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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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HI! Does anyone have any tips or must see rides for a 1st timer to DL.. or must do things?
has anyone done the walk in walts footsteps? is it worth it?
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DL tips
I've never done that tour, but each year (while my husband's at a convention there), I've done the Cruzin' California Segway tour. It's $99, with a $20 discount for AAA, Disney Visa, annual pass, etc., and only for those 16 and up I believe, but SO much fun!
I'd suggest getting the Disneyland Passporter, of course...they're just now working on the second edition, so you'll no doubt have to get the first one.
Tip #1: If you're a frequent WDW visitor, be prepared for the shock of how tiny it'll seem. Even the castle is much shorter!
Tip #2: To start with, concentrate on the DL & Disney's California Adventure (DCA) rides that are unique to those parks: Indiana Jones, California Screamin' (if you like fast roller coasters), Monsters Inc., Maliboomer, etc., to name my personal favorites. But don't forget to get Fast Passes to the favorites you can't miss, like Space Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Tip #3: If your fellow travelers are old enough, can afford it, and fit the other requirements, try the Segway tour.
Tip #4: Don't listen to those folks who don't like DCA, just don't expect it to be like DL or the Magic Kingdom. It has its own unique character and it's reminiscent of the old piers with amusement parks (or so I'm told...before my time!). AND it's the only Disney park I've ever seen where you get something free, gratis, for nothing: the Mission Tortilla Factory gives you a yummy, warm, free tortilla at the end of the short tour! This is especially wonderful when you start to get the munchies but mealtime is far away, and that seems to happen a lot to us East Coasters adapting to West Coast time. No one seems to notice or care if you go through the line twice in one day (although I wouldn't advise trying to go through the line often enough to make a meal out of it ).
Also: Check the weather forecast and pack accordingly, and make sure all your Philly friends know you're visiting the Sunshine State while they're stuck in the Northeast! (Okay, so maybe it's not really the Northeast, but I'm originally from Virginia, so even Ohio & Pennsylvania still seem like "yankee territory" to me )
Have fun!
Ginger
I did the Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour in June with my 10-year-old son. We really enjoyed it -- our guide pointed out a lot of details that we would otherwise have missed, and we learned a lot about the history of the park. That said, because the tour takes several hours, I'd do it only if you had at least 2 1/2 days at Disneyland Resort. On a first visit, you want to allow enough time to do attractions.
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Just soak it all in. There is so much magic, theming, & attention to detail in the Cali parks that it is just fabulous to witness.
The overall feel of the parks is so dft. from WDW. The pace is relaxed, the atmosphere is casual, and there does not appear to be 1 million frenzied tourists everywhere you turn. So, go with the flow. Take it all in, and just enjoy it. These are parks where you *really* can just go with it, and that is a beautiful thing. No crazy over-planning necessary. Just come with an open mind & an attitude of FUN!
I would plan a special meal somewhere (Goofy's Brunch at DL Hotel is good, La Brea Bakery has a nice b'fast, the Storyteller's Cafe at GC is good (b'fast or dinner, or anywhere that appeals to you). Also, the Segway tour at DCA is super fun, and I would recommend it.
I am going back in January for my 2nd West Coast Mouse visit, and I CANNOT wait!
We went for our first trip in August to Disneyland (Sunday through Wednesday) and we really enjoyed it. The whole experience was great because you can walk everywhere and don't have to worry about transportation. It was much more laid back and we didn't have to over plan anything. Once we learned the layout of the parks then we could decide what we wanted to do a 2nd or even 3rd time on our trip. My advice is to check the calendar of times carefully. Not all the shows go every day. We missed Aladdin because it was only playing Thursday through Sunday and I didn't read the calendar correctly. The weekends are much busier so be prepared for the difference in weekends and weekday crowds. I would also suggest planning one special meal, we did Goofy's Kitchen for our meal and it was really cute. Enjoy your trip. We really had a great time and are looking forward to going back after the construction is finished in CA Adventure.
HI! Does anyone have any tips or must see rides for a 1st timer to DL.. or must do things?
has anyone done the walk in walts footsteps? is it worth it?
thanks ANY tips or advice are appreciated.
hi my sister and i are going to DL on the 16th oct my 3rd time , my sisters 2nd time. we are doing walk in walts footsteps tour this time and we are really looking forward to it. i would be interested to hear comments from anyone who have done this tour also! kerri
My biggest advice is take the time to really ENJOY the parks themselves. Our trips this past spring, we spent a lot of time just wandering around and really taking things in. I also agree, get a DL Passporter, I've used mine a couple times now and don't think I could live without it. Definitely give DCA a chance, my mom enjoys it more than DL itself, it just has a more laid back atmosphere and is great for those with an eye for detail and an enjoyment of streetmosphere and less intense rides. Get a fastpass for Toy Story Mania first thing, or if your group is ok splitting up, use the single rider line, it is wicked fun for all ages! If you enjoy wine, get a glass and enjoy it around the vineyard area, we love lunch at the Wine Country Trattoria.
At DL, my fave thing is to get a Dolewhip inside the queue area for the Tiki room and enjoy it along with the preshow, then in for the original Tiki Room (not under new management, thank goodness). At the beginning and end of the day or whenever you need a bit of a break and caffeine its nice to grab coffee at the Market House on Mainstreet and sit an people watch (if you hold on to your receipt you can get refills there all day on regular coffee) I think those are my big must do things while we're there!
Though I have never done a tour, we thought about it, and I found DyanKJ130's trip report from earlier this year full of great information. I'm not quite sure where it is, but somewhere in there she has some great info and pics about the tour. http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...ed-5-19-a.html
Have fun! and Happy Planning!
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Special ops issued us flip-flops, a guitar and a week or two! -Roger Clyne
After your tour of the Mission Tortilla Factory in DCA step directly across the street and get your free samples of different warm breads.
ooh, I totally forgot about the tortillas. And big perk, if there is anyone in your group with a birthday, you can typically get a little bag of tortillas, they make a great snack back at your hotel
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Agree with all of the above, particularly make sure you visit the attractions that are unique to Disneyland, like the Matterhorn, Indiana Jones, and even the ones who share attractions, like Pirates and Space Mountain because they are different at Disneyland. Take time to stop at the River Belle Terrace where Walt used to like to enjoy Sunday breakfasts. Fantasyland, in my humble opinion, is prettier in Disneyland too and also has rides that aren't found in WDW -- Alice in Wonderland, Storybook Canal Books, Casey Jr train, and those no longer in WDW, like Mr. Toad and the Submarines, now called Finding Nemo.
I don't think I saw it mentioned in this post but the Disneyland RR is different (and I think preferable) to the WDW version. You get the Grand Canyon/Dinosaur part. Its somewhat cheesy but I really enjoy it ;-) It is also a nice way to enjoy the park while getting to sit and take a break.
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