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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Good luck with the park planning and the four parks in one day is quite a challenge!
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
I have 2 birthday boys today and I'm an emotional wreck. AJ is 17 and Adriel is 12. I mean, I can't believe my babies are so big. It seems it was just yesterday that I brought them home from the hospital.
I posted the following message on AJ's Facebook page:
Son, I closed my eyes for but a moment, and suddenly a man stood where a boy used to be. I may not carry you in my arms but I will always carry you in my heart. You have given me so many reasons to be proud of the man you have become, but the proudest moment for me is telling others that you are my son. I love you now and forever.
Seriously, every time I read this I lose it. I mean, they're all growing at a fast pace but AJ is hitting me hard. Just to think that my 1st baby is this much close to adulthood and all that it comes with... I'm one emotional momma right now.
What a wonderful tribute to you as a mother and to a beautiful and respectful young man. You are right - we blink and they literally leap forward years. My baby just turned 4 on the 23rd and I seriously feel like he was just 6 months ago last week. So much change in so little time. Congrats on your trip & 2 bday boys.
It's worth spending the extra money for the park hoppers because if one park is super crowded and you just don't want to deal with the crowds, you always have the option to switch parks. I love the idea of doing 4 parks in one day!
4 in 1 sounds like a really fun option. With at least one attraction and one snack at each, may I add?
Can't you make the boys sleep on the floor? They are young and supple. Or a thermarest pad? I know not everyone does this, but my family sleeps on the floor pretty routinely when we travel or visit family.
Park hoppers are definitely the way to go! Especially if you want to have dinner in one park, but that's not the park you want to "play in" that day.
I've been meaning to tell you I love the name of your PTR!
I really contemplated dropping the park hoppers but it's so convenient to have them. For my family, it's money well spent.
The title is something I found in the internet while researching titles for this PTR. I loved it because it has means something to me. I'll explain later on.
What a wonderful tribute to you as a mother and to a beautiful and respectful young man. You are right - we blink and they literally leap forward years. My baby just turned 4 on the 23rd and I seriously feel like he was just 6 months ago last week. So much change in so little time. Congrats on your trip & 2 bday boys.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
That's why I always say that you have to take advantage of every little moment with your kids because, in a blink of an eye, they're adults with their own life.
It's worth spending the extra money for the park hoppers because if one park is super crowded and you just don't want to deal with the crowds, you always have the option to switch parks. I love the idea of doing 4 parks in one day!
And you could say "I want to go to MK and just ride 7DMT", and then continue on with your original plans.
4 in 1 sounds like a really fun option. With at least one attraction and one snack at each, may I add?
Ooh, I like this idea!!
Quote:
Can't you make the boys sleep on the floor? They are young and supple. Or a thermarest pad? I know not everyone does this, but my family sleeps on the floor pretty routinely when we travel or visit family.
Maybe a sleeping bag would work and it'd be easier to put away in the mornings? I may have to explore this option and consult with the "floor" sleeper which will be Adriel (his decision).
This is the best part! One of the things we most look forward to is eating at Disney. And let me say, my boys LOVE to eat. We are not foodies by any means, so no fancy schmancy restaurants in our list.
Ever since my boys became Disney "adults", we realized the dining plan wasn't for us. I've run the numbers and there is no way that we'd spend $3,000+ (cost of DDP) in food if we paid out of pocket.
On our last trip we went a little overboard on our ADRs and had to cancel a couple due to budgetary reasons. This time I told each one to pick a restaurant and then I booked an additional one. So, we have a total of 6 ADRs for our trip. I've had to stop myself from booking more. I just can't help myself.
Anyways... here are the picks
Arben - Via Napoli
This is his favorite restaurant. My kids are not huge fans of this one but they do this for their dad. We'll be having dinner here.
Mayra - 1900 Park Fare
My pick was a hard one for me because I just couldn't decide. I really, really wanted Boma but I wasn't sure my family would like it. Let's say they aren't adventurous eaters. After asking here about 1900 PF dinner and receiving great reviews, I decided to book this one. I'm looking forward to the embarrassing moments my sons will have with the stepsisters.
AJ - Liberty Tree Tavern
This has been on AJ's list for the longest time. Finally, he'll be able to dine here.
Abniel - Tusker House
This kid loves his breakfast buffets. He wanted Chef Mickey, but after having eaten here so many times, I convinced him to try something new. Besides, breakfast is pretty much the same at every place. I'm excited for this one because it was one of the ADRs I had to cancel last trip. So I'm getting another pick after all.
Adriel - Sci-Fi Dine In
We dined here on our last trip and Adriel loved it. We all did. The boys loved sitting in the car and the movie clips.
And then the extra one - Trail's End Restaurant
This, too, was cancelled on our last trip. The menu is right up our alley. And I find it a bargain for being a buffet. I know my boys won't go away hungry, there's plenty for them here.
There will be lots of CS on this trip, but I actually enjoy them. Disney offers so many options, it's not just burgers and pizza. Among the ones that we've tried and I'm sure we'll be eating are:
• Yorkshire Fish County
• La Cantina de San Angel
• Sunshine Seasons
• Casey's Corner
• Cosmic Ray's
• Earl of Sandwich
• Wolfgang Puck Express
New ones I would like to try are:
• Yak & Yeti Local Foods
• PizzeRizzo
• Old Port Royale Food Court
Then, of course, there are the snacks.
• Mickey pretzel
• Mickey ice cream sandwich
• Kaki Gori
• funnel cake
• corn dog
• fresh fruit waffle sandwich
• something from Boulangerie Patisserie
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Good luck planning your park days. I always go back and forth about park hoppers, but I like having the choice to go somewhere else in the evening. Hope your family is up for the 4 parks in 1 day challenge.
Great dining choices. You'll love Tusker House. I think I actually prefer that over Chef Mickey's.
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I mean, they're all growing at a fast pace but AJ is hitting me hard. Just to think that my 1st baby is this much close to adulthood and all that it comes with... I'm one emotional momma right now.
And you could say "I want to go to MK and just ride 7DMT", and then continue on with your original plans.
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