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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Any tips for viewing Paint the Night? We didn't stake out a spot early enough last time -- it was a holiday weekend -- and were not able to find a suitable viewing location last minute as the sidewalks were just packed. I'm considering doing a dining package, but it can be kinda pricey and DH feels we lose so much time doing a sit down table service meal. And, just to be sure, they still run Paint the Night during the Christmas holidays, right? The schedule is too far out to check the showtimes on the Disneyland website.
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Any tips for viewing Paint the Night? We didn't stake out a spot early enough last time -- it was a holiday weekend -- and were not able to find a suitable viewing location last minute as the sidewalks were just packed. I'm considering doing a dining package, but it can be kinda pricey and DH feels we lose so much time doing a sit down table service meal. And, just to be sure, they still run Paint the Night during the Christmas holidays, right? The schedule is too far out to check the showtimes on the Disneyland website.
I saw Paint the Night in early December last year, and I saw the Christmas parade, too, so they should still go on this year.
Just checking my Times Guide from 4-10 December (will be somewhat different, with the Diamond Celebration being over):
Christmas Fantasy Parade: Fri: 2 & 4 p.m.
Sat & Sun: 1 & 3:15 p.m.
M, T, W, Th: 4:30 p.m.
Disneyland Forever fireworks: Nightly, 9:30 p.m.
Paint the Night parade: Nightly, 8:50 & 10:45
The guide lists viewing locations for the fireworks as Rivers of America, "it's a small world," and Main Street, USA.
What I did was find a spot on Main Street, plenty early, to watch the first parade. As soon as it was over, CMs shooed everyone to the middle of the street to see the fireworks.
I've heard that small world is a great place to see everything, but didn't watch it from there.
Also, Disneyland Forever was special for the Diamond Celebration, but I don't know what kind of fireworks show will go on after that's over.
In early June my daughter and I found a spot for Paint the Night less than 20 minutes in advance in front of the train station. That might not have worked for the fireworks, and did have some trees in the way, but we could see every float.
We will be there the week before Christmas. I'm going in knowing it will be busy, but it's not the first time we'll have been there for Christmas, so we're prepared for the crowds. I think I'm going to go with the idea of taking a thin blanket I can spread out to save our spot and stay there while DH takes the girls on a ride or two. I just really want to be able to enjoy the parade this time and have an unobstructed view! And I know the girls would really like it, too.
A few weeks ago, we lined up about 60-90 minutes in advance. We got a spot right in front of the castle, a tiny bit to the right. They will block this part of the road off, as the parade comes from Its a Small World, and then heads down Main Street. It doesn't go the whole way around the 'hub'. So this was a good way to have a front row seat!
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Yeah, I just read this too. I'd be surprised if they didn't continue it in some capacity, even if they call it something different or change it a bit. But it was created/debuted for the 60th anniversary celebration which is ending on September 5th.
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Paint the Night, World of Color - Celebrate and the Diamond Celebration Fireworks will all be ending September 5. Holiday festivities will be announced in September
I have heard some speculation on a FB group I belong to that Paint the Night might be coming to Florida. Of course that's all speculation. It would be a shame for it to "go dark". It's the best nighttime parade I've seen.
I have heard some speculation on a FB group I belong to that Paint the Night might be coming to Florida. Of course that's all speculation. It would be a shame for it to "go dark". It's the best nighttime parade I've seen.
I can't imagine it going away entirely--that was the most spectacular parade I have ever seen! It must have cost some big bucks to put together.
I have heard some speculation on a FB group I belong to that Paint the Night might be coming to Florida. Of course that's all speculation. It would be a shame for it to "go dark". It's the best nighttime parade I've seen.
PTN is NOT going to Florida. It will be playing at DL during the holidays again before MSEP returns for a limited run in the new year. I'm sure we'll see PTN at DL again in the future. It was created for DL and Disney has no plans to send it anywhere else.