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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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,
I'm just looking into booking our first ever stay at Universal. We are liking the stay and cruise option but have no idea if we should stay 3 days and cruise 4 or vice-versa?
Is there enough to do at the park to make it exciting for 4 days, or would we be bored on the 4th day? We have 2 boys who will be 10 and 16 at the time, if that factors into it. We are looking for a change from WDW and also very excited about the new Harry Potter attraction.
Thanks for any thoughts you share!
When people ask me this, I always say you need at least 2 full days to experience everything both parks have to offer. A 3rd day will allow you to re-visit your favorites.
Do your boys enjoy thrill rides? If so I doubt they would get bored. We've stayed a week at a time at Universal and not been bored. You can also factor in a pool day - if you stay at one of their onsite resorts you can pool hop to the other 2 resort pools as well.
You could also consider a day at Sea World or Wet & Wild.
We were there in late June and were able to get through each park, seeing everything and riding everything we wanted to, doing one day per park.
We did Universal Studios the first day and IOA the second . . . both days we got to the park about 10am and left around 6pm. We got the Express Pass at IOA and did not need to use it AT ALL. :
IMO, if you did 3 days, like Shell said, it would be one day per park and the 3rd day to revisit things you'd like to do again . . . or in a busier holiday time, to hit anything you missed.
DW and I went last year and did one day at each park. We got there at park opening and stayed till close, which was early due to the season. We rode everything we wanted multiple times and still had time to just wonder around and see the sites. I agree with the one day/park and a 3rd to revisit favs.
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for us its a 2 day park, we have AP'S so we park hop.
but depending on the time of year 2 is plenty. we have done US/IOA then headed back to disney for EMH
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I liked having three day (my only other trip was five days...a bit too much, but still fun!). One to do each park and then a day to redo favorites or any shows that we weren't able to hit because of timing. We usually don't stay until close either....giving us time to swim back at our resort and have a nice dinner out.
I liked having three day (my only other trip was five days...a bit too much, but still fun!). One to do each park and then a day to redo favorites or any shows that we weren't able to hit because of timing.
I like having 3 or 4 days, as I don't like staying from opening to closing. 1 day per park, and a 3rd to go back to revisit favs, and things you didn't get to. There are also some shows, and I just enjoy wandering around. We went 4 days last time at a leisurely pace. We also had SeaWorld tickets.
In 2005 we did both parks in one day - open til closing. Exhausting but worth it - my older kids were too short for alot of the IOA thrill rides and I was pregnant so missed them too but we did wait around/shop/take photos whilst DH enjoyed himself! The only thing I really wanted to experience was Duelling Dragons? but I wouldn't go again just for that. We were satisfied with park hopping on just one day then back to our happy place.
In July 2008, the kids and I went for 3 days.
We did everything we wanted to at the parks but wish we had one more day so we could've relaxed a bit more at the resort, wander a bit at City Walk and ride the Simpsons a few more times. LOL
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