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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I just realized that we'll be there for the first night of MNSSHP. I've heard this is the best party in MK. Is this true? We've never done a party before at MK, but I've done special pin events and love them. I'm thinking about surprising the family with it.
Also, typically what time does the party start? We'll be at pin celebration until about 5:30 or 6 at Epcot. Does everyone come in costume? Is the first night usually crowded beyond belief? Am I over extending us?
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All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them - Walt Disney
I MNSSHP! I don't know how crowded it will be the first night, but there are only a certain number of tickets sold. Not everyone comes in costume, and some of the costumes stretch the definition - for example, the T-shirts that said "This IS my costume"! I think it starts about 7, so you should be able to get there without any problem. And you don't have to get there at the very beginning.
Have fun!
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The official start time is 7 PM, but you can usually get in by 4 PM with your ticket. I have been to both the Christmas and the Halloween parties, and absolutely loved them both, but I would definitely give the edge to the Halloween one. I rate it "not to be missed"!
MNSSHP is definitely worth the cost for the parades and fireworks, alone! Some people go all out with costumes, while others wear their regular attire. It was so hot last year, we decided to go as Red Sox fans, which was much cooler than wearing a bulky costume. The parties typically start at 7:00pm, but you are able to enter the park around 4:00pm. That's what we did last year and found virtually no one in the MK! I do not know what the crowd level will be, but have heard that as the parties get closer to Halloween, the more crowded they become. There is a cap on the number of tickets they sell to this event, but I do not know what that number is. If you can go, I highly recommend it!
I've been to both the MNSSHP and MVMCP and I love the Halloween party the best. I've been to the Christmas party on the first night twice and it's not crowded at all, and that's the Monday after Thanksgiving. There is a limited number of tickets sold; I've heard 5,000, but that could be a false number.
Crowds are worse, of course, during the middle of the evening, and get better after the fireworks. Stay until the end! We rode Space Mountain three times without getting off on our first trip! This past time, DD and I rode Goofy's BarnStormer (she's 15, but have you been on this ride??) SEVEN times without getting off and DD rode it with Number Nine from Alice in Wonderland. Not a top-notch character, but still, how many kids can say they rode a ride with a character? It was great!
The Headless Horseman is worth the price of the ticket. Creepy and wonderful! The Boo To You parade is my absolute favorite and the gravediggers are fantastic! They do a "Stomp" number with their shovels, making the sparks fly! It's awesome! I can't say enough about this party. If I could go every year I would.
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The only party I've ever been to is MNSSHP, but it is really cool! We were there for the first night last year and it really was not that crowded, although the weather wasn't great. The year before we were also there on either the 1st or 2nd night and it wasn't crowded then either. Everything about the night is really fun! You especially do not want to miss the parades. I have also heard that the Headless Horseman only rides for the 1st parade, so keep that in mind if you're going. (If I'm wrong, though, I hope someone corrects me)
Dressing up is optional, one year we did it and the next we didn't. It's really up to you! There's some people dressed up and others not. Either way I think you will have a great time!
I would definitely go to the party - we loved it. We thought it was just as good as the Christmas party. I would thoroughly recommend it. We found about half people wore costumes and about half didn't on the night we went.
I went to MNSSHP last year on a Thursday night, and it was so much fun! Stay late and you will avoid most lines. I agree: the fireworks and the parade are indeed worth the price of admission, as is seeing so many characters! Have a great time!
Another thumbs up for MNSSHP. The earlier in the season you go, the less crowded it will be. It will also be less crowded if you are able to do a weeknight rather than a weekend.
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MNSSHP! I don't know how crowded it will be the first night, but there are only a certain number of tickets sold. Not everyone comes in costume, and some of the costumes stretch the definition - for example, the T-shirts that said "This IS my costume"! I think it starts about 7, so you should be able to get there without any problem. And you don't have to get there at the very beginning.
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We found about half people wore costumes and about half didn't on the night we went.
Dining during MNSSHP
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