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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Do you get a better view of the whole thing from a little further back?
Not really. The show is done with three water screens -- one facing house left, one facing house right, and one facing house center. The things that occur on the water go from one side of the stage to the other and you see it all from any seat. The events that take place on the stage are also geared to play to the whole house. However, sitting house center means that you see everything coming from one side and you get to enjoy it as it makes it's complete journey to the other side. (If you're on the far sides of the theatre, you only see part of this progression.)
The flames and fireworks freak out some guests and the slight spray from the water screens (if the wind is blowing in your direction) can be a bit cold in cool weather. Otherwise, not a problem.
Eileen
I was there last year from OCT 7th to 11th and We got in line at 6:15 and we were nowhere near the front of the line. When the queueing area opened about 15 minutes later, there were dozens of people shoving and the line grew to a few hundred in a matter of minutes. Then we had to wait about another 30 minutes or so to actually be let into the amphitheater. It was worth it because we got amazing seats dead center and about halfway up. I recommend getting there AS EARLY AS YOU CAN MANAGE. Even though it wasn't really peak time when we were there, by 7:30 it was standing room only.
Wow! Is it really worth the hassle? We haven't been to this show, and I was thinking about it for our upcoming trip. Now I'm not so sure. It must be something special, though, if a couple of hundred people are lining up way ahead of time.
Wow! Is it really worth the hassle? We haven't been to this show, and I was thinking about it for our upcoming trip. Now I'm not so sure. It must be something special, though, if a couple of hundred people are lining up way ahead of time.
Fantasmic is definitely worth it. It's worth TWICE the hassle you think you're seeing; it's an absolutely brilliant show. THRICE, even! IMO, it is THE primary reason to go to DHS at all.
And as for seating up front or in back, and waiting to leave vs waiting in line: at least, if you have to wait to leave, you have reasonably-comfy benches to sit on whiel the ampitheater empties out ... rather than having to stand.
I agree with Sean. Fantasmic is the one of the few reason I go to DHS. The other being I love The Great Movie Ride and Lights, Motors Action. Anyway, Fantasmic is a definite must and it is definitely worth any hassle. I've sat all around the theater and can honestly tell you I've not had a "bad" seat. Of course, some are better than others but you can see from everywhere.
Yes, totally worth it. The only bad part was that from 6:15 to 6:30 we were lined up in the street and my DH decided go to the bathrooms and all of a sudden they opened the barn gate for the actual queueing area and DH was nowhere near me. I was kind of pushed towards the front by the crowd and it took him about 15 minutes to find me!
We decided that we would go through all of that in a heartbeat to see it again. This and Phillharmagic are my DH's favorite attractions at WDW.
With Fantasmic dinning package you have access to the reserved area. This is located at the right side of the theater. They ask you to be there at least 1/2 hour before the show starts. So if you want center seats, you may not want the dining package seating.
I want my reserved seats but I have a general question. If you woule prefer to sit in the middle, not in the preferred seating area, could you just walk in with the reas of the people? I mean, no one is going to know you did the dinner package, right?
I guess it would be pointless to do the package if you weren't using the reserved seating but just a thought. Personally, I want my reserved seating.
We were waiting at the table area across from the line and we walked in when the gates opened. Of course that was early in the year, and the fall could be different. We keep an eye on the line and just keep in mind that we like sitting at the top....since I'm taller I hate to think of a small child sitting on a parents lap because I block the view.
__________________
Melanie
June 1985-off site/March 2004- Pop & OKW
Aug. 2004- Hurricane Charlie POR & FWCG/July 2005- Grand Villa OKW
Feb. 2006-Pop/Feb. 2007- AS Music, WL, AS Movies
Sept. 2011- Disney Med Cruise
I would line up at least an hour before the show time if not more. Good idea to judge the crowds through out the day. Even the slowest times of the year can be very busy days its just the luck of the draw of which park everyone goes to the day.
Are the preferred seats better? I was thinking they would be in the center.
We are discussing seeing if we can get the dinner package for when we are there (if it doesn't interfere with any of the other reservations we already have). We will have a 3 yo and an 18 month old. We'll be going in mid-late August.
The seats with the Fantasmic Dining Package aren't so much preferred, as simply reserved. They hold back the seats on the right side of the theater as you are facing the stage.
People entering through the main entrance will be seated in the center and left areas of the theater. Seating starts about 1-1 1/2 hours prior to the performance. If you have reserved seats, you are told to arrive at the special entrance by about 1/2 hour prior. At 15 minutes to the performance - any remaining reserved seats are opened up to the general public - so be sure to get there on time.
These seats have a fine view, as do most seats in the theater, but they don't have that center stage view.
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Thanks. Would it be better to do the package or go for the unreserved seats with a 3 yo and a younger child?
Depends on the children. How patient can they be, while waiting in line, or sitting in the ampitheater with nothing happening yet?
If you are at all concerned with impatience (and recall, this will be happenign at the END of the day, on full stomachs, so tired-and-cranky is a bit more likely, yes?) ... then I say the package, and the reserved seating, is probably the safer bet.
Depends on the children. How patient can they be, while waiting in line, or sitting in the ampitheater with nothing happening yet?
If you are at all concerned with impatience (and recall, this will be happenign at the END of the day, on full stomachs, so tired-and-cranky is a bit more likely, yes?) ... then I say the package, and the reserved seating, is probably the safer bet.
DS would probably do better than DD (who is older). She isn't very patient but I'm hoping that since we have a few more months and she'll be a little older that things will be better (hey, I can hope can't I? ).
I think we are going to try to see if we can do the package. If not we will just see what happens. Worst case, someone in the party holds our seats (is that allowed?) and someone else takes the kids around (is that also allowed or do you have to stay in the ampitheater once you are inside?) for a little while.
How close is the reserved seating to the front? Is it within that 10 rows that may get wet or be more apt to scare some?
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I agree with Sean. Fantasmic is the one of the few reason I go to DHS. The other being I love The Great Movie Ride and Lights, Motors Action. Anyway, Fantasmic is a definite must and 
it is definitely worth any hassle. I've sat all around the theater and can honestly tell you I've not had a "bad" seat. Of course, some are better than others but you can see from everywhere.
Heather
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