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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Okay so I got an idea from another thread and changed our Via Napoli ADR to Rose and Crown. We have never eaten dinner here and would love to be able to view Illuminations. How does that work? Can you see from inside the restaurant or only outside? Please advise on any experiences...
Should I move our ADR up (I got 7:45 as I didn't want to tie up a table too long). Our trip is in January so - a little concerned regarding the weather (my other travel companions are older). This would be our final meal in the parks and we will fly home the next day (and the only time we will be able to see Illuminations).
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We were lucky enough to get an outside table on our last visit, so I can't help on viewing elsewhere, but I understand if you're inside the restaurant, they invite you outside at the relevant time. Where, I don't know, as we saw no-one.
We've got a booking for 6:50pm and that was the latest we could get, so I feel bad about tying up a table, but we were told last time that the Cast Members can't ask you to move on and, to be honest, we had a table at a similar time last time and only got desserts just as IllumiNations started.
We've done this several times and I think our ADR times were around 7:30. When you check in make sure to tell them you'd be glad to wait for a patio table. Both times we did this we waited about 10 minutes and ended up a wonderful lakeside view of Illuminations.
Another time we were seated inside, but were escorted outside by a server about 10 minutes before Illuminations. The area you stand in is next to the patio area. some people who were standing in front of us ended up going into the patio area to sit at an empty table. We didn't, because when they left, we had a better view!
We have done this many times. We always ask for a patio table, no matter the weather. Once it was very cold and they had heaters out on the patio so you could enjoy your time there. And once we were seated inside, but they told us where we could stand to see Illuminations and then we returned to our table to finish up. And don't worry about the patio umbrellas. They close them before Illuminations begins
We've easily needed an hour for lunch there eating appetizer-entree-dessert.
Really great food as has been said elsewhere, especially that killer Sticky Toffee Pudding. Honestly, I think it worth an ADR to go there for nothing but that and a cup of tea. Simply died-and-gone-to-heaven stuff, that is!
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Try to check in early and tell them you are willing to wait for a patio seat. It is a really lovely experience and worth waiting for an open table. They understand people want to do this and try to accomodate.
If you are seated inside, they will invite you out to the patio to enjoy the show. There are areas available around the patio.
We love RnC and it is a favorite with our entire family.
Enjoy!!!
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"Disneyland has that thing - the imagination and the feeling of happy excitement - I knew when I was a kid."
--Walt Disney
We were there in November with my mom who we knew wouldn't be able to stand through Illuminations, we were lucky to get an outside table on the patio and it was perfect. We tried it again this June and did everything the same - checked in a few minutes early and requested the outdoor table and about 10 minutes later we were seated inside in a corner. Our server said she'd escort us outside for the show but when it was about 10 minutes before we had to track down someone to take us outside. By the time we got outside, we were all the way to the side near the server's station where they talked to each other throughout the show (I guess it's not that exciting when you're there every night!) So, it was still easier than staking out an area for the show but if you're seated inside I'd try to get outside in time to get a good spot!
i'm jealous you snagged an ADR for that time period. we have done that several times and it's always been great. sometimes it's a long-ish wait for an outside table, but the view cannot be beat. definitely do not stress about it!
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