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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 friend and I are planning a September 2009 trip to DisneyWorld (no Hubbies or kids) and we are getting so excited about spending 9 whole days with the House of the Mouse. We have booked our flights but are still not sure about what package we want to do while there. We are definitely going to stay at the All Star Music Resort since we are not planning on spending any awake time there only to sleep. We are debating on whether to go with the dining plans and I'd like to hear your views on the pros and cons of it. Thanks
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I would sit down and look at the menus on AllEars to decide if going with the dining plan would work for you or not (cost wise)! If you guys want a nice relaxing dinner every evening, it might work. If you're just gonna go with the flow, maybe not, or maybe the CS plan would be a better option!!
I would sit down and look at the menus on AllEars to decide if going with the dining plan would work for you or not (cost wise)! If you guys want a nice relaxing dinner every evening, it might work. If you're just gonna go with the flow, maybe not, or maybe the CS plan would be a better option!!
I would have everyone take a look at menu's and then see what everyone wants to do.
I think it really depends on if you both eat 3 meals a day. It is alot of food
and while I think it's worth it for the restaurants alone, I was so stuffed
that most days I just couldn't eat much (we were there for 7 days on the DDP).
IMHO I would do the Quick Service Plan instead and pay OP for the few
main restaurants you really want to try.
I agree with looking at the menus. Whether the dining plans will work for you depends on your own dining habits. For us, the Deluxe works well, as we like two table service meals a day and we just throw in some signature meals and we're away.
Have a great trip! I like to do a TS breakfast and dinner, then CS for lunch. The DDP is a lot of food (my in-laws did this when we all went together). It was nice for them because everything was all prepaid.
My daughter and I had the same problem deciding on the DDP. We are not big eaters so, we looked at the menus and figured out that if we wanted to eat at some of the table service restaurants, the DDP was the only way we could do it.
We are still in the planning stages. We read the menus, then marked all the places we would like to eat in the Passporter. Now we are planning out what park on what day with what meal/event. So far we are thinking about 3 different event meals that will "cost" 2 table service meals each. (For example we would love to dine at the California Grill but I cannot afford $100 and up for one meal. However, with the DDP I can.)
Basically, dig in, look at the menus, print up the interesting ones, or all of them, mark up your book and dream, then you have to start narrowing it down. Then you should have an idea of the cost with DDP or paying cash.
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Bodacious Disney Mom wishing for just a little more Pixie Dust.
Every year we've gone, we've never tried the dining plan. We are not big eaters and kind of like to graze our way thru the parks and eat when we want to. We always thought that we didn't want to have our daily schedule run around meals. We often share meals to try different foods at different areas in the parks (Especially EPCOT).
This August, with the free dining, we're going for it! I can honestly say that these boards and my 'very loved' Passporter are my guides. We have changed our minds on whether to eat at Coral Reef, see Remy in France, try Cali Grill, etc. We'll have it narrowed down by May 19th for our ADR's. I am very excited about the dining plan and have a feeling we'll be using it on future trips. Whatever you decide..good luck with it! And like I've always done, do your research and what your 'gut' tells u. Then u can't go wrong!
Have a great trip!
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Disney Here We Come!
Last edited by disneyfreaks; 04-24-2009 at 12:51 PM..
We love the DDP as we enjoy having a TS each day as a break to just relax over our meal. We are two meal a day people, we enjoy either a late breakfast or early lunch and then a late dinner...we have always found that the DDP worked great for us. Now I would love to go the DxDDP one trip just so we can try more of the Signature dining places that we have always wanted to try but we are taking my neices this trip so it ends up being a lot of money.
If I was going on an adult trip without the kids I would probably go for the DxDDP and eat at a signature each evening
Like others said, I wouldcheck out the menus and such. add up the cost and see if it is worth it to you.
Personally with just 2 adults going I would consider wether you really want to be that scheduled. You may want to consider winging it . That would give you total flexibility to eat where, when and what you want at any time.
Well, there are two ways you can look at it, since it's an adult only trip -
you can splurge, and since it's a 9 day trip, really take the time to enjoy some terrific TS restaurants and go Deluxe DDP. We are a family of 4, me, DH, DS7 and DS15, we love the DxDDP, it is a ton of food, and to get the most bang for your buck, and to save $ by using it, you really should do 3 TS each day. We normally do a character breakfast, and then a TS for lunch & dinner. It really doesn't take any longer to eat at a TS than at a CS restaurant, and many times you are going to get much better food, better quality, and if you're watching what you eat, it's easier to find things that are healthy as well - believe it or not.
The other way to look at it with two adults, is if you're not that big of eaters and you want to pick up and go during the day then do the basic DP - use your snack for breakfast, have a muffin or a bagel or something light and buy a juice or coffee OOP, then have a CS meal for lunch, and use your TS credit to have a nice relaxing dinner each night.
Personally, if I were going adults only - I'd go for the DxDDP - there are just way too many great places to experience to miss out on any! Especially at World Showcase.
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We have gone with DDP twice now and will never go any other way- I just like knowing that the food is already paid for. Although I wish the tip was still included.
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Whether the dining plans will work for you depends on your own dining habits. For us, the Deluxe works well, as we like two table service meals a day and we just throw in some signature meals and we're away. 
Bodacious Disney Mom wishing for just a little more Pixie Dust. 
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