Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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03-22-2012, 01:50 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: Enjoying While Expecting - The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
Enjoying While Expecting - The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
by Erin Sforza
When I was pregnant with my daughter, my husband and I had planned to visit his family in Florida, ending our trip with the all-important pilgrimage to the "house the Mickey built" to play one last time together before we were a party of three.
Many of my friends and family asked why we would even waste our time at Walt Disney World. For starters, I wouldn't be able to go on many of the rides, it was a lot of walking to do for a pregnant woman, it was warm, and ... well after that I kind of drifted off, to be honest. I knew that we were headed to Epcot for the Food & Wine Festival, which I had a hunch would be a great spot for me. I was not disappointed. If you are planning a Disney vacation of any kind while expecting, don't ignore all of the wonderful advice you get from seasoned once-pregnant park veterans, as well as the usual precautions. Keep hydrated, rest frequently, eat well, and always make sure with your doctor that travel will be OK, because every pregnancy is different. That being said, the Food and Wine Festival is great for expectant moms for many reasons. There is a variety of different kinds of foods, not all of the special beverages are alcoholic, plenty of seating and indoor escapes from the sun and heat are available, and you will be able to go on some of the more gentle attractions.
No matter what your craving or aversions are, you can alternately indulge or avoid them with ease. Every country offers more than one entrée at the outdoor food stands, and the portions are also perfect for sensitive tummies. The way the festival is set up you can nibble and sip your way around the world until you and baby are content. Oh, and don’t forget to partake in the desserts along the way! This is where the smaller portions are great too; you don’t feel as if you (or baby) will be overdoing it. Epcot also offers wonderful sit-down restaurants serving nearly every kind of cuisine that you can think of. It was so much fun to see that not all of the festival’s beverage offerings were alcoholic, too! There was a really nice ginger tea in China, and Via Napoli serves the most wonderful carbonated fruit beverages. You have a choice of strawberry, lemon, or blood orange and they are all fabulous!
Epcot is also wonderful to explore while expecting because it’s so easy to heed the advice to slow down and rest often. There are tons of comfy spots to sit down, many of them shaded, when you are exploring the World Showcase. There is so much to see that you can’t help but enjoy taking it all in at a nice, leisurely pace. Epcot also has some great indoor attractions to help you escape the heat. Some of my favorites are the "outdoor market" in Mexico, The Land Pavilion, the Seas Pavilion, and shopping in MouseGear. Shopping is also a lot of fun in the multitude of countries in the World Showcase. If you are wondering whether there are any attractions that are suited for you while expecting you're in luck. Although you'll have to avoid rides like Test Track and Mission Space, you can enjoy plenty of other Epcot attractions. I was happy to find that Living With the Land, a tour through the Land Pavilion greenhouses, was available to me, as was Soarin', which is a simulated hang-glide over beautiful California. Be aware that some mommies-to-be with an aversion to pine or orange scents may want to skip this one, but otherwise it’s always nice to feel weightless when you’re in a condition where normally you may feel ... well, definitely not weightless! The Seas with Nemo and Friends is also a great ride. It's dark and cool and can be very calming. I love waiting to see if the dolphins are playing in the water at the end of the ride. (I also picked up the cutest bib for our little one with the seagulls from Finding Nemo yelling "Mine, mine, mine!") The American Adventure offers a nice seated and air conditioned respite, with a really well done show,. And don’t miss the Voices of Liberty performing in the rotunda. They are just amazing to listen to. In fact, there are also a lot of musical performances that are worth stopping to see, especially the park-favorite group, "Off Kilter" in Canada. Then, there are the musical acts that are booked specifically for the festival's “Eat to the Beat” concerts.
I had so much fun in Epcot exploring the Food and Wine Festival as a mommy-to-be. The food was wonderful as always, I found some really fun non-alcoholic beverages to try, and there was plenty to keep me entertained without feeling like I pushed myself. There’s no need to stress yourself out trying to park hop. You can slow down, take it all in, and end the day by hitting the Karmelle Kuche candy shop in Germany (hard) before settling in to watch IllumiNations and reveling in all of the smiles and compliments you received for being your cute pregnant self! If you're wondering whether you'll enjoy a visit to Disney World while expecting, there are certainly ways to make it a memorable experience, and Epcot is a great choice for a park to visit.
Added to PassPorter's Article Collection on 03-16-2012 09:03 AM
What do you think? Please add your own comments, experiences, or news related to this article in this thread! Reader feedback is welcomed and encouraged.
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