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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 am traveling to Disney the last week of July with my 6 year old daughter who is deaf blind and only walks with assistance. Who should I contact at Disney to make any special arrangements with before we arrive? I know there are many attractions she will enjoy, but we will need some extra help.
Congratulations on your upcoming trip, I'm sure everyone will love it. As for extra help, Disney has whats called a Guest Assistance Card (GAC) and this can be obtained at the Guest Services location near the entrance of each park. Once you get one, it's good for your length of stay and is good in all parks (meaning you don't have to get a new one each day or at each park). Since the GAC affords different help depending upon what one's needs are, your best bet is to go to Guest Services and let them know what kind of help you need and they'll stamp your card for that assistance. Just know however that if the assistance your daughter needs is getting into or out of rides, that is the one thing the Cast Members (CM) cannot do. Any physical assitance needs to come from family members only. If it's a matter of possibly needing a wheelchair/stroller to help your daughter around the park (as I know the end of the month will be hot and busy), those are obtained at the wheelchair/stroller locations at the front of the park and those can be obtained by anyone. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful but I hope you have a wonderful time at Disney.
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Welcome
You will get some great information from reading through posts here.
Passporter's Open Mouse is a great book to learn about visiting Disney
with special needs. GAC's are a wonderful tool to help you in the parks when entering rides.
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We have traveled to WDW 11 times with our deaf/blind daughter. She is 17 and we will be returning to the Kingdom in August. We use a travel wheelchair to get her around. I really helps her to have her own space and it cuts down on the confusion of trying to walk around. White canes do not work well in the busy parks. It is very surprising how many people do not know what they are for and get upset if they get tapped. A GAC is a must! We have also had some success with the device that describes rides since she can hear with her hearing aids. Be sure to get the park brochure that tells you where all the handicap entrances are.
On another note.....she loves to find Hidden Mickeys that she can touch. Does anyone know if there is a list of those that can be felt not just seen?
I would start at www.hiddenmickeys.org . The only problem is that I'm not finding a list specifically for hidden mickeys that can be felt, or tactile, hidden mickeys. You'd be best off searching for hidden mickeys embedded in a floor like the one at the Polynesian or the Animal Kingdom Lodge I would think as those are structural. Other than that, I would ask while speaking with guest services about other adaptive questions. They will be warm, friendly, and helpful with any questions you ask and will help with anything but wheelchair to ride transfer.
I would start at www.hiddenmickeys.org . The only problem is that I'm not finding a list specifically for hidden mickeys that can be felt, or tactile, hidden mickeys. You'd be best off searching for hidden mickeys embedded in a floor like the one at the Polynesian or the Animal Kingdom Lodge I would think as those are structural. Other than that, I would ask while speaking with guest services about other adaptive questions. They will be warm, friendly, and helpful with any questions you ask and will help with anything but wheelchair to ride transfer.
I don't think such a list exists. I don't want this to be buried in this thread, so I'm going to start a new thread to see if we can find as many of those special hidden Mickey's as possible Let's get that list started!
I don't think such a list exists. I don't want this to be buried in this thread, so I'm going to start a new thread to see if we can find as many of those special hidden Mickey's as possible Let's get that list started!
I agree - I’ve never seen a list of hidden Mickeys that can be felt.
HI Maria,
I'd love to hear about your trip after your return. My friend has a deaf-blind daughter who is 5 and I"m trying to talk her into Disney. Any tips when you come back would be appreciated. Maybe she could even contact you.
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