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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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04-26-2011, 02:58 PM
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#11
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Community Rank: Scout 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Marlton, NJ
Concierge Level: 1
Posts: 4,276
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ADR’s and special happenings and park hours, oh my!
Today’s date: 04/26/11
Pre trip report Part Eight
The Park hours finally came out and my 180 day mark was reached and I’ve been spending a lot of time putting together an itinerary for all 11 of us. It is both exciting and exhausting at the same time. I love all the planning as it gets me excited thinking about the upcoming trip but it is a big responsibility as you have 11 people’s vacation riding you your shoulders.
Because we are staying at Shades of Green I couldn’t book the 180 +10 when making my ADR’s. I had to do it the old fashioned way and get up each morning and either call in or log on. A couple of times my computer at home was too slow or didn’t give me the date I wanted so I had to called in, but only for a few.
It is still a work in progress as some of the things I’m hoping to do have not been announced yet.
That is something that annoys me. I’m planning a trip for 9 days but on day one of the trip I don’t know what the park hours or EMH are going to be for the end of the trip. I don’t know when MNSSHP is going to take place, when Fantasmic is going to be performed the days we are there or if the Wishes Dessert party is going to be offered. It makes it all just that more challenging to plan when you have to guess at some of these.
My mom suggested I write to Disney but when I told her most people aren’t uber planners like me [just my fellow PassPorters, which is why I can complain to you – you “get it”]. Most people are the fly by the seat of their pants and IF they make any ADR’s it is only a few months in advance.
So this is what I have so far…
Friday Oct 14
Our flight is due in around 4:15pm.
I made an ADR at Chef Mickey’s and also 1900 Park Fare for dinner round 7pm. I still haven’t decided which place. I was hoping to celebrate Evan’s birthday as he will turn 5 on the 8th of October. I’ve been to CM for breakfast but never dinner. I think the boys will like the characters better here. I really want to try 1900PF, I’ve never been there and hear if it really fun and great character interaction. I’m just not sure the boys (8, 6 and 5) will “get it”. I know Evan won’t know who they are so we will need to watch Cinderella a few times if we do go to 1900PF.
What are your thoughts, Chef Mickey vs 1900 PF?
Saturday Oct 15
We are heading straight to the MK and probably on BTMRR as that is the 1 must do ride for Evan. We will close the evening in Epcot with our group activity of watching IllumiNations. I made a dinner ressie at Italy and it is my mom’s birthday but we may not end up eating here, not sure the kids will like real Italian food as opposed to American Italian food but we have the ADR just in case.
Sunday Oct 16
This will be our AK day. Since the park is only open from 9-5 I’m thinking we could push it and maybe not have a nap today – we’ll see. The must do for me is the Nemo show, I haven’t seen it yet and really want to. Judging by the park hours I’m hoping and praying that the MK will have MNSSHP tonight and we will be attending. This will be our group activity for the day. Evan wants to dress as the crocodile and scare Captain Hook. I need to see if I can find a cheap easy costume for him. I made a lunch ADR at Rain Forest Café in AK but also one at Tusker House with the Nemo show pass. Again I’m not sure which way to go on this.
Monday 10/17
This is our “Specials Day”. The little boys (8, 6, 6, 5) are taking the Pirate Cruise at the Grand Floridian in the morning. And I plan on having 2 hours of peace and quite to explore the hotel and do a little shopping or have a drink. Then we are heading to DTD to poke around and go to Ghirardelli’s for an ice cream (a first for me). My sister, her daughter and my mom are having tea at the GF at 2pm and my BIL and my nephew(12) are renting speed boats for their special event.
I hope to grab a hot dog at Casey’s for dinner and then enjoy our group activity of watching Wishes, MSEP and enjoying EMH. If the dessert party is offer this night I want to surprise everyone with it.
I book an ADR at TRex for lunch so that is a back up if Ghirardelli’s is too crowded
I’m hoping to make it into the MK in time to see the Flag Retreat tonight as that is something I’ve never seen before.
Tuesday 10/18
This will be our Studios day. The hours are only 9-7 so I think that is pretty do-able.
Our big group activity of the day is lunch at the 50’s Prime Time Café and hopefully watching Fantasmic. If offered I want to book a dinner package at Mama Melrose but those dates are not out yet. If we are up for it we can head over to EMH in Epcot after Fantasmic. I think Evan will be ready for bed though.
By now I’m sure we will all need a break as I know these will be very long and action filled days. I hope Evan doesn’t hit melt down before Wednesday.
Wednesday 10/19
This day is completely open, no group activity planned. I assume we will sleep in and maybe just relax around the hotel. I made an ADR at TREX for lunch in case the boys saw it on our DTD day and really wanted to go back but my guess is I’ll end up canceling it. I’m hoping to do Beaches and Cream for lunch but since no ADR’s there we just need to time it right. For dinner I was going to try the Camp Fire program and FW. Something new for me even though I’ve stayed there many times.
Thursday 10/20
This too is a fairly quite day I’m going to let Evan choose. We can do MK EMH, his favorite park or I’ll take him to GatorLand.
Our Group Activity is dinner at the Hoop-Dee-Doo. This is also Bryson’s birthday so we will be having cake at some point. Not at the HDDMR as they charge $21.00 for a 6 inch round cake – no way. We have a car, we’ll go to Goodings or Publix.
Friday 10/21
This morning we will be heading over to Epcot. I want to do a Kim Possible Mission as that will be new and Turtle Talk as I haven’t done that either. We have lunch scheduled at Japan Teppan Edo.
Tonight our group activity is the Prime Rib buffet at the hotel (my BIL’s favorite) then I plan on us walking to the Poly to watch the water pageant, get a drink, and watch Wishes on the beach as we just relax and reminisce about our wonderful vacation
Saturday 10/22
Our last full day.
The morning will be spent in MK using EMH. Our group activity is lunch at WCC.
The evening is free for each family group to return to do their favorite thing.
Sunday 10/23
We will be up early to check out of the hotel but we have one last group activity planned and that is a character breakfast. We want to do Cape May Café but I couldn’t get the time slot so I booked Chef Mickey’s (another reason I’m debating this on the first night) and I’m still checking for CMC. Hopefully something will become available. We are booked at 8am and we need to leave for the airport about 10-10:30 for our 1:30pm flight.
That’s all folks.
Coming up next
Wish list for Evan and myself
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