, a new stage show in Tomorrowland which features technology similar to Turtle Talk with Crush, premiered on May 6, 2009. The show is currently scheduled to run daily at 10:00 am, 11:10 am, 12:20 pm, 2:15 pm, 3:30 pm, and 4:45 pm. This updates page 125 of PasPorter's Walt Disney World guidebook

Halloween and Christmas Party Tickets On Sale. Tickets for the 2009 Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party are now on sale. Advance purchase tickets for both parties will be $52 plus tax per adult (ages 10+) and $46 plus tax for children (ages 3 - 9). Tickets purchased the day of the party will cost $59 plus tax per adult and $53 plus tax per child. No advance ticket purchase discount is available for the October 9, 15, and 23 parties or the November 29, December 4, 11, 17, and 18 parties. This updates page 259 of PasPorter's Walt Disney World guidebook

Our thanks to AllEars.net and MousePlanet.com from which we get some of our news leads.

Hear some news? Be a 'PassPorter Reporter' and send it to us at http://www.passporter.com/report.asp


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DISNEY TIPS FROM FELLOW READERS
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Our readers deliver a wealth of information! Send us your tips! You may see them in this newsletter and win a copy of PassPorter! Visit: http://www.passporter.com/customs/tipsandstories.asp

GREAT GAMES
'While waiting for buses from the resort to the park or waiting in lines at the park, we passed the time by playing what we called the alphabet game. Pick a category and everyone takes turns coming up with something that fits begins with a letter of the alphabet starting with A and working towards Z. The categories can be fun (Disney movie characters) or educational (international cities). Sometimes other people waiting joined to play.'
-- contributed by Kathleen

PERFECT PLAYLIST
'My husband and I are taking our first vacation since our honeymoon, and we chose Walt Disney World! We are traveling by car from South Jersey and staying over night with my cousins in NC. The second leg of the trip will be about 10 hours long, so to pass the time I am putting together a playlist on my iPod. Disney music, movie quotes, and trivia will be mixed in with the rest of our music to get us more excited for out first "Family Vacation"! The drive will go faster and, if I timed it correctly, we should hit the gates to WDW as "When You Wish Upon a Star" starts to play!'
-- contributed by Leslie

MAKING MORE MAGIC (PART 2)
'We are taking our 8 yr old niece to Walt Disney World and she has never been there (our family has been more than 8 times). To create some magic, using photos of characters and a print art program, we are making cards and gifts to send to her from her favorite characters. We are even copying the official signatures from old autograph books! The first letters told when they would meet her at character dining - we put in the date and time with the restaurant. Some of the characters are now sending her pins for pin trading, while some sent park maps with the restaurants circled where she will be eating, rides * to do, etc. She gets excited when ever new mail arrives.'
-- contributed by Mary Ann

>>Want more Disney tips? For Walt Disney World fans, we've collected 500 of the best tips submitted by readers over the past six years. All have been edited for accuracy and categorized. For details, visit the PassPorter Disney 500 info page at http://www.passporter.com/wdw/disney500.asp

>>For Disney Cruise Line fans, we have an e-book with 250 cruiser tips, as well as a special cruise line comparison section and seven customized packing lists. For information, visit the Disney Cruise Clues info page at http://www.passporter.com/dcl/cruiseclues.asp


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COOL LINKS: Disney Stuff and Services
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We encounter many Disney- and travel-related products and services. From among those we try, a few are good enough to use ourselves and recommend to you:

KidsFlySafe.com: CARES FAA-approved safety harness for planes -- you can visit them at http://www.kidsflysafe.com/?utm_source=PASPTR&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=affiliate



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CAPTAIN'S CORNER: Treasure Hunting Game
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Play our fun and quirky treasure hunting game, hosted by Captain Jack Skatt from our book, "PassPorter's Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World."

The Captain makes a study of the delightful details -- sometimes hidden, sometimes in plain sight but often overlooked -- at Walt Disney World and aboard the Disney Cruise Line. Using notes from his journals, he will lead you to this "treasure" at Disney with clues, questions, photos, or riddles. Your challenge is to discover the answer by searching your memory, visiting Disney, or even just looking really hard on the Internet. If you think you've found the answer, e-mail it to jackskatt@passporter.com -- the first person to correctly submit the FULL answer will receive a free PassPorter enamel pin or PassPorter name badge pin.

Here is this week's journal entry:

"I followed the Decade of Dreams Tour faithfully via the real-time photo trip report. The big bash on May 3rd looked like a wonderful time! And what a great present the PassPorter Guides gave to Jennifer and Dave! Now that's what I call the perfect gift."

What did the PassPorter Guides present to Jennifer and Dave for PassPorter's 10th Birthday?

For bonus credit, locate the photo in the Window Seat Forum and post a comment with the photo!

Congratulations to Valerie T.Êwho was the winner of last week's trivia contest! Valerie was the first person to identify the book that Jennifer's mother is reading as PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line and It's Ports of Call. Bonus credit also goes to kkbeaton2 as the first person to locate the photo in the Window Seat Forum. To view the original clue, see last week's newsletter.

Send your full answer to jackskatt@passporter.com -- the winner will be notified by e-mail and announced in a future newsletter, along with the correct answer!


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PASSPORTER PHOTOPICK
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Each issue we choose a special photo from the PassPorter Photo Archive which highlights something beautiful, interesting, humorous, or timely at Disney or around the world. Here is this issue's PassPorter PhotoPick:

2009 Epcot Flower & Garden Festival
Photo by Mauimouse
Photo Link: http://www.passporter.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/13133

You can nominate photos as a PassPorter PhotoPick by giving ratings in the PassPorter Photo Archive (you'll need to be logged in to do this). If you'd like to contribute your own photos to the Photo Archive and be considered as a PhotoPick, please read our Photo Upload Guidelines for details and benefits.

Top 5 Photo Contributors
chezp - 3527 photos
Meggera - 711 photos
akleos - 568 photos
Dopey007 - 512 photos
DyanKJ130 - 503 photos


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Q & A WITH JENNIFER & DAVE
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katsunderthestars asks: "Does anyone know why they don't build more monorail ... at least connecting the four parks?"

Dave answers: "There's been a lot of discussion around the web about this. There's no doubt the romance of the 'rail keeps the discussion going.

I'd say first off that park-to-park transportation isn't high on Disney's priority list. Resort-to-park transport is by far the biggest chunk of the transportation pie. However, at that very high cost-per-mile, monorail is not the answer for connecting all those destinations.

The complexity of a rail-based system that can connect all resorts with all parks is pretty substantial - either there will be lots of transfers required, or a very extensive network of dedicated routes.

Then there's the problem of Disney itself needing to distinguish between the various 'classes' of accommodations. Transportation options are currently one of the determining factors. With the exception of AKL, all Disney Deluxe resorts have multiple transportation choices - monorail/bus/boat or bus/boat. For the most part, other classes of resort do not. If transportation becomes cooler/more efficient at the less expensive resorts, then Disney has to find other ways to keep the Deluxes attractive. You can also bet that, to the extent possible, Disney would increase the prices at the resorts served by upgraded transportation.

The most practical current idea out there is light rail (trolley-like vehicles). The cost is substantially lower than monorail, but that's only relative. It could be used to connect the parks and resorts, and also the airport. There have been serious proposals for a light rail link between WDW and the airport, but the idea hasn't gotten a lot of support from the rest of the Orlando business community, because it wouldn't do much to serve their needs.

Among various blue sky ideas, one that catches the imagination of Disney fans with an interest in transportation is a full-fledged version of the People Mover idea (like the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, but all grown up). You'd have a whole lot of driver-less, small capacity electric vehicles visiting all the parks, resorts, and (presumably) the airport. The vehicles would move to the loading zone on demand, and parties of travelers would select their destination from a touch screen menu. The system might use dedicated roadways, or by the time it went into effect, they might even use the existing road system, with all the vehicles under computer control (radio control, guide wires embedded in the pavement, etc.). Each vehicle would have a small capacity, so instead of waiting 20 minutes for the right bus to come along, folks could head to their destination on demand.

All of this is fabulously expensive, and not likely to happen anytime soon. Our best hope might be if it was built by the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID), rather than directly by Disney. As a government body, RCID can issue municipal bonds and obtain Federal, State, and County transportation funding. As an experimental system, one could imagine RCID obtaining government financing that would cover a significant part of the costs, but I have a feeling cities with large populations of taxpayers would be first in line for those monies."

Did our message board members agree with Dave? To see other answers that katsunderthestars received, check out the rest of the thread on the PassPorter Message Boards..

Have a question? Post questions at http://www.passporterboards.com/ -- and if you're lucky, you may find that folks have already asked and answered the same question that's on your mind!


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WANT TO GET PUBLISHED?
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PassPorter News is published weekly and we're always on the lookout for good quality Disney and travel articles! We seek guest columnists who want to contribute articles to this newsletter. No professional writing experience necessary, just a desire to share your experience with others! Not only is this a great way to give something back to the PassPorter community, but you get to see your name in "print" and receive a $25 gift certificate.


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OUR SPONSORS: We Recommend...
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PassPorter only accepts advertising from services of the highest quality -- we recommend these companies because we use them ourselves. Please support our sponsors and, in turn, support this newsletter! This week's sponsors are (in order of appearance):

MouseEarVacations.com - Introducing our NEW social networking sites! Visit them at http://www.mouseearvacations.com/web/

Mouse Fan Travel - Special Offer! Free Dining is back! Visit them at http://www.mousefantravel.com/?apid=ptpn

Quicksilver Tours - $5.00 off airport round-trip town car! Visit them at http://www.quicksilver-tours.com/

Thank you, sponsors!

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