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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 coming to WDW in July and are looking to make a stop at Universal for the day. I'm well aware that July is peak season and that the park will be packed regardless of which day I choose, but I'm wondering which day between Wednesday, July 2nd and Monday, July 7th we should visit Universal. I've heard that July 4th week is typically busy, but since I'm from Canada, I'm not sure if the July 4th holiday is just celebrated on that day, or if its a weeklong event. Would the park be less busy on the 7th (a monday?)
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Welcome mattpope to the Universal forum and the Passporter boards
I think I'd choose Monday the 7th. Some people will take vacation the entire week of the 4th because some businesses like manufacturing plants, etc. will close that week and give all employees that week off. And I know a lot of people who take off the whole week of a holiday because they only use up 4 days of vacation time.
Typically the 4th isn't celebrated all week, but with it being on Friday, people will probably celebrate all weekend!
Are you staying onsite? that's the best way to beat the crowds at Universal - onsite hotel guests can show their room key and enter the Express line at all attractions, avoiding waiting in the regular lines.
Mondays are typically the slowest days for non-Disney parks. Since the majority of tourists are in Orlando to visit Disney, that's where they head first.
We went to Universal last year and did all the non-disney parks, I will let you know I did not like it....unless you have cheap tickets I would not even bother. We walked around and did alot of nothing. The only thing we enjoyed was Suess's Landing...but my daughter is not into much that is not Disney related maybe that is why we did not enjoy it. Another ride is the ET ride we liked that too. That was about it. I would rather go to see World if I had to go to a non Disney park. Just my opinion though...
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LLGMOMMY
Last edited by llgmommy; 05-24-2008 at 11:32 AM..
Reason: sp error
I agree with going after the July 4 weekend. We loved Universal when we went, and are going again this Aug, as we've been to WDW twice in the last 12 mos. I think how much you get out of Universal depends on you children's ages. There are more thrill rides at Universal not suitable for younger children. See height restriction posted on this page. but there are also alot of family friendly attractions too. My dd's are older, but one doesn't do thrill rides & still found enough that she enjoyed.
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I've never been to IOA, but have been to Universal several times.
I'm planning on going with my friend on July 9th, the day before we go to Warped Tour.
Any thoughts on the crowds that day?
Oh, and we were planning on going to both parks in one day.