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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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 just wanted some input on our trip thoughts...my husband and i will be in disney for a convention, and after looking at our schedule, here's what we came up with: the day we arrive (tuesday), we will be arriving late and checking into the closest (inexpensive) non disney hotel to the parks (already booked--hampton inn lake buena vista). we are then getting up EARLY the next morning (wednesday) to go check our bags (but not us--it will be too early) into our convention resort--beach club. we then plan to make it to the magic kingdom by opening time (ideally). we will have until around 5pm to see the park. i don't have any 'plans', and wasn't really going to make any (though we do have lunch reservations just in case). my husband has to be at a 7:00 meeting, so we will leave by 5 for him to make that (it is at the contemporary, i think). we then have dinner reservations at 9:15 at the yachtsman. two days later (friday), we will have time in the evening. we plan to buy 'after 4' passes which are available through the convention and head to epcot right at 4 (or as soon as possible) and stay there all night. it is an extra magic hour night, so the park is 'open' until midnight. again, very few plans for epcot, other than walk around and see the countries. i wanted to try to get on soarin', but it seems like that would be impossible at that point. for the two nights we will be there but not able to go to a park, we were planning on spending one night (thursday) on the boardwalk--because it is near our resort--and have dinner at the flying fish cafe, and the other night (saturday) in downtown disney--no dinner reservations (yet, open to suggestions).
does this seem like a reasonable plan for the time we have? is epcot 'worth it' for that friday night? it seems like it is, but i see that many people spend multiple days there, so now i'm wondering if we should 'even bother'. my theory up until now has been 'some fun is better than no fun'. thoughts? thanks in advance!
personal info--i've never been to disney, and my husband has not been there as an adult (and at the time, epcot wasn't built). we are in our 30s and do not have children. we are giant nerds, and are most excited about epcot, though now that the magic kingdom is an option, i'm secretly kind of excited about that, too.
If your husband only has to go to the Contemporary from the MK--you don't need to leave the park 2 hours early. The Contemporary is a 10-15 minute WALK from the MK. If he has things to bring with him to the meeting you can rent a locker at the front of the MK for the day! Other than that it sounds great!
ah--thanks! i didn't know--it's so hard to figure out how far things are from each other if you've never been there before! i know he won't want to be late, so he'll likely still leave with lots of time, but i can't see why he'd need to leave before 6 for a 7:00 meeting if it's that close. you just bought us an hour--thanks! and that gives us 9 hours total--i can't imagine that we'd need more than that (as we don't have kids and all).
Definitely use the after 4pm tix to visit Epcot. Especially since they have EMH until 12:00pm. I’d see (just in case) if they have fast passes for Soarin or wait in the standby line. I’d also spend most of my time in WS. If you decide not to book a dinner ressie you can always eat at the many counter service places there. Epcot is my DH’s favorite park and a miust do for any trip. Don’t forget to catch Illuminations.
I also agree with the OP. Going from the MK to the Contemp. Is very easy and will only take you about15min. It’s only one stop on the monorail. What are you planning on doing while he’s at the meeting? I’d go back to the MK or visit the other monorail resorts (Poly + GF).
I think it sounds great! That is plenty of time for Epcot! And on an extra magic hours night, you should have no problems getting on Soarin'! Try to get on Test Track too and definitely Spaceship Earth. Then just relax and walk around World Showcase!! It is so beautiful at night!!
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How exciting! I hope you have a great time!
Epcot is wonderful! Make sure to do Spaceship Earth, Soarin, Test Track and of course you will need to tour World Showcase!
Please come back and tell us all about your trip!
thanks so much everyone for the positive responses! it is great to know that what i (really) want to do is possible! i'm super excited that i'm going to have even a little bit of time at the parks--i never thought i'd go to disney. and to answer the question 'what will i do when he's at the meeting', well duh, i didn't think of that! because while i'm going to the convention too, that meeting isn't for me, so i will be alone that night. and after thinking about it, i just checked the hours, and the magic kingdom is open until 8, so i guess i could just stay there! ha! i can't believe i didn't think of that. and i also didn't know that you could 'visit' the other resorts, even if you are not staying there (it is like vegas in this aspect, i'm assuming?) because the suggestion of a monorail resort tour sounds fun, too. now i get to be excited about my solo night! thanks so much for the input!
ok--i'm admitting to being a newcomer here--but what's 'wishes'? i had to google some long acronym yesterday that turned out to be something about halloween--i'm VERY disney-challenged!
EDIT--ok, i googled, and i found out that it's the fireworks display at the magic kingdom. so...two questions--one, the park closes at 8:00, but the show time is listed as 8:00. how does this work? and two--would i be able to meet my husband back at the beach club for 9:15 dinner reservations? thanks in advance!
I would not chance Wishes at 8 w/ a 9:15 reservation at Beach club. What I would do is just have your hubby walk back from the Contemporary after his meeting to MK and meet you at the buses so y'all can take a bus to BC. That is, if he can be there by 8:15 (how long is his meeting?). Otherwise, you'll probably need to take a cab to the Beach Club, and in that case, you should meet him at the Contemporary and catch one there. You won't have a car, right?
wait--why would i have to take a cab? i was planning on just getting back to the resort the way i got there--on the shuttle bus (am i incorrect?) and meeting him there. i don't know how he's getting from the contemporary to the beach club, though i'm imagining there has to be some sort of shuttle in conjunction with the convention--it's spread out between coronado springs, the yacht/beach club and the contemporary, and there are thousands of people going. i cannot imagine them not having some sort of transport set up--there are sessions at at least two of the resorts each day. ok now i'm freaking out about transport! and no, we're not renting a car--i'm imagining no one else is, either. last year the convention was in philly, and everyone just walked--but disney is not walk-friendly, is it?
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