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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We will be going for one day since my MIL and DS(12) are huge Harry Potter fans. I haven't been to Universal in over 10 years and do not know what to expect.
We are staying at Disney. How hard would it be to go over and get into WWOHP if we don't stay at a Universal Hotel? We are planning on going on a Monday, April 23, when most schools are already back in session, hoping that we will not have big crowds. Any suggestions? We will be a party of 6 including my DD(9), DH and FIL.
Thanks!
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Disney Magic 12/06 Western, 08/15/09
Disney Wonder 01/08, 02/09, 08/10
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WWOHP is pretty busy,but very do-able. It is going to be going thru a renovation soon. We had lunch with an imagineer in Nov. and he was telling us he had lost a few of his staff to Universal specifically for that. I foolishly asked when WWoHP was coming to WDW.The busiest place is Olivanders,due to the "wand choosing" ceremony,I've heard at times it's fun,hope you get lucky.If you don't want to wait,there is a cart up towards the castle that sells wands,T's,and such. We got a few wands,and a couple of coffee mugs.
Of course the butterbeer cart is always bustling and you can choose between frozen or cold in a special mug. No take away was available,but they did have pumpkin juice in a bottle,which I thought was pretty tasty. Remember to take a butterbeer mustache pic. We did manage to get into HoneyDukes.And despite the cashier ragging on DW's Mickey T shirt it was a cool shop.
All in all,I would have to say if you are just going to Universal just for WWoHP it might be a bit of a let down. Sorry.I actually enjoyed it,but DH still has nothing good to say about it.
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"Life can be as easy as a fall,it's all so easy once you just let go."
Six of us just traveled from Disney to WWoHP on December 20th (a Tuesday). We booked a van from Quicksilver ($90 roundtrip). It was the cheapest, pre-arranged mode of transport I could find for 6 people. It was a 15-20 minute drive from Disney, and even though Universal resort guests are admitted to the parks 1 hour early (like Disney EMH), it didn't cause too big a problem for us.
However, we got to the park 1 hour before it opened to the public so we could be at the front of the line to get to WWoHP. By the time the park opened to the public, the crowd waiting to get in was quite large. So, I recommend arriving early, if possible.
We went in May 2011. It was a Tuesday. We drove our own car since we had driven it to FL from TX. It took about 20 minutes to get to US from Disney. We arrived right around park opening and headed straight for WWoHP. The line had already entered which was nice because we got to just walk right in.
In addition to what's been mentioned above:
If you want to ride HP and the Forbidden Journey get there early or late as the line was only about a 20-30 minute wait when we were there at those times.
As the day progressed the crowd got bigger but thined out again closer to closing time.
Hope y'all have a great time! We enjoyed it and can't wait to go back.
You'll want to be there before rope-drop. When I was there at rope-drop there was a 30 minute wait by the time I got to Forbidden Journey. There's also a single rider line, if you don't mind that. Ask a cast member for directions. There was a 10 minute wait at Dragons Challenge, same with Flight of the Hippogryph. Didn't even try to go into Olivanders. There's a wand cart outside if you just want to buy one of those. If there's a line the Butterbeer cart ( and it seems like there always is) go inside Hogshead and get your fix. The wait time was minimal when I went, but as more and more people find out about it, the wait time may be longer. Also I'd go for the frozen butterbeer, if you can get only one.
Thanks for all of the tips! We will certainly try to get there at opening. I already told the kids to think of it as a day at WWOHP and if we have time, we can do the rest of the park.
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DVC Member BWV- 6/08
WDW -lost count!
Disneyland 2X
Disney Magic 11/04 Eastern
Disney Magic 12/06 Western, 08/15/09
Disney Wonder 01/08, 02/09, 08/10
Disney Dream B2B 08/11
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We stayed on premises and took advantage of early hours, getting there before park opened and there was already a line! I think it helps, especially with young children, to stay on site; we were able to avoid the line for FoH because of this. Especially for FJ, the single rider/family switch line is a really good idea. Don't rush through the queue at least once to really look at everything, especially if you're a HP fan. There's lots to see, like the moving portraits, etc. Do Ollivander's first for the wand choosing; purchase some postcards and have them stamped outside of the store. It was crowded and a madhouse in the store;and didn't realize until I was at the airport waiting for my flight that the airport store had the same merchandise! (including some of the wands.) Have a great time!
My mom and I went this past November (the week of Thanksgiving), and it was busy! But, we stayed in that area of the park only, and we got to see everything. The line for FJ will be busy, but once in the castle, it's kind of worth it to go through the queue. We learned (after we rode it twice) that if you want to tour the castle just to see all of the details, there is a separate entrance for that. So if you miss anything while waiting to get on the ride, you can always go back in without waiting in line.
Also, if you don't want to rent a van, you can call Mears to pick you up. They are contracted with the Disney resorts, and it was only $19.00 round trip per person.
You're going to love it! Have a great time and make sure you get a butter beer.
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