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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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've never gone to WDW in October and we are planning to make a long week of it with the Columbus Day holiday. How bad are the crowds? As bad as spring break or summer? I've been able to get decent ADR's but I'm kind of nervous as we usually go in May when the crowds are much lighter. Thanks!
I have enjoyed October trips before, with lighter crowds and mild weather.
My last trip was over the Columbus Day weekend and it was more crowded than I had expected. Saturday in EPCOT was wall to wall people. It was during Food & Wine, so weekends there tend to be busier anyway. This was crazy busy and it poured all day. Sunday at HS was better - more like i had expected, but Monday at MK was packed.
My sister stayed the rest of the week and said the parks were still pretty busy.
We always go in the beginning of Oct for a long weekend, and usually it is over Columbus day weekend that we go. I don't think it's too bad. Yes, it will be more crowded than May (with the exception of Memorial day weekend), but it is nowhere near summer or spring break (at least it hasn't been when we've been there). The World Showcase in Epcot does tend to be pretty crowded because of F&WF, but if you want to do that just get there right at 11 when it opens. It usually take a few hours before it really ramps up. We've never had a big problem with crowds at the other parks, and if you are planning to go to MNSSHP (which I highly recommend) the crowds are usually extremely low for that during that weekend. Have fun!
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MNSSHP 2015: DH (Bane), Me (Batgirl), Genie, and our friends
Any holiday weekend where people have the potential to have a 3-day weekend, as well as the fact that there are other draws like F&WF that will bring in locals over the weekend, expect the crowds to increase in the parks. However, the influx of people will not equal to peak crowd levels, like Spring Break or Christmas week levels, but yes it will be busier than you're used to in May.
Like you've said, though, you already have your ADRs, which is a great idea -- and, as long as you are flexible enough in your plans to park hop or to take a break during the day (if you don't ), should the crowds get a little heavier than you'd prefer, you will be fine over the weekend.
Thank you, everyone. I feel a bit better about this trip. Can't wait to see the Halloween decorations. Since we're not participating in the F&W Festival, we can avoid that section of Epcot.
We have gone the last 4 years the week of Columbus Day. I think the crowds are no big deal, but we do avoid Epcot on the weekend. The crowds are getting bigger, but like others said are still nowhere near peak times. If you use the FP system to your advantage, the lines aren't really bad at all.
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), should the crowds get a little heavier than you'd prefer, you will be fine over the weekend.
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