New Fantasy Land opens Dec 6th - we arrive Dec 8th - help! - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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.
New Fantasy Land opens Dec 6th - we arrive Dec 8th - help!
With the new Fantasyland opening officially on Dec 6th, and we arrive on Dec 8th (Saturday), I am concerned that the crowds will be CRAZY! We don't plan to hit Magic Kingdom until Sunday morning and again Tuesday afternoon/evening. Will Sunday be nuts? I planned our trip assuming the grand opening date would be in late November, not 2 days before we get there.
Has anyone experienced a weekend after a big attraction opening? What's it like?
Any help is most appreciated.
__________________
Sara
Last edited by Belle*; 08-14-2012 at 09:40 AM..
Reason: newsletter08162012
It is just one part of one of 4 parks during the low season so I am sure you will be fine. It might be alittle busier then "normal" time but I don't think it is going to be that bad. I am sure they will do "soft openings".... check out Passport 6 weeks to a month before.... I am sure someone on here will be lucky enough to be there for the soft opening.
__________________
Robin Twitter name: @NKsDogwalker Find me on FB: robinkay6573@yahoo.com 38th Birthday with Mom, Dad and friends 2011
Next Trip: Cruise on Jewel of the Seas for Christmas 2012
We arrive on 6 December, so that thought's crossed my mind, but bear in mind that Disney have offered free dining for that period - that says to me that sales aren't going as well as they hoped... otherwise they wouldn't need to offer a deal.
Magic Kingdom will always be busier on the weekends. With it being grand opening I am sure it will be a little busier but I would think with locals. I can not imagine a ton of ppl booking a Disney trip just because they opened a new section that is not going anywhere.
With a Grand Opening media event on Thursday, you can expect there will be higher than normal crowds in MK over the weekend. There will be much bigger TV and radio coverage in Florida than the rest of the country, and, like they say, if you build it, they will come. Weekends are always less-than-wonderful in MK, due to attendance by locals who work during the week. So, yes, Monday or Tuesday will be a better idea.
__________________
Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
We arrive on the 8th as well. I'm considering doing one of the Christmas parties, just to give me a little extra time in the park at a "more controlled" level, though I know having been to one of these, the park is definitely NOT empty.
Yeah, I was afraid that Sunday would be a hectic day now. I was using easywdw.com's calendar and Sunday/Tuesday (9th/11th) are most recommended, so I was going both days, partially. I guess we'll just arrive Sunday morning and if MK is crazy then we'll hop to another park (thank goodness for PH tickets!) Thanks guys!
I'm too lazy to check right now, but if you can take advantage of Extra Magic Hours in the morning or at night, that will also give you a more controlled time, though I am sure others will have the same notion.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Beach Club Villas - Jan 2014, Villas Wilderness Lodge - Jan 2013
All Star Music - January 2011, Saratoga Springs - June 2010
Port Orleans Riverside - October 2009, Caribbean Beach - June 2009
Coronado Springs - June 2008, All Star Movies - April 2008
Pop Century - June 2005
Offsite: June 1997, 1999, & 2000
I'm worried now because I just realized that the 'previews' for the new Fantasyland are right in the middle of our trip. oO; I'll make sure to let you know after we survive that, lol.
__________________
"You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality." -Walt Disney-
Oe thing we noticed on our long visit to WDW this summer. Those tour groups from South America (and there are now several dozen/day in each theme park) seem to come and go on Sundays, which makes for much less hassle touring. I think Sunday is actually a GOOD day to go, as locals will also tend to do the soft opening before and wait for the crowds to subside. Lest you think they will not becoming from South America in Dec, remember that summertime