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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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When planning a Disney trip- what do you do first?
1. Make Room reservations?
2. Buy Airline Tickets?
3. Schedule Dining reservations?
4. Purchase Park Tickets?
Me- I usually buy my airline tickets first. Then make my room reservation. Make my Dining reservations at 180 days. Then usually 4 months out I buy my park tickets.
Tell me how you plan your Disney Trip....
Thank you for Participating!
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Kate in PA All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them- Walt Disney
I room reservations usually get made first and then airline tickets. On a few occasions I've made my room reservation and gotten my airline tickets at the same time.
Since we plan so far out, it's always the room first. Dining is always at 180 days out with changes made from then to when we arrive (and sometimes even during vacation). Tickets may or may not be with the room - it depends upon if I want a package or not (or if a deal comes out that requires tickets). Airline tickets are whenever SWA decides to release the fares. Sometimes that's as early as 9 months out.
My first step is always choosing a time period and researching historic specials and ticket prices. My next step is to secure a room or package reservations depending upon what is available. Many times we do a room or package at rack rate and then modify to accommodate promotions. Next is meals as we think the food is definitely a big part of the overall Disney experience. Generally we have to wait for Southwest to put out the flights so that is generally a last step for us. Lastly it is those FPs. It is a necessary evil with how busy the parks have gotten but I am not a big fan of being that tied down.
I nearly always fly SW so flights aren't released way in advance. I make room first to be sure I can get the dates at a price I'm comfortable with (always hoping for discounts to come along). Also, since the room can be cancelled with no penalty, I'm comfortable if my plans change. Knowing that SW is usually cheaper mid-week, I book the room with that in mind. I then head for ADR's at 180, followed by FP at 60. As long as I have tickets in before the 60 day out, I'm good on them. I currently have an AP, but not always. I try to spread purchase out over several months for the credit card statements.
We feel that securing a place to stay comes first. We drive so we can be flexible on dates, but we've also been surprised when we couldn't get enough nights because we ran into an event that filled the rooms (took an off site hotel for two more nights). I started doing packages when free dining appeared. That's when we usually go. I always want a discount in some form, even if it is just 15% off a room. So always nailing down our room nights first.
We do very few TS meals but those come last as our vacation doesn't rise or fall on getting into a specific restaurant. It took me a couple of trips to get Akershus, but otherwise, we've been able to get things like Be Our Guest and Tusker House with no trouble.
Always best to make the room ressie first as you can change that and not be penalized with airline ressies.
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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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