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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Buying others' meals was quite nice of you. We had a few left, and I wish I would have thought of that.
I really enjoyed reading your report on a daily basis and am glad y'all made it home safely. I look forward to reading your wrap up soon. I too have to write a wrap up from our trip down there two weeks ago.
Checking back to finish reading and hoping for pics. Sounds like a great trip. You say the kids have their moments, but it sure sounds like they are a very well behaved, and considerate, group.
· The week before Christmas crowds are very manageable.
· The week after Christmas is when the crowds become insane, but even then can be managed with a lot of planning and realistic expectations.
· I really enjoyed getting to experience Disney World with my sister and her children on their very first trip.
· However, I’m glad they didn’t come till the second week- as having such a large group and them having a stroller and a toddler really slowed things down… We got a lot done that first week before they came and it really worked out perfect to spend the second week with them.
· The memory maker package was great. You use it the same as the photo pass, only you have immediate access to your pictures.
· I loved, loved, and loved the magic bands!! I loved being able to scan to get into the parks, to access the dining plan, to charge to the room, to enter the room, ect… They were awesome!
· All Star Music was great! We have previously stayed in AS Movies and Pop Century. This was definitely our favorite.
· This was also our first time getting a preferred room, I definitely felt the location was worth the additional cost and plan to continue doing this in the future!
· This was our first time eating Crystal Palace. I really enjoyed the character interactions, but the food was just okay/standard fare. So, I’m not sure I’ll be rushing back…
· This was also our first time doing the dessert party for Wishes. We definitely did *not* get our money’s worth on desserts. However, the desserts were delish, I loved not having to fight for a spot, and we really did have a great view of the fireworks. So, I would definitely consider doing this again… I wouldn’t say I consider it a must, but I would consider it again…
· Hoop dee Doo Review continues to be one of my favorite dinners! We loved the food. We loved the show. Top notch!
· We ate Cinderella’s Royal Table several years ago and didn’t not exactly love it. I decided to give it another go this trip and it was a MUCH better experience (and better food) than last time. Even though we had a great experience, I’m not in a rush to go back… We may go back eventually, but for now- I’d like to try new places.
· We were on the free Quick Service Dining plan. This plan works really well for us. We really enjoyed the foods offered and generally found there to be a good variety of offerings. I don’t know that we will ever *pay* for a dining plan- but anytime it is offered free, we will be sure to take it.
· I wish we could go to Disney World every Christmas, but finances dictate otherwise. We have plans to visit Disney Land summer 2016 and that will likely be our next Disney trip. We may be at Disney World again Christmas 2016, I’m just not sure yet… Some kids have expressed interest in doing another Disney Cruise… So, I really don’t have any official plans for a return visit to Disney World at the moment, but I’m certain we will return soon enough…
Thanks for sharing your final thoughts and I'm glad you had such a wonderful time. I know I said this before, but this trip report is the perfect demonstration that, with planning ahead, you can still enjoy and achieve a lot at Disney during the busiest times of the year.
Thanks for the wrap-up. It really did seem like you all had a wonderful time. I learned a lot about visiting at peak times from this report. Fun to see the photos of your family. Your little nephew really seemed to love the characters. So cute!
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Great final thoughts! It was great to see that a Disney vacation can be done around the holidays with the proper planning. Love the picture videos! Thanks for sharing your trip with us!!
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I know I said this before, but this trip report is the perfect demonstration that, with planning ahead, you can still enjoy and achieve a lot at Disney during the busiest times of the year. 
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