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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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OK...here we go. We've done Disney...now it's time for a change. While I have been to Universal (pre-HP days), Donna has not. Being HUGE Harry fans, we've decided it's time to go. But before we do, we need planning help. We're gonna ease into the questions (I get confused when too much info is thrown at me at one time!). Start off easy...
Making reservations. Use the web site or a travel agent?
Thinking we would like to go sometime between mid-April and the week before Memorial Day. Good time? Bad time?
We will stay on-site (there will be 3 of us...including Donna's somewhat mentally challenged 27 y/o DS). We would like 2 rooms. Recommendations?
Remember folks...we are gonna need lots of information...so be gentle with your advice...
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We went a couple of years ago, the first weekend in May (Thur-Sun), and stayed on-site at the Royal Pacific. This was a great time to visit, so I think your timing sounds good.
We took the boat to their City Walk (you can also walk), first thing in the morning, and were in line maybe 20 minutes before the early opening for on-site guests. Pretty much everyone walked straight to WWOHP. It was great to be able to take pictures of Hogsmeade without 10,000 of my closest friends filling the walkways. It was a great time to take photos and just about walk onto the rides.
I made our hotel reservations either on-line or on the phone....might've done the phone in order to get their military discount. I don't know of any particular reason to use a travel agent, but there may be some special deal I don't know about.
Getting two rooms: well, that sounds good, with 3 adults, but do bear in mind that their rooms are WAY expensive! I only stayed on-site because of the military discount, and to get into the parks early, as my sons and I also big fans of Harry. This will be an expensive visit! I understand the new hotel, Cabana Bay, will be somewhat cheaper. They have some kind of arrangement with other hotels in the area...I'll see if I can find that info on-line and insert the link...Oh, I thought they offered the early-entry but not the front-of-the-line pass, but apparently they don't do either, only transportation.
Well, good luck with your planning! If you're going next spring, I guess you'll get to see the Diagon Alley area...I'm jealous. We went to Universal 2 days over spring break, and could just see the tops of Kings Cross Station and Gringotts in the construction area.
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On site rooms at Universal are very expensive--you might consider the new property that they are opening--I believe they are family suites.
You can book everything you need to book using the Universal website--I would do that, but if you feel more comfortable with a travel agent you should feel free to use one.
The rooms are the Portofino Bay are pretty large so three people would be pretty comfortable.
Some of the rooms also have suites. You used to be able to get the hotels on discount sites, but I haven't stayed in a few years (pre Harry Potter).
You might also want to consider staying on site for a few nights and off for the rest of your vacation.
With onsite you can get 4 room keys. When I went with my DD we stayed on site and met my sister who was staying off site but I got room keys for her kids.
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We called and booked directly with Universal. They run specials, and ours gave us an extra day at the parks. Staying onsite at the deluxe hotels gives you unlimited front of the line passes during your stay. But just so you know, that doesn't get you on Forbidden Journey and probably won't for the new Diagon Alley ride either. Their newest "value" resorts will be less expensive, but won't offer the free unlimited express passes. Also, we stayed at the Royal Pacific and were able to get our tickets and unlimited passes right at the hotel instead of standing in line at the front of the park.
Rather than two rooms how about the jurrasic park suites at the RPH or the minions suites in the Portofino Bay. thats what we have selcted for our next trip for four of us. Separate space but still together.
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. It was a great time to take photos and just about walk onto the rides.
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