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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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.
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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 am visiting WDW 12/12/07-01/02/08
Yes, I KNOW the queues will be long from the 19th Dec, but can anyone tell me HOW long?
You know, for, like, smaller things, up to MISSON:Space, and ToT etc.
I've read it in books, but if anyones been there before (before and around Christmas), could they give me some first hand info?
We've been a couple of times at Christmas -- and will be back this year -- and didn't experience really bad crowds until around Dec. 23. I think if you get in your must dos the first part of your trip, you can spend the week between Christmas and New Year doing the attractions you want to experience again, touring the resorts, and just relaxing.
Maybe we'll run into you.
tenya
I don't think it'll get really bad until about 23 - 24 December. Between Christmas and New Year in the past I've seen waits of up to four hours for Test Track and usually at least 100 minutes for Big Thunder and Splash. If you do all the big attractions earlier on in your stay and then hit the more minor ones when it gets busy, you'll be fine. That's what we've done before.
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we have been ther also at christmas the 17th - 27th and the first bit of crowd we experienced was on the 24th and that was only in MK - but we had already done MK for 3 days prior so we stayed at MGM and Epcot and just did Animal Kingdom Christmas Morning and No one was there - we will be there again this year!!!!!
We were there 12/26/05 - 1/2/06 and 12/23/06 - 1/2/07 and the lines were LONG but it is DISNEY so it wasn't so bad! The waits for major rides were usually 100 - 180 minutes and more but you just had to get to the park EARLY and do some rides, get a fast pass and go from there! I bet it will be better before the 23rd and so you can do a lot then! Also, the parks stay open very late so you will have plenty of time to get to things! Have fun!!! I wish we were going at Christmas again but we just went in August! Christmas 2008, here we come!!!
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Dec 2005 (POR) - our first WDW trip and our first WDW holiday / Dec 2006 (CSR) - our second WDW holiday / Aug 2007 (POLY!!!!) - Happy Early 40th Birthday to Me and our first DELUXE stay / Dec 2008 - Christmas at "Home" (POP) / Aug 2009 - Summer in the South (POFQ) / Aug 2010 - POP! and Caitie starts her internship at WDW/ Oct 2010 - Laura & I "POP" in to visit Caitie/ Feb 2011 - Feb Fam Vacation to visit Caitie / May 2011 - Going to the Boardwalk to pick up Caitie (BW)
Wow! This is really helpful info! This trip will be our first Christmas trip and I knew we'd have lines...but up to FOUR HOURS??!! That's pretty good incentive to set the alarm and get up early.
We were there 12/17-12/26 in 2005 and it really didn't start getting crowded until Christmas Eve. We were able to do all the major rides with very little wait. We did not go to any park on Christmas Day because we knew it would be too crowded. My advice is to be at the parks when they open, do the major attractions first, and use Fastpass. Oh, and unless you are planning to eat counter service for every meal, make ADR's. I saw lots of people without them being turned away.
My best advice in the week between Christmas/NY is to pick the one must-do and run when the park opens! Everything else is just icing on the cake. If you don't stress anout the lines and just enjoy the atmosphere you'll have a great time
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-- and didn't experience really bad crowds until around Dec. 23. I think if you get in your must dos the first part of your trip, you can spend the week between Christmas and New Year doing the attractions you want to experience again, touring the resorts, and just relaxing.
Tenya
PassPorter Guide Author
This is really helpful info! This trip will be our first Christmas trip and I knew we'd have lines...but up to FOUR HOURS??!!
That's pretty good incentive to set the alarm and get up early. 
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