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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Looking for your thoughts and ideas. We are arriving at MCO on June 30 at around 6 PM. Right now we have reservations for Magical Express, but I also have a car reserved. If I read about Magical Express being very slow or inconvenient, we will go with the car.
But the question is this, based on that arrival time (we will then be heading to the CBR) and the later park hours in the summer - do you think that we will be able to schedule a late PS for that evening. Will there be enough time? And then, if there is, where would be the best option given the later hour? Park entry is no problem since we have APs; I am going to assume we have to take a bus since we may not have a car. Is it worth it? I hate the have the entire day pass without venturing out at all; we have the late flight because my 14 y.o. has a commitment in the AM. Shoud we just resort it? or venture out. I figure we can always cancel a PS. Which restaurants would you recommend for such a late hour - and how late do they seat?
I think you could do a late ps. We arrived at 6pm last September, and we had a ps at 7:45 at Whispering Canyon (we were a few minutes late). Though we were staying at Wilderness Lodge, and we used Quicksilver which was very quick. We did make a stop on the way to our hotel at DTD to activate our APs-- so that took a good 15 minutes. I would think you could probably make something around 8:30 or later. The only problem for us was that we pretty much got to our room, and dashed out (it was a little much for our 4yo-- but if your son is 14yo, I'm sure he can handle it hehehe!!) Good luck!!!
I would have to go out and do something. How about a dinner at Chef Mickey's? That should get everyone in the Disney mode and ready for park touring the next day
'If' you land on time, I wouldn't schedule anything sooner than 8:15 pm. Maybe dinner in the castle? If it were me, I would just do some things at the resort, I don't liked to be rushed.
I think it depends on how relaxed or busy you want your vacation to be. For me, I prefer to spend my first part day at WDW simply settling into my resort and exploring its environs. How about dinner at Shutters right at CBR? Or, if you really want to go out somewhere for dinner other than at your resort, how about a late dinner in the Voodoo Garden at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney? It's a great spot after dark.
I agree with Joy, the rest of the vacation will probably be petty hectic so I would spend the first night elaxing and taking it easy. You won't arruve until late so it's not like you're wasting a whole day. I'd have dinner at Shutter's and then enjoy and pool and game room, and maybe take a walk along the beach (relax in the hammocks!) I love CBR
I agree with everone else, I would do someting at one of the resorts since you will probably be running for most of your trip. Have fun, whatever you decide!!
I see you are from NJ. If you're flying out of Newark there's always a chance you're not going to arrive on time. My husband was flying in to meet us at Disney (I drove down) and his flight that was supposed to arrive at 7:00 PM finally arrived at 2:30 AM. He got to the CBR at 3:15 AM.
I would just plan on spending time at the CBR and having dinner there....and if you get in on time, maybe you can run over to one of the parks for a bit if you're up to it.
Actually flying from LaGuardia, but you're right - you never know about on-time arrivals! I figure if I make something, and we are super late, we can cancel. I don't think we'll be that tired - we are only taking a late start because of an AM commitment by my daughter, my son, husband and I will be chomping at the bit, waiting for her to get home so we can get started! I think that it is a good idea to be realistic and flexible - when reading everyone's replies, I thought I should make a late PS and then not go crazy if we are running late or miss it - sounds like a plan???
I just get so excited in being at WDW, and since you have AP's, do you usually go to MK first? Dinner at the Castle would be an awesome start - how late do they take PS? What about LTT? I guess it would depend on how late you want to eat, but for me, I'd be too excited to be so close, and yet so far away...
You mentioned your 14DS, would he rather hit DTD? Or ESPN club?? (of course for us, once we hit there, I'd never get our sons anywhere else!! LOL)
We plan on going to Epcot the arrival day. But, we are driving and hope to be there by 3:00. Thought we could at least do a few things there with little wait. But, if your not landing until 6:00, you may not get to the hotel until 8:00. I'm not sure I'd plan a whole lot.