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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We are headed to Disney this year with my little girl who will be turning 5 while we are there. It will be her first trip to the World, and I can't begin to tell you how excited she is. She had a tumor removed from her spinal column in March of 07, and has had 5 other surgeries since then, plus at least one more scheduled this week. She has major mobility issues, and will be in a wheelchair most of the time. We are staying in the cabins at Fort Wilderness, and we will be there 2 full weeks. We wanted to make sure we had extra time so we could take our time because she tires out easily.
So far, by what I can tell, the "rules" are: 1. Communicate. Nicely. Let people know what we . need, when we need it. 2. Get the GAC. Can anyone tell me whether we need to get a new one for each day/park, or will one do for our length of stay? 3. Once we get there, take our time, take breaks, and just let the magic take over.
Can anyone tell me anything I may have left out, and does anyone have any tips on traveling with a physically disabled, but very active 5 year old?
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
The GAC will be marked with your arrival Date, and departure date, it will also put how many people are with you and will be good at all 4 major theme parks.
Please make sure you have spoken with reservations and have a wheelchair accessible cabin as not every cabin has a ramp available to it for use by those in wheelchairs.
Taking breaks are a great tip, make sure you stay hydrated, and if you stop at the Baby Care Centers in each park they can be a great place to take a break for quiet time, and if you need any help in terms of family restrooms for easy of restroom stops, or if she needs to lay down etc.
Most of all go in knowing that you won't see everything that there is to see, but letting the magic happen makes the trip, most people could say "I rode X 5 times" but you will mostly remember down the road "My DD went to the MK and Mickey did >_______ and she was the happiest little girl" So just go with the flow and let her lead the way, so that she stays entertained and engaged with things.
Have a Magical Trip
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Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust! Studying Hard to Make a Difference!
Just wanted to say Hello and Welcome. Hope your little girl has the most Magical trip!
Amy gave you great advice and I agree, just go with the flow and know you will not see everything. I have gone on numerous trips for up to as long as 12 days and have never seen everything.
Welcome!
You may also want to make a list of any "must sees & must do's" you may have.
I always have a list of special things I want to do at each park.
And I always have "Dole Whip Float" on my Magic kingdom list
Enjoy your trip..
Deb
We just got back from our trip with DD4. My best suggestion for someone her age is the BBB. It was absolutly amazing and DD was thrilled. She kept looking down at herself and smiling and everyone paid special attention to the princess. It was magical. DD sat in a salon chair for the makeover so I'm sure they could do her hair in her wheelchair. Also a little bit of advice... buy a princess dress either online or from a disney store before your trip and just have her wear it to the makeover. Then you're only paying a little over $50 for the hair and nails. It will save you having to change in their changing rooms and it will save you some cash as well. They have a big selection of dresses to choose from, and DD went right for the most expensive of the bunch. Plus, they didn't have the shoes she wanted in her size and we had to settle for something else. There was another little girl there who couldn't get the dress she wanted cause they didn't have her size. I wish we would have had that taken care of before we arrived!!
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Future Fairy Godmother-A girls gotta dream!
Por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas!!
**do you know how long it took us to learn that?? and then they put it on a t-shirt!! **
You have it pretty much covered! You are there 2 weeks so you have plenty of time. We use a wheelchair for our son because of his mobility issues and he is on the autism spectrum. The GAC is wonderful and it will be for your length of stay! If you have not already purchased it, I suggest getting Passporter's Open Mouse book. It gives great detail about the rides and shows. It addresses many special needs and gives invaluable information. We used this to determine if we should even attempt to take our son on some of the rides or to some of the shows. There were a few we knew he could not handle and did not even try those. I can not tell you how much we love this book! Your plans sound great! Have a magical time!
Thank you all for your help. We do have the passporter book, and will definately be using it before, during, and probably after our trip! If anyone can think of any other tips or hints, we would be glad to hear them. As it is, I think we are in good hands between the boards here and Disney themselves. The cast members we have spoken to so far have been wonderful, and we are looking forward to this trip!
Have you planned any meals? Maybe you would want to think about any special ADRs for favorite characters or favorite foods that may interest your daughter, that way you don't have to wait in line at the parks.
Have you planned any meals? Maybe you would want to think about any special ADRs for favorite characters or favorite foods that may interest your daughter, that way you don't have to wait in line at the parks.[/quote]
Oh boy! Have we planned meals. We are actually planning on doing more with meals and taking it slow in the parks because she tires out so quickly. As of right now, we are hoping for:
Oct 30: Illuminations Grand Gathering (already booked)
Oct 31: Dinner: Crystal Palace (DH-"It's tradition. It MUST be done!")
Nov 1: Lunch: Nine Dragons (DBIL + DH-Want to eat there for the name. No other reason. DBIL doesn't even LIKE Chinese style foods)
Dinner: Coral Reef
Nov 2: Lunch: Sci Fi
Dinner: 50's Prime Time
Nov 3: Vivian's Birthday. Start at the BBB.
Breakfast: Royal Table 1st choice/Akershus 2nd choice
PARTY at Goofy's Candy Factory
Dinner: 1900 Park Fare
Nov 4: Breakfast: Grand Gathering Character Breakfast (already booked)
Dinner: Royal Table (for the Fairy Godmother) or Hoop Dee Doo or Luau
Nov 5: Dinner: Safari Grand Gathering (already booked)
Nov 6: Breakfast: Ohana (for Stitch)
Dinner: Flame Tree BBQ (counter service)
Nov 7: Resort stuff, do laundry, relax, go to pool, maybe DisneyQuest. Dinner off site ot Arabian Nights Dinner Show
Nov 8: Dinner: Arabian Nights
Nov 9: Dinner: Luau or Royal Table (whichever we didn't do on the 4th)
Nov 10: Dinner: Hoop Dee Doo or Royal Table (whichever we didn't do on the 4th)
Nov11: Breakfast or Lunch: Akershus or Royal Table (whichever we didn't do on the 3rd)
Nov 12: Rainforest Cafe or Dinner offsite at Medieval Times
Nov 13: Breakfast: 1900 Park Fare
Of course, nothing is set in stone until we can book our ADR's on August 6. We do have the Grand Gatherings booked. We are on the military discount, which will let us book the regular dinning package, and we will have to pay for 7-9 table service credits worth of meals, plus the 2 off site, but that comes out much cheaper than not doing the military discount. And it's worth it, because it will keep Vivian "in characters" and "immersed" in the World while letting her rest and stay in one spot for a while at the same time. Then we'll take the parks themselves a little at a time as her stamina allows. We'll be letting her set the pace.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
Looks like everyone has answered your questions, so I'll just say WELCOME, and WOW!!! That is one well thought out trip plan! You might want just a BIT more relaxation time!
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