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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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've read all the guidebooks several times and I'm still having trouble with the concept of Disneyquest. Is it a giant video game arcade with both regular video games as well as high tech virtual reality games? Are ALL the games included with the admission price or do I still need a pocketful of quarters? Are there really long lines for the virtual reality games on weekday afternoons in the summer? Obviously it's more crowded on the weekends, but when is the best time to go. I'm trying to figure out how much time I need to give this place with dh and 2ds's who are addicted to video games and computers. Help!
When we went last year, DQ was included in our package. We just had to swipe our card. DQ is for older kids. We did not know what to expect, our son was 2 1/2, way too young for DQ. He did like the create section, though. It looks to be great for "big" kids. Hopefully someone else here can help you more than I can!
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Tammy
****A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes****
[This message has been edited by figment1 (edited 04-29-2001).]
We went last Jan so can't help with the crowd issue. We paid one price at the door (look for a kiosk near World of Disney store for discount coupons) and could do everything but skeeball and whack an alien, you paid extra admission for these. One level had every imaginable arcade game including older ones like PacMan and Centiped. They had car and motorcycle driving, snowboarding, basketball, shooting, pinball, etc. NO QUARTERS! The Buzz game was like bumpercars gone whacko. The Mighty Duck game was great fun. We loved all the 3D games. The River Adventure was kinda hard. It takes some muscle to paddle. The Pirate thing was great. Although the skeleton pirate narator was a little spooky. We spent about 5 hours there and had a complete blast. Lunch at Cheesecake Factory was wonderful. You may think we are video junkies but we are far from it. My 8 yr old has only been in an arcade twice before (birthday parties). We do not own a Sega or Nintendo. I have never been adept at video games. But we all loved DQ. Hope I helped at least a little. If you have any specific ? let me know. mary
Admission came with our Pass, and all I can say is this: We had a terrible time getting our husbands out of there! We spent several nights there, and that place is great! Buzz Lightyear bumper car ride was terific, and the Pirates of The Carribbean ride was so much fun, we rode it again and again! Something for nearly everyone, although little ones will not find much to do. Highly Recommend!
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DebiDebiDebi, Official card carrying member of the Mickey Mouse Club.
Sounds so great although I may have to devote an entire day now or knowing them maybe the entire vacation! My youngest is six and loves video games whether he can win or not, so even he should have a blast. Anyone know what the lines will be like in July?
DH & spent a few hours there back in 10/99. We had a pretty good time. The crowds then were very light for most of the areas. But I do hear that when the weather is rainy or not-so-nice, this place becomes jam-packed!
We were there during the late afternoon/early evening. As it got later & later, the crowd did get a bit heavier.
I think you should count on about 3 hours here, then move on.
Do check out the "Build your Own Coaster" area. WOW! It is really something! You design your own coaster with loops/twists/etc., then get to board a motion simulator to "ride" it! It is amazing!
Have fun, and be sure to have some cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory there! It is to die for.
All Ears
Make sure that you do Aladdin's magic carpet virtual reality ride. I did it twice and i hate that stuff. I also made a toy on the computer and bought it after I made it, I didn't want to go there, but every body else did. We were there from 6:00 to midnight and still didn't get to do everything.
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Could this be
a 'Honeymoon'?
Guess this is Richard & me getting ready for our trip! Bring Figment back!
Pat
Upcoming visits: November 30-December 4, 2001, Port Orleans! Woo Hoo!
I am not sure about the lines in July but my advice would be to go on a non-park day and go when it opens (usually around 10) because the place gets more crowded as the evening comes. I have been there three times and have never found it to be too crowded to enjoy. My then-six year old thought it was great. The last time we went to DQ was to the one in Chicago (an mini-Disney vacation in January!) and we bought him a card for the games that you pay for and he spent all morning there. The two older boys are in their teens and they could have spent the whole vacation at DQ. My husband went upstairs to the Cheesecake factory, got himself an expresso and sat at the internet while we played.
We ended up there on a rainy day and the place was so crowed we could hardly move. The lines to the creativity areas were packed and people were cutting, so we gave up on it. We enjoyed the rafting and my husband loved the "traditional" arcade games which do not require quarters. My boys were little - 4 and 2 yrs. old - and they became bored very quickly.
It seems like a fun place, but I would not recommend it as a "rainy day" alternative.