Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
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10-14-2006, 01:26 AM
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#1
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Community Rank: Wayfarer
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Virginia
Posts: 175
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Mickey\'s Very Mery Christmas Party worth the $ ?
We're trying to stick to a budget this trip, but since we've never done any of the holiday parties, I'm wondering if this one is worth the extra cost? I'd love any input. Thanks!
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10-14-2006, 01:49 AM
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#2
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PassPorter Message Board Manager PassPorter Guide Author
Community Rank: Legend VIP
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285
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Re: Mickey\'s Very Mery Christmas Party worth the $ ?
We've always thought it was worth the extra money. It's the only way, at that time of year, that you'll get to see the Magic Kingdom's Christmas parade for a start - and that just goes on for what seems like forever! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502yes_prv.gif[/img] The fireworks are truly spectacular as well and we've always been able to get on to rides with very little wait. I'd say it's worth it! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif[/img]
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10-14-2006, 02:18 AM
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#3
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Near a Tower of Terror at the moment...
Posts: 13,884
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Re: Mickey\'s Very Mery Christmas Party worth the $ ?
I thought it was worth it so much we did it twice last year! Cheryl is right, the parade, the fireworks, the cocoa and cookies (that 8yo just BEGGED to have again today!) plus very little or no wait for just about everything we wanted to do.
We don't do a park the day of the party to save a day on our hoppers. Just relax, rest, maybe resort hop to see Christmas decorations, go to the MK for an early dinner (you can get in at 4pm) and make a full night of it!
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Sponsored links
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10-14-2006, 04:27 AM
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#4
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PassPorter Guide
Community Rank: Trailblazer
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Baltimore, MD USA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 5,684
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Re: Mickey\'s Very Mery Christmas Party worth the $ ?
I sure think it is.
The smaller crowd levels mean that all of the open attractions are pretty much walk-ons (go during the week, the weekend MVMCPs are much more crowded). The Xmas parade and Xmas versions of Wishes are beautiful, and the other minor parts, cookies, hot cocoa, and the family Xmas picture, are all nice additions.
I know it's a lot of extra money, but if you can swing it in your budget, definitely go for it.
HINT: Be sure to get a spot on Main Street for the parade; you can see it well enough from other parts of the park, but the artificial snow on Main Street really adds to the atmosphere.
'NOTHER HINT: To get max value out of it, be sure to schedule an easy day beforehand, possibly with a mid-day nap, so that you can stay up late and enjoy the whole party.
YET 'NOTHER HINT: MVMCP is the only time I have ever seen Snow White and all 7 dwarfs posing for pics together with Guests. I know they are out at other times as well, but not very often, so keep an eye out at your party for them.
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10-14-2006, 09:59 AM
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#5
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Community Rank: Trekker
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Alabama
Posts: 1,692
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Re: Mickey\'s Very Mery Christmas Party worth the $ ?
Another vote for yes. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502yes_prv.gif[/img] We absolutely love the Christmas party. Walking up Main Street with the "snow" falling around you is so magical and even this 38 year-old gets excited to see Santa in the parade.
Both times we went, we were there for the first night of the party (which was the Sunday after Thanksgiving) and it was not crowded at all.
Like others have said, we, too, made an easy day of it. Last year we went to DTD to do some shopping, had tea at the GF, and then went back to rest a little and put on our matching sweatshirts before heading over to MK. We stayed until the very, very end and had a wonderful time. I'm so sad we can't go this year.
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10-14-2006, 11:01 AM
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#6
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: New York
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 4,889
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Re: Mickey\'s Very Mery Christmas Party worth the $ ?
[ QUOTE ]
Another vote for yes. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502yes_prv.gif[/img] We absolutely love the Christmas party. Walking up Main Street with the "snow" falling around you is so magical.
[/ QUOTE ]
[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/yeahthat.gif[/img]
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Sponsored links
Check out the many e-books by PassPorter. The e-books are free to download if you have a PassPorter's Club pass.
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10-14-2006, 11:07 AM
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#7
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Community Rank: Wayfarer
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 143
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Re: Mickey\'s Very Mery Christmas Party worth the $ ?
OK...I might be going out on a limb here, and let me preface this by saying that we have always done the party. Last year, we went on a Wednesday, the second week of December. It was a madhouse! Seriously, even the CM's were telling me it was overwhelming! We waited for EVERY ride, at least as long as an average crowd wait, and the line for photos was over an hour. The parade is ALWAYS amazing, and we love the atmosphere, but be cautious...it is NOT just on the weekends when it gets crowded.
If you have little ones, I would ask before you book about which evening might be less sold than another. The first year we went, in our family photos, you can see the very light crowds, and characters everywhere with little or no lines. Last year, it looked like a crowd everywhere. My son is a CM, and I asked him about this year. He recommended Mondays and Tuesdays, saying they were the lightest sellers, historically.
The fireworks are AMAZING!!!
Have a wonderful trip!
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10-14-2006, 02:58 PM
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#8
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Living Seas wannabe
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 31,940
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Re: Mickey\'s Very Mery Christmas Party worth the $ ?
Another YES vote!!!
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10-14-2006, 08:12 PM
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#9
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: MinneSOta
Posts: 7,036
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Re: Mickey\'s Very Mery Christmas Party worth the $ ?
Another yes here to.
boBšoš
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10-16-2006, 06:17 AM
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#10
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Community Rank: Wayfarer
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Virginia
Posts: 175
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Re: Mickey\'s Very Mery Christmas Party worth the $ ?
Thanks, everybody, for sharing your experiences. Now I will be better able to make a decision on whether or not we'll go! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/thanx.gif[/img]
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10-16-2006, 10:20 AM
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#11
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Community Rank: Jetsetter
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Ma. Home of the Red Sox!
Concierge Level: 8
Posts: 2,061
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Re: Mickey\'s Very Mery Christmas Party worth the $ ?
We did it last year-in the rain- and had a ball. The park was practically empty, no wait for the rides and the parade/fireworks were fantastic. Can you still get the free photo this year?
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