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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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No FASTPASS for Anna & Elsa!
When I was researching for this trip just a month ago, I saw that Anna & Elsa's Royal Welcome was FASTPASS-only. When I got to DCA this morning, I tried to find the FP kiosk, but was told they don't use it any more. I got in line at maybe 8:20 (park opened at 8) and saw the two princesses 13 minutes later!
The cast member told me the line is never huge any more, and she thinks Frozen fever has run its course. The line around 4:30 was just a bit longer, but still 20 minutes or less. Judging by the number of little Annas & Elsas I saw running around, along with the medium-sized crowd at the Frozen Singalong and the 30-minute line to meet Olaf, I'd say it may be cooling down (so to speak) a little on this coast, but it's definitely still a thing. (The Kristoff in the singalong was cute, but not as brawny as I picture him)
Oh wow, I had no idea the lines for Anna and Elsa were much shorter at Disneyland than at WDW - good to know.
Mind you, if it seems as if their popularity is waning, does make you wonder about them taking away Aladdin to make way for a Frozen themed show - I seem to remember that was what they were doing, wasn't it?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Oh wow, I had no idea the lines for Anna and Elsa were much shorter at Disneyland than at WDW - good to know.
Mind you, if it seems as if their popularity is waning, does make you wonder about them taking away Aladdin to make way for a Frozen themed show - I seem to remember that was what they were doing, wasn't it?
Yes, that's the plan--good point. I saw Aladdin again today--still great, especially the Genie!
I've been in the parks one day and a half, and I've already heard "Let It Go" at least four times: World of Color--Celebrate! (diamond celebration edition); World of Color--Winter Dreams (Christmas version); Disneyland Forever fireworks show; and, of course, the Frozen Singalong. I might've also heard it in the Disney Animation building, while waiting for Animation Academy. Good thing I like the song!
Oh, and while more little girls are dressed like Elsa than any other princess, I've seen a significantly higher proportion of Annas than at WDW. Odd, but there you go.
I've still got Frozen Fever, but so glad to know the fever is cooling. I don't actually want Elsa to freeze the entire parks!
Thanks for posting this update, I'm taking my mini Kristoff (in home-made costume) to see them tomorrow. I thought I was going to be racing for FP for this! I'll report back on wait times.
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Maybe West Coast girls are more free spirited and likely to identify with Anna?
It's been my impression that women and girls west of the Mississippi River especially tend to be more independent-minded but for New Englanders. Elsa seems to me the more elegant and reserved type whereas Anna is much more active and adventurous, not as interested in seeming glamourous.
Sure hope that the Frozen furor is similarly waning at WDW. That could have occurred lots sooner than now as far as I'm concerned. I am no fan of the movie although I do like some of the characters, Olaf and Sven primarily. The plot was just too unbelievable even for a fantasy for me.
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My concern is that they are converting Norway at EPCOT into Frozen themed area, and if the popularity is waning for this movie and it's characters, that would be a shame to convert.
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They still seem to be hugely popular in Orlando.
I don't think the little girls who love the movie are really old enough for regional differences to affect them much.
My new theory: I've been told that DLR tends to be visited more by locals (though plenty of us out-of-staters show up), so perhaps the lines are shorter to see the two because most of the California girls have already done the meet-and-greet with Anna and Elsa. I've met several folks from out of state who were prepared to dash in to get in line and were surprised to not have to do that.
By the way, the line to see Olaf was much longer, perhaps because it's a seasonal venue (Olaf's Snow Fest, ending in January). Oh, he was so sweet! I went up to meet him and he grabbed me in a looong, warm hug. So awesome! The group of young women behind me in line were thrilled to meet him, and one of them actually got teary-eyed when it snowed. Still a Frozen fan!
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My new theory: I've been told that DLR tends to be visited more by locals (though plenty of us out-of-staters show up), so perhaps the lines are shorter to see the two because most of the California girls have already done the meet-and-greet with Anna and Elsa. I've met several folks from out of state who were prepared to dash in to get in line and were surprised to not have to do that.
That's what I was going to suggest - that DL is more local visitors than anything else and either they've already seen them or don't care to. When you think about it - the lack of time for making ADR's, the lack of MB and the small number of FP attractions - tells me at least that DL itself is not that popular of a destination for those having to travel distances. I know it doesn't call to me - especially when you consider after having been to WDW where you don't have to see "reality" (aka anything outside the Disney bubble) if you don't want to, from what I've seen of DL - you can see tons of "reality" just from the monorail. Not so magical IMO. I like being surrounded by the Disney magic 24/7, not just when I'm in the park.
It's possible regional differences are less pronounced than I suppose.
All I really can say with confidence is that I'd have considered Elsa waaaay too girly when I was 6-7.
Roy Rogers and Superman were the heroes I sought to emulate, so what did I get for my 7th birthday? A dumb Dale Evans costume with a SKIRT because my mom wanted to encourage me to act more ladylike.
She did at least allow me to run around wearing my more manly gunbelt and shooting dual cap pistols.
I wasn't much of a girl until almost 14.
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Well, My little Kristoff only waited about 10 min to see A and E, and this was on a Saturday at 9:45 am with a rope drop time of 8:00.
I was back in the A of E building many times through out the day, and never did it have much line. You'd wait longer to meet Mickey or Santa, for sure.
The Character interaction was the best I've ever seen, and especially from Anna. They have really given these fabulous actors carte blanche to step into Anna's character. She was just as garrulous and silly as in the movie. Boy, did she go nuts for little Kristoff. I haven't done 1900 Park Faire, but I would guess that Anna's performance is only rivaled by the Step's, anywhere on Dis property.
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By the way, the line to see Olaf was much longer, perhaps because it's a seasonal venue (Olaf's Snow Fest, ending in January). Oh, he was so sweet! I went up to meet him and he grabbed me in a looong, warm hug. So awesome! The group of young women behind me in line were thrilled to meet him, and one of them actually got teary-eyed when it snowed. Still a Frozen fan!
I love that pic w/ Olaf! He looks like he's eating your head.
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