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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We stayed at BLT last week. I had researched how to get into the Top of the World Lounge. Had heard it was first come, first serve and that it opened at 5:00. I assumed that you would have to go pretty early just to get a spot.
Anyway, we were walking through the lobby at around 9:50 pm to go to bed when I overheard a man at the desk asking to go up to it. (Wishes was at 10:00.) Imagine my surprise when she asked him how many. I told her that we had 4 and a few minutes later, we were on the elevator heading to the top floor.
It was pretty cool. Definitely a different perspective as many of the fireworks go off quite a ways from the castle - but still very good. And the best part, we had about a 5 minute wait with not a lot of people.
I'd highly recommend it and wanted people to know that you didn't have to go up a lot ahead of time. At least we didn't on this night - 12/28 which was VERY busy in the parks.
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We enjoyed the BLT deck also! We had the same experience in September - we were able to go right up just a few minutes before the fireworks started, which is great, so that the kids don't have too long to wait!
We had that experience a few weeks ago. We went up five minutes before Wishes started and it was pretty quiet up there.
I've heard on the grapevine that the DVC are now saying that they may have over-estimated demand for the Top of the World lounge and they may relax restrictions over who's allowed up there, allowing members staying there to bring guests with them. I think it's a shame you can't do that, so we'll see what happens...
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We were very apprehensive about this "stipulation" too, when we went in October, as we were doing a Monorail Bar Crawl, and the Top of the World Lounge was supposed to be the final destination! However, we had absolutely no problems getting 6 of us up there (and there were only 3 of us staying on property). We also stopped by a few other times, with friends, and we were never questioned as to who was actually staying in BLT - only one of us had to show our room key.
Thanks for this little bit of info!! DW and I were wondering about the popularity of the TotWL for our upcomming trip home. Even if Disney did overestimate the demand for it, I sure hope that they limit it to at least guests staying at BLT + a few guests only
That's very interesting about others getting guests up. We had no chance. The woman operating the elevator asked to see every person's room key and carefully checked it.
That's very interesting about others getting guests up. We had no chance. The woman operating the elevator asked to see every person's room key and carefully checked it.
boy my last visit. a bunch of guys came together and only one showed his id.
of course you could also get your friend a room ID - if you have more room -
ex
you are couple and staying at a studio- you have 2 free ID
a couple and staying at 1-bedroom - you have 3 free id
This is one of the things I have been looking forward to the most during our first stay at BLT. I'm sort of relieved to hear the TOTWL is not usually packed. Did any of you have children with you and if so, would you be uncomfortable bringing them up there? Ours are 3 & 7 and we will have friends with us that will watch them at least one night so we can have an "adult" evening but I was looking forward to heading up there more than once.
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I've only seen kids up there once. One afternoon, we saw 2 kids sitting on one of the banquettes - they looked to be "tweens", and I'm pretty sure they were playing some kind of gaming system. It was after 5 pm, though, and there really weren't a whole lot of people in TOTWL (probably because it had just opened for the evening).
When we went later one night, around 9 or so, it was an all-adult crowd. I guess the main thing is (and please don't think I'm passing judgment, because I don't personally care what you do with your kids), but if you're comfortable taking your children into a bar/lounge, then go for it! I would just caution you that as the evening goes on, I wouldn't be surprised if there's a more "adult" vibe to the place. Then again, we're still in Disney, so I'm not sure how unruly it would really get.
Even if it's not that popular, for right now anyway, it's a quiet respite from the hustle and bustle. It sounds like a great place to relax and kick back!
This is one of the things I have been looking forward to the most during our first stay at BLT. I'm sort of relieved to hear the TOTWL is not usually packed. Did any of you have children with you and if so, would you be uncomfortable bringing them up there? Ours are 3 & 7 and we will have friends with us that will watch them at least one night so we can have an "adult" evening but I was looking forward to heading up there more than once.
Now I think about it, I don't recall seeing any kids up there at all the night we went up there.
So if I'm understanding it, kids usually aren't in the Top of the World Lounge but do kids usually go up to the observation deck to watch the fireworks?
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