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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 making our first trip to US/IOA on January 9!
We are staying at the Hard Rock Hotel.
People going are me (38), dh (42), dd (13), dd (7), and active grandma (63).
We will have one day park to park tickets and would just like to see and do the best of the best. Crowd levels should be low, and with staying on-site we will have front of the line access to many rides/attractions, although with just one day there, I do want to maximize our time.
Thanks so much for all the advice!
Karen
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6/2004 - Carribean Beach (and very pregnant)
1/2005 - Port Orleans Riverside
12/2005 - Wilderness Lodge
8/2006 - Surprise Mom & daughter trip to Pop Century
1/2007 - Family trip to the World!
1/2012 - POFQ with family
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
i spent three days on site at US/IOA last may. then, in september, i took my mom for just one day (not staying on site.) that being said, it is definitely possible to do the highlights in one (long) day.
here was my plan of action...
hit IOA first (obviously) with the early entry. start in harry potter world. go directly to forbidden journey. it is the best ride in the world. then do anything else you want to do there--the other rides, the shops, the wand show. then, continue around the park in a counterclockwise direction--on to jurassic park and toon lagoon. the only other must-do attractions in IOA are spiderman (so cool) and maybe a spin on the carouseussal (for a photo op) if you are a coaster fan, you'll want to check out the hulk. personally, i hated it--it knocked my head around terribly. i'm assuming it will be too cold for any of the water rides, but if i had to pick only one, i'd go with jurassic park (the other two are kind of lame.)
if it was anywhere close to lunchtime, i'd then have lunch at mythos. it's in IOA and is fantastic. i'd then make my way over to US.
in US, my must-dos are shrek 4D, the simpsons, men in black, and the mummy. the mummy is the coolest coaster i've ever experienced.
if you are having dinner on site, consider going to portofino bay for a meal at mamma dellas. the food is fantastic and the resort is BEAUTIFUL. you can walk there in 10 minutes along a pretty path from hard rock.
I've only been to Universal Studios. I've been four times and love it!! A must is the Mummy ride! It's great! Twister, MIB, Terminator, ET, Mel's Drive-In, and City Walk are musts!! It's just a neat theme park. Have fun! Oh, and the Hard Rock Cafe is great! I forgot about the Horror Makeup Show that's really FUN!!!!
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Last edited by karadisney; 12-26-2011 at 06:36 PM..
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.
Our Must-Do list:
IOA:
Forbidden Journey
Spiderman
Hulk
US:
MIB
Simpsons
Revenge of the Mummy
Rip Ride Rockit
Shrek 4-D
Horror Make-Up Show (a lot of fun, especially when I was picked to go onstage!)
Hi Grandma. Now we know what the other youngins have recommendations to see. Put them all to bed tonight and take over the computer and browse through these sites.
The first two are images (pictures) and the other small shorts of actual videos.
Make YOUR list grandma. I hereby designate the day at US/IOA as GRANDMA'S DAY.
When you open the images double click on any interesting ones and a new box will open giving you more information and you can enlarge the picture.
After you open this next site and see it backspace and remove the last "o" from Orlando. When it opens again take your choice of rides and hold on before you click your choice.
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This is our first trip beyond the realms for Disney and are excited to see something new and exciting. These are wonderful lists and I can't wait to go myself next month!