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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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LOL. Loved your list!
I believe there should be a serving size of the caramel popcorn similar to a large glad trashbag!
My Disney bucket list is updated frequently.
It's been 2 years since we have seen Cirque-need to get back to that.
Would like to stay at ALK Club in order to do that Sunrise Safari but can never seem to give up my beloved GF.
Have never been there near Halloween. SERIOUSLY considering this for 2016 because we have never done MNSSHP and now with the new Villain's Soiree (I MUST DO) it's become top of the list.
Pirates & Pals Voyage- Actually never knew about this. Have done a private Wishes cruise, but this sounds more fun!
Behind the Seeds tour- just never seem to have time for it.
Epcot Segway tour - ditto
Fort Wilderness Segway- read someone's interesting review
For some reason we have never eaten at Artist Point, don't know why Have eaten at all the other signatures many, many times.
We are trying a few new things this time around (34 days!) with Tomorrowland dessert party and Illuminations Sparkling dessert party. And staying at the Beach Club- that's a first (my kids' choice).
I'm sure I will add to my list after this trip, or even before we go!
Oh, definitely! That's something any devout Disney lover must do at least once.
What's pretty cool, I thought, was an 8:00 Crystal Palace ADR. It's quite a contrast to see hardly anyone between the Town Square and the Castle because only those with before-ropedrop ressies are allowed into the MK.
Besides, the CP CM's do a really cute little welcoming chant at opening. I hated that we couldn't get that early an ADR on our recent trip, I enjoyed the ceremony that much.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Oh, definitely! That's something any devout Disney lover must do at least once.
What's pretty cool, I thought, was an 8:00 Crystal Palace ADR. It's quite a contrast to see hardly anyone between the Town Square and the Castle because only those with before-ropedrop ressies are allowed into the MK.
Besides, the CP CM's do a really cute little welcoming chant at opening. I hated that we couldn't get that early an ADR on our recent trip, I enjoyed the ceremony that much.
Nice! We will have to do that. We have actually never eaten at Crystal Palace.
LOL. Loved your list!
I believe there should be a severing size of the caramel popcorn similar to a large glad trashbag!
Yup, those huge lawn & garden trashbags should be just about right, don't you agree?
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Behind the Seeds tour- just never seem to have time for it.
Epcot Segway tour - ditto
Maybe my "forgettery" is kicking in again, but I think I read before our trip last fall that the Epcot Segway Tour has been discontinued.
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For some reason we have never eaten at Artist Point, don't know why...
Sure hope you have a better experience when you do than we had. The food was good, but other reviewers had said that service is either marvelous or hideous. Unfortunately, we got the latter. It will be a looooong time before we try AP again...like probably never. Why take the chance when we can be certain of great meals at either Citrico's or that restaurant in the GF that's named for some English queen and her consort. You know the one... < giggling >
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Last trip was really my first, as my early 20's one I did absolutely no planning and was just along for the ride. Here are my "should haves".
Stay longer. We had 8 nights and 5 day park passes. DS got really tired of being dragged out of bed for rope drop multiple days in a row. I couldn't get enough of the parks, though. I think we need at least twice as many nights as we need park days. Our resort hopping day was one of our favorites, and I could do many more of those.
More than one day at Epcot. I wasn't willing to give up one of our 3 MK days, and I didn't have hoppers...FW took so long, I basically was able to make one lap around the WS, without stopping, and that was it. I need 2 days at EP, for sure.
Skip the Character Meals. We did Cape May breakfast, and while we enjoyed the food fine (buffet standard), we liked the interactions that we just happened upon in the parks much more.
Things I did right, and will do again:
Stay off-site on 192-Irlo Bronson. The city bus was SO easy, and being right by Publix saved us even more money. Not that I wouldn't love to stay in the bubble, but for the $ saved, this was GREAT, it made the trip possible.
Get a late lunch ADR atBeaches and Cream. The food wasn't anything super-special, but the ambiance and the happiness my DS had from getting ice cream for lunch made this one of our favorite stop-offs.
Close it down. I can't rave enough about our very late walks in the MK and EP. Don't know how this will go next time, since DS will really be to big for a stroller!
I would love to shut the place down one night!!!! I'll have to add this to my to do list. I"m sure on this next trip I can talk my sister into that!!!
That could be FUN!
A nephew and I did MK EMH one night some years ago, and riding Space Mountain after midnight was really exciting. I'm not sure why doing it that late was such a thrill, but it seemed lots more exotic than a daytime ride.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
I find it amazing how the lines drop off late at night. For me, this is the most magical time to be in the parks. The lovely incandescents, the bugs chirping away, the deserted bridges. Can't be beat for just soaking it up.
What a great post! There are so many should do's.... but here are some of my top:
- Go to Beaches and Cream (don't know why we haven't done this before)
- More pool time!
- Want to meet Gaston
- stay at MK till closing... (we are scared of the crowds that leave all at once)
- check out Osborne Family Lights at HS
- have a sleep in, lazy hang out at the resort or DTD day
- Spend more time at World Showcase
What a great post! There are so many should do's.... but here are some of my top:
- Go to Beaches and Cream (don't know why we haven't done this before)
- More pool time!
- Want to meet Gaston
- stay at MK till closing... (we are scared of the crowds that leave all at once)
- check out Osborne Family Lights at HS
- have a sleep in, lazy hang out at the resort or DTD day
- Spend more time at World Showcase
About those crowds at closing -- well, that's really NOT closing although most people think it is. Don't leave with the crowds. Wait for the REAL closing -- the castle's "Kiss Goodnight." After that, you will walk out through a practically empty park and there will be no crowds waiting for the buses. I would do this every time if I didn't travel with someone disabled who can't handle anything past 7:00 p.m.
About those crowds at closing -- well, that's really NOT closing although most people think it is. Don't leave with the crowds. Wait for the REAL closing -- the castle's "Kiss Goodnight." After that, you will walk out through a practically empty park and there will be no crowds waiting for the buses. I would do this every time if I didn't travel with someone disabled who can't handle anything past 7:00 p.m.
I am hoping to do this on our upcoming trip later this year...
Yup, those huge lawn & garden trashbags should be just about right, don't you agree?
Just the right size!!!
Maybe my "forgettery" is kicking in again, but I think I read before our trip last fall that the Epcot Segway Tour has been discontinued.
Oh No!!!! Really???? Crap!~
Sure hope you have a better experience when you do than we had. The food was good, but other reviewers had said that service is either marvelous or hideous. Unfortunately, we got the latter. It will be a looooong time before we try AP again...like probably never. Why take the chance when we can be certain of great meals at either Citrico's or that restaurant in the GF that's named for some English queen and her consort. You know the one... < giggling >
You are not the only person I have heard that from. Perhaps that is what subconsciously keeps me from booking it!
LOVE Citricos........Narcoosees's too. And, yup, I know the one