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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 will be heading to the World for some R&R in early June. We are DVC members and will be staying at AKL Jambo House. Being DVC members and the kids being young (5 & 2) we have decided to maybe go to the parks once, maybe twice. One of the reasons being is that the kids just love being by the pool and doing things at the resort, which is just fine with us. There will be plenty of times for us to go 'commando' on the Parks (our 5 year old has been down there 3 times and this will be our 2 yrs old second trip).
Ok, with that said, our 5 year old has been asking to see Shamu and dolphins. So DW and I have been wondering if there is anything we need to know about visiting Sea World? Any tips about getting from the resor to Sea World and vice versa?
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I would take a cab from the resort to SeaWorld. It's easy and not all that expensive.
From a touring standpoint, SW is very different from WDW in that it's layout is all over the place and you'll feel like you are doing A LOT of walking in circles to get from one thing to another, especially getting from show to show. I would recommend seeing the early Shamu show since the stadium is ALL the way in the back of the park. That way you can see the show then work your way from back to front while others are working the other way.
If you and your wife would like to ride Kraken or Manta you may want to invest in their version of FP. Basically you pay extra for a "Quick Queue" bracelet which lets you skip most of the long lines on the 3 major coasters (Atlantis is the 3rd, which your 5 yr old may be big enough to ride). That way you guys could each get onto the ride quicker while the other one stays with the kids.
Beyond that, I completely recommend you take the time to feed the dolphins/ray/sharks/seals & sealions. It's a great oppertunity to get to touch the dolphins and rays and get a closer look at the other animals.
We're not really into coasters, so when we go to SeaWorld, we plan our day around seeing the shows - we usually aim to see the dolphin show, Shamu and Clyde and Seamore. From there, we work our touring around that...
Take a cab. It's around $30. Mears would cost $17 per person R/T. Plan your days around the shows. I'm assuming 2 year old will need a nap; there are plenty of shady areas to relax in
Sea World is a great park. It has a real different "feel" than Disney. Your kiddos will like the Shamu's Happy Harbor adjacent to Shamu stadium. There are a few small kid sized rides, a very large (and covered for shade) climbing structure, a wet play area and acarade style games. Wild Artic is another great area. It's where you see the Beluga whales, polar bears etc. It's designed to look like an artic base station inside with lots of little areas set up to look like a kitchen, ,work area etc. You enter the attraction by seeing a film either in on the "mild" side (sitting on benches and watching it) or by motion simulator. The film makes it look and feel as though you're going on an expedition to the base station. Very short. We've always done the "mild" side. All of the venus for the shows are outside with plenty of covering except the cirque du soeil type show at the Nautilus Theater. It's an indoor venu and has some a.c. All the shows are great but it can make for a very full day to get them all in as well as your exhibits. We usually pick one show and see the rest of the park. Then again, we go there lots so if we miss a show it's not that big of a deal. Our favorite is at the Key West Dolphin stadium. It involves several different types of animals, birds and trainers. Getting into most shows is not a problem. The Shamu show is the headliner and the biggest venu of all and typically everyone get seated. There are a couple of places to see the dolphins. One is the dolphin nursery which is close to the entrance. The other is the dolphin cove in the Key West area. Here you can feed the dolphins but it gets packed!!! If you're there early, go to the WaterFront area and see if the sky tower ride is open. It's a great way to see the park and various areas of Orlando in the distance. It's has a.c. too. The penguin encounter is another great indoor attraction with a.c. although sometimes later in the day it is dark as they maintain the exhibit to the penguin's natural body clock meaning they'll be asleep. We've always found the food to be good. Priced similar to the other parks. The 3 rides, other than Shamu's Happy Harbor, are Kraken, Journey to Atlantis and the new one which is called Manta I think (having memory loss here). They're all big thrills. Journey to Atlantis is like Splash Mountain but I think it's taller. The big drop is the first thing and then you reenter the building to do more roller coaster type stuff pretty much in the dark. You'll enjoy your day there!
I would go in a circle around the park starting at the entrance because that will drop you off right at the exit. When you are walkng, be sure to look at your map. It is very useful in such a big park. And remember, you don't have to do everything! Especially with younger kids, take it slow and be sure to take time for them to enjoy everything they want to. Younger kids will especially love all the animal interactions like the stingrays and dolphins. Be sure to see the shows too. They are truely amazing.
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LOVE Sea World!!! My best advice to you if you plan to stay all day is to get their all day dining plan. It is worth it. We like to go there and eat breakfast and then head over to Clyde and Seamore and then the Dolphin Show, grab lunch, head to the kid area (make sure you pack swimsuits for the kids as there is water play areas), then we do the pet show, grab a snack, enjoy the animal exhibits, catch a later Shamu show, get dinner, head back over to the kid area to ride the rides (by this point it has cleared out from the morning crowd, and then we end the day with Shamu Rocks...our favorite show of the day!
It is a full day but I don't find it to be as exhausting as Disney because you do more sitting in shows and I enjoy being able to eat out on the patio overlooking the lake on a nice day at many of the restruants. The food is not as good as WDW and the staff is less than stellar, but my son LOVES the animals so it makes for a nice break from the normal routine of WDW. Have fun!
You can do Sea World at a leisurely pace if you're not doing the coasters. The shows are fairly easy to get into. However, Pets on Stage tends to fill up fast. Try to get there at leasr 20-30 minutes before showtime to get a seat. The Shamu Believe show tends to fill up too, but shamu Stadium is huge. Even if you get the nosebleed seats, you can still get a good view of the show. Killer whales are quite huge!
It might be a good idea to visit Sea World in the middle of your vacation. It will be a nice leisurely "break" day after getting bounced around the Disney parks!
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