We're leaving in a week...and it's looking like rain! - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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're leaving in a week...and it's looking like rain!
One week from tomorrow I'll be on my way to Disneyland with my 1 yr. old son and our friends! DH can't come with us, so we're travelling with our best friends and their DD. We'll be driving down on Sat, spending Sat eve & the next 3 days in the parks (4 nights at Camelot Inn & Suites), then driving back home on Wed.
We've got our plan in place for which rides we need to hit each day, and who is watching the kids during which naps and after bedtime so the other 2 adults can go back for the "grown-up" rides. Our res is in for our character breakfast and Blue Bayou (although there's some debate over whether or not it will be open if Pirates is indeed closed for refurb).
So far it's looking like we'll have rain for our visit - at least for the first couple days. Such a bummer! But I've got an all-weather shield that fits over DS's stroller, so we should still be fine even if it's wet.
The other bummer is that the only parade scheduled while we'll be there is the Pixar parade on Sunday at CA, and so far the forcast is a 60% chance of rain then. DS loves parades, and I'll be sad if he ends up not getting to see a parade while we're there. Crossing my fingers that will still be on...so many other things will be closed since we're visiting during the off season.
But hooray! One more week, and I'll be back at DLR for the first time since fall of '79! (all my Disney trips since then have been to WDW, but now that I'm living in CA I figure I should start visiting closer to home!)
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We travelled 2/15 - 2/23 last year. We checked the weather prior to our trip and received a similar forecast, but only ended up with one rainy morning & one morning where we were met with some drizzle. I'm pretty sure February is their rainy season, but in no way compares to the rainy season one might have to deal with in Florida! I hope the weather holds out for you!!
We live 96 miles south of DL and so far the weatherman has 'guessed' correctly when it comes to our rain. However, if you have 'rain gear' you may find that ques to the different rides are shorter than normal. As to no parades during that time, DL is repairing sections of Main Street so their parades are on hold. DCA usually has their Electric Light Parades during the peak seasons. Pixar Play Parade of course would depend upon the weather.
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Dont worry about the rain. In addition to the ponchos take umbrellas. The ponchos get to be a pain to take on and off inside. We take umbrellas that can easily fold up and hang from our backpack or whatever. Also, since the park areas are so much smaller than in WDW rent a locker to keep your stuff and you can go back for it during the day.
We went in December...had a forecast for rain for 4 of the 5 days...didn't get a drop! Also, a forecast of rain doesn't necessarily mean that it will rain all day. One of my family members lives in Aneheim and says the weather forecast is an educated guess and there's a 50% chance of the weatherman getting it right.
We JUST returned this evening from 3 days at the park. We got rained on our first day there. I left DS6 at the hotel with DH (he was sick anyways).
Lines were SUPER short and it didn't stop me and DS12. I will tell you though, we were NOT expecting it to be as cold as it was. We were freezing. Pack extra shoes and socks. Layer your clothing. If you have comfy rain boots, WEAR THEM! I couldn't stand most of the people with umbrellas. I can't tell you how many times I got hit in the head with irresponsible umbrella owners Ponchos worked well for us except for the fact that our arms got wet. We just wore our ponchos on all the rides. No need to slip them on and off all day.
Don't think I would venture out with the kiddos in the rain on the rides though.
We got back on the redeye this morning. Had done Disneyland last weekend (the 7th-9th) and again yesterday before flying home. It rained every day.
The rain wasn't as big a problem as the fact that I'd only packed shorts for us, and our jackets weren't warm enough.
We were disappointed about the rides that closed in the rain, but overall, it wasn't a huge problem. The good news -- the parks really cleared out in the rain, so lines were super short. We were able to loop several rides (including Soarin') on a walk-on basis, or darn close to it.
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Thanks for all the welcomes and well-wishes, everyone!
The forcast is looking better and better - just a chance of showers on Sunday, and the rest looks pretty dry. Hooray! We figure the showers on Sunday will help keep the crowds down and the lines shorter. We've got lots of rain gear and some extra dry socks and shoes for everyone.
DS loves being out in his stroller with the rain shield on it - it comes down and totally covers the stroller with a few vents in the sides - and he thinks it's funny to ride in there with it on. We just put a blanket over him in the stroller and he stays nice and snuggly and dry...drier than I do pushing him!
I'm still crossing my fingers that the pixar play parade will happen on Sunday, since that's the only parade while we're there. DS loves parades. He's so cute watching them!
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DH can't come with us, so we're travelling with our best friends and their DD. We'll be driving down on Sat, spending Sat eve & the next 3 days in the parks (4 nights at Camelot Inn & Suites), then driving back home on Wed. 
Such a bummer! But I've got an all-weather shield that fits over DS's stroller, so we should still be fine even if it's wet. 
(all my Disney trips since then have been to WDW, but now that I'm living in CA I figure I should start visiting closer to home!)
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Pixie Dust
PassPorter Guide Author
Pixies that it doesn't rain too much!! 
and 
I hope the weather holds out for you!!
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