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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Best Vegan/Vegetarian Options
DH and I have recently changed our dietary lifestyle and we are now eating vegan. We have been going to WDW for a while now and have our favorite restaurants but that was when we ate just about everything so now that I am planning our trip for February and November this year I am a little overwhelmed at how to do this. I have been looking at the menus on allears trying to determine where we should eat. We typically eat one TS a day but if there are better QS options we are open to trying whatever will work best. I have been tweaking our ADRs and would like your opinions on if these are good options and what locations you would recommend.
Garden Grill-Dinner
Kona Cafe- Lunch
Beaches & Cream- Lunch (very apprehensive about this one)
Boma- Dinner
Rose & Crown- Dinner
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Garden Grill is served family style and when we ate there last summer it was still turkey, beef and fish on the main platter. Being a character meal, it's expensive too so I'm not really sure what you could have substituted where you'll feel that it was worth the money you'll spend. This is one where you may need to call and find out what they can do for you.
I've been a vegetarian (ovo-lacto) for so many years I've lost track and have traveled to WDW many times. It is by far the easiest tourist-type place I've been to find things to eat. Make a note on your table service meals that you are vegan and they will have something for you. A couple of my vegan friends went on their honeymoon and he couldn't believe they had Tofutti ice cream for their dessert. They showed up as a walk in so there was no advance notice. I can't remember what TS they went to but they were over the moon impressed with the dinner options offered to them by the chef. Vegetarian is easier because every TS has at least one vegetarian option. Even CRT has a tofu dish now. Coral Reef has a dish made with Gardein 'Chicken' although I'm not sure if that's vegan. Some of the TS vegetarian options may be able to be made vegan.
The hardest time I have is QS in EP. I end up in Mexico a lot. I tried a gardein chicken/vegetable dish at Sunshine Seasons last August and it was really bland, don't think I'd get it again. Morocco has falafel and hummus.
Oddly enough, I've found the easiest place for QS is DHS. I had a fried green tomato sandwich at Fairfax Fare last August that was out of this world.
I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at all the options you'll have!
One more thing, read through QS menus before you go. You'll be so glad you did. We didn't do this two trips ago and I regretted it. Some QS will not have anything for you to eat. The last thing you want to be doing is wasting time doing nothing other than walking around, reading menus trying to find something.
For this past trip, DH and I read through QS menus and found places that had good options for everyone in different locations. For example, MK we found one place that would work in each land. That way no matter where we happened to be we knew what place nearby had good options. It made things much easier.
Definitely hit Erin McKenna's Bakery NYC in DS! Everything sold there is vegan. All sorts of things from quickbreads and muffins to cupcakes slathered with ooey gooey frosting.
If you like to bake, look for her cookbooks. She has a new one out called Bread & Butter with a fabulous recipe for socca. Included is a recipe for vegan butter and other dressings and dips usually made with dairy. Even croissants and other puff pastry items. I haven't tried any but the socca as yet. However, her Babycakes recipe books are marvelous. Fabulous baked goods that you really can't tell are both vegan and gluten-free.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Boma a is a great choice. If you ask, one of the chefs should be able to tell you which dishes are vegetarian or vegan. Kona Cafe and Rose & Crown should work well too, with at least one vegeterian dish.
I have never eaten at Beaches and Cream or Garden Grill. When in The Land, I always choose Sunshine Seasons, which has a wide selection at a lower cost.
If you want a character meal, you may be better off at Crystal Palace, 1900 Park Fare, or Chef Mickey's. Tusker House has a lot too, but is similar enough to Boma that you may not want to do both.
My favorite non-buffet is Jill, which has a separate vegetarian menu available upon request. It may also mark vegan items, but because I eat dairy I didn't pay attention to that.
As Marianne mentioned, any table service restaurant should be able to provide vegan options as long as you raise the issue in advance. We have never called ahead (except to Victoria and Albert) and always found vegetarian items on the menu.
Counter service places are more hit-or-miss. My favorite is the veggie chili at Columbia Harbor House. They also have a hum as sandwich, though I am not sure whether either is vegan. Having a few options within each park is an excellent idea, so you know where to head when you get hungry.