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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 just finished reading it and was coming here to post it! What do you think? Guess it's kind of what we already knew. I will not be happy this summer if the crowds are the same or worse and the attraction/park hours are significantly cut!
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15 total family trips with stays at the Poly, AKL, Wilderness Lodge, Beach Club, Swan, Dolphin, POFQ, Pop Century, All Star Music, Movies & Sports, and Coronado Springs.
"Even some high-priced (and staff-intensive) "character meals," during which kids meet with a fleet of costumed characters, have been shelved, with some resort restaurants no longer offering them at all."
Does anyone know which character dining experiences have been affected?
I know they stopped Garden Grill and Liberty Tree Tavern. I haven't heard about anymore this year. Maybe someone else will come along with more info if they have cut anymore.
When I was there in December, I noticed for the first time ever dirty bathrooms and even no toilet paper in stalls. The worst part was there were several different instances of this. I did stop into guest services at MK. I was very nice. and I told the CM that I am an AP holder that frequents the parks. I told her I knew that this wasn't up to Disney standards and that a first time visitor wouldn't know this isn't the norm. She thanked me and said that they had cut postitions and had a hiring freeze. I had also noticed how hard it was to find something to eat during EMH. Again I think that they are limiting the amount of stands that are open. I hope that I won't notice anything more on my next trip in May.
What a shame that the powers that be at Disney haven't realized the one thing that sets Disney apart from the other theme parks is the "magic" that they now seem so quick to cut. Character meals...you know that would have to be a money maker, cutting shows that guests can see no where else, rising food prices, rising hotel prices, fewer perks. Why pay the prices at Disney when you can go to other theme parks, cheaper in alot of cases, and experience no magic. Clean bathrooms, with attendants were one thing always appreciated.
Do you think Disney has realized the lower attendance is a direct response to higher ticket prices. Guests can't afford to spend alot of money on food and souverins when there budget has gone to get in. I would think there larger profits are in food and trinkets. Just my thoughts. Disney is my favorite place to go on vacations, but our trips are being scaled down.
We have gone on different packages thru-out the years from Platium to lets just go and pay out of pocket and part of the "want to" about going to Disney is feeling that you (and your money) really matter and they are (were) there to make certain that you were treated special and always hated to leave and couldn't wait to go back --
What a shame that the powers that be at Disney haven't realized the one thing that sets Disney apart from the other theme parks is the "magic" that they now seem so quick to cut. Character meals...you know that would have to be a money maker, cutting shows that guests can see no where else, rising food prices, rising hotel prices, fewer perks. Why pay the prices at Disney when you can go to other theme parks, cheaper in alot of cases, and experience no magic. Clean bathrooms, with attendants were one thing always appreciated.
Do you think Disney has realized the lower attendance is a direct response to higher ticket prices. Guests can't afford to spend alot of money on food and souverins when there budget has gone to get in. I would think there larger profits are in food and trinkets. Just my thoughts. Disney is my favorite place to go on vacations, but our trips are being scaled down.
We have gone on different packages thru-out the years from Platium to lets just go and pay out of pocket and part of the "want to" about going to Disney is feeling that you (and your money) really matter and they are (were) there to make certain that you were treated special and always hated to leave and couldn't wait to go back --
Well said! I know the economy has impacted many families but for those that have saved for their trip should have the same magical experience as is the past. I hope that the powers that be know what they are doing. Walt must be "rolling in his grave" to see his beloved parks not having the standards that he always demanded.
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. And it's going to get worse
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