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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Today is our last full day here and, as discussed, we are going back to the Magic Kingdom. FPs are available for everything except 7DMT and Anna & Elsa so we get timings for Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain and Peter Pan’s Flight. Splash Mountain is closed for refurb so no Mountain Trilogy this time.
First things first, however, as we have to enjoy one of DW’s favourite snacks that we don’t get in Canada – Funnel Cake!
In between our FP times we search out attractions with no/low wait times and end up on: the railroad for a ride around the Magic Kingdom, Ariel’s Grotto, the Carousel, the Liberty Belle, Tea Cups and It’s a Small World.
A view of our home resort from the railroad.
Onboard the Liberty Belle.
On the Carousel.
We have a late lunch at Columbia Harbour House, one of our favourite QS places in the MK. I get the Fish & Chips and DW goes for the Shrimp & Chips and, once again, CHH does not disappoint.
We also get to meet ‘n’ greet with Goofy, Donald, Daisy and Minnie!
Interactions with the characters is always fun, and today was no exception as they all notice our buttons and wished us a Happy Anniversary. Daisy even expressed some envy as she, apparently has been waiting a long time for Donald to put a ring on her!
After our last FP ride, we stop by the Main Street Bakery (Starbucks) and grab some sandwiches, lattes and a cupcake to take back to our room and prepare for our departure tomorrow.
OMG!!! Those CUPCAKES!! How can anyone NOT be hungry after seeing those delectable looking treats?!?!
Looks like another fun day!! I love your pictures and your wife is so cute!!
Departure day goes without a hitch, thanks to Bell Services bringing by the limo golf cart so we can load up our luggage and drive over to do the resort airline check-in. Boarding passes, printed, luggage fees paid and we have plenty of time for lunch before DME arrives. At Good’s Food to Go, DW is happy to snack on a pretzel and I go for the Angus burger and fries.
After lunch there’s still time for a little lounging by the pool. We then collect our things and head over to the bus stop. A short while later the DME shows up and we begin the saddest ride in WDW – going back to Orlando International.
The flights go without incident (always a good thing) and we land in Regina, SK on time.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, it was a fantastic trip!
Put a Disney cruise on your bucket list as you will long remember the quality and service that DCL provides.
As far as the resorts go, we really missed our home at Bay Lake Tower. The other resorts were fine, mind you, and we could not have done this trip the way we did if it were not for the lower points required to stay at BWV and OKW. We bought in (and added on) at BLT for its contemporary look, the layout and furnishings of the suite, its connection to The Contemporary, proximity to the Magic Kingdom as well as transportation options whether walking, monorail, water taxi or bus.
The “No Plan” portion of the trip worked out pretty well. There are, I found, quite a number of things you can do on the spur of the moment. There are several attractions with no/low wait times and FP times we could get on the day of our visit. There are also plenty of dining options for snacking, QS, walk-ups and reservations that you can get a day ahead or same day. There were also, however, a number of attractions and dining experiences that we were not able to get. 7DMT, Anna & Elsa and BOG were never available, other popular ones like TSMM, Soarin’ and Jungle Cruise were gone quickly and their Stand By times grew exponentially.
So, I think it boils down to this: if there is something that you REALLY want to do, then plan ahead for it. Make that ADR at 180 days out or book that FP at 60 days out. If not, then relax and enjoy your time and have fun flying by the seat of your pants.
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Pixie Dust
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
A view of our home resort from the railroad.
Onboard the Liberty Belle.
On the Carousel.
How can anyone NOT be hungry after seeing those delectable looking treats?!?!
Oh my gosh! This made me laugh so hard.
so much for sharing your adventures with us.
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