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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Has anyone done this up close and dining experience? I'm interested in doing it, but I wondered if anyone had any feedback on it.
What's the food like and what's the interaction like with the trainers? Is it worth the $37.00 plus tax for adults? From reading the description on the website, I think you dine outside, as it refers to eating in a patio area - is that right?
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We did Dine with Shamu last year. It is in a covered patio area with many tables closely placed together. (I read on another board last year that Sea World increased the number of tables. I've no idea what it looked like before, but it was a bit close.) The patio area is shaped in a semicircle to allow as many guests to enjoy the view of the whales as the trainers put them through their behaviors.
You are lead into the area as a group, given a number, and instructed to find the corresponding table. Once there, you may immediately proceed to the buffet area which is in a room in the rear center area of the patio. The whales are brought in after most people have been to the buffet area so guests don't miss the show while waiting to eat.
The food was "okay" nothing stellar, but nothing terrible either. Most of the selections on the current menu were there when we went, so I'm not sure how much the menu varies from season to season.
As you can see from my sig pic, you do get a "closer" experience with the whales. We booked fairly early and received a center table, BUT that doesn't guarantee that the trainer and the whales are going to be right in front of you either. I believe there were three whales in our viewing, but none were right beyond our table. In our session, none of the trainers took questions from the group as I've heard other posters describe. Not sure why.
In regards to your question in whether it was worth it, I'd say it's something to do once. I wouldn't return, but it was great to see once. It is a rather awesome sight to see a whale jumping out of the water and creating a splash so near. My youngest, Colin, who's an animal lover really enjoyed the show.
Hope this helps, Chez!
D'oh - I didn't put two and two together with your beautiful signature picture Claudine! :headsmack: It sounds like you had a great time - I think we'll give it a go!
I'm thinking about doing this in May for Caroline's birthday trip. She loves orcas and I think this would be great. Shhh! It's a secret birthday surprise. She knows about everything else we're doing, so I want to surprise her with something.
We went in early March and I was Super excited about having an up close encounter with Shamu! I will say that it was okay but I walked away very disappointed. First of all, I was not even worried about the food. I can eat anywhere! (But I will say there was a yummy dessert station where a chef would prepare bananas foster for you -flames and all- on the spot!) My main concern was seeing the whale in action. Shamu did "beach" himself next to our table, probably 6-8 feet away from me which is pretty much all the bang we got for our buck. (although extremely thrilling!) I really was expecting the whale to be out longer, unfortunately he was only out for 10 or so minutes. Also, they give you a lanyard that all the trainers can sign, and you have a meet and greet with them as well. The problem with that is only one trainer visits each table so you only get one autograph. (My DD who was already on her way to collecting LOTS of autographs at disney was like "what the heck?") So all in all, if you love whales I would say go ahead and go but if they are not on the top of your must see list skip it. Oh, one more thing, if you are of the Pooh sized persuasion, they stack those tables one on top of another with little room to sqeeze in between-- and people love to glare at a girl with big hips when she bumps into their table! Sorry to be a downer, thats just my experience yours may differ!
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Jen
Mom to 4 Disney Lovin' Kids: Kyleigh, Connor, Caden & Kellan
Kyleigh & Connor Opening the Magic Kingdom!
I'd recommend it to someone who has never done it, but I wouldn't do it again. It's cool to see the whales that close, but the food's just OK and there are better things to spend the time on at Seaworld. The tables are kind of close too, but I had no problem with that. If you get a chance while you're there, check out the Blue Horizons and Odyssea shows. Very, very nice. It might be blasphemy to say this in this particular forum, but Seaworld is my favorite park. Enjoy your day there
I am hoping to do this as well next year when we take the kids. I figure Ariana would like it, but I'm really the one who wants to go. Haven't tried to sell DH on it yet though.
Thank you all for the reviews. It helps to hear someone else's experience.
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Denise
Counting down to....
May 2017 - Poly (Grandma's 1st Trip to WDW)
Sept 2017 - DH's bday celebration
Aug 2018 - DCL Family cruise on the Dream
We did this 2 years ago. We had a nice experience. The food was o.k. from an adult perspective, my kids had lots of good choices. I remember it being the one whale, the largest of the Shamus, with one trainer who put on a little show with the whale and then took a few questions. After the show that trainer was available as you exited for a quick meet & greet. Would I do it again probabaly not, I'd head over to Shark's Underwater Grill as it seems to have a more "upscale menu". We do visit Sea World every year but have to say I don't always put the Shamu show on my to do each visit. Once you've seen, it's bascially the same. Our fav show is Blue Horizons. It showcases more animals and how they can be interacted with.
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