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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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How is Fantasmic? We have yet to see it as the girls were too young but I think they will enjoy it now. I am thinking of doing the Fantasmic dessert buffett. Is it worth it?
What about the Princess Fantasy Faire? Where is it located and is it good?
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F! is the ultimate, especially at Disneyland (it KILLS WDW's). whether the VIP seating (it's a boxed set, not a buffet) is worth it is another story. the thing is that if you attend the first showing where reserved seating becomes more valuable, you're locked there for the fireworks show. in order to truly appreciate the fireworks show (which again, KILLS every other fireworks show you've ever seen), you need to see it from main street. the fireworks are also subject to cancellation quite easily, so you want to insure you see it as soon as you can and from main street. you *can* see the fireworks from main street and then go to F! for the second show, but the VIP seating won't be as important then. it's more of a luxury.
the princess faire is where the fantasyland theatre was. it's somewhere between fantasyland and toontown. there's a coronation ceremony, a story session, meet & greets with princesses and face painting.
When I was at Disneyland 12 years ago, a friend who lived in the area insisted on staking out a spot for Fantasmic! an hour in advance (maybe even longer). I was reluctant to give up that much park time, but she said it was worth it, and she was absolutely right -- the show was amazing. I haven't managed to catch it at WDW so I can't compare.
Little princesses LOVE the Princess Fantasy Faire...and older princess, when they watch it, wish they were little princesses again so they could participate. When you walk toward It's a Small World, it will be on your left...you can't miss it!
We did Fantasy Faire with our princess. The lines can be quite intimidatingly long, but you see 3 princesses at a time, with really cool old-fashioned castle grounds backgrounds. The only princess who won't be there is Ariel, who still has her Grotto between the castle and Tomorrowland. As a long-time visitor who has had to wrestle in lines when the princesses would appear in Fantasyland, I found this to have advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages:
No running up to a princess only to find the line closed.
Guaranteed to see 3 princesses.
No people running up and crowding around princess as she gets in place, taking up time from her line.
It's a whole princess atmosphere, with shows, coloring pages (for my young DS) and stations for princess hair and face painting (they'll braid ribbons into hair and add flowers).
Disadvantages:
No running into a princess unexpectedly.
No guarantee about which princesses will be there (you may have already seen 2 of them, but it's realllllllllllllllllly important to your princess to get that 3rd one).
Lines (in value seasons, even) can be anywhere from 45 - 90 minutes.
Depending on how many adults are in your party, if the line is long, I recommend one parent waiting and another entertaining the kids. You can switch off and be sure to stay in contact so that the one waiting doesn't get to the front without you!
The hair/face painting section, unless they've streamlined it (they hadn't been open too long the last time we went into FF), can be a bit chaotic. The lines aren't very obvious, so it's easy for some unobservant (read: rude) guest to come up and poach your space in line by walking up to the tables. Be vigilant and firm about your place in line. I try to helpful by helping people figure out where the back of the line is, ensuring that everyone gets their fair turn.
If the girls can stay awake - the second showing of Fantasmic is way less crowded. If not, it is worth the wait for the first one. We like the DL show much better than WDW's. I also vote for watching the fireworks from Main Street or the Hub so you can see the castle and Tink! They are the best show ever. We have really enjoyed the Princess Fantasy Faire. My advice is to be at the rope when they open and get in line for the meet and greet first. That is the only part with the really long line. It is really worth it for the photos and autographs though. The show, crafts, hair and face painting is fun too but no real lines to worry about with those activities. Enjoy your trip!
__________________
Some Day My Prince Will Come!
Katie - WDW - August 2011
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We just returned from our first visit to DLR and this was the highlight for my 3 and 2 year old little girls who are in love with the Disney Princesses. I would say this is a must do! I agree with a previous poster who said to be at the rope before they open it and be first in line for the walk. We only waited a few minutes. I didn't expect to have that personal time with each princess. It was SO great!
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