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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Hopefully I will get to retire next year and am planning my celebration trip for DL. I've been to WDW lots but never the original. Where should I eat? What exciting things should I do? Where to stay? I'm thinking 4 days with park hoppers. And some extra things to think about: I'm Pooh sized and may still have some back issues-standing in lines hurts and not sure about loads of walking.
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Oh, you're going to love Disneyland Resort! California Adventure is my favorite of all the US parks (haven't visited any outside the US).
I really like Flo's V8 Cafe for CS meals--hand-carved roast beef and turkey! Although I just saw something that said the menu is being changed somewhat.
We had the World of Color dining package at Carthay Circle--yummy! I wasn't crazy about the veggies, and asked for mashed potatoes. They were possibly the best mashed potatoes I've ever eaten in my life, so I strongly recommend them.
But WOC is standing-only--you might want to do the dessert party, which is the only way to watch it while seated, since you have problems standing for long periods.
Take full advantage of single-rider lines: Radiator Springs Racers (10-15 minute wait instead of up to three hours!), Splash Mountain, Indiana Jones Adventure, and Grizzly River Run. California Screamin' had a single-rider line; this may change with the retheming to Pixar.
I would totally skip Matterhorn Bobsleds--the ride is just too rough and jostles you all around.
And of course get the LIVE! Guide!
Where to stay: to me, the three DLR resorts don't have the same Disney magic as the WDW resorts. Grand Californian is splendid but mighty pricey. Depending on the time of year, you can stay at a nearby Good Neighbor Hotel (or several that aren't GNH) directly across the street or in easy walking distance, for maybe $115/night (Red Lion) up to $200 and more.
Look through the various reviews here to get an idea of what other people thought of them. I've stayed at Candy Cane Inn, Red Lion Inn and Park Place Inn, and liked them all. I've also stayed at Grand Californian, when DH was at a convention there and got convention pricing.
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Park Place Inn is the very closest, right at the parking lot (and free breakfast! Breakfast is upstairs and may not have an elevator, not sure).
However, two things:
--If walking much is hard for you, it may be time to get a scooter. Practice ahead of time if you go this route and look at threads dedicated to special needs.
--The ART (Anaheim Resort Transportation) buses pick you up at several hotels there on Harbor Boulevard and deliver you right to the park, for a VERY reasonable fee--probly less than $20 for a 4-day pass. The Red Lion Inn is one stop, so you can stay a bit farther away, save some money, and still not have to walk a lot.
Park Place Inn is the very closest, right at the parking lot (and free breakfast! Breakfast is upstairs and may not have an elevator, not sure).
However, two things:
--If walking much is hard for you, it may be time to get a scooter. Practice ahead of time if you go this route and look at threads dedicated to special needs.
--The ART (Anaheim Resort Transportation) buses pick you up at several hotels there on Harbor Boulevard and deliver you right to the park, for a VERY reasonable fee--probly less than $20 for a 4-day pass. The Red Lion Inn is one stop, so you can stay a bit farther away, save some money, and still not have to walk a lot.
Also, that map shows only Good Neighbor Hotels, which don't really have much in the way of perks over non-GNH. Expedia, Travelocity, Kayak, etc., can help you find other hotels right there, possibly with better prices.
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Where should I eat? What exciting things should I do? Where to stay? I'm thinking 4 days with park hoppers. And some extra things to think about: I'm Pooh sized and may still have some back issues-standing in lines hurts and not sure about loads of walking.
Parlor Panther in 'stalking mode'
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which is the closest, easiest to walk from?
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