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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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As a few others you find on this website I am a PLANNER
I basically have my days at WDW all planned so now I need to move onto Seaworld. I am wondering what stratagies people use for this.
I know show times change but can you do a generic plan using listed show times? Do you try to get all shows in at once and then do everything else? How long are the shows? How ealier do you need to show up before the show?
Is it possible to plan your day at Seaworld or do you just "run into things"
We will be going in Dec on a Sunday. Plan to be there at opening and stay till close. Only one day to do Seaworld 9am-8pm are park hours. We also have 2 4 y/o and a 7 y/o plus 4 adults if this makes a difference.
Basically I want to know how do YOU plan for one day at Seaworld!
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I love Sea World and am a planner too but show up at Sea World without a care. Without the rides, I find it a real different experience than Disney. We typically check the shows times upon arrival and plan our day around which ones we want to see. There are several so you may have to choose. The Shamu show is the biggie. Our 2nd favorite is Blue Horizons. The last time we went, we saw both of those shows as well as several of the other attractions. There are only 2 thrill rides which can get long lines so you need to decide if you want to include those. Right by the Shamu stadium is Shamu's Happy Harbor which has lots of things geared for the younger set. A small shamu thememd roller coaster (very tame), a jelly fish themed ride similar to Dumbo, a large rope climbing structure, skill games, a wet play area, snacks etc. The dolphin feeding is fun but gets very crowded and can be discouraging. Head there first if you want to do it. You can also feed the sea lions. My kids love the "Wild Arctic" exhibit which is where the Beluga whales are. After you've seen the animals it's set up to look like an Arctic base station and my kids love to play there. You'll really enjoy your visit. Check out their website before you go to get a feel for the layout and a little early planning. Talk to your kids and others to see what they're interested in seeing.
We enjoy Dine with Shamu. Also, they have nice tours and you can sign up for them on-line. Our tour time and our dinner time help shape our day. We saw the show in the Odysea (?) theatre for the first time and really enjoyed it. It is more laid back and we really enjoy the day.
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For dinner we enjoyed the Makahiki Luau. The show was good and the food was really good. I am a picky eater and enjoyed everything. The kids get to go on stage to dance too. You can also get a AAA discount on the price. To sit up front you need to book before you get there but not sure how soon they let you book. We sat 2nd level right side of stage when we booked at the park.
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Love, April
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass;
it's about learning to dance in the rain.
I have to agree, in that I'm a planner, but tend to show up to SeaWorld with no real plans. Last time we went, we knew we wanted to see the Shamu show and Clyde and Seamore and that was it. We grabbed a times guide and worked around those two things and then visited the animal exhibits from there. I guess the difference is we weren't interested in hitting the few rides, as we had young children with us.
I think I will research the shows more and decide which we want to see. I like the idea of no plans and then when you get there find your shows and work from there. My main fear is this is what everyone does. Goes to a show and then works through exhibits from one show to the next. I need to see how the park is set up and where the shows are in relation to each other. Then figure out a game plan.
Some of the adults in my party will want to go on the Kraken but not I so kids and I can continue on to other things.
How much time before the shows do you get to them? We have NO desire to sit in splash zone.
We also are going to do Counter Service at Seaworld. We don't want to take the extra time eating.
I'd show up about 20 min. before show time. There should be plenty of seats avail. Be sure you get there early for Seymore & Clyde. There is a Mime who has a sort of pre-show. Really funny.
You won't be able to get to all the shows, when one ends, another starts soon after, usually at the other end of the park! So pick which ones you want to see, and enjoy the other exhibits in between. Go early to Atlantis & Kracken, The line-ups tend to get long.
we went to sea world in 2006 and we did not have a plan their where not many people their and you could walk on the rides and right into the shows. so their is really no need to really plan your day at sea world just look at the board when you buy your tickets and that will give you all the show times for the day.
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Heather - "I'm Tinkerbell's biggest fan!"
WDW - August 1997 Off Property
WDW - January 2005 AKL
WDW - May 2006 Pop Century
WDW- november-dec 2007 pop century
WDW- dec/jan 2009/2010 pop century
WDW- oct/nov 2012 art of animation
WDW- sept 2013 port Orleans riverside
WDW- july 2015 beach club
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