Week After Thanksgiving...Who's Going? - Page 3 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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We were there last year from Thanksgiving weekend thru the following weekend. Crowds really weren't that bad and the weather was beautiful with the exception of a very rainy Friday at DHS.
Remember, they will be filming the Christmas Parade at MK on Saturday, 12/4 so expect crowds that day.
We stayed at ASMu last year just before Pop Warner and they already had the parking lot blocked off and it was a royal pain. We certainly knew when the kids began arriving on Friday night and I must say it was one of the few times I was ready to leave my "happy place"! I don't mind crowds but I can not stand rough and rowdy kids, most of whom had no manners!! I really feel for the CM having to deal with it!!!
We stayed at ASMu last year just before Pop Warner and they already had the parking lot blocked off and it was a royal pain. We certainly knew when the kids began arriving on Friday night and I must say it was one of the few times I was ready to leave my "happy place"! I don't mind crowds but I can not stand rough and rowdy kids, most of whom had no manners!! I really feel for the CM having to deal with it!!!
Yuck...I don't want to hear that......that's where we're staying. Months ago I debated in switching resorts, but a TA friend told me she stayed there the same week and it was fine.
After reading this thread, I am really worried about crowds in the parks. But I just went and did an experiment with Disney's site. I put in my dates- 11/30-12/8 and it told me there was no availability in a value at all, and only gave me some extremely expensive rooms at CSR (over $4000 just for the room and park tiks) or Grand Floridian. That was basically it. BUT...when I changed my dates, keeping my check in date the same, just changing the check out date, everything was open. I didn't have any trouble til I changed my check out date to the 5th...so I'm guessing the Pop Warner people come in on Saturday the 4th. So...it looks like Pop Warner is definitely the reason for the resorts being so booked. And from what I've heard, it doesn't affect the parks much. So I feel better now.
But I'm still worried about the resort. I need to be able to sleep at night!! We don't send much time at the resort, so hopefully we won't notice the kids too much.
We were hoping to go back this same week next year and bring my parents. My dad is FINALLY agreeing to consider going and he hates crowds. So this vaca for us is definitely a test.
__________________
Stephanie- Mom to Jaden and Emerson, Wife to Keith, Novelist
I'm an independent agent with Fairytale Journeys, specializing in Disney vacations!
Visit my Facebook page!
I will be there from Dec 2-5! Solo trip for Mousetacular and Mousefan Reunion events.
On some of those dates there was free dining offered -- that might be a little of the crowds. I usually visit in the summertime, so it will feel like fewer people to me even if the parks are 'crowded' for December!
I will be there from Dec 2-5! Solo trip for Mousetacular and Mousefan Reunion events.
On some of those dates there was free dining offered -- that might be a little of the crowds. I usually visit in the summertime, so it will feel like fewer people to me even if the parks are 'crowded' for December!
I think we will all be fine!
Kathy
Hi Kathy , hope to be able to say hi while im there it will be me and molly a daddy daughter trip .
We will be there Dec. 1 to Dec. 7. My family & I are very excited to see Disney during Christmas! This will be our first time. Like a lot of other people, I am getting nervous about the crowds. I was told the time we are going is not very crowded, and when I tried to take advantage of one of the specials being offered for this time frame, was told that where we are staying at the CR is not part of the promo. My travel agent has told me that the CR is booked, so this is why we are not able to. BUT, we are still very excited to be going. It is 2 yrs this month since we have been. We will keep our fingers crossed that the crowd levels aren't too bad!
We are arriving on Nov 23 and leaving Dec 1. I KNOW that thanksgiving will be packed thus we are not going to the parks that day. I am really looking forward to our trip and you just have to realize that it is what you make it.
I've been during Pop Warner and it really wasn't that bad. Now, I didn't stay at a value so I don't know about that.
Anyway I am really looking forward to getting away and if you see me be sure to say hello!
tried again to book online and on the phone. the CM on the phone said they are completely booked solid from thanksgiving until the 12th at this point. only the very expensive suites are open. he did concede that TA's have blocks of rooms that are "reserved" and likely to open up as it is not realistic to think they will fill every room there. dining ressies are not the problem, it is the room. it has become a quest for me! also swan and dolphin and dtd hilton are booked solid. all very strange. i think it is a conspiracy of some sort...he he he. ...
ok, my most amazing TA has come up with an option for me! ( hubby wants to stay at holiday inn...yeah, NOT. ) so, it appears some things are now opening up....at least i have a room now...yipppeeeee!!!!!!!!!!! and if hubby decides not to go? ha ha ha...i will bunk with cindy!
not as glad as i am...i figured it would have to be opening up this week or next. now...let's get the party started! is everybody going to the reunion 2010 meets or what? i will have to look at what is going on over there....
We are arriving on Nov 23 and leaving Dec 1. I KNOW that thanksgiving will be packed thus we are not going to the parks that day. I am really looking forward to our trip and you just have to realize that it is what you make it.
I've been during Pop Warner and it really wasn't that bad. Now, I didn't stay at a value so I don't know about that.
Anyway I am really looking forward to getting away and if you see me be sure to say hello!
ginger im sad we arrive on the first me and molly so if you see us in the airport say Hi
Quote:
Originally Posted by skateycat
not as glad as i am...i figured it would have to be opening up this week or next. now...let's get the party started! is everybody going to the reunion 2010 meets or what? i will have to look at what is going on over there....
Yeah you got a room congradulations but keep trying i gurentee you should be able to get something on property with a little bit of pixie magic cannot wait to say hi
tried again to book online and on the phone. the CM on the phone said they are completely booked solid from thanksgiving until the 12th at this point. only the very expensive suites are open. he did concede that TA's have blocks of rooms that are "reserved" and likely to open up as it is not realistic to think they will fill every room there. dining ressies are not the problem, it is the room. it has become a quest for me! also swan and dolphin and dtd hilton are booked solid. all very strange. i think it is a conspiracy of some sort...he he he. ...
Now that makes no sense to me at all....I was on Disney's site and could book all kinds of rooms, all categories between 11/30 and 12/4. It was after those dates that I had the problem.
__________________
Stephanie- Mom to Jaden and Emerson, Wife to Keith, Novelist
I'm an independent agent with Fairytale Journeys, specializing in Disney vacations!
Visit my Facebook page!
might not make sense to you, stephanie, but it is a fact. i am trying to book dec. 2 to the 5th. i tried again this morning and even tried moving the dates around for parts of that or the week after. no luck with anything reasonable. and after much deliberation with dh, we have decided to stay off property and not be held hostage to this resort reservation thing....i am thinking it is a combination of lots of things this year which is causing the situation to be ridiculous. i think everyone now knows how "the first week in december is not crowded" and THIS year, we will see record crowds. no worry...it will STILL be a great time with lots of friends old and new!