Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
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07-12-2004, 07:53 AM
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#1
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Community Rank: Tourist
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Posts: 15
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Busch Gardens, Tampa
I'd like to hear from people who have been in Busch Gardens in Tampa. I am going there for the day whilst on Honeymoon and have booked the Ultimate Adventure tour. Has anyone else been on this? What did you think of it?
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07-12-2004, 08:00 AM
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#2
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Community Rank: Globetrotter 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Virginia
Posts: 3,498
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Re: Busch Gardens, Tampa
The last time I went to Busch Gardens in Tampa was 28 years ago! Now, speaking as a young kid, I loved it! But I'm sure a lot has changed, too. Never went on any of the tours. Someone else might come along and fill you in on that.
Oh, and congratulations on your upcoming honeymoon!
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07-12-2004, 09:37 AM
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#3
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Community Rank: Explorer 
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 10,351
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Re: Busch Gardens, Tampa
We visited Busch Gardens several years ago and really enjoyed it. We didn't do the tour however so I can't help you out there. Here's a link to the Busch Gardens website though in case you want to check out what is there. Busch Gardens  Welcome to the boards! |
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07-12-2004, 12:23 PM
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#4
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Community Rank: Trailblazer 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Orlando, Fl
Posts: 5,517
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Re: Busch Gardens, Tampa
We went to Busch Gardens Tampa in 1998. While I thought some of the roller coasters were a lot of fun, I still came away thinking the one in Virginia is better. But my brother was just there a few weeks ago and absolutely loved it. I think you'll have a great time!
Kelly
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07-12-2004, 12:38 PM
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#5
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Wannabe Snowbird
Join Date: May 2002
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 34,137
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Re: Busch Gardens, Tampa
Welcome to the PassPorter Boards, Tom! And congratulations and best wishes for your upcoming wedding and honeymoon!
Sorry I can't help you out, but I do know that my neighbours who went to Busch Gardens a few years ago raved about how much fun they had.
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07-12-2004, 12:48 PM
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#6
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PassPorter Message Board Manager
 PassPorter Guide Author
Community Rank: Legend VIP 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285
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Re: Busch Gardens, Tampa
We went to Busch Gardens in 1999 and 2002 and really enjoyed the days we spent there. The wildlife there is superb, but we're not really coaster fans, so we didn't experience any of the thrill rides. I can tell you that Rhino Rally though is very good - you might want to consider going as single riders if the wait is long. We did that and got on in about half the time.
I can't help with the tour unfortunately, as I've never heard of it.  |
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07-12-2004, 01:03 PM
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#7
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Kissimmee, FL
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 10,481
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Re: Busch Gardens, Tampa
I don't know about the Ultimate Adventure tour but my sister and I went on the Serengeti Safari and it was incredible. We got to take a flatbed truck out though the safari area and feed some of the hoof stock...including Giraffes!! I LOVE giraffes so it was an amazing experience for me and I would do it again in a minute!
I love roller coasters and I can't get enough of the rides at Busch Gardens...you get Coasters and Animals what more could you want? Like Animal Kingdom Busch Gardens gives you the "Not at zoo" feeling. The animals aren't cooped up in sterile pens or cages they are free roaming. In fact when I went to Busch Gardens in 1997 they actually had gators living under one of the roller coasters as part of an exhibit....it was one of those coasters where your feet dangle down! Yikes...that really added to the fear factor in the ride. Make sure have dinner (or lunch) at Crown Colony Restaurant. There are 2 different restaurants (at least there was in 2002) one is a buffet and one is all you can eat chicken (or fish I think?) served family style. Both are VERY good and save room for dessert...trust me you won't regret it! The restaurants overlook the safari so you can watch the animals while you eat.
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07-13-2004, 08:04 AM
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#8
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Community Rank: Tourist
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Posts: 15
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Re: Busch Gardens, Tampa
Thanks for the info everyone. The Ultimate tour is a private tour round the park where you get to go straight on the rides and you get a free lunch at Crown Colony. Normally I would shy away from the cost but as it is for my future DW then it is worth it!  |
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07-13-2004, 01:42 PM
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#9
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PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author
Community Rank: Legend VIP
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285
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Re: Busch Gardens, Tampa
Now you've mentioned lunch at the Crown Colony, I can tell you that we ate there in 2002 and it was an excellent meal. We were very impressed it - I hope you will be as well.  |
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07-22-2004, 11:30 AM
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#10
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Community Rank: Traveler 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 328
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Re: Busch Gardens, Tampa
Busch Gardens is the best park outside of WDW of course. I have gone many times with my last visit in Feb of 03. We spent the day there and it was one of our best days on our vacation. The wildlife is amazing. I have never gone on the tours before but have seen them on the travel channel they look great. You will have a great time.  |
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07-27-2004, 11:42 PM
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#11
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Community Rank: Legend 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Indiana , USA
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 26,527
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Re: Busch Gardens, Tampa
Samantha and I went last year in August, with her biological father and his family.
I can't really tell you anything about it, as it started STORMING (thunder to shake the pavement, lightning stricking the ground, rain so bad the water was up to the middle of my calf) about 20 minutes after arriving.
The food at the counter service place we ate at (to get out of the rain) wasn't bad.
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08-01-2004, 03:50 PM
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#12
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Community Rank: Tourist
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: England
Posts: 18
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Re: Busch Gardens, Tampa
Im hoping to do this tour in November...I hope you can let me know what it was like as it's a big expense.
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