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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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My DW and I took our first trip to Disney World last September and fell in love with everything Disney. We were already planning our next trip when one of life’s little surprises got in the way when the DW found out she was pregnant. (We were trying for a child and had been almost 10 months so it was no surprise. We had really hoped our trip to Disney would help since it is where the magic happens!)
Anyway, the most beautiful little girl came on June 19 and we already want to plan for DD first Disney trip. We were thinking of going in Jan. of 2009. That would put her around 18 months so we were wondering if that was too young and what experiences others have had taking a young one.
My kids both had their first trips to WDW before they were 2 years old. They were some truly magical trips. Watching them experience the characters, parades, and rides (It's a Small World, Dumbo, and Winnie the Pooh were favorites) brought tears to my eyes. They may not remember the trips, but I do, and I have plenty of pictures to show them. We are going back in September. It will be DS9's fifth trip and DS4's third trip, and it is their favorite place to go. I never regret taking them at that age - it was wonderful!!
I wouldn't hesitate bringing an 18-month old to WDW. Some environments may work better than others, though:
For instance, if you are able to go when it is cooler (70-80s, rather than 90 and humid in the summer months) you will all be more comfortable and run less chance of your child getting affected by the heat.
Disney is really starting to market to the parents of under-5 children, so they are providing lots of activities for that age group in mind. There is the Playhouse Disney character meal at Hollywood & Vine at MGM, various playgrounds and water/splash areas throughout the parks, and tons of places to explore.
I think that you will have a terrific time. When we took our daughter at 23 months, we just followed her lead - doing the things that interested her (running over here, exploring over there). We had a terrific time!
We've taken our kids as young as 5 weeks -- they didn't get much out of it at that age, but in reality, the walking, the motion of moving so much actually worked wonders!
More realistically, from the time our little ones were about 8 months they actually really did enjoy DL and WDW -- there's a lot to see, and once they're walking and really interacting, it's phenomenal place to take them. I agree about the weather factor, though -- defininately if it's more comfortable for you, it's way more comfortable for them!
We've also taken our kids when they were under two - ranging from 4 months to 23 months on different trips. Our DD who is now 6 was 17 months on her first trip, close to what your DD will be. She absolutely loved it! She adored the characters and would hug them whenever she could (I think she probably thought they were huge stuffed animals! ). We took her on a lot of rides, from everything in Fantasyland like you would expect to bigger things like the safari (with a tight grip on her!) and HISTA (she slept through the whole thing).
Before we had kids, my DH and I said there was no way we were taking young kids - we would wait until they were at least 5. Of course, everything changes once you have your own kids and I'm so glad we took them regardless of the ages. We tried to keep them on a schedule close to what they were used to at home, getting up around the same time, taking naps when possible etc. and I think that helped avoid some meltdowns that we saw other families having. I say go for it and have a great time!
We're taking our DD in Sept at 11 months....we didn't hesitate a bit. We're prepared for it to be a completely different experience than we've had before. It's going to be more about walking around and taking in the sights than hitting the big rides. I think that would be a great time for her to go BTW, she was born the day before my birthday! Gemini's are chatty
i say go for it! you probably won't be able to do all the things you did pre-baby (as was the case with my family) but you will still have a great time. good luck!
My DD was 18 months for her first trip - she had a wonderful, magical time and we caught it all on video so that we could re-live the magic. It was a great trip for us all. I don't think there is such a thing as "too young" when it comes to Disney.
__________________
Tara Hanley
Enchanted Escapes Travel by Tara
affiliated with CruisingCo.com & MouseEarVacations.com
DD was 4 and DS was 15 months on our first family trip. They had a blast, even DS. He was quite mobile at that point, and enjoyed some of the rides and shows. The "big head" characters were out, but he was okay with face characters! I love looking back at those photos of their first trip
LAst October we brought our children for the first time. My son turned one while we were there and the girls turned 4. My son was the best behaved of the bunch. He slept when he was tired in the stroller and was up every night to watch the fireworks. Unless you want alone time for the two of you (and by that point you just might), you'll have a great time. If you need any tips, just pm me.
Congrats!!! On DD's first trip she was 18 mos old and on DS's first trip he was 14 mos old. I would do it again in a heartbeat. We took everything slower and just catered to them. We had a wonderful time. If we have child #3, I won't wait that long! As long as you take it slow and allow time for naps, I think any age is ok!
That is what I wanted to hear!!! The DW and I were so excited about going back and taking DD.
Our first trip in September we spent the first two days in misery. I had planned everything down to the dot and had maps and excel sheets and way too much planning. I think both of us hated our first two days at Disney. After that I threw out all my planning and we just winged it. The rest of the trip was a blast and we were planning a return on the flight home. So going at a slower pace will fit us perfect.
Now I just have to wait…that is going to be the hard part.
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). We took her on a lot of rides, from everything in Fantasyland like you would expect to bigger things like the safari (with a tight grip on her!) and HISTA (she slept through the whole thing). 
Suzie
As long as you take it slow and allow time for naps, I think any age is ok!
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