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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I booked a trip at the relative last minute (2 weeks out) for just my DS9 and DD3 and me, staying in the Wilderness Lodge. We have been to WDW and DL quite a few times, but always with DS15 and DH or another adult.
I'm not so much worried about logistics and being on my own with my littles, but I am a bit concerned that DS9, who isn't a huge fan, will be disappointed that we will miss the things that we usually make time for 1 on 1. (Big brother brings a friend, little sister is the only princess, middle kid gets some extra attention from mom or dad, if that makes sense?) Last year he got to go on one of The Seas tours and swim in the reef tank. Obviously there will be no swimming with sharks this time around.
Does anyone have any ideas for special surprises that I may actually be able to make happen solo?
So far I've considered a Dessert Party or In-Room something from Disney Floral. I'm sure there things I haven't thought of or don't even know about.
Any ideas are appreciated. Thanks if you taken the time to read this!
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We've done the Pirates and Pals cruise twice and had a fabulous time. I just don't know what it will be like now with a projection show - I don't know how visible anything will be outside of the MK (I would think not much).
I like Ginger's suggestion of the Pirate makeover and while it wouldn't make it just "his" you could turn your daughter into a mermaid there (I think she's old enough).
I also thought of the pirate makeover, or maybe the Jedi training at DHS. Disney Floral has a couple of baskets that might appeal to him, again pirate or Star Wars themed. It's relatively small, but the barber shop on Main Street does some colored gel products for boys. Would he enjoy the Sorcerers of the MK card game?
If you want something that doesn't have to be scheduled you could do the make your own lightsaber or droid in Tatooine Traders. There is a cool photo booth there too.
After researching all that everyone was kind enough to recommend, and also nearly shelling out a ridiculous sum for the Star Wars Rebel Adventure from Disney Floral, I have decided to play it by ear and let the surprises come in the form of an extra dessert or souvenir here and there.
We work hard at Christmastime to avoid the "gift creep" and I don't know why I was letting it happen at vacation. Getting to go on a last minute trip to WDW is magical and special enough!
Thanks again to all that offered ideas. I had fun reading and exploring them!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Her Dotness
I would skip the pizza for sure. Disney pizza is simply horrible. It is soooooo not worth paying for and highway robbery at 2 dining plan credits.
If you're paying OOP, though, it's not that bad a deal. Pop's dining court pizza was pretty good, and a whole pizza was $18; a quarter of it was $9, so it's a good deal for a family. I was with a young adult son and two teenage guys, so pizza is always a good choice in that arrangement!
My kids are HUGE fans of night swimming. Could you do a pizza and night swimming night?
This is a great idea, with dinner served poolside, probably. As west coast kids, they are willing and able to stay up and out after dark.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GingerJ
If you're paying OOP, though, it's not that bad a deal. Pop's dining court pizza was pretty good, and a whole pizza was $18; a quarter of it was $9, so it's a good deal for a family. I was with a young adult son and two teenage guys, so pizza is always a good choice in that arrangement!
I agree that pizza is a good value when feeding the teens and the 6'3" big eater husband. The pizza guy gets a kick out of the 4 extra large pizzas that we order every other week, as dinner. When my husband and teen are with us at TS in WDW restaurants they often order two entrees each, which makes $18 for a pizza not seem like a bad idea.
We have used the 2 TS credits on pizza before. I thought it was a great value for our family. We used 2 credits for all of us(I believe we were a party of 5) and had a nice relaxing evening with full tummies! It may not be as great of value with a party of 2. Now, granted, if you are looking for great pizza, this may not be the right pizza for you. But it was decent average delivery pizza, where we could dine in our jammies and relax.
I was also thinking of one of the kids pirates cruises for your son. They look like so much fun. I have been starting to look into them for our next trip.
After researching all that everyone was kind enough to recommend, and also nearly shelling out a ridiculous sum for the Star Wars Rebel Adventure from Disney Floral, I have decided to play it by ear and let the surprises come in the form of an extra dessert or souvenir here and there.
We work hard at Christmastime to avoid the "gift creep" and I don't know why I was letting it happen at vacation. Getting to go on a last minute trip to WDW is magical and special enough!
Thanks again to all that offered ideas. I had fun reading and exploring them!
Lol, been there, thought the same way as you! My ds, at 9, surprised me by requesting a caricature drawing at MK. It's one of our favorite memories, especially because Peter Pan came and sat next to him and chatted for 15 minutes. It was something I never could have planned, but it was simply magical. I had a silhouette made of my 5yo dd. While done practically next to each other, he still felt like he had the royal treatment.
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