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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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
We are thinking of taking the 2 grandkids and their parents to Disneyland for 5 days. Kids are 8 & 10.
We are 55 & 65. Parents in their 30's.
Question is will we be able to handle all the walking?
I was excited to go until my daughter's friend said that I would probably find the walking a bit much. And would be so tired after walking all day that if we went back to our hotel in the late afternoon we probably would not feel like going back to the park later in the day. Would like to hear from some older tourist on how they felt there. Thanks in advance.
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We have done WDW several times. I'm 55, my BF is 45 and BBF is 56. And we are all Pooh sized. We have walked all over and back again. Yes we are tired but we have gone back out and have gotten up and done it all over again the next day.. We travel slower than my DD who is 23, but so what? If you have time, start a walking program now to increase your stamina
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I also agree that you will be fine. With 5 days to visit, you will have plenty of time to pace yourselves. If you feel tired; sit down and enjoy the atmosphere! The trick is to not wear yourself out running around commando style as if the park won't be there tomorrow!
My in-laws are 64 (with health problems) and 77 (healthy, but had hip replacement) and we only have to slow down a little. They might need to take a break in the afternoon (when the kids were little, it was great 'cause they ALL took naps and DH and I stayed at the park) or they might conk out earlier than, say, a midnight park closing, but they still love it and we've never felt that we should ditch them or anything.
By the end of the trip, they are certainly ready for a rest, but they are usually able to stick out an entire 5 day trip - but this is also in December when the crowds are less.
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I agree with the posters above that the parks at Disneyland are much more compact than the parks at Disney World and do not require that much walking, especially since you won't need to see everything in just a day or two. Also, because most hotels are within a few blocks of the parks, travel time is minimal which makes it easy to return after an afternoon rest.
I don't normally take a lot of pain relievers, but I find that if I take ibuprofen each morning, I don't have as many of the muscle aches as when I don't.
You should be fine as long as you pace yourselves. In my younger days, I would arrive at park opening and not leave until closing at midnight or 1 am. Now I take an afternoon nap back at the resort (staying on-property really helps) and return to the park for the evening. With several days, you can afford to take as many breaks as you need. Enjoy!
I think you will be fine. Last trip to WDW I was 55. And I was recovering from a fractured ankle. There was some pain one day for a short period but it was not that bad. Just take it easy and get some breaks during the day. And maybe take some practice walks to get you in shape for the trip. Have fun.