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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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My friend is going to WDW with her family in December of 2013 and I was going to buy her the WDW with Special needs book from the store. She has an autistic son who is 15 and I think the book would help her a great deal. Is it just "out of stock" or is it not in print anymore? Does anyone have any suggestions or websites I can recommend to her?
Thanks
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Robin Twitter name: @NKsDogwalker Find me on FB: robinkay6573@yahoo.com 38th Birthday with Mom, Dad and friends 2011 Next Trip: Cruise on Jewel of the Seas for Christmas 2012
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Thank you I wasn't aware of the name change. Glad I asked.
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Robin Twitter name: @NKsDogwalker Find me on FB: robinkay6573@yahoo.com 38th Birthday with Mom, Dad and friends 2011 Next Trip: Cruise on Jewel of the Seas for Christmas 2012
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I can share some tips as a parent of a 14-year old boy with an autism spectrum disorder. Every kid is different... but here are some things I've found helpful....
1) Use the Guest Assistance Card. I was blown away by the level of service and understanding accommodation we experienced on our first trip (DS was 12). We don't need to use it as frequently now that we know the parks and what works and doesn't work for our son... but it still comes in handy. We used the cards not only for rides, but other issues... i.e. help with finding a quiet place to sit and calm down, help with ordering food for a quirky eater, etc. Also, don't worry about using the card for rides when you need to... they offer the accommodation because they understand it is necessary for children with autism to enjoy the parks.
2) We found Dinosaur to be a disaster for our son. Sensory integration nightmare that undid him for several hours. Check out some of the rides ahead of time via YouTube to get a sense of what will and won't go over well. Our son loves Mission Space, Star Tours, Expedition Everest, and Big Thunder Mountain, but won't go on Dinosaur, Rock'n Roller Coaster, or Tower of Terror. Space Mountain can be dicey. Again, every child with autism is different, so the more info you have on rides ahead of time, the better.
3) Don't even think about trying to do commando style park touring. Even with the Guest Assistance Card, you are probably not going on as many rides as the average family. There is still plenty to enjoy! Especially if you are staying onsite. Build in time for rest and relaxation at the room. Go with your child's schedule. Our son loves late night extra magic hours, but hates getting up early to hit the parks.
4) If you have other children along, try to find at least one time during the trip when you can go at their pace. What works for us is that one morning of each trip I take our older daughter to morning extra magic hours by herself while DH stays at the room with DS and younger (under 5) daughter. In 2 hours, we can get through more attractions than we typically hit in a day and this makes it easier for her to be patient with her brother's pace the rest of the trip.
5) Enjoy! We've been traveling with the kids for years and WDW is by far the least stressful place we've found to travel with an autistic child. Our son loves it and we all have a good time together.
Some excellent resources in addition to Passporter's Open Mouse (a super resource!). Meltdown Free Disney - fun, well-written blog by an autism mom and special ed teacher. Disney For Families with Autism Spectrum Disorder - comprehensive guide to WDW with autism. There are some good episodes of the Mouse Travel Tips podcast (part of wdwautism.com) focused on experiencing Disney with autism.
5) Enjoy! We've been traveling with the kids for years and WDW is by far the least stressful place we've found to travel with an autistic child. Our son loves it and we all have a good time together.
So true!! My DS is 8 and we've been going since he was 2.5 and it really is the most accommodating place we've been. And ditto to #2, holy smokes that was a mess for us We also try to give DD her time, I'll leave her and DH at a park and take DS back for a swim. DD loves the alone time with DH and the fact she can dictate where to go. Tell your friend not to sweat it, Disney is wonderful for/with our kids
Tell your friend to stick to the routines from home i.e. eating times, bed times, etc. As Abby has gotten older, she's a lot more "flexible" in that we don't have to stick to the routines as much but the first couple of times I think it was a huge help for her to not get overwhelmed. I still try to schedule meals at our normal times but it's not unheard of for us to be full from a lunch at 11:30 and not eat dinner until 9 pm that night - but again, that's because Abby is a lot more familiar with Disney, more flexible to routine changes, etc.
Something else I can suggest is to go at his pace and don't push. If he wants to stop and smell the roses or linger somewhere, there could be a reason for it. Abby can't always tell me what she's thinking but if she pauses somewhere and starts looking at something, even if it seems like she's looking at nothing, we stop until she's ready to go again.
It's already been said that each kid is different and your friend knows how her son does in circumstances so the only other suggestion I have is to have your friend become a member on the boards so if she has any specific questions, she can get the answers herself instead of you being the "middle man."
Hi there! I hope you can get your hands on Open Mouse. HEre are a few OLD articles I wrote a while back from an OT perspective. The focus is sensory sensitivities, but hopefully there will be something in there that can help.
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We also try to give DD her time, I'll leave her and DH at a park and take DS back for a swim. DD loves the alone time with DH and the fact she can dictate where to go. Tell your friend not to sweat it, Disney is wonderful for/with our kids 
Our last WDW trip as a family 
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