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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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The only SeaWorld I've been to was the one in Ohio before it closed and that was 15-20 years ago...so I know nothing. We will be in the area July 3-5 and the kids are now asking if SeaWorld is a possibility.
I know that time of year is very high crowds at WDW, is the same true at SeaWorld? Would we even be able to see much if we go because we would likely need to go on the 4th and we have already booked the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Cruise and need to be back to WDW by 7pm. Should we cancel the cruise in favor of SeaWorld if it would not be enough time? How do attractions work there? Is there a FP+ like system that I should know about? Do you have any links to planning sites you find especially helpful?
How old are your kids and what exactly are you planning on doing at SW? Other than their website, I don't know of anything else to use for planning but the park has like all of 4 rides, maybe 5, and I know the last time we went, they had something called "Quick Queue" (or similar) but unlike FP, it costs money. I want to say something like $20 per person. I know we spent 2 days in the park that year but we wanted to see all the shows. Every. Single. One. Plus we wanted to see all the exhibits. We only did one ride - the Atlantis one and I didn't feel it was worth the small wait we had for it (we didn't do quick queue but because of Abby's Autism we were allowed through that line). The coasters we didn't do. Nor did we do the tower either as that was also an additional cost. Look through the website and if you have more specific questions, I can try to answer them. You could also look through my TR from that year (I'm pretty sure it was 2013) and we did SW at the beginning of our trip so you wouldn't have to read the whole TR.
Given the time of year you're visiting, crowds will be very high at all of Orlando's theme parks.
As far as whether it's worth going, it depends on what you want to do when you get there. We're not thrill riders, so we never do the coasters or thrill rides at SeaWorld and we find plenty to do there, mainly animal exhibits. However, in recent years, SeaWorld has moved away from exhibits that you just walk through to ones you get in line for. Recent examples include Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin and TurtleTrek.
If you want to see the shows, do as you would at Disney and work out the timings and which matter most to you, as the show times may overlap. Be sure to get to the stadiums at least half an hour before show time, perhaps even earlier given when you're visiting, as the stadiums do fill to capacity.
There is a Quick Queue system that you pay for, but that only works for a few attractions, mainly coasters. You can find out more about it on SeaWorld's website.
We find Sea World to be an easy day for us as we don't do the coasters. I'd consult Sea World's website to check out the exhibits you want to see. We've spent as much as a whole day there, leaving around 7 p.m. to got there at opening and were ready to leave by 3:00. Unless you want to see all shows, ride all coaster etc. I think it's fairly to see it all in time to get back for your evening plans.
SeaWorld is a great park. Considering crowds will be high, I would purchase a quick queue. They start at $19 for one time per ride. They do offer unlimited for a bit more. They have a great restaurant, Sharks...it is a little pricey and sort of like coral reef but the food there has been a bit more consistent recently than coral reef. You can get a reservation online. Another option is dine with shamu. You sit by the backstage water area and it is a buffet but the food is average at best. The new Antarctica ride with the Penguins is a must do. They are opening a new roller coaster in June. There are a lot of animal,shows...shamu, sea lion, Dolphins, pets, etc. you can also pet and feed stingrays and the Dolphins during certain feeding times. You can also feed the seals. there is a lot to do and see depending on your interests. On July 4th, the park is open until 11pm.
The shows are awesome, entertaining, and fun. The last time we went we got buy one day and get one free. The first day we spent about 5-6 hours and the second maybe 5 hours before we decided we were done. If you're family likes whales, dolphins, seals etc the shows are great. We only rode one ride, Journey to Atlantis because we don't do coaster types unless very mild.
Shows & Show Times Clyde & Seamore's Sea Lion High®
Here's an idea for shows and times, I found all information I needed to plan on their website also you can go on you tube and watch videos to get an idea what the shows and rides are like, that's what I did.
Just went to Sea World Orlando today, if you have any specific questions feel free to ask! I'm still downloading photos and re-cooping from the day but planning a debrief sometime in the future ;-)
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