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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 am going to go back to WDW and Universal this September with 2 big guys. We are looking into the all-you-can-eat one day one park plan that universal offers for $21.00. On paper, it looks like a great deal and it could help us save money since my friends look to eat. Does anyone have tried it? Any thoughts?
Thanks
Lorie
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Hi Lorie! I have never tried the Universal meal plan, but I'm sure there are others who have and could tell your their opinion.
One thing to check is the park hours - I don't know how early the parks will close on that day, but make sure you'd have enough time to eat an evening meal. Also, not a lot of breakfast choices in the parks. There's a bakery at IOA but the name escapes me at the moment.
We used the Meal Deal from Universal last year, and liked it a lot. There are ( I think ) three restaraunts in each park to choose from, maybe more, you get a bracelet to were for the day. You get whatever you want in the restaraunt, show the bracelet at the register, and you are done. There is also an ulimited drink cup , it was $8.99 last year. You get a mug and unlimited free refills at the restaraunts. The girls loved it, and they ate a lot of food.
Thanks for the advice. I have checked the times. They are running from 9 to 6. So we are going to eat a light breakfast and have feast during the day. The last time we can get food with the meal deal is 5:30 (30min before closing). So we will only need to light snack before bed time. I think we will also get the cup as it will help us stay hydrated. My plan is a little soda and tons of ice.
It's only for counter service restaurants, I think. So $21 a day, I don't think you'd be saving much. That's $10 per meal at a cs, for 2 meals - lunch & dinner each. I'd go around the first day & see how much you are spending at the parks for meals. If it's over $21 each, then go for it. It's not as good as the DDP. That's so worth it.
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It's only for counter service restaurants, I think. So $21 a day, I don't think you'd be saving much. That's $10 per meal at a cs, for 2 meals - lunch & dinner each. I'd go around the first day & see how much you are spending at the parks for meals. If it's over $21 each, then go for it. It's not as good as the DDP. That's so worth it.
I agree. I have been to Universal about 20 times, but havent been in about 2 years . All my family is in Ga. So when I moved here, I became tour guide. What We do, is eat a big breakfast cheap. Either here at my home, or McDonalds. Its cheap, and gets us through until lunch. Naturally its hot, and over eating can make you sick when riding rides, so we share items at lunch. The one thing we splurge on is having dinner at Margaritville. Its good food for a fair price.
Hope this helped.
Yea, I always have a light breakdast in my hotel room, usually a bowl or cereal or muffin & coffee. Lunch at the park, after the rides!! Take a mid afternoon break, go back to the parks & have a later dinner at a table service restaurant. Margaritaville is fun. I'm looking forward to trying out some new places this trip. Won't be long now