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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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OK...I know where to search for the historical data on free dining. I know it is way too early to be looking for it (although they do seem to be releasing the info sooner each year!). What I want to know is....your best guess....what is the likelihood of Free Dining being offered for late Fall?
I know it has been offered for the past three years. We went last year with that offer, but decided to go with late Sept dates this year. We took advantage of the bounce back offer of free dining for late Sept for next year, but we would really rather go the week after Thanksgiving! The only way we can swing it is to get Free Dining. It saves us about $2000 for the 4 of us over the 10 days.
So, your best guess....will I be happy or sad?
Nini
PS...and the fact that I get to go to Disney is really enough to make me happy, I just want to be happy-ER!
One of these years I expect Disney to dramatically cut-back or eliminate these offers, simply because too many people are waiting to book until after the deals are announced. If nobody books without a particular incentive, it's often time to re-examine the incentives offered.
As I see it, Disney started the free DDP offers for two reasons; because too many folks were waiting around for room discount offers (AP, AAA, etc.), and to get a larger number of guests used to the idea of dining at TS restaurants. Somewhere along the line, they have to cut back on the incentives and let folks' modified behavior coast along under its own power. And at some point they'll probably want a new incentive that gets folks excited, rather than just expectant.
When will that happen? I don't have a good idea. All I do know is that free DDP is offered for far more dates in the year than it was back in the beginning. Once something of this sort becomes near-universal, it's generally time to start ratcheting back.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
I simply do an internet search. Doing this has always yielded good results. We are also watching and wishing for the free dining plan for the fall of 2012. Good luck to all!!!
If you're interested in a hunch, I would say it probably would be offered next Fall. Nothing scientific here, just a hunch!
I agree with Dave as well though, I do expect them to dial back the discounts dramatically one of these years. Perhaps when the new Fantasyland opens, and the new Art of Animation resort opens that will generate enough interest to boost occupancy levels to a point where they feel they don't need to offer such discounts?
I'm hoping it's not for awhile though, Getting free dining and staying at a Value resort has enabled us to go more than once a year the past couple years.
Unfortunately, Dave is right...but hopefully not this year!
I am pretty confident that Free Dining will be offered for Fall, but not so sure about late Fall. I am basing that on the bounce back offer we had in September. For the past several years, what ever has been out bounce back offer has been offered to the public later.
We will be going this year regardless of Free Dining in late fall or not, but it would be so much easier on the budget to have Free Dining for our time frame!
Free dining has been offered to the UK market for 2012 already. However, right now, there is no offer for 2012 or even 2013, which they're already marketing. It's the first time in a long time that's been the case here. Whether that's an indication of what they'll be offering for 2012, I don't know, but it is highly unusual not to have any free dining on offer for the UK market and that's where we are now....
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