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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 daughter Lizzie (21) and I (over 21!) will be taking a mother-daughter trip May 11-17. We'll be staying at the Beach Club.
I have to call for our dining reservations on Tuesday. None of this is really set in stone an I'm still trying to decide whether or not the Dining Plan is worth it for us. I figure that we'd use some of the snacks and maybe a few QS for breakfasts. It will be my daughter and myself and we want to try new places! I figure if we decide to skip the Dining Plan I'll just cancel a few of our dinners.
We've both been to Disney World many, many times and are more interested in relaxing and enjoying each other than in getting on all of the rides. On Friday a friend of mine from Tampa will be joining us for the day/evening.
Monday 05/11
Arrive at Beach Club elevenish, check-in
Lunch at Hurricane Hannah's (2 QS)
Laze around pool till our room is ready
4:15 tea at Gardenview Lounge, Grand Floridian (out of pocket, but a long-standing mother-daughter tradition.)
Evening at Magic Kingdom (open till 10).
Tuesday 05/12
Disney's Hollywood Studios for Toy Story Mania (Daughter Liz has never ridden this one.)
Counter Service lunch (2 QS)
Pool time
8:15 reservation at California Grill for Liz's sushi (4TS)
Wednesday 05/13
Shopping Day
Lunch out
Dinner (2 QS at Beach Club or maybe Pepper Market) I figure we'll be tired!
Thursday 05/14
Magic Kingdom
Lunch at ? (2 QS)
Shopping at Downtown Disney
Late dinner at Flying Fish Cafe (4 TS)
Friday 05/14
Epcot w/friend
Lunch at Le Cellier (2 TS)
Dinner (?)(2 QS, maybe more to share with friend.)
Saturday
Sleep in, pool time (2 QS at Beach Club Marketplace or Hurricane Hannah's)
Epcot
Dinner at Tokyo Dining (2 TS)
Sunday
Animal Kingdom
Lunch (?) at Yak and Yeti or Tusker House or maybe dinner at Boma (2 TS) What are the hours of the restaurats in the Animal Kingdom?
So that's the tenative plans for now. I'd love any input!
Of my three Animal Kingdom choices which would you pick? We've eaten at Boma a kajillion times but I know they serve dinner. Do the rest only have lunch?
Most TS restaurants start serving lunch anywhere from 11am - 12pm. We haven't eaten at TH since it was a CS and have only tried Y&Y CS. Boma is wonderful and starts serving dinner around 4:45pm - 5:00pm. We ate there at the start of dinner time one year and wished we waited until they had been 'serving' for at least 30 minutes. The line at the buffet was extremely long since they sat so many tables all at once. So, if you decide to go there, you might want to consider a TS time 30 or so minutes after dinner begins.
Looks like a fun time to me. So much fun we are checking in to the Beach Club late on the 15th of May for the weekend! (DH is having a big birthday that weekend).
Maybe you'll see our tall redhead DS at the pool?? (Can't miss him 6'3", football player build).
Your plans look wonderful! We had a 4:30 ADR for Yak and Yeti last June and got a bit a magic when we got to watch the afternoon parade from the window at our table upstairs.
We just had dinners at Boma & Yak & Yeti & enjoyed them both. It would be hard to pick just one!!! But maybe Boma for all the variety. I think the DDP is def. worth it. But when on the DDP we use our TS for dinners. And CS for lunches. We also use snack credits for breakfast, like bagels or muffins. We use our refillable mugs for drinks.
I'm not sure if we're doing lunch or dinner at Le Cellier. My friend is driving in from Tampa for the day and we're eating there for her. I want to treat and I know she likes it there. She's going to the Flower and Garden concert (we're not) and I'm afraid if we pick dinner it will be too late for her, so probably lunch. Besides I like that you get the cheddar soup with the lunch special. I'm not a steak eater so I'd be getting the fish at either meal!
Thanks again!
Jennifer
PS, Lizzie just dropped by (She lives at her sorority house at LSU a few miles away.) and she wants to go to Boma so that problem is solved!