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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We are entering our final planning stages and was just wondering how early we need to get to IOA for HP. We were planning on an hour before opening...too early too late?
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Disney Vacation Specialist Magical Memories Travel Chelsey
When are you going? In January? I'm going at the beginning of December so I can answer you when I get back. Are you planning on being at the gates an hour early, or at the parking garage an hour early? Personally I think arriving at the gates an hour early would be a bit too much. They do open the gates early sometimes so you are very smart planning to be there before the official park opening, but unless you need to buy tickets, I think an hour would be a long time - especially if you are bringing those 2 adorable little girls with you. They have had characters out to entertain people sometimes, but otherwise there's not a lot to do.
But I'll try to remember to let you know when I get back.
I think arriving at the parking gate an hour early is a good plan. It will take a little time to park, unpack, and start walking towards IOA. I've seen the gates open about 25 minutes early before, so you may be able to enter fairly quickly by the time you pass through the turnstiles.
I agree with Donna, 1 hour early at the gate is probably too early.
Thanks, we're going to use the Mears shuttle from WL so I thought dropping us off at the escalators an hour before would give us plenty of time to walk to the gates and meet up with the IL's. If they open a little early yay for us but I won't plan on it.
We'll be there for the marathon and will be at IOA the Friday before...banking on everyone else coming in or doing Disney that day. It will also be our first day of touring so it'll be interesting to see how the kiddos do. Our main focus is HP, if we get to anything else it'll be a bonus.
Donna, let me know how it goes for you.
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Disney Vacation Specialist Magical Memories Travel Chelsey
I was there last week - Fri to Mon. We got there as the park opened - and the line for HP ride was already 60 min - and very quickly reached 90 min. But there was no line at all for anything else. We rode the dragons over and over, until we couldn't anymore!
But - we kept our bags in the locker - and rode HP over and over again - on the Single Rider's line. Just go to the left - skip the whole lineup - and up the stairs on the side. We didn't wait at all!
Also - the evenings were much quieter. That's when we made it into all the stores.
And we went to the restaurant at 11 - for an early lunch - and got straight in - no problems. We had our Butter Beer in there too - to save that extra lineup.
We were there in Oct. We did a split stay between a Universal resort and a WDW resort because IOA get an early entrance for those who stay at a Universal resort...we entry one hour earlier than regular guests and went direct to HP. We ride The hippogriph twice in a roll and Forbidden Journey had a 15 minute line. The line to get the wand in the store was already huge (more than one hour) when we left Forbidden journey, and if we wanted to ride again the estimate was almost 45 minutes.
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Disney Vacation Specialist Magical Memories Travel Chelsey
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Michelle - with my step sisters!
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