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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Ok I am sorry if this is the wrong place to post this question but here I go anyway
What exactly IS a grand gathering? What do you get to do, if anything, special? My DH and I are taking my family (Dh, I, my parents, my sister and BIL and 1.5yr neice) in Decemeber. Do I qualify as a grand gathering or is our party too little?
Anyone done grand gatherings and have an opinion on them?
As you can tell I am very lost. This is the first time I am planning a trip other then when my DH and I go so I want to make it as special as possible.
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
A Grand Gathering is a group of 8 or more traveling together. They send you some fun things with your travel docs, etc and then you are able to do one of the Grand Gathering Experiences, that are available, obviously only to Grand Gatherings. There is Breakfast at Tony's, a Sun-rise Safari, etc. These things all cost extra but they are fun.
Quote:
Originally Posted by southerngirl1014
Ok I am sorry if this is the wrong place to post this question but here I go anyway
What exactly IS a grand gathering? What do you get to do, if anything, special? My DH and I are taking my family (Dh, I, my parents, my sister and BIL and 1.5yr neice) in Decemeber. Do I qualify as a grand gathering or is our party too little?
Anyone done grand gatherings and have an opinion on them?
As you can tell I am very lost. This is the first time I am planning a trip other then when my DH and I go so I want to make it as special as possible.
we have done the International Dinner with a special viewing area for Illuminationsand it was a hoot. As with everything, you will hear mixed reviews. We had fun and are going to do Tony's breakfast this next trip.
Ah well even with my niece it only makes 7 so I suppose that is not an option either way!
I am also not sure if they would still send it to us since I am a DVC member. I do not think I am going to get anything in the mail for our trip. Although I could be wrong since this is my first DVC trip.
Ah well even with my niece it only makes 7 so I suppose that is not an option either way!
I am also not sure if they would still send it to us since I am a DVC member. I do not think I am going to get anything in the mail for our trip. Although I could be wrong since this is my first DVC trip.
Also from what I understood they have to be 3yrs or older to count towards the minimum of 8. We have done Tony's and Illuminations and had a blast at both. Since you are a DVC owner you will likely have a grand gathering at some point in your future!
It's actually a Safari dinner (the sunrise safari is the one at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and is only for AKL Club Level guests.)
I've done the International Dinner/IllumiNations Dessert party and the Safari Dinner and they were both great. (I also did the Pirate cruise twice, but it's now available to all guests, and not just GG guests.)
If you stay in the same resort, guests that are part of your Grand Gathering will be given priority on rooms close together.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
Also from what I understood they have to be 3yrs or older to count towards the minimum of 8. We have done Tony's and Illuminations and had a blast at both. Since you are a DVC owner you will likely have a grand gathering at some point in your future!
Yes I tell my sister all the time that her daughter does not count as a person at Disney
Its ok you are probably right and all the more reason to go extra big the next time we take people!
I echo what Eileen said. The only advantage that I found was that we got our three villas in the same building and the same floor. I tried to sign up for some of the (pricey) Grand Gathering events well in advance, but there were no openings. Maybe my grand group of 21 was too many !
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Parlor Panther in 'stalking mode'
Linear Mode
