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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Are you talking the one where you get the doll? If your daughter is old enough to appreciate it, and take care of the doll I'd say go for it. It's the doll that's expensive. I took my DD who was 5 at the time we went to the tea party with alice and the mad hatter at the GF. A LOT cheaper, and she had a great time and still talks about it. I didn't think she'd take care of the doll. I'm sorry, I can't spend that kind of money and have the doll forgotten in the bottom of the toybox or something!
My DH insisted on going with me and both DDs, so it was VERY expensive! They charged us as two separate parties, rather than adding two extra people onto the first adult/child charge!
The adult plates include 3 triangles of different cheese, goutmet crackers, a tiny crust filled with gorgonzola, grapes, and small tea sandwiches (chicken salad, egg salad, and shrimp salad). Each adult gets an individual pot of tea. Strangely, no sugar or lemon or honey was on the table.
The child plate consists of a 2 tea-sized peanut butter and jelly sandwich cut out in heart shapes and 2 tea-sized ham and cheese triangles with mayo or some other similar spread. Grapes came with the plate, too. Each child gets and individual pot of "tea," which is really apple juice!
The girls are greeted by Rose Petal, who tells a story while everyone is served and eats, then Princess Aurora arrives. They and the girls did a parade around the room, some sign language phrases, and cake is served, while Aurora stops at each table to chat and sign autographs and pose for pictures.
The cake is TDF! White cake with a light strawberry mousse-like filling and frosting with a strawberry glaze drizzled along side the cake. A strawberry is perched atop a dollop of whipped cream on the cake.
Each girl got a "crown" and a surprixe dropped out of each girl's napkin! I won't tell what it was! Aurora gives each girl a fresh rose and a friendship note, and at the end the girls parade "princess style" through the lobby and up the stairs for a pretty PhotoPass picture and to the gift shop for a birth certificate for the doll and also a scrapbook page.
The doll is American Girl style. You can purchase additional outfits in the gift shop, but they are prcey!
All in all, a very nice once-in-a-lifetime experience! Honestly, we could have saved money by not having DH attend, but he's into watching their little girl experiences. He got teary-eyed at BBB, which we did right before the tea!
I felt sorry for the other mom and daughter at our table. The girl was about 3, and was scared and intimidated by the enthusiastic story-telling and music, etc. Just not a good day for her, but she did get more involved by the end. Poor mom never ate anything, and the girl only ate her cake, I think. Rose Petal picked up on the vibe right away and was excellent with her, as was Aurora. Just be forewarned that a young or shy child might need to be older, and you might have to explain in advance what it's all about.
I took Brooke two years ago when she was three and she STILL talks about it and loves the doll! She gets a new outfit each trip for it now. The experience and memories were 100% worth the price for us!
Does anyone know when you can call for a reservation for this? Is it at 180 days or later? Thanks! I have been contemplating this one as well. Sounds really special.
I was wondering this same question. I have been contemplating this also but I haven't fully decided. We are already doing the BBB castle package so I don't know if I can justify spending that much money on 2 princess activities.