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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
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12-16-2002, 10:16 PM
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#1
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Community Rank: Passenger 
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Ohio
Posts: 46
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Universal Questions???
I have been to WDW 7 times but we are making our first trip to Universal Studios. It appears that there are many attractions that will be enjoyable for my children who are now 12, 8 and 7. I am very excited but I have questions. First, are there characters in the parks and do they sign autographs as they do in Disney? Second, where are the best places to eat? Third, we are going the first week of February, how are the crowds? And, finally, what attractions do we not want to miss? Thanks in advance for all your help. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
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12-16-2002, 10:22 PM
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#2
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Community Rank: Legend 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,365
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Re: Universal Questions???
Hey! You'll love it! Our kids were 9, 7 and 4 the first time we went in summer 2001 and they all had a blast! There are definitely more thrill rides over at IOA, but my 4 year old loved this park!
You'll find lots of characters out - over at IOA we saw Spiderman, Captain American, Storm - lots of superheros - and also Popeye, Olive Oil, the Cat in the Hat and The Grinch!! Over at Universal Studios I remember seeing Shrek, Woody Woodpecker and Barney.
Don't miss rides - all of them!! Seriously, we loved them all and each had different favorites - Spiderman at IOA was our favorite and Men in Black at Universal.
Places to eat - we did a lot of cafes and ate at our resort (Hard Rock Hotel), but we did eat at Mythos over at IOA and I highly recommend it. Super atmosphere and ambiance - great food - and super service - it was my daughter's birthday the day we ate there and we got complimentary dessert!!
Universal is a phenomenal resort area - enjoy it!!
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12-16-2002, 10:25 PM
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#3
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Community Rank: Legend
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,365
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Re: Universal Questions???
By the way - a great site to check out is IOA Central - you'll find lot's of info on both parks! |
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12-17-2002, 09:46 PM
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#4
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Community Rank: Legend
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,365
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Re: Universal Questions???
By the way - Universal has a great planning video that you should get your hands on - very similar to Disney's video, and gives you a good overall feel for the resort.
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12-17-2002, 11:21 PM
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#5
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Community Rank: Adventurer 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 564
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Re: Universal Questions???
koj, I'm a big fan of the Uni parks, too. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Will you be able to attend both Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios? I would highly recommend both parks for your ages in your family.
The crowds will be light the first week of February. If you are staying at a Uni hotel, you can get into lines which will speed you to the front without long waits. Even if you are not staying at their hotels, you can get 3 Universal Access passes at a time with a multiday ticket. With a day ticket, you can get one at a time, which would be similar to Disney's Fast Pass system.
In addition to Mythos(get reservations ahead of time or you might be in for a long wait), there are great counter service restaurants in both parks: Thunder Falls Terrace in Jurassic Park, Oak Grill in the Lost Continent, Louie's in the New York area of Universal Studios and Mel's Diner, also in Universal.
Don't miss: Spidey, The Cat in the Hat and the Sinbad show in the Lost Continent. If you can stand the thrills, the Incredible Hulk and Dueling Dragons are world class coasters.
In Universal Studios, don't miss Men In Black, Terminator 3D, ET, Back to the Future and the Gory Makeup Show.
We saw lots of characters all over the place. My favorites were the ones in Seuss land.
If you plan to go on the water rides in Toon Lagoon, be aware that you will stay drier if you walk on the bottom of the lake in the center of the park. [img]graemlins/achoo.gif[/img] Those rides will drench you from head to the bottom of your toe. Plan to have dry clothes and warm ones, if the weather is cool.
Good luck with all your Uni plans. I hope your whole family has the time of their life! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
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12-18-2002, 07:05 AM
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#6
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Community Rank: Legend
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,365
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Re: Universal Questions???
Quote:
Originally posted by Moley:
If you plan to go on the water rides in Toon Lagoon, be aware that you will stay drier if you walk on the bottom of the lake in the center of the park. [img]graemlins/achoo.gif[/img] Those rides will drench you from head to the bottom of your toe. Plan to have dry clothes and warm ones, if the weather is cool.
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<font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS, Arial">ROTFLOL!!!! Good advice on the change of clothes, Moley!! |
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