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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Now that the holidays are over, I'm busy planning for our upcoming trip to WDW. A couple of things are new for me this time around, most notably traveling with extended family who are adverse to schedules, planning and getting up early, and who do not love Disney like I do.
As a result, we're splitting our time between Universal and WDW. Right now, I'm planning to do MK, Epcot and Disney Studios at WDW.
Here's where I start getting a headache:
We have ressies at Chef Mickeys at 8:35 on the day I plan to do MK.
That means we won't get to MK until at least 10:30, right?
So, on an already shortened day, should I spend time at Bippity Boppity Boutique at MK for my DD?
But if I don't, then does it make sense to do it at DTD when "no one's" going to see it.
Should I instead do MK on another day and do Epcot after Chef Mickey's?
Any other day is generally considered "bad" by a lot of online resources I've read, since the crowds will be crazy.
Did I mention we are going the week before Easter?
Even if I do plan to do another MK day, there's a good chance I won't get there earlier than 10:30 due to the aforementioned non-Disney-crazy family.
My kids are 7 and 2. Extended family ranges from 25 - 60.
Yikes! Starting out that late I personally would not spend the extra time, but I am a commando Disney gal at heart. I also don't know if I would do it at DTD because it is expensive if she won't be getting the full experience. Have you thought about a nice dinner out after she has it done if she does it at DTD, like at one of the resorts so it doesn't cost you a park day? What about going to the barber shop at MK, and getting her an updo? Never done it but I hear they do nice updos much cheaper than BBB and you have the option of the gel and pixie dust?
Hope it works out for you. Non-Disney lovers are a real challenge to travel with to Disney!
I think which park you head for after Chef Mickey's will also depend on which one is on early opening that morning. Whichever one it is, as you won't be able to take advantage of it, be sure to avoid it. I know that's always the advice given, but we couldn't believe the difference in crowd levels between the park that was on early opening and those that weren't at Christmas. It seems that it's much more obvious at busier times of the year.
Could you try and work plans around YOUR family going early and meeting up with the late risers someplace? My daughter and I will be all for being at the gate an hour before opening, but my boys will never go for it. Our plan is to separate on some days and let the boys sleep in with a plan to have them meet us at certain locations by a specified time.
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