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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I'm thinking of surprising my family with a 4-night trip to Universal for a Christmas present. (Kids have way too many toys and gadgets and really don't need anymore, nor do we have room for anymore!!!!) What is the cheapest deal you have got and how did you get it? We'd fly out of Detroit or Flint and would love to stay onsite. The biggest expense will probably result from the timing - the week between Christmas and New Years would be the only option for us. If we stayed offsite during Christmas break would it still be possible to experience most of the parks since we wouldn't have the "fastpass" thing that we would have if we stayed onsite?
You should be able to see and do everything at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure with 4 days, whether you stay onsite or off. Their current ticket deal is buy 2-days, get an extra 5 for free, so you'll be able to spend up to 7 straight days at Universal's two parks for the price of two. Staying on-site does have it's advantages (no parking fees, "front of the line" access), but comes at a cost. The Universal hotels are all priced in the range of Disney Deluxe resorts ($250 per night).
That week is supposedly the busiest week of the year. If your budget will allow, staying onsite will be a huge benefit. If you do your research, you can find discounts. You might start by checking out mousesavers.com's Universal page:
Somewhere on their site you can sign up to receive email alerts of any special deals they have going.
Annual passholders get discounted rates on rooms. An AP at USF is about $179, so the savings you get on your room might pay for one AP. You'd only need one AP to get the discount.
The only downside of their onsite hotels is that you do pay parking - the daily parking fee is added onto your room bill. That highly irritates me!
If you don't stay onsite, most of the nearby hotels have a free shuttle service. We stayed offsite at a hotel on Universal Blvd. It was a Sierra Suites but it has changed names since then. Most of those hotels are fairly new and look very nice. And most of those will offer a complimentary breakfast, which can save you even more money.
Well, after checking out prices during the Holidays as compared to mid January I have decided to go in mid January. I can get a room at a Universal resort, 3 7-day passes and flights for less than the cost of just the room from Dec 26-30! Now the planning begins!
It's just my two kids and I going and I don't plan to rent a car - so Busch Gardens is out. We were at SeaWorld 2 years ago and although we enjoyed it, I think we'll wait till the next trip. This trip is just a short little "vacation" for the kids and I - DH is no longer interested in theme parks So I think we'll just hang out at Universal for the whole time. We've never been able to have a "leisurely" trip to Florida so it'll be nice to be able to take our time and not rush through the parks. If we have enough of the parks then we'll sit by the pool - can't wait!!! Thanks for the suggestions though
If you're staying offsite during the busy Christmas and New Year's time, be sure that you arrive at least 30 minutes before opening so you can do the major rides before the crowds come in. During that time, the parks generally open at 8 am. I know it's hard to wake up early on your vacation, but do it and you will be happy you did. The crowds will arrive around 11 am and noon, so if you do the major rides by then, you can relax and have a nice lunch or enjoy the shows. You can go back to your hotel in the afternoon and swim in the pool, take a nap, shop, etc. Come back in the evening and enjoy Universal 360 and do other things.
Also during that time, discounts will be hard to find, but you can find them. If you don't mind where you're staying, try Priceline or Hotwire. I found a room during that time for $35/night, but it was by the airport (a bit of a ways away from the park). You might be able to find closer hotels to Universal for $10-$20 more a night. You can even find a rental car for $25-$35/night on Priceline or Hotwire.
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Michelle - with my step sisters!
So I think we'll just hang out at Universal for the whole time. We've never been able to have a "leisurely" trip to Florida so it'll be nice to be able to take our time and not rush through the parks. If we have enough of the parks then we'll sit by the pool - can't wait!!! Thanks for the suggestions though 
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