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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I'm leaving for WDW in little more than two weeks with my 4 year old daughter. It seems like the past month I've alternated between being insanely excited about going and freaked out that it might be a disaster. Here are my primary concerns:
1. I'm afraid Emma might be too young to enjoy it. Am I going for her or for me? Should I have waited a few more years?
2. I'm worried we're going to be so exhausted halfway through the week-long trip that we'll just sit in the hotel lying on the bed because we're too tired to move. My plans are to hit the parks in the morning and spend the afternoons back at the hotel, but I'm still concerned.
3. I've signed us up for three character meals (the Princess thing at Akerhaus, Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace.) I'm really convinced that Emma will not be receptive to meeting the characters. We were at the mall the other day and Clifford the Big Red Dog was there and she refused to go near him.
I think I'm putting pressure on myself that this has to be a perfect vacation and I want Emma to have this incredible experience. Our vacation last year was pretty much a disaster, primarily because of who we traveled with, so I would like a nice vacation this year.
Is it usual to have some pre-trip anxiety? I know we'll have a great time, but I still can't help but worry that it will be too much for my little girl. Any reassurance will be appreciated! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]
1. She will love it!!! My dd went at 3 for the first time and it gets better and better. Don't worry about that at all.
2. You have to pace yourself. Do not try to do too much because you can't do it all, it's impossible. Just enjoy yourself and get plenty of rest.
3. Ease her into it. My dd was so scared of Goofy. I told Goofy that she was scared and he sat down at the table with me and she warmed right up to him. Don't force her though. She should be fine with the princesses, but the costume characters might not do it for her. Just let her see them at a distance first and then you interact with them and see how she does.
Just relax - it's totally normal! I am so excited I can't sleep!
I am staying at BWV on 4/25 and 4/26 with my dd! When do you check in??
Duh, I just saw your countdown. You'll be there after us. Bummer! We could have done a meet - my dd would have been thrilled! She loves meeting other kids.
1. Emma is the perfect age to enjoy WDW. We took our not quite 3 year old son back in 2001 and he still talks about that trip! We are finally going back this year and he remembers so much, frankly I'm amazed!
2. Just periodically ask yourself this question: "what would feel best right now?" And then answer honestly. If the answer is a nap, take one. Food, then find something yummy. Ice cream? Better yet! A rest on a bench or near a fountain, or watching birds? Go for it. Let Emma have input on this question, too, sometimes. (Except the nap, if she is anything like my littlest. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] )
3. Try out the first meal. See how she does. Characters know when to hold back and when to get cuddly. They are good about reading kids. If she is really very uncomfortable, make new ADR's for other places to eat. Chances are she'll be fine as long as they don't get too chummy, and face characters will probably charm her.
Redefine "perfect" and you'll have a great time. Perfect is a vacation that let's you sample WDW, stay rested and happy enough to enjoy one another and enjoy your time together, whether you are eating with the characters, riding the rides, watching the shows, or just sitting at the hub watching the birds.
You'll be fine, just take a deep breath, relax and enjoy whatever your trip brings! It will be an adventure!
-Quite normal to get nervous
- took nephew dylan when he was 3 1/2, and he still raves about it 10 years later
- if you find yorself running out of gas, just head back to the hotel and take a nap / dip
- ease her into the characters. Not all kids are confortable. To a kid, they're huge
Don't worry. Once you get there everything will fall into its magical place and you'll have a great time
My DD was 3 the first year that we went and she had a GREAT time. My DS was 3 last year and he warmed up to the characters. He loved the rides and we had a GREAT time.
We are going back this year and all of the kids are excited...even the 4 year old who informed me that he wanted ribs at Mickey's Backyard BBQ...the child has NEVER eaten ribs in his life...but he has this idea in his head [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rofl2.gif[/img]
Pace yourself. Take breaks. ENJOY!!! You and your daughter will have a magical and fantastic time! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/fairy2.gif[/img]
Don't be worried about the pre-trip anxiety. We had it too. DD was 4 on our first trip. She didn't want anything to do with actual characters, but was fine with "face" characters, aka Princesses! So you should be all set there!
I'd also highly recommend the afternoon rest at the hotel, which you are doing. Let your daughter be the guide, and don't go commando. If you go at your own pace, and stop and smell the roses (as well as lots of rests), you should be fine [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502yes_prv.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/luck.gif[/img]
We took DS at age 4, and he had a great time. It was a very different trip from age 7 though. At age 4 we did Playhouse Disney a couple of times, rode Pooh 10 times, rode Buzz Lightyear a bunch of times. Just let your child lead you. At age 7 DS loved the Haunted Mansion - at age 4 he freaked and DH took him out the chicken exit. I know he would have hated it if we forced him to ride. At 4 he wouldn't ride Splash Mountain - at 7 he loved it, but refused to ride Pooh more than once. Realize there are lots of rides that may not be appropriate for your 4-year old. For example, don't start out on Snow White - Pooh or Peter Pan or It's a Small World are much better dark rides that are less likely to scare her for life. You need to work up and judge how much of a "thrill rider" she is and what her limits are. And if she wants to see Philharmagic a dozen times - let her. These are the things she'll remember more than if she sees every single ride once.
She might be afraid of the characters - let the handlers know and don't force it. Our kids were used to characters from the mascots at ball games, but many kids aren't.
DON'T feel like you have to do everything. And realize if you go back to the room in the afternoon and swim - that may tire her out more than the park. It did our DS. He wouldn't nap if we went back to the room to rest - but if we went back to swim, he'd fall asleep after swimming.
Thanks everyone for the reassuring words...I'm feeling much more confident about our trip. I think we'll have a wonderful time just being there together. Keep your fingers crossed!
I think worry is part of being a mom...you want to cover your bases, be ready for what ever happens.
The character thing...I always have my husband have the camera, I go up to the character, at first she will hang behind, when she saw me hug them, or shake hands she knew it was fine and would come over. We did a Paramont park one year and rarely did the characters get down to the kid level...but all the time at WDW. Once she knows, Pooh or Mickey is her friend, it will be like BFF when she's them again.
We do some non-park stuff, mini golf and boats or bikes to mix it up. My daughter is helping plan the trip this year, looking at books, and photos deciding what she does and doesn't want to do.
I hope this helps, there is really something to delight everyone there, you will find the magic with her and all the worry will slip away!
My DD was 4 on her first trip, and she still talks about it. It is the PERFECT AGE to go.
Pace yourselves everyday, slow and steady is the best. We went back to the resort every dy for a nap and some pool time in the middle of the day. The best part of that trip was during a break at Epcot, we were sitting in the shaded garden in UK when I saw a pair of golden ears behind a fence. A gate opened, a cm looked to see if the coast was clear, and out walked my DD's FAVORITE: POOH BEAR!! She had him all to herself for at least ten mins. I got it all on video, even her seeing him for the first time.
It is very normal to be nervous or excited, no matter what it will be the trip of a lifetime. So settle in and go with flow, but most important: ENJOY!!
Take some deep breaths. Your daughter is perfect age for her first trip to Disney. My son still talks about our solo trip we did right before his third birthday. You just have to realize that this trip will be a slower pace trip. I think she will be a little nervous with the characters at first but she will be fine.
Most important rule is go at your daughter's pace. If you miss stuff then it will give you a reason to go back!
I think your daughter is the perfect age. We took my DS for the first time when is was about to turn three. He loved it! We have been back once or twice a year since. He didn't want to have his pictures made alone with the characters that first year but was fine after that.
Just take your time and know when to take a break when she needs it. If she still takes naps then try to stay on her schedule as much as possible. We used to break and go back for a nap with DS and he was ready to go again!
Those all sound like pretty normal and natural worries, just don't let them overwhelm you.
Remember this - perfection is a road, not a destination.
There is no such thing as a "perfect" vacation, or for that matter, a "perfect" age to go. There is good, better, and great - but it can always be better, or it can always be worse.
Stuff will go wrong. There will be parts of your trip that don't work out the way you imagine them, parts that you are less than satisfied with, and maybe even a thing or two that makes your blood boil.
The trick is to be flexible and fix the things that go wrong - don't just sit and stew, or sit and cry. If you find that DD just can't take the characters, call Disney Dining and cancel the character meals, and make new ADRs at other restaurants - or even eat at some of the wonderful counter-service places.
If you find yourself getting tired, go to bed earlier and sleep in. It's not a crime to sleep till 10am when you're at WDW (I rather think it's a crime to get up at 6am!)
If last year was a bust because of your travelling companions, then you have already improved your trip immeasurably by ditching them, and you haven't even gotten on the plane yet! You're already off to a great start!
Just relax and keep repeating to yourself, "I'm on vacation, I DON'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING EXCEPT RELAX AND HAVE FUN!"
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