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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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If you've done this do you think the Pirate & Princess party worth the money? If so, do you think a 2 1/2 year old would enjoy it or should we wait til she's older (if it's still around).
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
We just came from the P&P Party last Friday with our 2 1/2 yr old son. He had a wonderful time even though he was sick. He loved getting the loot in the bags. We walked right on a ton of rides so he didnt have to wait at all. That was worth the price to me. The playgrounds were practically empty. He got up and danced at all the dance parties. I think he enjoyed it more because the crowds were less and much less stressful for him. He even made it till 11:30 before he crashed.
It is totally worth it, even if your son child falls asleep in the stroller because you can trade off and ride the rides with little or no wait. We didn't have any kids on our trip and rode BTM over and over again without even getting off! We got a discount for booking by December (for our end of January trip) so keep a look out for other deals.
We went on Valentine's Day and it was wonderful! The lack of crowds makes it so easy to go on rides and walk around. My 8 & 5 year old loved filling their loot bags and dancing to the music. The parade was great too!
I'm really torn on this subject too. We are getting ready to go in April. We have 8 day park hopper passes, so we will have plenty of park time. There will be 5 of traveling this trip- kids are 3 and 9. I think it will be over $200 for us all to go. Why is it that I should want to go? I feel like I am missing out on something, but I also am having trouble paying $200 for one night of fun when we have 8 days of park tickets. I would really like your feedback.
I'm really torn on this subject too. We are getting ready to go in April. We have 8 day park hopper passes, so we will have plenty of park time. There will be 5 of traveling this trip- kids are 3 and 9. I think it will be over $200 for us all to go. Why is it that I should want to go? I feel like I am missing out on something, but I also am having trouble paying $200 for one night of fun when we have 8 days of park tickets. I would really like your feedback.
Amy (fellow Kentuckian!),
I felt that way before we went to our first MNSSHP too, but I finally convinced dh and now we consider them a must-do. I've never been to P&P (hoping to change that soon) but I bet it's the same way. If there's one going on while we're there, we'll try it out!
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Heather R, DVC Member and Disney Mom's Panelist, loving loyal wife to Chris & stay-at-home mom to Annie - 5, Catie - 3, and Lilly - 1
We went to the Christmas Party in 2005 and loved it. We did the Halloween Party in 2007 (DH loves Halloween), and loved that one even more! When we booked our next trip - for August 2008 - I said "There might be a Pirate and Princess Party. . .". Right away, DH said "We're going!" As of right now, it isn't looking too good (no early closings in August) but we are keeping our fingers crossed!
They way I justified paying for extra tickets for P&PP was not buying park passes for all the days we were there. We stayed for 6 nights, but I only bought 5 day park passes with park hoppers. This way, the day of the party was spent at Downtown Disney getting makeovers at the BBB and then we went to the MK at 4:00 pm. It was perfect!
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I'm really torn on this subject too. We are getting ready to go in April. We have 8 day park hopper passes, so we will have plenty of park time. There will be 5 of traveling this trip- kids are 3 and 9. I think it will be over $200 for us all to go. Why is it that I should want to go? I feel like I am missing out on something, but I also am having trouble paying $200 for one night of fun when we have 8 days of park tickets. I would really like your feedback.
Amy, I think you have to look at the parties almost like an out of park event, almost like La Nouba or a dinner show. Since you have so much park time, if you went I'd concentrate on the parade, the fireworks, and the parties that are unique to this event. The parade is supposed to be really unique and I've heard the fireworks are worth the ticket price on their own. I haven't been to this party, but I've been to MVMCP five times (even when we were at Magic Kingdom many times during a vacation.) For me, the hot chocolate and cookies, the characters in costume, dancing with Anastasia and Driscella, the parade, the fireworks, and the special shows were worth the price point. Take a look at the program of events on Allears, , Disney's Pirate and Princess Party for the P&P party and see if the special events are worth the price to your family. If you think you'd just use the time at the party to ride rides, it may not be worth it to you. Hope that helps!
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Karen, aka Zack's Mom - Lover of all Things Disney and the San Francisco Giants!
We went to the Pirate & Princess Party this February and absolutely loved it!! My DD just turned 2 and as someone stated above, she really enjoyed it b/c there wasn't as much as a crowd!! There was 13 in our group in total and everyone agreed that it is a "must do". The fireworks are amazing and everyone enjoyed filling their loot bags!!
I'm going to share all of the wonderful feedback with my family and see what they think. I think I have decided that I want to go, now let's see if I can get buy in from the family.
We had a great time at P&P Party. My DD's danced the night away and played lots of pirate games. The parks are much less crowded and I think it was worth the cost. Will your 2 1/2 enjoy it? - probably, but you certainly will! We have also done MNSSHP (halloween party) which was ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL!