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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Hi there! This is my first stab at a PTR, so please be gentle with me.
I've been to WDW in the past, but it's been over 20 years since my last visit. I started planning a return trip 2 or 3 years ago, hoping to visit for my 50th birthday in February, 2012. Two of my adult nieces were traveling with me. We wanted to see The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal, and had talked about spending several days at WDW as well. As we started planning, my nieces started saying things like, "Well, we don't want to go to Epcot; Epcot's boring." I wanted at least 2 whole days at Epcot!
The more we talked, the more I realized that we should just stick to a few days at Universal. "I'll go to Disney World MYSELF!" I said. "I can do and see whatever I want, and once I get that out of my system, I can go there with other people again." Going to Universal with them just cemented my decision. I love my nieces dearly, and we've traveled together numerous times before. However, I am a planner, and they're...well, not. I had a firm idea of what I wanted to do at the Universal parks and when. They didn't want to do much advance planning before the trip, so once we got there, they spent time dithering about what to do next. And I missed out on a number of things I wanted to do and see.
Flash forward to July, 2012. I'd been thinking about when I wanted to go, how long I wanted to stay, etc. When Disney began booking for the Fall of 2013, I chose a travel agent and booked my trip! I decided upon September 10-18 at Pop Century. My package include 8 days of park tickets with park-hopper option and the basic dining plan.
So the cast of characters so far is Moi! I'm Willie, a 50 year-old single female. I live in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. I work both a full-time and a part-time job. Planning a vacation is definitely half the fun for me, and I love researching and day-dreaming about my chosen destination.
I was telling a friend all about my plans. She, her late husband, and their son are Disney veterans, usually visiting about every 18 months or so for years. She and her son haven't been back since her DH died a number of years ago, and she mentioned that she might "tag along." Then she mentioned it to her son (who's now in his mid-20s), and he thought he might tag along as well.
I was perfectly content with the idea of traveling alone. But my friend perfectly understands the necessity of planning when you're going to Disney, so I'm sure I'll have a successful trip with her. And we're not planning to be joined at the hip the entire time, so I can still do some exploring on my own. I think it will be the best of both worlds, all in one vacation!
The other characters in this trip's cast are my friend, Mel, a retired federal goverment employee who also lives in the Maryland suburbs of DC, and her son, Michael, who works and lives at home with his mom. As I mentioned, they are seasoned Disney World guests.
So far, we have our resorts and transportation arranged. I'm staying at Pop; they're staying at the Polynesian. (And I can't wait to visit the Poly!) I'm flying on JetBlue; they're driving. They've agreed to transport a piece of luggage or two for me if I can't contain myself when I pack for the trip--or when I have a metric ton of souvenirs to get home.
Our ADR day was Thursday, March 14th. It was my first time making ADRs and I was a basket case before hand. Mel, Michael, and I had two planning sessions before ADR day, figuring out where we wanted to eat and which places would require ressies. They were such a massive help with making things fit. I was trying to make a tentative schedule on my own, and I just couldn't figure out how to work in everything I wanted to try. It also helped that Mel tends to be much calmer than me.
I'll add more later on. One last thing to mention is that since it's been soooo long since I visited the World, I'm sort of approaching this as though it's my first trip to WDW. It *is* my first time staying on property, and it's the first time I'll be visiting for more than a couple of days. I am VERY excited, and I'm sure I'll have lots of questions for all the nice folks here at the PP forums!
Thanks for reading this far! Feel free to make comments or suggestions. I'm a sponge, soaking up all the wonderful information and advice here!
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
Congratulations! It sounds like you have a good plan, and nice traveling companions. Since you are at different resorts, you'll definitely get some solo time - and that can be lots of fun. But also nice to have folks to share meals and touring when that works for all of you.
Looking forward to hearing about your ADRs and other plans.
About This Page: 
I started planning a return trip 2 or 3 years ago, hoping to visit for my 50th birthday in February, 2012. Two of my adult nieces were traveling with me. We wanted to see The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal, and had talked about spending several days at WDW as well. As we started planning, my nieces started saying things like, "Well, we don't want to go to Epcot; Epcot's boring." 
I wanted at least 2 whole days at Epcot! 
Going to Universal with them just cemented my decision. I love my nieces dearly, and we've traveled together numerous times before. However, I am a planner, and they're...well, not. I had a firm idea of what I wanted to do at the Universal parks and when. They didn't want to do much advance planning before the trip, so once we got there, they spent time dithering about what to do next. And I missed out on a number of things I wanted to do and see. 
I'm Willie, a 50 year-old single female. I live in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. I work both a full-time and a part-time job. Planning a vacation is definitely half the fun for me, and I love researching and day-dreaming about my chosen destination. 
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