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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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So I thought I had it all planned out when we were coming to DL and SoCal, however I do work in the automotive industry here in MI so things change everyday. We were all set to have our vacation in September over my b-day and our Anniversary....it worked out perfect UNTIL we were told last week that my plant will be shutting down for 4 weeks this summer and we will be either a) forced to use our vacation for all of it or b) laid off with partial pay or no pay. Of course NONE of those weeks fall in the time frame DH and I chose so we are back to the drawing board. We both know that DL and SoCal is really busy in the summer and HOT but we would rather go when I have the time forced off then take more time off unpaid.
With that said...which time frame would be the lesser evil...A 7 night stay sometime between 6/20-7/4 or a 7 night stay sometime between 8/8 and 8/23.
If I am not forced to use my vacation we will stick with our original plans, but I won't get that information for another couple of weeks so I want to prepare for the worst case.
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Thanks! We are pretty used to it because traditionally the big three shuts down for two weeks in july every year, but us engineers usually work using that time to retool, move things around, catch up on paperwork etc...however those days seem to be over. Having the time off in the summer doesn't upset me as much as the back and forth talk of "are we" or "aren't we"...how can people plan...ugh The only answer I get out of my boss is that there is nothing set in stone that you will be forced on vacation. I guess I need to go back to thinking that I am very thankful to be working right now vs. the alternative.
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August is a better choice. From what I understand, it is crazy busy around the 4th. By the end of August, many kids will be going back to school and crowds will be thinning. Yes, it's hot - that starts in May and doesn't let up until late Fall, but it's much more manageable than muggy Midwest heat and/or Florida's sweat factory! It's not a "dry heat" (like where I live), but it's close enough that there's only a slight heat factor.
As long as you've prepared for the heat, you'll be fine. So, I'd consider the crowds as my main priority. Good luck planning!
If one option benefits you financially, I would go with that option. Although I'm not a local, I do get there about 10-12 times per year. (2 -3 day visits/trip to CA) My daughter is local and goes at least a couple of times/month. Sometimes you just can't figure out the crowds and very seldom do we find it not crowded.
My daughter went down for a couple of hours yesterday and was in line to park for 45 minutes. When I was out there in February, we waited in line for an hour to get into the parking structure.
The 4th of July is extrememly crowded, but if you are there for 7 days and staying on property, you should have lots of time to have an enjoyable time.
Happy planning!
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were going 7/29 to 8/7 so we will be there for sure so enjoy
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Thanks everyone. I will take all the info to DH and report back with what we decide to go with. Crossing my fingers that I don't have to change our plans because I really wanted to be in DL on my b-day!!
I would say August as well. June-July tend to be extremely crowded, so while you have 7 days, it may be a very crowded 7 days. If it's any indication, the last two weeks of August is when DLR opens up its dates again for Southern California APholders, so generally they aren't expecting the huge summer crowds anymore at that point. Also, there's a chance that you may have "slightly" less hot temps in August, since August is sometimes iffy between hot and not so hot.
Hope everything works out with your planning!
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As a 'local' (92 miles away), we make a trip up that way no less than once a month and I totally agree with the others. Your best bet would be in Aug, granted it will still be hot but if you remember to bring your swim suits, nearly all hotels/motels in the DLR area have swimming pools. As stated above, anytime around the 4th of July is usually busier than later on in Aug. I know what you mean about your job as I lost my job last Feb from a company I worked for over 18 years. I've had a couple of part time jobs since but nothing since the 12th of Dec. This has not, nor will it ever, stop us from making our trips up to DL. Hope everything turns out for the better with you.
def go with mid to late august. that is when we usually go and have found it not too hot and not too crowded. usually the last week in august before labor day is the best because kids are starting to go back to school. we went at that time in 2005 and had almost little to no wait time for rides. best of luck
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Frustration has set in...need help
Of course NONE of those weeks fall in the time frame DH and I chose so we are back to the drawing board. We both know that DL and SoCal is really busy in the summer and HOT but we would rather go when I have the time forced off then take more time off unpaid.
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It's not a "dry heat" (like where I live), but it's close enough that there's only a slight heat factor.
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