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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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So DH really wants to stay at POR again, and he wants to go as soon as possible (don't we all!) once DD gets out of school. The earliest we can travel is June 17-24, but all the moderates are booked that week. Same for the week of June 24-July 1. But surprisingly POR has some vacancies the week of July 4th. Would we be nuts to go then? Or should we stick with our current ressie for July 8-15 in POFQ? (we've moved our travel dates out b/c DH doesn't want to pay deluxe prices for his preferred June dates)
I know POR and POFQ are sister resorts, and we can use the same amenities, but we just like Riverside better. We'd also like to get the trundle bed for DD--that way we don't have to worry about her falling out of the bed [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/snore.gif[/img].
Will there be that much difference in the crowd? What does Disney do to celebrate July 4th?
We were there a few years ago and the fireworks at the MK on the 4th were amazing. They were going off everywhere - at one point they encircled the whole Seven Seas lagoon. Crowdwise and heatwise it was much more than we were used to b/c we always go in off times.
I found the fireworks on the 4th to be really spectacular. As for the crowds, I don't know what time you usually go or what you are used to, but it can get very crowded at that time. Although not as crowded as the week after Christmas but close. I usuall use the line at the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (TTA) as a judge of the level of how crowded it is - if you have to wait 15 minutes to get on this one (as I did around the 4th) then the crowds are pretty big. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
We have been several times during that week and we love it! The crowds are bigger and it is hot, but we still love it. The firworks are wonderful!!! I am partial to that week, maybe because my birthday is that week. I don't think you would be nuts to go then.
Necie
We were there for the fourth in 04 and it wasnt too bad we are complainers and we dont complain that much it is a awesome time to go with the fireworks and all that
i say do it
We went over the 4th of July last year, and I'd really never want to do it again unless we HAD to. The crowds were insane the entire time we were there!! TOO many people. Just my two cents.......
What to tell you about the fourth. Where should I start?
Hot
Crowded
Parks open later than other times
Hot
Crowded
Fireworks are spectacular
Illuminations is spectacular
Hot
Crowded
I think that sums it up. We are going this year and it will only be the second time we won't be there for the 4th. The first time we had to move our trip because my grandfather died June 30th (the day before we were going to leave). This year back when I booked, I was planning on my DD to be in school during July. I'm not sure if it's going to happen, but I'm not going to move our dates because we get the free dining in August.
We were there for the Fourth in 98, during the wildfires.
It's crowded, hot, crowded, hot and crowded. There is a Nascar race on July Fourth weekend in Daytona every year and that brings some tourists to Orlando on top of the typical July Fourth vacationers.
We got cheated out of the fireworks displays in 1998 because of the wildfires..... it may be something you might want to keep in mind, since there are wildfires currently burning in Florida now and there is a drought in effect in Central Florida.... I've read that they are not currently shooting the pyro off at the end of Cinderellabration because of it.
Hi, we’ve been on the 4th twice and plan to be there in 07 on the 4th. It’s hot and very crowded but doable. The last time we did Animal Kingdom in the AM, went back to our resort to swim and take a rest. We ate dinner and were in the MK by 7:00 or so. Unlike other times, it is harder to find a ‘spot’ to stand for the fireworks so you need to do that a little earlier then other times, they are spectacular! We were to the right side of the castle - closer to Tomorrow land - and got to see everything (I’m sure there’s a prime spot to view these surround fireworks but like I said if you don’t plant yourself early you’ll have to settle). The youngest person we had with us was 6 so we did not have to worry about maneuvering a stroller or little ones getting separated (I think his dad eventually put him on his shoulders for safe keeping).
I do remember this but it did not impact us, when we were leaving AK (it was 1pm or so) a CM said that they had closed the MK because of capacity. Maybe someone else can expand on how they close the parks because of capacity but then still let people in??? We were very concerned about the CM’s remark because we wanted to go to the MK and view the fireworks. When we got back to the room we asked the desk clerk about this and she said she didn’t think it would impact us because we were staying in a resort on property and we had used a park that morning. Anyway, when we went to the MK that evening we did not have any problems getting in (actually I think there were more people leaving the MK at that time then trying to get in!) Good Luck and have a great time! SW+7
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