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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 are due to arrive at Orlando International at 16:05 on a Monday. We're flying from the UK with Virgin Atlantic.
We're staying at Bay Lake Towers and are booked on Disney's Magical Express.
How long is it likely to take from "touch down" to opening the door of our room?
I'm hoping to make a reservation for dinner at Chef Mickey's but I'm not sure what time is the safest to go for.
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Of course it depends on how long you might wait in line for your ME bus. When we came in last November, we waited about 15 minutes for a bus and then another 10 minutes or so until the bus left. Seems like forever when you're waiting to get to your happy place! Then we made a stop at WL before BLT. Our timeline went like this...
Touchdown at 10:25
In ME line at 10:50
On the bus at 11:05
On our way at 11:15
Arrived at WL at 11:50
Arrived at CR at 11:55.
We were taken right to the desk for check-in.
Don't recall how long that took, but I have in my notes that we went to our room, freshened up a bit and were on our way to Contmepo Cafe at 12:30.
So, that was about 2 hours. If I were making an ADR, I probably would have given us 3 hours to be safe.
I am not sure of how "on time" Virgin Atlantic is but I find it is not uncommon for use to arrive late to MCO. We come from the northeast and usually go in the winter so the airlines need to cope with snow and ice.
I also only took ME once and it was a very slow ride. I swear the drive never got over 30, even on the highway. We waited about a half hour to leave MCO and then the ride took very close to an hour.
I would leave a good 2-3 hours after you touch down to get there. If your kids can eat late I would book a meal closer to 8 and if you have extra time go to your room and rest a bit.
The ride from the airport to the resort only takes a half hour. You might have to wait a few minutes to get on a bus, the bus might stop at other resorts before yours and there could be a line at check in. Since the resturant is in the resort you are staying I would make the dinner reservation no sooner than 2 hours from the time your plane is due to land. If you want to be safe I would make it a little later than that.
Without navigating customs and immigration, I always allow a 2 hour window from time of plane landing until we arrive at our resort--open the door to our room (which is not the same as arriving at the resort). If we make it in less than that, it is just a bonus. Otherwise, I feel like I am trying to "will" people, buses, planes, and trams at the airport to move faster. The two hour window allows me to begin to relax and enjoy our vacation!
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I've had it take up to two hours from the time my flight landed to the time I arrived at my hotel. I've also basically walked on the bus & after about five minutes the driver decided not to wait any more & off the driver & I went to my hotel. Keep in mind that I go during value season so nowehere near the crowd levels of summer. Since you'll have to clear customs & immigration too I'd say give yourself at least three hours. Personally, I never book a sit down meal for my arrival day. I lose three hours because of the time change (I'm in Seattle) so I'm not landing at MCO until about 5:30pm which means I'm probably not going to be in my room before 7pm at which point I'm tired & hungry which leaves me without the patience or the desire to do anything other than go to the food court for dinner & unpack before going to bed.
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Previous trips: POFQ 2005 & 2007, Boardwalk 2008, BCV & AKLV 2009 (our honeymoon) & 2012, BCV & BLT 2011, BCV 2013, AKLV 2014
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