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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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There are numerous articles out there on the subject but I am writing a book about why people go to Disney World by themselves (not as a couple or family) and what their personal experiences have been. I would like to quote other people instead of just giving my own experiences. This has always been my favorite place to go for inspiration on my own trips.
I will use your first names and last initial and where you are from (always helpful for readers to know) and whatever contribution you can make. Please PM me with that information if you would like your experience to be included in my book. It could be quite awhile before I finish it, but I'm having fun in the process.
oooh oooh, signing on. No time to write much now, but I did a solo 1/2 day at MK 2 yrs ago, and a solo day at Shanghai in August. HUGE fan, would go solo much much more if I could.
oooh oooh, signing on. No time to write much now, but I did a solo 1/2 day at MK 2 yrs ago, and a solo day at Shanghai in August. HUGE fan, would go solo much much more if I could.
I would love to hear your story when you have time!
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I travel solo because since I'm single if I waited for someone to travel with me to be able and willing to go with me I'd never go anywhere. As for why I travel solo to Disney World I do it because I love Disney World and I'll refer you to my reason for traveling solo. I love solo travel as it lets me do what I want, when I want, as long as I want and as often as I want.
I travel not only to WDW solo but a lot of my travel is solo and I enjoy doing it this way as it gives me control and no one to interfere with my plans. With the exception of elements I can't control.
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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!
My first trip to WDW, in 2011 was a solo trip. I was 59 years old, and had visited DL w/family several times in my teens. After my mother's death, I decided to go to WDW to relive some of those family memories. I went full out, with a two week stay at Wilderness Lodge, premium dining, and all the tours I could take. I never expected to go back, so I wanted to experience all that I could. My first day was at Animal Kingdom, and the Wild by Design tour. I was the only one on the tour, with two cast members as guides. I felt like a real VIP. Dinner that night was at Jiko. It was my first experience of fine or signature dining. I arrived early, and joined the tail end of the wine tasting. I was seated at the Chef's counter, next to someone who was a WDW and Jiko veteran. He was a great guide, and the chefs were very interactive and outgoing. On the whole, a great first day. I traveled in late January/ early February, so park attendance was very low. most attractions were walk on, and was able to get every ADR I had wanted. Cast members had time to visit, and I never felt out of place as a single diner, if anything, cast members/servers went out of their way to visit and make me feel comfortable. I engaged in pin trading with mousekeepers, sight unseen. I'm normally pretty shy, but had great interactions with character experiences. I engaged in pin trading with other guests and took full advantage of photopass. DME, buses, and especially the boats met all my transportation needs. I went to La Nouba, which was a magical experience. I discovered a taste for Sake at the sake counter at Mitsukoshi, and sushi at Tokyo Dining. I was amazed by the mushroom soup at Artist Point, the cheddar soup at Le Cellier, and the onion soup at Chefs de France. I had plenty of time to resort hop, and to explore the nooks and crannies of WL The only disadvantage of solo travel was the cost. In 2012, I was able to convince a friend to come along, splitting the room cost, which made the return trip possible. We spent most of the days on our own, meeting for a meal or two each day, basically each on a solo trip, but sharing some experiences. Would I go solo again? yes, in a moment. I loved never having to be anywhere at a particular time, changing plans on the moment, and being able to spend as much time as I wanted where something caught my interest. I was able to spend time interacting with others, without the distraction of a rigid schedule.
Solo...I rarely do it, but it is my absolute favorite way to see Disney. I'm a wife (happily married as of this moment!) and mother of an 8 yo son. My husband used to work in theme parks in Asia (streetmosphere-type performer, juggling). He is a true cheapskate to boot. The idea of spending 75-100 for a day in a park is ludicrous to him.
My son is 8, and is pretty frank that he is disgusted with how much time I spend on the internet planning trips, networking with other Disney park superfans, etc. He also is not ready for thrill rides. He was 7 before he was willing to try pirates. His synopsis. It was ok, doesn't need to go again. When I tell him we're going to Disney, well, I'm clearly much more excited than he is.
So, clearly, solo is way way WAY more fun for me.
Great solo memories...
Deciding to rope drop Big Thunder, just cause I felt like it, at WDW. Stayed on for 2 rounds, as there was nobody else doing BT for their rope drop attraction.
Hanging out on the footbridge in the hub at MK, between Adventureland and Crystal Palace, and videoing the crickets' song. DS was with me, but asleep in a stroller. Heaven!
Making faces and having fun with some Chinese girls in line for Enchanted Storybook Experience at Shanghai. 1/2 their party decided to cut (a big thing in Shanghai) and I decided not to let the rest through. After 30 minutes, it turned into a huge game, and it was really fun for all of us.
Spending 90 minutes photographing minutia in Treasure Cove, Shanghai. I'm sure all the CMs thought I was a real live wire.
PP meets!!! OK, I've only done one of these so far, and it wasn't on a solo trip, but it WAS on a solo night. It was great! We hung out for a few hours, and closed the park down, then it was back to our own lives. And we definitely had something in common, right? Super-fandom!
The major perk of the solo trip is just doing the next thing that come into my head, talking to whomever I want, and not having to accommodate for others. No one I know enjoys taking the time to soak up the atmosphere like I do. (Maybe DH, but he's too cheap to go in!) I've never done more than one day solo, but I'd love to.
Just thought of a great solo trip memory. Back in (I believe) 2009 I took a solo trip to Disneyland to attend the first D23 expo. On one of the days I somehow end up in a conversation with a castmember, I believe he was working the expo, anyway we ended up walking and talking for a bit. I was headed for some show/talk and if I remember correctly he was starting a break, lunch or getting off work. If I had been with someone this probably wouldn't have happened but since I was solo I was free to spend as much time talking and walking with one person as I wanted. I don't remember what we talked about but I remember enjoying the conversation.
I've totally traveled both solo and with my family (as a kid) and husband (nowadays).
I'd totally love to give you some of my experiences. We're a group that is under-represented (I think!). It may help if you give some prompts/questions? What exactly do you want to know?
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I want adventure in the great wide somewhere...and coffee
I sooo don't know if this will help at all, but I try to do a solo day each trip, just to do my thing. I'll set aside time to do a tour, grab a cupcake and just people watch, check out EPCOt exhibits, or do the corny rides like Small World, Pooh, and Peter Pan. My husband is not big on solo'ing, as he wants to share the experience. I really, really would love an entire solo trip, but money makes Disney attainable every couple of years, so it probably won't happen.
Feel free to message me if I can be of any assistance. I will gladly help!
I did a short, solo trip in 2014 (for D23 DestinationD). I had great time! I was free to come & go as I pleased. I could visit whatever park I wanted to, experience any and all attractions that I wanted. I enjoyed being a bit selfish with only myself to be concerned about. I'm ready to do another solo trip next year!
Anne,
I hope to give you my solo trip experiences shortly. But pm me and provide what you need to make your book even better as I think I can provide some good info....at least I hope!
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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!
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