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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
We've got two families going to USF/IOA as well as WDW May 24 through June 2. Most of our time is at WDW but we'll have a total of about 3 days at Uni.
We are staying offsite at a condo and haven't purchased the Express pass (or w/e it's called) for the rides. We have the consecutive 7-day tickets.
2 questions:
1. Is the cost of the express pass per/person per/day or per/person per/length of ticket? How much again? I only spent $85 per ticket for the 4 of us. Another $25 or more would be a big chunk.
2. Are we going to be frustrated by the lines in late May / early June? The main days we plan to be there are May 31 and Jun 1. We are all into the biggest thrill rides as well as the little stuff.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
express plus are good for one day. there are 1 park versions and 2 park versions. it's best not to buy them in advance anyway as if you do, they becomed tied to a specific date, so if your plans change, you're out.
they're good for one visit at each attraction for one person. they aren't tied to individuals though so if you have 2 people and one person doesn't want to go onto the hulk, the other person could ultimately use both of them.
for your dates, it's $20 per 1 park ticket. considering the price is based on season and ranges from $15 - $40, $20 suggests that it probably won't be all that necessary.
tour smart and you won't see lines anywhere, except eventually at dueling dragons.
I don't think there will be large crowds during May 31 and June 1. With the price of Express passes being so low, I don't think Universal is expecting large crowds. I believe the crowds will be light to moderate.
If you don't want to buy the tickets, the best advise is to arrive 30-45 minutes before opening and do the popular stuff first. You'll have minimal waits during the first few hours of operation.
The passes are for each ride for one time only. I'd get them for the 4 of you for 1 day and see how it works out. I think 3 days at US / IOA might be too much. Good luck and have a great trip
Ah yes. The storms. We didn't have a problem at all. Tornados must cut a pretty narrow swath. Flower Mound only has 60K people and we just got a lot of wind, not even any hail. Go figure.
I think we'll pass on the passes (punny, punny). We plan on one full day in each park and a 1/2 day to go back for anything we missed. If it's horrible, it's back to the condo or WDW!
PassPorter Guide Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Chapel Hill, NC USA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 36,592
Post Thanks / Like
We went last March during Spring Break. We did not get the express tickets. We had absolutely no trouble doing everything in the parks. We had three days and did US first day, IOA second day, and both the last day.
The main thing is that we got there before park opening each day. In the morning the crowds are much smaller and we were able to hit all the big rides with little to no wait. By mid-afternoon though, the parks were packed. We left by 3-3:30 each day because at that point it was just a mass of people.
I think that late May, early June will be a great time to go and enjoy the parks.
I think you should be fine...right before lots of schools let out & the families head out
to the parks. See how it goes, you can always buy the passes for your last day if you
feel your group missed alot of the big attractions and the lines are really long. Enjoy!
We went the last week of May last year, and the crowds weren't bad. Universal crowds arrive late, so get there early. And, if you don't mind splitting up your group you can use single riders lines at MIB and the Mummy and really cut down your wait times.
At IOA, hit Hulk, then Spiderman, then Dueling Dragons first thing in the morning. At US I would head straight to the back of the park for MIB first - it will be empty then. Walk back around the park to the Mummy next. Those are the biggest thrill rides that you will want to do first before the crowds arrive.
About This Page: 
Will I be frustrated?
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Michelle - with my step sisters!
Linear Mode
