"I don't understand Disney fanatics!" - Page 3 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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How much do you plan..Is it like step by step...1st we will do this then this etc.? Or is it this day we will go to this park and then pick your favorites to do first and then wing it? I guess I am asking if you have a rigid schedule, or do you kind of wing it or what. I have read a few books, but am still confused by this. I think the unofficial guide may be too rigid for us.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
We mainly plan our meals each day and then kinda do a park according to where we are going to dine but not necessarily. We know that if the kids need a nap no big deal we can go back or find a cool shady spot but we don't say at 1:30 they will nap and at 3:00 we will go the space mountain etc. We kinda wing it with a back up plan.
3girlsmom,
Remeber one thing, go early, take a break in the middle and go back at night, that is the best advice I have ever gotten. Hopefully you're getting hopper tickets (it's worth the extra $$) so you can take a break if it is too much in the parks. Sept. is a beautiful time to go, not too crowded at all.
Also, some people will be rude but remember you're in the most magical place on earth and don't let them get you down or frustrated, look at them with pity and remember that they don't get it, but you do!!!! DH gets a little cranky to at times and then I remind him of where we are and what a privilage this is and he calms down.
Have a great time and don't overdue it, you can actually relax in WDW if done right!!!!
How much do you plan..Is it like step by step...1st we will do this then this etc.? Or is it this day we will go to this park and then pick your favorites to do first and then wing it? I guess I am asking if you have a rigid schedule, or do you kind of wing it or what. I have read a few books, but am still confused by this. I think the unofficial guide may be too rigid for us.
DD and I just planned which park we wanted to be in on a given day and which rides or character meets were must do's. We made out ADRs semi-based on what park we were in. Once we got there we just winged it for the most part. It was her first time, and my first in a looooooooooong time, so we just went with what looked fun to us.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
We do have the parkhopper tickets because we are spontaneous types of people. I had my husband read all the books to get the picture that trying to do it all because we are paying through the nose is not a great idea. I am most concerned about him trying to get the most for his money attitude kicking in, but he has made some comments that make me think he is getting it. I hope so.
Some advice that was given to me before our first trip to DLR with our 5 year old that I would like in turn to share with you is your children will really enjoy WDW if YOU (and your DH) enjoy it. Stay relaxed, take time to just sit and eat an treat, take things in stride, just enjoy yourselves and smile alot and your kids will pick up on your attitude and they will have fun too! I agree that such trips can be pricey and I, too, wanted to get the most for my money, but if I had been stressed and trying to hit every ride and see everything, my DD would have sensed my stress and not been a happy camper. For us, our money's worth came from all of us having a good time as a family, not making sure we had checked everything off the "to-do" list. I submit this to you in the most honest and sincere way possible. I hope this helps.