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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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A lot of the rides at IOA are very intense (Hulk coaster, Dr. Doom, Spiderman, FJ); DD4 probably won't be able to make the size minimum for most of them . I think US is worth doing
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We did a 2 day hopper and for as small as the parks were, and they weren't very crowded, it worked out great for us. The parks are right beside each other, so they're certainly convenient. DS is 10, and the only thing I really remember for little kids was the Dr. Seuss area on the way to WWHP. But I'm sure there were other rides for little ones that we just didn't notice. DS LOVED the Rip Rocket coaster, spiderman and the Mummy coaster at the studios.
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Actually, I prefer US over IOA. I love the Harry Potter area and the beautiful theming in the park at IOA, but I find that US seems to have more to do. I would definitely visit both parks if you haven't done so before.
There won't be a lot of rides the 4 year old can do at either park. There are more rides for the 14 yr old at IOA but there are more shows the whole family can see at US.
They have the Terminator show, The Horror Make Up SHow (which isn't scary), The Blues Brothers street show and the Beetlejuice Music show. I love the Beetlejuice show. It's a lot of singing and dancing.
At IOA there is the Dr Suess area that has a few rides for little ones, there is the Poseidon's Fury show/ride that the little one can go in and there is a small roller coaster called the Hippogriff back in the Harry Potter area. There is some type of show at IOA like an Aladdin kind of thing I don't remember what it is called.
I think the age difference in your kids is going to make for one or the other being bored a lot of the time. But I would definitely do both parks if you have never done them before.
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Hmm. US has an ET ride that a four-year old could go on--very popular with kids. (I liked it too.) The Simpsons ride is fun: you sit in a car and it feels like you experience everything on screen (including roller coaster)--the car moves around to replicate the motion. Shrek-4D: kids can also meet the characters Donkey and Shrek outside the theater. Men in Black ride (height restriction is around 42 inches) is just like Buzz Lightyear ride at Hollywood Studios--sit in a car and zap targets. There is a kidzone and play area. IoA has Jurassic area with boat ride and includes building where kids can get hands-on. A two- day pass wouldn't be a terrible thing. There are things to do in both parks for both girls. A fourteen year old is old enough to go on more intense rides like Mummy while you have four-year old.
Definitely worth it to get a 2 day pass. We have things in both parks that we love, but I agree that your 4 year old will find more of interest at US. I highly recommend the Horror Make-Up Show. The last time we were there, I was picked to go on stage and it was a blast!
We also did the 2 day/2park pass and thoroughly enjoyed both parks. While not Disney, both parks are very well done and enjoyable just to look around. The parks are very close to each other; just a short walk apart.
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We were at Univeral last week and got the two park pass. We did Harry Potter first thing and then went over to the Studios after lunch. Some of the rides/attractions had long lines. I really wish I had payed extra for the Express Pass. We have become so spoiled with the Disney Fastpass, it's hard to stand in line for over 30 minutes. We had a good time though and saw most of what we wanted to see.
I dont think i could visit Florida and NOT do Islands of Adventure (especially now it has Harry potter).. and i couldn't visit Islands Of Adventure and not go to Universal the very next day.!! Islands is huge and we spent hours in Harry Potter, which didnt leave much time for everything else.
You may end up having to divide and conquer a bit since the attractions atat are great for young kids and really targeted. I think giving yourself two days will give you time to do kids swap on some of the key attractions. I have to say the kids swap at US is handy. We used it on the Mummy and they had a room with cartoons that you wait in.
FYI the water rides are great at IOA and I'm sure your 4 year old will get a kick out of Seuss land. The Animal Actors show is good for all ages too.
Having been to both parks some time back I will say this. I would do both parks. Ioa is awesome how you go from one land to another the theming is awesome. The younger one will have fun at dr sueus land. I think there are things at both areas. But highly say 2 park pass to much to miss if you only do 1
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