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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Here is some info I have on it. Please be sure you have your travel agent book this as a Grand Gathering for you. If you need help, let me know.
---------------- Grand Gatherings is a business designed to better accommodate larger travelling parties by providing special products and services. A Grand Gathering is defined as a party of eight or more guests (ages 3 and up*) staying at a Walt Disney World® Resort hotel.
Take advantage of exclusive itinerary planning assistance and add special functions designed for groups. A dedicated team of Grand Gatherings Travel Planners at the Disney Reservation Center will assist in booking resort hotel rooms and packages, arranging special Grand Gathering Experiences, dining, golf, and spa reservations, as well as pre-order merchandise with just one phone call.
Grand Gathering Experiences
Grand Gatherings are even more magical when you add a Grand Gatherings Experience to the vacation plans. From a sumptuous international dinner with special storytelling for the kids to a rambling safari on the African savannah followed by a delectable dinner featuring African cuisine, choose from four unique experiences available only for Grand Gatherings.
Some Grand Gatherings Experiences are available with the Magic Your Way Package Plus Dining and the Magic Your Way Package Plus Deluxe Dining. All experiences are included with the Magic Your Way Premium or Platinum Packages (8 or more guests required).
Experiences can be booked beginning 90 days in advance up to 3 days prior to the event date (see below for more booking details).
International Dinner &Illuminations Dessert Reception Welcome to Epcot® for a celebration of international friendship. Be welcomed by well-traveled and fun-loving Auntie Roz while experiencing colors and flavors from around the world. Guests are treated to delicious homemade food, served family-style.
In addition, live musical entertainment and storytelling activities will be shared by Auntie Roz. Children and adults will be delighted when some of our famous Disney characters provide fun and excitement as they invite Guests to dance and interact. Auntie Roz will be happy to recognize birthdays, special occasions and anniversaries with special songs and personal attention. Afterward, everyone will be escorted to a reserved lagoon area for a viewing of "Illuminations: Reflections of Earth" and to enjoy a dessert buffet. Price: Guests 10+ - $64.99 USD* : Guests 3-9 - $33.99 USD* Meeting Place: Odyssey Restaurant (in Future World, by First Aid) Ticket: Valid Theme Park admission required. Safari Celebration Dinner After a beautiful day in any of our parks, imagine the final experience of the evening being the best one yet. This experience begins in Asia, at Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park, by meeting a special guide for an end of the day tour on the Kilimanjaro Safari.
Following this exciting safari, the adventure will continue in the Tusker House Restaurant with a delicious African inspired dinner menu that is served family style and all-you-care-to-eat. Taste a full range of delectable foods that will please even the children. Special Disney Characters will be there for fun and autographs, plus opportunities to have an "up-close" experience with some exotic wildlife. Guests who are celebrating special occasions such as family reunions, birthdays or anniversaries, will be recognized. Price: Guests 10+ - $64.99 USD* : Guests 3-9 - $33.99 USD*Meeting Place: Flights of Wonder Theatre (in Asia) Ticket: Valid Theme Park admission required. Good Morning Character Breakfast Tony, the proprietor (from Disney's "Lady and the Tramp"), welcomes Guests to Tony's Town Square Restaurant for a fun-filled breakfast with plenty of character, including Mickey who will be on hand to mingle with guests. Savor this "all you care to eat" breakfast served right at the table while enjoying songs plus the opportunity to dance and interact with the characters. Tony will be happy to recognize birthdays and special occasions along with a special serenade of "Bella Notte" for anniversaries. At the end of the experience, proceed to one of the most popular attractions in the Magic Kingdom® for reserved seating at the very next show of "Mickey's PhilharMagic". Price: Guests 10+ - $32.99 USD* : Guests 3-9 - $19.99 USD* Meeting Place: Tony's Town Square Restaurant (Main Street U.S.A.) Ticket: Valid Theme Park admission required. Custom Events During a visit to Walt Disney World® Resort, you may want to enjoy a special meal in one of our unique Theme Park private dining locations or beautiful resort catering venues. Available for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or perhaps a dessert reception - groups of 20 or more can celebrate an anniversary, birthday, or any special event. Contact a Grand Gatherings Travel Planner at the Disney Reservation Center to arrange an event. Booking Information
Each experience is operated on select days of the week. Experiences are limited and subject to change or cancellation. Experiences will be shared by multiple parties. The same experience must be purchased by at least 8 guests in the party ages 3 and up. Reservations can be made up to 180 days in advance but no later than 3 days prior to experience date. Full payment for each experience is required 45 days prior to arrival. Reservations may be modified or cancelled up to 6 days prior to the first experience date without charge for the experience. Prices effective January 1, 2009 and are subject to change. *Prices include tax and gratuity.
It's easy to set up a Grand Gathering (and doesn't require a travel agent, if you don't have or want one.)
You just call the Grand Gathering department (407-WDW-PLAN) and create a GG "name." Then you have to set up each individual reservation for the parties in your group -- you have to have a minimum of 8 attendees, with at least 80% of them staying in Disney resorts.
Remember that you'll need all the birthdates and addresses of the attendees when you call.
I've done all the events except the breakfast -- they were a blast! My favorite is the Magical Fireworks Voyage.
Eileen
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It says that you have to stay at "select Disney resorts" but it doesn't say which resorts that includes. Does anyone have any idea which resorts qualify?
It says that you have to stay at "select Disney resorts" but it doesn't say which resorts that includes. Does anyone have any idea which resorts qualify?
We are doing a grand gathering this year and we are staying at Fort Wilderness. Another group in our party is staying at the All Star Music. You don't all have to be staying in the same resort to qualify.
I don't know of any Disney resorts that don't participate in Grand Gatherings. (My guess is they are just covering themselves in case they need to change it later.)
Eileen
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