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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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There really wasn't time to do a PTR for this trip. I crammed in finished my other TR so I could start this one. I'm so excited! Just wait until you see how it all came together.
Cast: Amy, planner, teacher, Disney nut. Favorite character has evolved into Rapunzel.
Tim: husband, teacher, Disney nut. Favorite character is Brer Bear.
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We had a family trip in June and had some rough patches. We decided before we were even off the plane that we would get Annual Passes and plan a trip just the two of us. And we did, for March. Spring break is a crazy time but we are teachers. We can't go on our actual anniversary in October until we retire because it always falls in Parent/Teacher Conference time. So we celebrate when we can go.
I looked at what plane tickets costs were going to be for our Spring Break. Gulp. Okay, we were saving money aside to get those. Then last Friday I got a crazy idea. A crazy, brilliant, wonderful idea.
I realized both kids were going to be gone to camp July 21-27. They are camp counselors at a special needs camp. So how crazy would airfare be for a week from now? $300 total round trip. I also had a flight credit. So for $197 I got airfare for the two of us round trip. Okay, what resort can I get, and can I get it at a decent price? Yes, Coronado Springs had an awesome discount with my Annual Pass.
I presented this crazy, brilliant, wonderful idea to Tim. He loved it! It would take the pressure off the end of the year costs, the crazy airfare, the crazy spring break crowds. The timing is certainly perfect. Yes, book it! We could just stay super cheap at All Star Sports and make all of this happen for what the cost of airline tickets alone would have cost in March.
I had to call Southwest because applying my travel fund credit online was being stupid. I got that taken care of, but it took awhile. Meanwhile I got online and started looking at dining options. While I was on hold, Tim called me on Preston's photo me and said that we should upgrade to Coronado Springs, because it wasn't that much more and it is our Anniversary trip. We love Coronado so I had no problem agreeing to that.
What's this? Here's an 'Ohana dinner at the perfect time for us? On the perfect day? Yes please. Then I began looking for Fastpasses.
I got done with Southwest and in the time it took me to do that, Tim had gone to Target and back to purchase gift cards. With a Target Red card, you save 5% on gift cards, so there's an extra savings.
I got on the phones me with Disney. This turned out to be a frustrating experience as their booking system crashed. So after an hour and a half of being either on hold or talking to different people, they put a hold on it and told me to call back in two hours. Ugh! Meanwhile I was trying to book Fastpasses and dining and the whole system crashed.
So I took a break, lots of deep breaths, and we discussed what things we wanted to do.
Finally, an hour later, the system was back up again. No Flight of Passage Fastpasses were available but everything else was for the times I wanted it even. Even Frozen Ever After.
Meanwhile I callled again and after a much shorter wait I was able to book and pay for our reservation. Whew!
It was kind of nice doing Fastpasses before dining, I have to say, instead of the other way around. It was decided we would spend quite a bit of time in Epcot, as we love it so. Also two full days in Magic Kingdom. A half a day and late Extra Magic Hours in Animal Kingdom, and a morning in Hollywood Studios.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Sounds like a good trip planned even though it's a bit rushed! Glad you got great airfare and an AP discount for CSR!
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Oh my goodness, how exciting that things came together for you so well - it seems as if it was magic... Disney perhaps? And wow, how great you could get Fastpasses pretty much for whatever you wanted. Does that indicate that the crowds will be low while you're there?
Sounds like a good trip planned even though it's a bit rushed! Glad you got great airfare and an AP discount for CSR!
It's only one day less than my June trip, so I was excited about that. And who knows if we will get another short trip in this year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Oh my goodness, how exciting that things came together for you so well - it seems as if it was magic... Disney perhaps? And wow, how great you could get Fastpasses pretty much for whatever you wanted. Does that indicate that the crowds will be low while you're there?
That's what I'm hoping!
Quote:
Originally Posted by benchley
Sometimes on the hoof planning is the best - I just can't bring myself to do it. I need to plan at least a year in advance
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
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Glad you got great airfare and an AP discount for CSR! 
PassPorter Guide Author
And wow, how great you could get Fastpasses pretty much for whatever you wanted. Does that indicate that the crowds will be low while you're there?
How cool that everything is just falling into place!!
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