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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 were there last Christmas and we did have to get a GAC, the CM's were insisting on it. I think it is only because of the holidays, we have not needed to use it before with our son and his wheelchair. I would get one just in case. Have a great trip.
We were there last Christmas and we did have to get a GAC, the CM's were insisting on it. I think it is only because of the holidays, we have not needed to use it before with our son and his wheelchair. I would get one just in case. Have a great trip.
He looks pretty small ( cute Peter Pan though). Did he have a wheelchair that the CMs were confusing with a stroller maybe?
If so, it's best to have a GAC. Up until about 10 years ago, a child older than 3 or weighing more than 35 pounds usually meant that the child was disabled and what looked like a stroller was their wheelchair because 'regular' strollers fir children those sizes were just not very common. In the past 10 years, 'regular' strollers have gotten larger, so it's not uncommon to see a 5 or 6 year old in a stroller. At thst same time, special needs strollers and children's wheelchairs have gotten more 'mainstream' looking. This makes it much easier to confuse a wheelchair/special needs stroller for a 'regular' one.
If it was a wheelchair that looked like a wheelchair and would not be confused, having the park map for Guests with Disabilities would help to show the CM that you are in the correct place. On the few instances over the years where that has happened to us, that's what we have done, which helps ensure that the next guest ( or us when we come back) won't experience the same problem. Getting a manager involved if you need to also helps since they will then educate that CM and others who mat be confused.
Also it depends on how 'obvious' the disability is. If the CM can look at you and see right away that you are disabled, then the GAC isn't necessary. I didn't need one at all while I was there but I was in an ECV and I didn't have any issues. The cast on my foot spoke for itself. And usually I just had to explain the situation. Like with Space Mountain when the standby line was 10 minutes, the CM gave me a return pass for the fastpass line because I explained to her that while I would normally just go through the standby line given that I can walk, there was no possible way I could manage to do the stairs down with my cast on.
He looks pretty small ( cute Peter Pan though). Did he have a wheelchair that the CMs were confusing with a stroller maybe?
If so, it's best to have a GAC. Up until about 10 years ago, a child older than 3 or weighing more than 35 pounds usually meant that the child was disabled and what looked like a stroller was their wheelchair because 'regular' strollers fir children those sizes were just not very common. In the past 10 years, 'regular' strollers have gotten larger, so it's not uncommon to see a 5 or 6 year old in a stroller. At thst same time, special needs strollers and children's wheelchairs have gotten more 'mainstream' looking. This makes it much easier to confuse a wheelchair/special needs stroller for a 'regular' one.
If it was a wheelchair that looked like a wheelchair and would not be confused, having the park map for Guests with Disabilities would help to show the CM that you are in the correct place. On the few instances over the years where that has happened to us, that's what we have done, which helps ensure that the next guest ( or us when we come back) won't experience the same problem. Getting a manager involved if you need to also helps since they will then educate that CM and others who mat be confused.
He is in an actual custom made child's wheelchair that can not be confused with a stroller. I do understand what you mean, there are many of his classmates that have a wheelchair that looks like a stroller to some degree. We had no issues our first day at MK, only on our 2nd day at Epcot. There were others there too and told the same thing. We went ahead and got the the GAC, and we were asked for it at HS and AK. I assumed that it might be because of the time of year, it was so crowded. The was the first year that we had even been told to get one, but even in HS and AK we only had to show it once or twice. Most of the time it was not asked for. It was not until after we got back that I read that you could ask for the supervisor. Things were just so hectic as it was but it did not ruin our trip. It is more than likely that some CM's are either not trained right or just don't care. On our next trip, if it becomes a problem we will push the issue. When it is very clear that someone is in their own personal wheelchair (it has his name on it), they really should not insist on the GAC. I completely agree with that. We did find that on some attractions it did come in handy because of his autistic sensory issues and we were placed in a quiet area away from all the noise and masses. We will get a GAC for those waiting areas when they are available. It helped avoid the meltdowns.
I have also run into a rude cast member at GR in Epcot when inquiring about a GAC. But have had not problems on the past few trips with my DD who was having mobility issues due to leukemia. Some Cast Members are more helpful than others as well. For example, didn't know we neede a stamp on the GAC to use the stroller as a wheelchair the first time we got one and had to treck all the way back to GR for that stamp.
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