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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I go to Disney every year, but I have only made it over to US and IOA one time, and that was for Halloween Horror Nights (which is one of the best events I've ever been to). This year, my fiance and I are going to Florida for his very first time, and we are spending two days at US/IOA. The two days we are spending will be the Saturday and Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. Will it be as crowded as WDW during this time?
Also, what are your thoughts on the Express Pass? How does it work, and are they worth it? (I remember reading you actually pay for them at US/IOA, which is just ridiculous to me!)
And finally, I noticed most of the restaurants are counter service. Any ones you'd recommend or any treats (like my beloved Dole Whip) that you would say I can't miss out on?
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I've never been during Thanksgiving, but we were there the week before Christmas (we visited Disney parks as well), and the crowds were lighter at Universal, particularly Universal Studios. I imagine it might be pretty crowded that weekend.
The Express pass is confusing to me as there are several price levels you can purchase. Hopefully somebody will come along and offer more info for you.
Most restaurants in the parks are counter service. You will find a variety of table service restaurants in CityWalk, which is a dining/shopping area situated between the 2 theme parks. IOA has Mythos, which has been voted the best theme park restaurant for years. In US, we've only had counter service. Our favorite is the Midway Grill which is Coney Island hot dogs. We had good burgers at Richter's. We walked inside Bennigan's Bar & Grill and it looked like a nice place to sit down and eat. In IOA, we like to eat counter service at the Enchanted Oak. It has a good variety on the menu and I love the atmosphere!
My family and myself go to Universal studios and Islands of Adventures every year during thanksgiving and Christmas. While it can get pretty crowded, we never find it as bad as Disney on crowd level. I mean you can still ride the rides pretty well. My father in Law HATES waiting in lines and basically would rather skip a ride then wait in a long line, yet he loves to go to Universal during those times so that goes to show that it isn't that bad. Of course if you stay on property, then you get a front of the line pass anyways that is a WONDERFUL Deal!
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Shauna (Me) Mommy to Christopher (3) and Wife to Mikey
oops I forgot to mention that if you like Ice Cream or Chocolate Shakes then you have to head to the pharmacy place (sorry I forgot the name) across from the Terminator at Universal Studios...they have the BEST milkshakes!! Its a MUST GO for us everytime! actually we get one everyday that we are in the park also if you like hot chocolate...Then Universal studios and Islands of adventure have yummy hot chocolate
They used to have a yummy food place in Islands of adventure right by the Jurassic park ride but last time we were there it was closed down, not sure if it was permanent or not but they had the best soup (hubby likes soup) and pretty good food as well.
Since father in law likes NASCAR, the citywalk right between the parks has a few nice eating places The Nascar grill (used to be called Nascar cafe) is pretty good as well as the Hard Rock Cafe but those are not inside the parks but on the way too and from them. HTH
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Shauna (Me) Mommy to Christopher (3) and Wife to Mikey
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I mean you can still ride the rides pretty well. My father in Law HATES waiting in lines and basically would rather skip a ride then wait in a long line, 
yet he loves to go to Universal during those times so that goes to show that it isn't that bad. Of course if you stay on property, then you get a front of the line pass anyways that is a WONDERFUL Deal! 
Its a MUST GO for us everytime! actually we get one everyday that we are in the park 
also if you like hot chocolate...Then Universal studios and Islands of adventure have yummy hot chocolate 
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