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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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*****HARD ROCK CAFE*****
We had dinner at the HRC the second night. It was a typical HRC. The food was good - I had some kind of chicken wrap that really surprised me with how tasty it was. And we got this nifty picture taken (HAD to buy it):
*****JIMMY BUFFETT'S MARGARITAVILLE*****
We have been here before (the closest we got to Universal before this trip). So we knew what to expect. The food was good, and they sat us right near the volcano, which Nick loved. They had a couple of people on stilts dressed up in festive costumes, making balloon animals/hats/etc.
Thank you so much for this thread!! We are heading there in 27 days. DS1 is autistic so it's great to read a ride review I can understand. He loves the Madagascar movies so he'll go bananas when he sees them.
We are staying at Portofino Bay in a Dr. Seuss themed room. So excited especially since I've read!!
*****WRAP UP*****
I've been sitting here trying to figure out how to write my wrap up. It's not that I thought that we wouldn't like Universal. I think that I thought we would go once and say okay, been there, it was nice. And then we would be back to being all gung-ho about WDW. It's not that we like Disney any less - it's just that we have decided that the next time we go to Orlando, we want to take another 3 days or so for Universal. Even if it means taking that time away from WDW <ouch>. There are a lot of things that we didn't get to do because of the weather, and because of Fred being sick. Yes, Universal is smaller, but what they do, they do WELL. For the most part, I felt that they could be held up to Disney and match their quality for service and entertainment. Not to mention that LOVELY Express Pass, and the gorgeous hotel and pool. We laughed, we had fun, we got excited about the things we did and/or saw. And we really want to go back.
Thank you so much for this thread!! We are heading there in 27 days. DS1 is autistic so it's great to read a ride review I can understand. He loves the Madagascar movies so he'll go bananas when he sees them.
We are staying at Portofino Bay in a Dr. Seuss themed room. So excited especially since I've read!!
Thanks again!
Julie
Julie - if you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to ask (send me a PM if you want)!
*****WRAP UP*****
I've been sitting here trying to figure out how to write my wrap up. It's not that I thought that we wouldn't like Universal. I think that I thought we would go once and say okay, been there, it was nice. And then we would be back to being all gung-ho about WDW. It's not that we like Disney any less - it's just that we have decided that the next time we go to Orlando, we want to take another 3 days or so for Universal. Even if it means taking that time away from WDW <ouch>. There are a lot of things that we didn't get to do because of the weather, and because of Fred being sick. Yes, Universal is smaller, but what they do, they do WELL. For the most part, I felt that they could be held up to Disney and match their quality for service and entertainment. Not to mention that LOVELY Express Pass, and the gorgeous hotel and pool. We laughed, we had fun, we got excited about the things we did and/or saw. And we really want to go back.
And yes, that surprised me - a lot.
You worded that perfectly!! I did not think I would like Universal at all, but we fell in love with it from the first trip. And you can love both Disney and Universal. I've never understood the mindset of being an either/or fan. I think the majority of folks who don't like Universal went in with a preconcieved idea that it's "not Disney" and they wouldn't enjoy it. I tell everyone not to expect it to be Disney, not to compare it to Disney. Just go with an open mind and enjoy what Universal has to offer.
*****WRAP UP*****
I've been sitting here trying to figure out how to write my wrap up. It's not that I thought that we wouldn't like Universal. I think that I thought we would go once and say okay, been there, it was nice. And then we would be back to being all gung-ho about WDW. It's not that we like Disney any less - it's just that we have decided that the next time we go to Orlando, we want to take another 3 days or so for Universal. Even if it means taking that time away from WDW <ouch>. There are a lot of things that we didn't get to do because of the weather, and because of Fred being sick. Yes, Universal is smaller, but what they do, they do WELL. For the most part, I felt that they could be held up to Disney and match their quality for service and entertainment. Not to mention that LOVELY Express Pass, and the gorgeous hotel and pool. We laughed, we had fun, we got excited about the things we did and/or saw. And we really want to go back.
And yes, that surprised me - a lot.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shell_of_the_South
You worded that perfectly!! I did not think I would like Universal at all, but we fell in love with it from the first trip. And you can love both Disney and Universal. I've never understood the mindset of being an either/or fan. I think the majority of folks who don't like Universal went in with a preconcieved idea that it's "not Disney" and they wouldn't enjoy it. I tell everyone not to expect it to be Disney, not to compare it to Disney. Just go with an open mind and enjoy what Universal has to offer.
Great reviews, sorry that Fred was under the weather the first day and that you had some rain but it sounds like you all had a great time. The room and the hotel looked beautiful and your ride reviews were great. Glad you all had such a great trip.
You worded that perfectly!! I did not think I would like Universal at all, but we fell in love with it from the first trip. And you can love both Disney and Universal. I've never understood the mindset of being an either/or fan. I think the majority of folks who don't like Universal went in with a preconcieved idea that it's "not Disney" and they wouldn't enjoy it. I tell everyone not to expect it to be Disney, not to compare it to Disney. Just go with an open mind and enjoy what Universal has to offer.
Well said.
Sounds like you had a fun trip. Thanks for the great reviews!!
DW and I went to US/IoA for the first time in 08 and we had a great time. If we had more $$ last year we would of taken a couple days to head over there, but sadly we had to pass. This comming trip we are definetly making a trek over there, not only for HP, but because we enjoyed ourselves on our last visit.
We went to US/IoA withoutaclue of what to expect and I think that made up for the best part of the experience! Everything was a surprise, like the Mummy!
I have to recommend though, whenever you go back, to eat lunch at Mythos in IoA! We accidently stumbled into this place at its opening for lunch and come to find out that it's quite a favorite! LOL We had no idea, but we now know why that is! The food is superb and going at lunchtime - 1/2 the price!
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Michelle - with my step sisters!
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