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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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56 days and counting down!!!!!!
I wanted to put this out there to see if anyone had any advice or different ideas.
How this trip came to be......
We have 4 young kiddos-3 boys and a girl (oldest 7 and youngest 2). We took the older boys in 2012 when they were 4 & 5....what a wonderful trip we had. We are definitely travelers who know our kids and while we don't cater everything to them (because that would make them too spoiled), we know how to read them and when they need naps, downtime etc. Plus knowing me, we will go every year to every other year so I don't have to try and pack everything into one trip which is nice.
I have been dying to take my little princess and have a girls trip. So I just started planning it. I sold it to my husband that my parents have always wanted to take a trip with us. Wonderful people, but they are, well, not relaxed at all when traveling. He was not really excited about travelling with them which i completely understand. So.....long story as short as possible, I positioned it that they could go with me, my 4 yrear old daughter and my 2 yr old son (he's a tough cookie and I would have to pay someone to watch him during the day while hubby was at work, other two are at school, football practice/games...and who am I kidding!....I want him to go too )))))). He's such an animated young toot. He has the best older siblings to learn from and has more personality than anyone I have ever met. We are going to have a blast just watching him .
Next up.....our plans....which I keep changing daily!
Who's going.....
Me (mom and definitely the Disney enthusiast)
DD (age 4) - this trip is specifically scheduled around her
DS (age 2) - the wild card
DGrandma
DGrandpa
Staying at Contemporary on club level (I changed the location at least 10 times....uggghhhh), but we stayed here last time and liked it. Very convenient and with little ones worth the location, breakfast before we left and the heavy apps, dessert, wine and viewing fireworks at night. I gave my parents the choice of GF club level, Art of Animation little mermaid rooms, and contemporary club and they chose contemporary. Luckily I had a Pin code which helped a little
Monday September 22 (travel day)
I was so excited when booking the flights I really didn't think through the day clearly. Our flight leaves at 7:15am which means we have to leave for the airport around 4:30am. Could be entertaining
We arrive in Orlando around 10:30am and will probably get to Contemporary by noon. We will try and check in. I called and luckily we can go ahead and hang out in the club lounge with their snacks or take up lunch from the Contempo Cafe.....then nap time followed by a little swimming. I keep going back and forth on heading to MK when we arrive, but I'm expecting all of us to be exhausted from traveling. Going to MK in the afternoon when it is very hot with tired kiddos just sounds awful!
So here is what I have scheduled so far.....
Monday September 22 - DTD T-Rex at 6:30 PM
Tuesday September 23 - MK All Day /naps then MNSSHP (I'm Soooooo Excited!)
Fast passes :
10:55-11:55 - Peter Pan
12:25-1:25. - Buzz Lightyear
1:50-2:50 - meet Ariel
Naps
MNSSHP around 5
Wednesday September 24 - DTD/ MK / Epcot (lunch at Earl of sandwich)
BBB - 9:10 (DTD but trying to move to MK location)
MK Fast passes :
12:00-1:00 - Meet Cinderella and Rapunzel
1:10-2:10 - Winnie the Pooh
2:15-3:15 - Dumbo
Back to hotel for naps
Epcot for Food and wine festival- Hopefully have extra fast passes for Nemo and illuminations
Thursday September 25 - MK Early magic hours
Train tour - step dad doing this at 7:30am (we are going with him to be ready at rope drop and head straight to Anna and Elsa. FP's have been completely booked since the moment my window opened to book. Crossing fingers something opens up)
Fast passes :
10:50-11:50 - enchanted tales with Belle
Hopefully lunch at BOG
1:15-2:15 Peter Pan
2:15-3:15 7DMT
Naps then back to MK or swim
Friday September 26 - last day - HS
8:30 Chef Mickey's
10:00 check-out
Fast passes:
10:40-11:40 - TSM
11:50-12:05 - Disney Jr.
12:35-12:50 - Voyage of little Mermaid
We might skip little mermaid if good FP's are available at MK. We will have lunch and head back to MK before having to be on ME at 3:30. This day is my biggest ?. I might just have to see how kiddos are doing and go with it.
If anything jumps out as a ?, I welcome advice
Thx!