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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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It's a brand-new immersive VR experience at Disney Springs. I guess they've done other experiences (Ghostbusters) at other locations and people seem to rave about them online.
ETA: Found a handful of reviews online, they all love it. My concern is being a large lady with a chest, if the vest is going to be uncomfortably tight. Guess we will find out when we go unless someone on here has gone and can speak to the rig.
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Last edited by unewillow; 01-19-2018 at 11:01 AM..
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My husband loved it. He went with a bunch of his 501st buddies. The vests come in different sizes, but need to be worn very tight. The gear is also about 25 pounds. He would go again. They had ressies for 2:15 but didn’t get in until after 3.
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Michele
I'm living the dream 20 minutes from Disney! Next trip...tomorrow. Follow me on instagram at ShirtsByShell
Thanks Michele! We have late (9:45pm) reservations and I have been reading it takes an hour from check-in through finishing the experience. I expect we will be there for awhile. Good to hear they have mult-sized vest options. I had read about the gear being a bit heavy, but as it's strapped to you and distributed a bit I think we will be okay.
I wanted to come back and post a quick review of our experience for those interested in trying this, which I heartily recommend that you do!
We had pre-booked our tickets online. When we arrived all we had to do was scan the QR code we received (text/email) and then fill out electronic waivers. Once everything is signed you get a wristband with your name and another QR code to put on. Because we were a group of 2, they paired us up with another couple. The max is a group of 4. I have heard that if you are a group of 3 they will try and not stick a random extra person in with you, it just depends on how busy they are.
Our group and another group of 4 then went into a pre-show area where you are told your mission and get to pick the accent color for your digital character. From there you go into a holding area and watch a video on how to put on the gear before they get you suited up and into the game.
The gear itself is a vest and backpack connected to a VR helmet. It's heavy, but not uncomfortable. The vests have 4 adjustable clip straps across the front and neither my husband nor myself had any issues with fit, and we aren't small people. My husband also wears glasses and didn't have any issues with the helmet going on over those.
I was also slightly worried about motion-sickness as sometimes 3-D things can bother me. Because the only thing you are seeing through your headset is the video, and there isn't much in terms of crazy movement (no flying/spinning/etc) I didn't have any issues at all.
The only hiccup we had was that the first time they put us in there was a server/lag issue and we all got frozen about 2 minutes in. But, they quickly realized the issues, put us in new rigs and had us restart the experience.
Overall experience: WAY COOL!! As a fan of Star Wars and first-person shooting games, I really enjoyed this experience. It is totally immersive, from the visuals to the smells and temperatures you experience during your mission. We only wished it lasted longer! And at $30 a person, it's a pretty affordable add-on to your trip that I don't think you will regret.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
Thanks for the report (and not making it too spoilery about the story)! I'll be there 3/14 doing this with my teenage brother. We're pretty excited to check it out!
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So, how long all together to do the entire thing? I might book it for our upcoming trip, but I don’t want to leave my mom sitting or on her own browsing for 2 hours.
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It's right at 30 minutes for the whole thing. I don't know whether you get in right at your reserved time or not, as we were walk-ins (slow time of year).
I'd be concerned with how tight the vests have to fit. I have asthma and am slightly claustrophobic, so if I feel like I can't breathe, I get panicky. How tight do these fit across the chest area?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dolphin041599
I'd be concerned with how tight the vests have to fit. I have asthma and am slightly claustrophobic, so if I feel like I can't breathe, I get panicky. How tight do these fit across the chest area?
You have adjustments to tighten it to your comfort level. I think you'll be fine with the vest, really.
The VR helmet fits comfortably over your head, even with glasses.
You have adjustments to tighten it to your comfort level. I think you'll be fine with the vest, really.
The VR helmet fits comfortably over your head, even with glasses.
Agreed. The vest wasn't restricting and you can loosen it as much as you need to. The helmet covers your ears and eyes, but your mouth and nose are open, so it doesn't feel like a full face shield helmet.
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