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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Some changes coming soon at DLR
Along with all the construction at DLR, here are some recently announced changes:
--Paint the Night parade now has dining packages and reserved seating
--World of Color now has a dessert party--$79, but at least you can finally sit down while watching!
--The Diamond Mad T Party ends March 30 (I loved this!)
--Super Hero HQ closes April 3, but Spider-Man and Captain America will do meets in Hollywoodland (bye-bye Thor, wish I'd met you when you were there!)
--Frozen Sing-Along ends April 17, but the new Frozen musical at the Hyperion starts May 27 (sounds fun, but I will always miss Aladdin!)
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Great news about finally being able to sit down for World of Color, as that's always been my issue with it, having chronic fatigue. Shame you have to pay for the privilege. The dining packages for Paint the Night sound good.
I've been wondering about WOC and how families with kids manage it. Strollers, I suppose? Are there any places to sit on grass, etc? We've been known to sit on the pavement at MK.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Canada Amy
I've been wondering about WOC and how families with kids manage it. Strollers, I suppose? Are there any places to sit on grass, etc? We've been known to sit on the pavement at MK.
Nope, the only people who sit are in wheelchairs, unfortunately (except for the dessert party, as mentioned in earlier posts). If you sit, you won't see anything. If you stand, you're looking over people's heads. Here's a photo I took in December http://www.passporter.com/photos/dis...ams-ariel.html ....all that stuff on the bottom is other people's heads and shoulders!
Get a fast pass or meal package if you can, as EVERYWHERE with a good view is roped off for those people, unless it's a very low-attendance time of year. I didn't, but it wasn't too crowded and they let us in the roped off area when it was clear that it wouldn't be full.
Yes, we will only attempt it with FPs. We have 5 chances to see it, after all!
What about the waiting for it to start part? Can you sit then? I find that's what people do at MK. And do you mean they don't allow strollers in the area or just that they wouldn't be able to see? I'm more concerned about my kids being able to stand around waiting for it to start.
We are finally beyond strollers, but I held on to bringing my double jogger until last year fir things like this.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Canada Amy
Yes, we will only attempt it with FPs. We have 5 chances to see it, after all!
What about the waiting for it to start part? Can you sit then? I find that's what people do at MK. And do you mean they don't allow strollers in the area or just that they wouldn't be able to see? I'm more concerned about my kids being able to stand around waiting for it to start.
We are finally beyond strollers, but I held on to bringing my double jogger until last year fir things like this.
I believe you can sit (on the ground or walls if you're near one) while you wait. During the show you definitely cannot see if you're not standing. This may mean holding your kids up.
The first time I saw it, I did a dinner package. I was fairly close, but the clod in front of me put his kid up on his shoulders, so everyone behind him had to crane their necks around him to see. Not cool!
I had my kids in a stroller at WDW well past the toddler stage a couple of times, just so they could keep up with our pace and also not wear themselves out too early from all the walking. I have no idea whether strollers are allowed in the WOC viewing area, sorry.
Thanks, Ginger : ) yes this will be our first Disney parks trip without a stroller. I will miss my portable storage and portable place for our girls to rest. I always used it to conserve their energy too and so I could speed walk!
Yes, the "shoulder kid" issue...it's a pain, and yet...there is no way for a kid to see otherwise. I wish they would make everyone sit, but I suppose it's not feasible as there are too many planters and such that block the view. I saw WOC in 2013, but didn't return, even with 5 day hoppers, in 2015, because of the view issue.
Yes, the "shoulder kid" issue...it's a pain, and yet...there is no way for a kid to see otherwise. I wish they would make everyone sit, but I suppose it's not feasible as there are too many planters and such that block the view. I saw WOC in 2013, but didn't return, even with 5 day hoppers, in 2015, because of the view issue.
Such a bummer for the show that everyone raves about!
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We love the Carthay Circle WOC package. It can be done either for lunch or dinner. It is pricey (signature restaurant) but you get the best section to see from.
We love the Carthay Circle WOC package. It can be done either for lunch or dinner. It is pricey (signature restaurant) but you get the best section to see from.
That's what we did--and we had a good viewing area. Even with the reserved viewing area, it was recommended that we arrive early, which we did--and then stood/sat until the show began.
The standing is one reason we liked Fantasmic! better! We had the Blue Bayou dining package that gave us padded seats to use on the ground. We had a spot right up front, were able to sit on our cushions and stretch out our legs. Our spot was SO good, that we stayed there through the fireworks while the projections were made on the water--even included the snow!
I've been wondering about WOC and how families with kids manage it. Strollers, I suppose? Are there any places to sit on grass, etc? We've been known to sit on the pavement at MK.
It's not been fun, I'll tell you that. Even when we've gotten Blue FPs, if you don't line up at least an hour ahead of time, you won't be anywhere near the front. Because my girls were younger, we would show up at our section 30-45 mins ahead of time and would be stuck somewhere in the middle. And, it never fails, there's always someone 6 foot something standing directly in front of me. Have to share this one time where we found a spot behind a woman who was sitting down with her kids on a small plastic sheet. At showtime, she stood up and towered over me and my husband who is 6'1. I thought "are you kidding me???" And then, with my girls being under 5 at the time, DH would hold one on his hip and I'd hold the other. 20 minutes into the show and my back would be killing me. I still curse whomever thought "oh yeah, just let the guests stand" would be a good idea. Honestly, I've given up on ever having a good view of WOC. And I've yet to see Paint The Night. The dining packages sound like a great idea for us!
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