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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Hi, my family and I are hoping to plan a Girls' Trip in December and I was wondering how bad the crowds might be if we went for 3 days and 2 nights (December 16-18?) It would be the Wed. & Thurs. night the week before Christmas, leaving Friday around lunch. 2 of the Girls' will have AP's because they go often (from San Diego.) Will the crowds be so bad that we won't get on any rides? No matter which week we go, we'll be staying at the DLR to take advantage of the really long hours (8am to midnight - DL and 8am - 10pm - DCA; with an EMH each day for DL & DCA starting at 7am... Hours from 2014.)
Would it be smart to take the Holiday tour to get on Nightmare Haunted Mansion and Holiday Small World? I will be using an ECV scooter and I walk with braces and crutches, so as much I love rides, I have to choose wisely to protect myself from neck and back injuries. We really want to explore and take in all of the Holiday offerings (shows, activities & treats) while enjoying each others company and midday breaks in our room. We're looking to stay at Grand Californian Spa -split 3 ways, since I'll be paying for a multi-day Hopper Pass and they'll have their AP's. Sorry it's so long, just very excited but want to stay real about the pros and cons! Either of the two weeks prior would work too, but shorter hours to experience all the fun holiday events and snacks.
Thanks, Cat - SD
I can't help with crowds, as we've only been over Christmas itself, which was unsurprisingly packed. I would thoroughly recommend the Holiday Tour for those two attractions, as the wait times can be crazy and it's wonderful to be able to walk on to both, plus you get front row seats (yes, seats!) for the Christmas parade to finish off the tour, which was the highlight for us.
I would think the crowd levels will be fine on Dec 16-17 as those days are a Wednesday and Thursday, so, generally,they are usually lighter days. Dec 18th, a Friday, may be a bit more more crowded, but certainly not as bad as it would be if you were there on a weekend. If those holiday decorated rides are important, I would go with Cheryl's advice and book a Holiday Time At Disneyland Tour https://disneyland.disney.go.com/eve...at-disneyland/ to ensure you get to see these wonderful Holiday decorated attractions.
Thanks to chezp & DebiDebiDebi for the great suggestions! I've been away from the boards for several years and just trying to keep in better contact with the community, while trying navigate all that Passporter has to offer including great information and great people!
Thanks again,
Cat
Hi Catski! I'm an enthusiastic West Coast DA, joined up here after a very serious (no joke) bought of post-disney depression in early 2014. Good to have another Disneyland poster on the boards!
I can't directly comment on the 16-18, but I would guess that the extended hours mean that Disney expects bigger crowds. I have gone in the first week of Dec, and am going again at that time this year, and crowds are light on the weekdays at that time. That said, the mountains still get lines at 40-60 minutes.
From Disney's site
"A Guest whose disability is based on the necessity to use a wheelchair or scooter does not need DAS. Depending on the attraction, Guests utilizing a wheelchair or scooter will either wait in the standard queue or receive a return time at the attraction comparable to the current wait time."
My sis went recently with her MIL who used an EVC, and many attractions were set up to have guests using EVC to return at a later time through a separate entrance. This was a great option for the entire family, as they could relax or do something with a shorter line while waiting for their time to come up on a longer line atraction. So, you could have a great time touring with your EVC even when crowds are larger.
I think a Holiday tour would be a great way to see some of your must-dos. I think your friends with APs will get a discount on the tours as well. Bonus!
Post a PTR if you are up to it. We could use more action on the California side these days!
If I knew I could go during low crowds but closing at 8pm vs higher crowds closing at 12...I think I would go for the longer hours too. But I am a HUGE fan of the parks at night, and am able to coffee up and stay up with the group. Weekdays are going to clear out in the evenings, even when crowds are high. But in this case, I would plan on leaving the parks in the middle of the busy times and just do rope-drop through 1pm and then return after a healthy rest. You have to be able to do rope drop and stay stay till closing to make the longer hours worth the increased crowds, I think. The 1st 2 weeks of Dec on Tu-Wed-Th are some of the lowest crowds of the year, according to what I have read.
Hi I'm in San Diego CA I notice the crowed are low from Monday to Thursday, since they really get the loco population at DLR, not like WDW where the whole world goes to it. Plus you get to enjoy DTD and pop in all the three Disney hotel just by rolling to them.
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Mid-December Trip: Crowds & Highlights?
Catski73 
Fourth of July, 2009
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At Disney World I can visit Japan. Please check-out my web site for wheelchair travel, 
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