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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Hello All,
Just returned on Sat from a week at CBR, resort as always was beutifull. mousekeeping sucked! Sand flea's were horrible at the resport beaches...got tones of bites. The theme pool is amazing, cast members at the resort were super nice!
Crowds were ok at the parks usually waitied about 15 min per ride.
But the dining was soooo bad....we had to wait at least an extra30 minutes for each reservation we had ...sometimes up to an hour. And when we did get into the resterauntsit was so busy that we never saw our waiters! The service was horrible, the food was below par (I actually think I had food posining from liberty tree) I was soo sick for a day after eating dinner there.
Were went to disney may/08 and it was fantastic! This time the food and service was so disapointing that I think it will be a few years before we go back...if ever.
I'm so sorry to hear that. I know that May is a great time to go and maybe just
going during a different time of year would do the trick. I'm glad you enjoyed
your resort.
That's why Free Dining keeps me away -- the number of guests eating makes it difficult to get in to the restaurants, the waitstaff are trying, but are totally overworked, and the kitchens can't produce their normally great food under those stressors.
I'm sorry you had to get hit with all three.
Eielen
What a disappointment - I'm so sorry to hear it! I'm even sorrier that I'm going during free dining... I've always gone during value season and I'm taking my friend with me who is, for all intents and purposes, a Disney newbie. I'd hate for her experience to be with hour-long waits to get into a restaurant to have poor service!
*fingers crossed* that this was an aberration! I suggest if you return, go during value season in January or February. Sure it's cooler than in early fall, but... no crowds, no free dining, lol!
I'm so glad you had great experiences at the parks and with the CM's though! And low waits are always a plus!
Wow, I'm sorry to hear that We were there this weekend on a last minute trip and had no problem getting into 1900 PF (dinner), WCC (breakfast), Yachtsman (dinner), or Crystal Palace (breakfast). I found the restaurants to be not very full at all considering it was during free dining. We had great service in all the places, too. I called on Friday night when we arrived and got ADRs at each location/time we wanted. The past two years have been substanially busier during free dining IMO.
Unfortunately quality has gone down in general since the Dining Plan was introduced regardless of whether it's free or not. We concentrate on non-Disney eateries when we go down now as do many others we know. Too many subpar experiences with both food and service.
That's why Free Dining keeps me away -- the number of guests eating makes it difficult to get in to the restaurants, the waitstaff are trying, but are totally overworked, and the kitchens can't produce their normally great food under those stressors.
I'm sorry you had to get hit with all three.
Eielen
You hit the nail on the head!
We have never had a problem with dining with my food allergies...this time with free dining we had more problems than I care to admit.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I'm sorry you had such a terrible time with dining. Going during free dining has always been a big fear for me as I figured problems would exist becuase there were so many people eating, however I was pleasently surprised on our August trip. We really did not have much wait for our meals (except for one issue), our food was great and we had pretty good service. Sorry that your experience proved to be otherwise.
I'm so sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy your dining experiences. I would be so upset considering how much I enjoy planning for my meals at WDW. I've been twice during free dining and (thankfully!) haven't experienced anything nearly as bad as you did.
Quick question for you: Did you eat mostly in the parks or did you try a few resort eateries as well? I guess I always think the in-park dining can be a bit hectic at regular mealtimes, espcially during Free Dining. Just wondered if it was any better outside the parks. Not that there's any excuse for poor service at Disney!
Hope you get a chance to return and have a better experience!
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
.
Melanie
We had great service in all the places, too. I called on Friday night when we arrived and got ADRs at each location/time we wanted. The past two years have been substanially busier during free dining IMO.
*Ginger*
![[SIGPIC]](signaturepics/sigpic18031_16.gif)
~Megan~
Linear Mode
