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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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BTW, I did research laws in both FL and OR on unattended children. The laws specifically address kids in cars under age 6, at which point 15 minutes is the magic # after that it is very loose. The only time DS is alone in a car is when I put him in then run in to grab something (max 3 min)
This is from a quality site's paraphrasing of Oregon Law:
"a person who has custody or control of a child under 10 years of age commits the crime of child neglect in the second degree if, with criminal negligence, the person leaves the child unattended in or at any place for such a period of time as may be likely to endanger the health or welfare of such child." This one is from Oregon, the FL law does not address unattended kids unless they are in a car.
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BTW, my family encountered a four year old at the Dig Site that had been left by her father while he rode Dinosaur! We told a CM who had a conversation with him when he returned. She followed us around for a good 20 minutes before he showed up and I have no idea how long before that she'd been left alone.
BTW, my family encountered a four year old at the Dig Site that had been left by her father while he rode Dinosaur! We told a CM who had a conversation with him when he returned.
That's another concern I feel could become an issue; the CMs. While many young kids can probably handle being left alone for a few minutes here and there, personally, I just think 6 is pretty young, and my concern is that many of the CMs, and possibly other parents/adults, would feel the same way -- and might be inclined to mention it. So, given that you know your intentions are completely genuine, my apprehension is still worried about the risk; i.e. the potential for a breakdown (ride or otherwise), having to worry about any repercussions from CMs, etc.
While going to Disney brings out the inner child in all of us, I have learned that, unfortunately, when traveling with certain types of party members, you sometimes just need to alter your own plans to accommodate them. For example, when I go to Disney with my mom, I know she can't go on any of the rides because of her vertigo. So, instead, I forgo riding them as well and make plans for us to do things that she would enjoy. It's not always the most fun, but it definitely makes for a more enjoyable trip -- and alleviates any unnecessary stress, squabbles, etc.
I am a single parent who travels to WDW. I have had similar issues.
My youngest son was not tall enough to ride Rock N Roller Coaster two trips back. Two of my other children, ages at the time I believe were 8 and 10- wanted to ride RRC. I planned to walk through the line with them and when we got to the ride just walk across with my younger son. Unfortunately, when we went to enter the line I was quickly reminded that children under the height limit could not enter the line. I was in a dilemma and needed to make a snappy decision. I ended up sending the 8 and 10 year old into the line without us. I stayed at the line until they were out of sight and then went around and met them at the ride exit. I was a little apprehensive waiting for them, but when they exited the ride they were thrilled to have ridden.
Another time, on our very first visit when my oldest son was just turning eleven years old- the rest of us all went to ride BTMRR. My oldest son was not a fan of roller coasters and didn't want to ride. He waited in the line with us and when we got to the coaster, he walked across to the "chicken exit". He waited for us. I did have a scare however, because when we exited it turns out there were two exits and he was waiting for us at one and we exited at another. He did have a cell phone, but w/out thinking I had gave him my cell to hold- so he had both phones and I had no way to call him. Finally, I back tracked up the ride exit where I realized there were two exits and he was standing right there.
As for laws- I live in Georgia. Very few states address a specific age at which children can be left alone at home. (ages left alone in vehicles are addressed, but not in homes/in public places) Most states have the Department of Family and Children Services suggest an age they feel is appropriate for a child to be left alone. While this is only a suggestion, the states law enforcement will use this suggested age as a means of determining neglect for instance... In GA, DFCS recommends that children under 8 years old not be left home alone. So, therefore in Georgia- children under 8 cannot be left at the library, children under 8 cannot get off at their bus stop without an adult to receive them, ect....
Please, put the safety of your child FIRST. Be a responsible parent and don't leave him unattended EVER. It only takes a moment for something to go terribly wrong. R&RC and Everest will be there when you are both able to ride together. It's not about you anymore, you're a Mom.
Personally, I think 6 is too young. Even when my daughter was 9, I would have hesitated. There is plenty of time for riding those coasters when he gets older.
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Obviously, none of us wants to think that a child might be snatched at WDW...but... That ugly possibility occurred to me when I saw your thread title, reinforced by seeing mention of this shortly afterward.
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Parenting opinions aside... I believe WDW does have a rule in place regarding children. Those under age 7 must be accompanied by someone at least age 14. They will not allow a child that young to ride alone (even in the row in front of an adult), therefore I suspect if a CM were to find him alone it could end up a problem for you.
Parenting opinions aside... I believe WDW does have a rule in place regarding children. Those under age 7 must be accompanied by someone at least age 14. They will not allow a child that young to ride alone (even in the row in front of an adult), therefore I suspect if a CM were to find him alone it could end up a problem for you.
Enjoy your vacation!
If you look on Disney's website each attraction has a link for accessibility and other information. For each ride that I have looked at this is stated "Supervise children at all times. Children under age 7 years must be accompanied by a person age 14 years or older."
There is something else I just thought of - if your DS is over the height limit and doesn't WANT to ride, maybe you could bribe him! No I am not crazy but I am a parent that can use persuasion (and a gift) to get my way.
My youngest DS does not like Tower of Terror (and neither do I) but it is one of those attractions that has a priceless group photo. When we last went to WDW with some friends I wanted the photo of all of us together and my DS put on a performance about not doing it. Out of my mouth popped the word LEGO and magically my DS was wanting to cut a deal. Yes I got TWO different group photos of all of us and my DS spent up big at the lego store in DTD.
There is something else I just thought of - if your DS is over the height limit and doesn't WANT to ride, maybe you could bribe him! No I am not crazy but I am a parent that can use persuasion (and a gift) to get my way.
My youngest DS does not like Tower of Terror (and neither do I) but it is one of those attractions that has a priceless group photo. When we last went to WDW with some friends I wanted the photo of all of us together and my DS put on a performance about not doing it. Out of my mouth popped the word LEGO and magically my DS was wanting to cut a deal. Yes I got TWO different group photos of all of us and my DS spent up big at the lego store in DTD.
I'm laughing at the word LEGO. We wanted Rory to do big thunder mountain in Paris as we wer e convinced he would love it. He had done it in 2009 in Disneyland but he was only 3 and hated it so he was refusing. I said ok I'll buy you a reward and he ended up with a small Lego set and a new favorite ride.
Love the last 2 comments!!! I might end up doing this with PoTC, which he refused on our trip last December. I know he will love it but I mentioned the talking skeleton at the one at DLR and that was it for him. TOO CREEPY!
Thanks for feeling my pain! I don't care too much about EE, but I don't like the idea that my kid is calling all the shots either. My plan right now is to get FP+ for EE late in the day and offer his FP+ to a kindly looking person who would be willing to do a rider swap with me if I feel inspired, or I'll just kind of put us both in line and then explain the situation to the CM when it's time to board and see what happens. . Although there are child abductors, sex offenders and all those other boogymen out there, they are not the norm. I've taught him about getting help and staying safe, and I'm just not going to live in a culture of fear. (Stamps foot).
Thank you for sharing your own stories of bribery to get kids to ride rides. Love it!
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Maybe I'll even find a PassPorter to meet up with and rider swap with me!
Too bad. You are headed to WDW from the west coast just about a week after we will be returning from DLR, having traveled from the southeast. I'd be glad to do a rider swap with you, but sadly I'll be broke after traveling to the west coast and will definitely NOT be able to visit WDW this year! I hope you can find someone to swap with. Just use caution! I hope you and your son have a magical trip.
I'm laughing at the word LEGO. We wanted Rory to do big thunder mountain in Paris as we wer e convinced he would love it. He had done it in 2009 in Disneyland but he was only 3 and hated it so he was refusing. I said ok I'll buy you a reward and he ended up with a small Lego set and a new favorite ride.
My DD is just the opposite. You can't bribe her to do anything until she's good and ready to do it. We were at a different amusement park when she was little and we wanted her to ride a coaster, but she refused. She'd actually ridden a bigger, faster coaster earlier in the day. But, it was a no go - no matter how much she was cajoled, bribed, or reasoned with. The next time we went (later that summer), she got on it, without any hesitation as if there'd never been an issue. Kids, right?
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So, given that you know your intentions are completely genuine, my apprehension is still worried about the risk; i.e. the potential for a breakdown (ride or otherwise), having to worry about any repercussions from CMs, etc. 
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If you look on Disney's website each attraction has a link for accessibility and other information. For each ride that I have looked at this is stated "Supervise children at all times. Children under age 7 years must be accompanied by a person age 14 years or older."
Jackie
Kids, right?
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