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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Hi all. We are going to WDW in Nov. with twins (almost 5). My plan is to do CRT for breakfast, CM for dinner and Ohana for dinner as our special meals. We will be celebrating the twins b-day. When I call for my ADR's what times would you recommend I request. I was hoping for a window at Ohana's to see the fireworks so spread some pixie dust my way . Your advice is appreciated!
We always like to do breakfast in the park before it opens, so we always went for an 8:05 or 8:10 seating for CRT. As for dinner, we're early eaters, so we'd go for the early seatings at CMs as well (around 5:30). What time are the fireworks for your time there? I'd make the ADR at least 45 minutes earlier than they are scheduled, if not more than that!!
You are going to have so much fun! We also enjoy the castle at Breakfast - but keep in mind how your family tours - are they able to get up early? If not I was surprised at having a Lunch adr - we did rope drop, did all the rides, then had lunch and went back to the resort for swim and relaxing!
We dont do CM anymore (kids are older, we do Cali grill instead!!) but I know Ohana gets backed up - everyone wants an adr and a window view for WISHES - and I think you have to plan 1 1/2 - 2 hours for those meals - esp if the kids want to do the coconut races and hula hoop fun (they still do that?) If you get the earlier adr for Ohana you can always head out to the beach and enjoy wishes from there - I know I read a post that said the music wasnt piped in - it is, sometimes its just really low sound... (and someone reported on another message board that the sound is actually controlled at the main computer room in the MK!)
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I prefer to get a really early dinner reservation and then try to catch the fireworks from another location when eating at 'Ohana. Only some of the tables actually have a view out the windows and you can't guarantee you'll get one of them. Plus, when eating with children, we've found early meals to be a better idea (more like what we do at home).
Breakfast I like to try and get as early as possible, to get in more park time afterwards! Not sure about dinner and fireworks. Good luck and have fun!
I agree......get b'fast ADRs before parks opens, something magical about going into an almost empty park standing on Main street looking at the castle.....(giving me goose bumps thinking about it).
With little ones would do an early dinner at CM........O'hanas like someone said I would do dinner there and then go down to the beach at the Poly and watch them from there instead of trying to wait on a table with the view......but that is just me...
We've always taken the earliest possible reservations for any meal to shorten our wait with a restless preschooler...I completely agree with other posters to eat at O'hana, then head to the beach at Poly for the fireworks. At least for my 4 y.o., eating at, say, 8, then hanging around the restaurant for an hour would be very difficult (and not so much fun for us either!). You could even manage to snag a bench swing on the beach if you got there early enough! And, the earlier you go to CM, the less crowds, the more time with the characters.
When in Nov. are you going? We are headed down from the 8th-18th.
We will be in the parks the week of the 16th. My twins bday is on thanksgiving so we are really excited to celebrate them turning 5 (a week early) Thanks for the advice. I will heed wisdom and do Ohana earlier (by 6:30p depending on lunch) and find a different location for the fireworks. Apreciate your advice!
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