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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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My husband and I are traveling to WDW with our 4 year old son the end of June. If you could look over our itinerary, and give us suggestions, we would sure appreciate it.
Wednesday - arrive at Caribbean Beach at 5:30 pm, tour Epcot, PS Garden Grill 7:00 pm,
Tapestry of Nations, Illuminations
Thursday - Breakfast at resort, am tour Animal Kingdom, lunch - wherever, pm tour Animal Kingdom, dinner - dinner PS Rain Forest Cafe, tour Epcot (if up to it)
Friday - Breakfast at resort, am tour Magic Kingdom, Lunch - wherever, pm tour Magic Kingdom, dinner PS Crystal Palace, Spectromagic, fireworks
Saturday - Breakfast at resort, am tour MGM, lunch- wherever, pm tour MGM, dinner PS Prime Time Cafe, Fantasmic
Sunday - swim, pack up and leave for the Disney Cruise
As you can see we did not sign up for a character breakfast because we are doing character dinners and we don't want to spend our mornings in the restaurants. Also, we pretty much planted ourselves at the same park all day long because don't want to spend a lot of time on the bus. If you think we are making any mistakesin in our planning, we would appreciate you input.
Wow, are you packed yet? You don't have that much longer until your trip!
Your plans look good overall, but I do have few suggestions.
You will definitely want to head back to your room for a rest in the afternoon. DH and I took a nap almost everyday.
When does your plane arrive in Orlando? Depending on the crowds at CBR while checking in and any air delays, you may be pushing it to get to Epcot for your PS time. You may want to change the Garden Grill PS to Thursday instead of eating at Rainforest for dinner. Maybe an early lunch at Rainforest?
Your family will love CBR. Your son will have a blast in the main pool.
Our plane arrives in Orlando at 4:25 pm. We are not renting a car. We are planning on using Tiffany's Town Car, thinking they will get us to the resort more quickly than Mears. I think the idea of heading back to the room in the afternoon sounds great. How long is a bus ride to and from the parks? Thanks for your input, it is so helpful!
Traveling with a four year old, a half a day in AK may be all he can handle. Ak is a lot of walking to get places,I found. Unless he is really into Animals, he may not be that interested. Camp Minnie-Mickey he will enjoy.You meet Characters there and the walk there is fun. The BoneYard Sand Pit He will Love. Be careful about the rest of the BoneYard Playground because if you let him do his thing there you will find it hard to keep an eye on him. ( I found it impossible to try and follow a kid in these things)
I have been to AK twice with 2 different children (age8&9)& have only stayed about 4-5 hours each time. SO I have yet to see the whole Park. Also it is very Humid there.
Here are my only suggestions:
For your 4 y.o., it may be a bit much to do all the late nite shows -- so I would definitely recommend some afternoon nap times or "down times."
As for AK, usually a 1/2 day there is enough (and their closing hours are usually 5p or 6p, anyways). Sidenote: Dinosaur & It's Tough to be a Bug may be too intense for your child, so you will have to be the judge on this one. Both have pretty intense special effects. Dinsosaur is pretty intense for this 28 y.o.! [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]
You may want to allow a bit of time to shop at Downtown Disney. Your child will love the Lego Store there. Also be sure to check out "World of Disney." This store cannot be beat!
Your plans look good! Have a great time on land and at sea!
All Ears [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Many people see AK in a half a day. When we went last year we did half in the morning and then went back for a few afternoons. It is one of my favorite parks (I'm an animal lover).
As for how long it takes to get to the parks depends a lot on the bus service. We waited as little as 5 seconds for a bus up to about 45 minutes (after E-Night).
I would allow 45 minutes to an hour if your trying to get somewhere on the busses, especially if you're trying to get to a PS time.
It is still worth taking time out of the day for that afternoon nap. Nothing is more unpleasent than unhappy campers at WDW. [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]
I would have to agree with All Ears on Dinosaur and It's tough to be a bug. My DD is 5, and she is not afraid of many rides. She DID NOT LIKE either of these attractions. She loves the Dinosaurs in Epcot, but hated the Dinosaur ride in AK.
Her favorite ride at DL is the Matterhorn, so fast rides don't bother her.
If you haven't gone on them before, I would suggest your or your DH going through the attraction first, and then judging if your DS will like them. Even in explaining to DD about the Dinosaur ride, she was scared. She won't be going on that in August.
If you take time out to have a nap or seim in the middle of the day, you will have a lot more energy for touring into the evening when it is cooler. Especially with a younger child, you will find this a real life-saver.
How often and how long does your 4 year old nap now? and, what kind of bedtime schedule is he on now?
If he/she isn't much of a napper, you might consider staying at the parks most of the day, and call it quits in the early evening. This is a plus particularly if he/she goes to bed regularly at a certain hour. It helps the young ones to retain some semblance of normalcy, even in the happiest place on earth. If he gets his normal amount of rest, he will tend to freak out less during your vascation.
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