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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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As our trip is getting closer and closer I am wondering about more and more things - lol....I have checked the touringplans site but I was curious how many of you have been to Disney the end of Aug. We will be there from 8-20 to 8-28. Are the crowds still high at this time?? Thanks!!
My thoughts exacly. We are there from 8/20 - 8/29. Hoping that what I've read about lots of southern schools going back to school the second half of August is true and the crowds won't be too bad. I guess crowded Disney is better than no Disney at all. But it is the only time we can go, with DD in school and school vacations soooo expensive, summer is our only option. Crossing fingers for moderate crowds for us!!
We are going 8/20 - 8/29 too! We have gone a few times during this time of year, and while it's more crowded than our Jan visits, it's not too bad. Touring plans has it mostly at 5 or 6 with the exception of weekends which are 7's
It's hot! We go to the parks at opening, stay till 2ish, then go back to our resort for a pool break and relax, then go back to a EMH park in the evening.
I hope WDW adds an AK evening EMH for those dates, so far none. I love AK at night! They have one on the 29th, the day we leave
We will be visiting at that time too! With Free Dining, I think it will be busier than normal for late August. Nothing like mid-summer, but busier. I am preparing for that anyway!
We went the end of August last year (we came home on Labor Day). The crowds were not bad at all. My one recommendation is to use Touring Plan's best and worst days as a guide. I don't use the actual touring plans, but I stick with the best days, and it really helps. Of course, make sure you have ADRs for your table service meals. The only rides we needed a Fastpass for were Toy Story Mania, Soarin', and Test Track. Most of the other rides weren't even using the Fastpass machines. Take a break in the middle of the day, for sure. Have fun!
We were there around that time last year and it wasn't bad, like Sue M. said it's not like January but it's definitely not like mid-summer either. Have a great time!
We are going that week as well, we get there the 25th and are staying until the first. I figure there will be crowds with the free dining and all but we were there last year for the last week of June / first week of July so I am hoping the crowds are a little better
We'll be there the 20th-28th as well. This is our 3rd trip down at this time of year. We like it in Aug. It is still hot and humid so drink lots of water. The crowds tend to be lighter than June and July. The last time I checked touring plans we were at 5's most days. Someone said they had increased crowd levels for the first part of Aug, so I'll check that probably next week to see if anything has changed. Like Sue said, we take breaks in the afternoon and then go back out in the evenings. It's a great time to go.
Our schools here in Central Florida start on August 24th this year, so the crowds should calm down a bit. It will still be fairly hot at that time. Have a wonderful trip!
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