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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Hello, we're going to celebrate my parents' 40th anniversary when we travel with them and our two little girls Feb/13. We were there same time this year. Still crossing fingers for free dining!!! Just trying to decide on a special experience that I can give to my parents as a gift, which I will give to them on Christmas day, 5 days before their actual date. I was thinking about the Pirates fireworks cruise for all 6 of us, but it does seem quite costly and I'm concerned we could get a cold snap and then it wouldn't be very pleasant. We did have gorgeous weather last winter, but you never know...other ideas? oh, and we are all nondrinkers, so the fine dining doesn't seem worthwhile when they seem largely focused on alcholic drinks (but tell me if I'm wrong!).
and finally, my dad is blind, so many of the tour experiences probably wouldn't be great for him. He does enjoy all of the parks and will try anything he possibly can. whatever experience we choose, it can be just for my parents or for all of us, depending on price. My parents aren't exactly romantics! oh, and we are getting the dining plan again because we did a character dinner every day of our 9 day trip last time and enjoyed all of them. so I'm certainly going to surprise them with a cake at one of the dinners and I gather Ohana is a good one because they'll get recognized for celebrating the occasion. but I want an actual gift to give them as a Christmas / anniversary present.
Welcome to the Boards.
My first thought was Candlelight Processional, but then I read a little more and realized you'll be there in Feb. and not Dec. Shucks.
So - that leaves tours, events, and eating. Is your father completely blind, or can he see shadows and shapes?
Do they like to golf? You could get them a golf outing at one of the courses.
How adventurous are they? You could do the parasailing over Bay Lake.
How about the balloon ride at DownTown Disney?
We loved the Pirates and Pals cruise. The weather in February isn't too bad for people who, like me, are from the northern states. Being on the water is fun.
What about a fireworks cruise at EPCOT? Those actually tie off, so it's not as bad as at MK if the weather turns.
The Behind the Seeds tour at EPCOT is really cool, I've heard.
DH and I loved the Tea at Grand Floridian. It's not really a "guy thing", but it was nice to relax and take our time eating and having wonderful teas. We enjoyed the few hours we spent, talking about our vacation, what we wanted to do later, etc.
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I'd honestly consider a signature restaurant meal, as they're not about the alcohol at all. Sure, you can enjoy a nice glass of wine with your meal, but the food is outstanding and it doesn't matter if you have alcohol with it or not.
I'd also give Disney a call about the tours and explain the situation about your dad. They may be able to advise which tours would be good for him and may be able to do something slightly different for him - I don't know, but I think it's worth asking the question.
thanks for all the warm welcomes I figured it was time to join a forum because the rest of my friends don't want to talk about Disney planning 24/7!
I appreciate all the great ideas and will look at all the options. I wonder about sending just my parents on the fireworks cruise, but whether they'll feel they missed out sharing the experience with us....
oh and dad is nearly totally blind, but he can see flashes of light and some shadows. He did find he could appreciate the fireworks at MK last winter.
oh and dad is nearly totally blind, but he can see flashes of light and some shadows. He did find he could appreciate the fireworks at MK last winter.
Given this - I'd recommend a nice meal at one of the great restaurants around EPCOT, and then catching the Illuminations show. It's much closer to the ground, and quite a bit closer to the viewers than the other fireworks shows. There is music and a story, and the globe in the center of the lake is impressive to say the least!
With your dad's blindness, you may be able to access the handicapped area so he can have a less obstructed view. A dinner at Rose and Crown will enable a really great viewing, as they have their own viewing area.
I agree with chezp that not imbibing doesn't limit enjoyment of the fine dining at WDW. Neither DH nor I can drink due to medications we take, but we have had some wonderful TS experiences, particularly at the signature restaurants.
In fact, I sometimes think our enjoyment is greater now that we're not getting fuzzy-minded from booze.
I think you'd be depriving yourselves and your parents of some delightful experiences by avoiding the finer WDW restaurants. In fact, with your dad's visual impairment, delicious food might be one of the highlights of WDW for him.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Would the Magic Behind the Steam Trains Tour interest your parents? Would this be accessible to your dad? Seems to me that there would be a lot of smells, sounds and atmosphere around the trains, as well as some good stories being told.
funny you should say that, because my dad's favourite part of our trip this year was the 8 character dinners! he loved the food, the service, and the character efforts to make him feel special : ) They loved Hoop De Doo, which they dad after we went home. I was thinking about the Aloha show, but we're already planning to eat at Ohana and I'm finding mixed reviews with the weather being the big factor. other dinners shows aren't running in Feb. thoughts?
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Sure, you can enjoy a nice glass of wine with your meal, but the food is outstanding and it doesn't matter if you have alcohol with it or not. 
I figured it was time to join a forum because the rest of my friends don't want to talk about Disney planning 24/7!
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