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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Well it's only been a couple weeks since we got back from The World, but DBF is now hooked on WDW and is starting to talk about next year's trip! This past trip just the 2 of us went but next year we will be taking his son. My question is what is everyone's opinion about trying to do a character meal with a then-to-be 8 year old boy? I'm not sure what he'd think. Either he'd really like it or think it was too kid like. He tries to act like he's beyond all that stuff yet loves all the Disney movies I have on VHS from years ago. He's never been to WDW and only went to Disneyland when he was about 2 or 3 so it's not like he even remembers that trip. Since I know a lot of those meals have to be reserved waaayy in advance, I thought I'd ask opinions now and what better place for Disney opinions then on Passporters?
Well I just want to say my son is 13 and he still LOVES character dining-- afterall his buddies from school aren't around to see him! lol We have a trip in Dec. at Christmas, and we have 4 kids--three of which are teens (2 are boys) and we have 4 character dining meals reserved during our trip. I have great pics of my son playing paper rock scissors and wrestling with goofy! Matter of fact my youngest son will be 14 by the trip, and he specifically requested Chef Mickeys and Crystal Palace!
We are all kids at heart, and our kids grow up too soon--- I say reserve that meal and you won't be sorry! He will love it I am sure!
Shawn-Marie
I say go for it!! Where else can you be a
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Shawn-Marie (Mickey)
Mom of Ashley, (Tigger) Michael, (Goofy) and McKenzie (Tinkerbell) and the biggest kid of all my husband Scott (Grumpy)
I am also a host Mom this year to a French Foreign Exchange Student -Pierre-Olivier (17) he has been to Disney in Paris once when he was younger.
I think he'd love a character meal. The characters seem to really be in tune to the people who don't want a lot of interaction/hugs, etc. so he should be fine if he just wants to see them all walking around the restuarant. I would probably stay away from the Crystal Palace given the Pooh characters seem to appeal to either the very young crowds or us adults! Chef Mickeys would be good to try.
DS is 8 and loved Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey's. I don't think age matters as much as the particular interests of the child but, as others have indicated, many kids older than that still love character meals.
I agree with Linda...choose a place based on what character he likes. DS (14) the Garden Grill & Chef Mickey's. We took our nephew (17) to the GG & LTT last summer and he both of them. He still talks about the "hysterical" time we had at GG!!
My DD is 8 1/2 years old, and still LOVES character meals. She too pretends to be big, but watches Playhouse Disney and NickJr with a passion. Since he probably isn't into princesses, you could try Chef Mickey's or Ohana's breakfast with Lilo and Stitch. I bet he'd have a ball!
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Looking forward to another Christmas with The Mouse!!
We had the Character Lunch at the Crystal Palace, it was great fun and the interaction with the characters was wonderful and the buffet was delish. We had DGS (4) who loved Tigger, Pooh, Eyeore and Piglet, but I know he would have liked Chef Mickeys just as much. I would pick the one with the characters he likes.
I don't think you could go wrong with Chef Mickey's for an 8 yo boy. My soon to be 14yo son can't wait to go there again (he loves Goofy!). He's also a fan of Donald's breakfastasaurus (but that is ending soon, if it hasn't yet). He was 9 on our first trip and 12 on our most recent.
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This past trip just the 2 of us went but next year we will be taking his son. My question is what is everyone's opinion about trying to do a character meal with a then-to-be 8 year old boy? I'm not sure what he'd think. Either he'd really like it or think it was too kid like. He tries to act like he's beyond all that stuff yet loves all the Disney movies I have on VHS from years ago. He's never been to WDW and only went to Disneyland when he was about 2 or 3 so it's not like he even remembers that trip. Since I know a lot of those meals have to be reserved waaayy in advance, I thought I'd ask opinions now and what better place for Disney opinions then on Passporters?
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[IMG]<a href="http://s483.photobucket.com/albums/rr199/freegott1/?action=view¤t=101_0771_0072_072.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr199/freegott1/101_0771_0072_072.jpg" border="0" alt="mommy and victoria"></a>[/IMG]
the Garden Grill & Chef Mickey's. We took our nephew (17) to the GG & LTT last summer and he 
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