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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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 have an extra day in our upcoming WDW trip and are trying to decide between Sea World or Busch Gardens. We are traveling with DD9 and DS7, will have our own transportation, and can go to one or the other for free using the Military Here's to Heroes tickets. Which park would you choose and why?
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Sea World has better shows but BG has a better variety of animals. If your kids like thrill rides, definitely BG. BG is also about an hour further away than SeaWorld
I think you've already got some good advice. It's a tough one and I'd agree that SeaWorld definitely has the better shows, whereas the animals are better at Busch Gardens. I honestly don't think you can go wrong with either - it just depends what you're looking for from a park.
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We went to both parks in 2009 and had a great time at each park. We are also tossing around park ideas for our upcoming trip in April, and if I were to pick between those two I would pick Bush Gardens. There is a lot of great rides there for families. Sea World is beautiful and has great shows but I feel Busch Gardens offers a lot more for kids of that age.
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Last edited by carters_mom; 02-26-2012 at 09:43 AM..
I would pick Sea World truthfully. After an hour of driving and a day in a park (or days in park depending upon when you schedule your BG day), having to drive an hour back to your hotel could be a bit much. I know it's really not a lot of time, but when we get tired, it's far longer than we want to travel. Just my opinion
I think you need to decide based on what your family is looking for on that day. If you are hoping to take a little bit of a break from all the rides at WDW, then SeaWorld might be the way to go, although they do have a couple of totally awesome rides. The Manta is one of my favorite rides anywhere. You can easily see everything in one day and still not feel exhausted at the end. We have done the drive from Orland to BG, and it isn't bad. It is a fun park with lots to do and see. We live in VA and have spent lots of time at BG Williamsburg, so we did enjoy the differences inTampa. I don't think you can go wrong with either choice, and the free tickets make it even better.
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The last time we went to Sea World and Busch Gardens was in 2004 and the whole family was really disappointed. We saw a few animals at Busch Gardens but most of the aminals were so from the tram you rode it was difficult for my youngest to really seem them. I would pick Sea World but it really depends on what you like the most.
Is there a shuttle from Sea World to Bush Gardens?
There's a bus service connected with mears. Mears picked me up at my WDW hotel and dropped me off at the US parking lot. A bus picked us up there and drove us to BG, and returned us the same way. Very easy 800 221-1339
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If you like shows better then Sea World has better shows. All of the shows at BG are geared towards real young kids. Kind of babyish shows.
Sea World only has 2 major rides as far as thrill rides go, the Manta and the Kraken, neither of which I ride. But 2 of my kids do.
Busch Garden has way more rides than SW. You can look on the Busch garden website and get the names of the major attractions then look them up on You Tube and watch ride videos to see if they are rides you think your family would enjoy.
I am not into super scary coasters or rides that flip you upside down a bunch of times so there is only 2 rides at Busch Gardens I will ride, The Cheetah Hunt and the Gwanzi. But they have about a dozen rides all together, maybe more if you factor in the little kiddie rides.
Your tickets are free so it doesn't matter but Sea World tickets are cheaper if you have to pay OOP for them because you can buy them online for 71 and get a second day free. BG is around $85 to get in for one day per person.
We are going to Busch Garden next trip because my DD12 is desperate to go but we will probably not make a habit of going there on future trips just because it is an hour drive there and back from our Orlando resort.
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We enjoy both parks equally. We've done a trip where we spent several days & nights in Tampa to enjoy Busch Gardens before relocating to Disney's OKW to spend time at Sea World.
I have to disagree with the assessment that the shows at Busch Gardens are all babyish. Certainly, the Sesame Street Presents. . ., and A is for Africa are geared to families with young children. However, I would classify 4D movies, Cirque, ice shows, performing animals, and music & dance shows to be family shows. I definitely wouldn't consider latin music and dance as directed to young audiences.
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Last edited by DVCjulie09; 07-05-2012 at 12:39 PM..
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