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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 had a friend who went with her adult daughter, grandchildren, etc and hated WDW I didn't know she was going till she got back! She did it all wrong! Stayed off site, didn't arrive at the parks till late morning, couldn't find anything but hot dogs and fries to eat She left the planning to her daughter and husband. Obv. they did no planning!
So sad she didn't contact me before she went. I could have given her a lot of info, and perhaps it would have been a different trip for them.
This pretty much describes our first trip to Disney in 2005. This was way before I discovered Passporter and all you wonderful people and I did absolutely no planning before hand. We did stay offsite, which I will NEVER do again and made no ADRs prior to arriving and it was virtually impossible to get into any restaurants. Although I didn't plan and it wasn't the most perfect trip, I still loved being in WDW and each year keeps getting better and better the more I read and learn.
I appreciate this discussion a lot -- because what bugs me about the DJ story is that he's basically trying to make YOU feel like you're an idiot for loving WDW. And of course that makes you feel bad. But don't let it!
I almost quoted so many of the posts here, but basically I think we're all in agreement.
I was at WDW during spring break this March (for a conference) and had a really enjoyable 2-hour "journey" to get from the parks to the GF (long story -- see http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...ridian-tr.html if you're interested in more). The weather was delightful, and I was happy soaking up the ambiance -- but of course, I was surrounded by disgruntled people (several with small children who were clearly exhausted), and while I listened to their stories of woe at the delays, the crowds, etc., I and pointed out the nice breeze, the beautiful views from the monorail and the boat (like I said, long story), and when everybody realized my journey had taken longer than all of theirs, one mother said, "How can you be so ?"
To which I replied, "I'm at Disney World! It's all part of the experience -- what happens, happens."
There was no point in telling them any of these things:
They'd come at the wrong time of year to "do it all."
They shouldn't have held CRT for the last night of their trip -- their exhausted daughter kept murmuring, "But I don't WANT to see Cinderella" as she tried to on her mother's lap.
They shouldn't take WDW's planning DVD to mean there won't be any crowds. (I kid you not -- one woman was complaining about that. )I mean, do they seriously think Disney is going to show people waiting in lines, or crying babies, in their promotional materials?
Have they heard of the Internet? Books? Talking to friends who have been to WDW before? Utilizing any of those things would have encouraged them to put a little thought into planning before leaving home. (And yes, I did recommend PassPorter and the Unofficial Guide in case they ever decide to come back -- I couldn't help myself. )
WDW is so vast and so popular that you can NEVER "do it all." So set aside a few attractions/meals that are important to your family, and don't worry about cramming it "all" in. Can't be done. Ever. Which is one reason why the rest of us go back again and again. . . and again.
And when our little group finally arrived at the Grand Floridian, I and wished them happy journeys. And at CRT that night.
And thought to myself, "Well, if they never come back, that will be eight fewer people in line ahead of me."
Even under the best of crowd and weather conditions, a lot of people view WDW as simply an "amusement park." And yep, they think I'm when I tell them I respect that opinion but for me WDW makes me feel like my heart has arrived at home and I can be happy just people-watching and enjoying little magical moments -- because WDW is my "bliss."
On our first trip it rained just about the whole time.......NO I mean down pours. I was hearing people say all over that they had NEVER seen this much rain in Orlando...STILL we made magical memories!! We were waiting for one of ADR outside, when a young mom, husband and toddler walked up wanting to eat. Of course they had not made an ADR she yells out, while walking away, and in front of MANY kids. You have to make an f------ reservation????
OMG that made me furious! and Yes, I do see this DJ make comments on his wall alot that seem to raise some eyebrows. So maybe he likes the attention???
Oh, and yesterday he posted a picture of him and his son wearing Mickey ears, LOL. I wanted to tell him he didn't deserve to wear those, LOL!!!!! From the looks of his 2nd day at Disney......which he's not even doing them in order??? he went to MK one day, then to US, then to DHS???? anyway, from the looks of his DHS pictures of all the Star Wars stuff, it would appear that he was enjoying himself.
I'm glad I've got you guys to come over here and rant to
Yes, I do see this DJ make comments on his wall alot that seem to raise some eyebrows. So maybe he likes the attention???
Oh, and yesterday he posted a picture of him and his son wearing Mickey ears, LOL. I wanted to tell him he didn't deserve to wear those, LOL!!!!! From the looks of his 2nd day at Disney......which he's not even doing them in order??? he went to MK one day, then to US, then to DHS???? anyway, from the looks of his DHS pictures of all the Star Wars stuff, it would appear that he was enjoying himself.
I'm glad I've got you guys to come over here and rant to
Disney doesn't work for some people. That doesn't mean they lack character, it doesn't mean they lead sad lives devoid of fun, it doesn't mean anything bad about them - it means that Disney doesn't work for them.
For years, I've been saddened by how many Disney fans just don't get Universal. They denigrate the place as having "no magic" (which is not true), or having "nothing for kids" (also not true), or attracting "bad crowds" (another falacy). Yet many of those folks poo-poo when someone makes the same comments about WDW.
Personally, I love both properties and visit them both any time I'm in Orlando. But I don't care if someone else doesn't "get" one of them; to each his own.
We went on the Dream this past spring. I did all my planning for over a yr. The kids were so excited. But my dh...didn't like it at all. Too big, too commercial. Didn't like it There is just no reasoning with some people. He did like like Epcot but didn't like MK because it was just like DL so we can't go to the same place twice Atleast we stayed at Epcot for 3 days.
Alot of people had told us that it would be busy at Easter. We went anyways, and were prepared for the crowds. It was hot. But, honestly, not one of us complained about the crowds. We were prepared.
Some people will just anything and everything. They go in with a neg mood and come out with one. Now I have to try to plan a holiday that all of us will like and honestly, that seems next to impossible.
And yep, they think I'm when I tell them I respect that opinion but for me WDW makes me feel like my heart has arrived at home and I can be happy just people-watching and enjoying little magical moments -- because WDW is my "bliss."
I really don't know how you could like universal more than Disney. I think universal is very fun...but to me...it is just a step above Cedar Point or 6 flags. I agree with the others, he probably did not plan the trip well. If you don't know how to handle the parks things can be miserable. Our last trip was Summer 2010 for our honeymoon and I thank the lord that we had been there before during a less busy/hot time because it was so terrible. Hot and crowded. I think if I hadn't been there before I would have never want to go again.
But...others have said it..4 fewer people in the park is OKAY with me!!
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Even under the best of crowd and weather conditions, a lot of people view WDW as simply an "amusement park." And yep, they think I'm when I tell them I respect that opinion but for me WDW makes me feel like my heart has arrived at home and I can be happy just people-watching and enjoying little magical moments -- because WDW is my "bliss."
US has alot of great rides and shows but isn't a place that I have to visit everytime I go to Orlando. On our trip a few weeks ago, we went to check out the new Harry Potter area (well, new for us) and arrived very early (8:30am) on a weekday. Within 2 hours, it was packed in this rather small area while the rest of the park was empty. We rode what we wanted, headed over to the other park and did our favs there and then left. It was 1pm and we were done US/IOA for this trip. I find that the experience/ambiance/magic - whatever you want to call it - just isn't there at US like it is at WDW. I could easily visit any one Disney park several times on one trip, but once I visit the favs at US/IOA, I'm done.
I've met lots of people who don't get it, but as many of you have said, that just leaves less people in the park that we have to dodge
The first time my husband and I went together we didn't love it (we even waiting and hour and a half to sit down at a TS restaurant). We made all the typical mistakes. When we went back as a family of three 5 years later, stayed on property, ate at the great restaurants, we were hooked. It is the trip we spend most time planning and enjoy every minute while we are there.
I see people get ticked off at WDW, when it's really their own poor planning that caused the sanfu. With a place that's twice the size of San Francisco, you have to do a LITTLE planning to get the most out of it!
People just don't get it. My co-worker tells me all the time that we shouldn't have to do that much planning for a vacation. She doesn't get that that is part of the fun!! Plan now and it not only gets you excited, but it makes things go smoothly when you arrive. I've seen way too many people get turned away at the a restaurant b/c they wre too stubborn to make an ADR.
My uncle and his partner live in FL and have never been to WDW. Every time we see them, some crack is made about why do we keep returning to WDW and that they have never been... and never will. I've given up trying to convert them. My answer now is "Your loss!!!!"
My guess is, he arrived an hour after opening, without having a clue where stuff was, or what rides his family wanted to go on....
I see people get ticked off at WDW, when it's really their own poor planning that caused the sanfu. With a place that's twice the size of San Francisco, you have to do a LITTLE planning to get the most out of it!
No doubt!
A woman I work with and her family took a trip to Disney without planning a thing and they had an awful time and say they'll never go back. She can't understand why we love it so much and plan for months for our vacation.
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I didn't know she was going till she got back! She did it all wrong! Stayed off site, didn't arrive at the parks till late morning, couldn't find anything but hot dogs and fries to eat 
She left the planning to her daughter and husband. Obv. they did no planning! 
?"
on her mother's lap. 
I mean, do they seriously think Disney is going to show people waiting in lines, or crying babies, in their promotional materials? 
)
and wished them happy journeys. And 
at CRT that night.
when I tell them I respect that opinion but for me WDW makes me feel like my heart has arrived at home 
and I can be happy just people-watching and enjoying little magical moments -- because WDW is my "bliss." 
There is just no reasoning with some people. He did like like Epcot but didn't like MK because it was just like DL so we can't go to the same place twice
Atleast we stayed at Epcot for 3 days.
Karen
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