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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 Everyone!!
We are going on our trip in Dec 2011 and i was hoping to get any tips or advice on what ot see, do, experience, places to eat etc, We are going for DD's 5th bday, we will be there to celebrate on her actual day We got the deluxe dining plan and am staying at Pop for 10 days. We will be there starting Dec 7. Also, any advice on traveling with an infant will be helpful as well, we're hoping to have another little one by then, he/she would be anywhere from 6 wks - 5 months thanks and looking forward to hearing what everyone has to say!!!!
Congrats on the trip and new baby! Take things easy and see lots of characters, do as many character meals as you can. Take a break to swim during the day if possible and take lots of pics.
My best advice for travelling with a little one is to take an afternoion break back at your resort. We hit the parks early and go back to the resort after lunch for a swim and a nap. Everyone is refreshed, happy and ready to spend the evenings at the parks!
Take afternoon breaks. Make sure to see all the decorations at the resorts (GF, BC/YC, WL have some of the nicer ones). The Osborne Lights at DHS. The Storytellers at Epcot, as well as the Candlelight Processional. MVMCP at MK!
Personally, park hopper with the kids is worth every $$. It allows you to do a park in the a.m., head back to the resort for naps/swimming and then head to another park in the p.m.
Happy Planning and good luck baby making!!
My son was 4 months the first time we took him to Magic Kingdom, but it wasn't a Disney vacation...so we only managed the Pirate and Princes party that trip. But he loved it...just sat in his stroller and looked around wide-eyed! He was 9 months when we took him for his first official Disney vacation! He was great...better than my 5 year old! My kids have always napped in the stroller, so we never felt it necessary to leave the park and rest at the resort midday. Plus, it will be December and IMO, too cold to swim!
My only advice is to go slow, get to the parks before rope drop, do your must-do attractions in the morning, have lunch and then whatever you do after that is just a bonus. We don't hop for the simple fact that we do as much as we can in one park and when we're done/tired we go back to the resort. We usually stay til 7-8 ish and then go back, get things ready for the next day, shower, etc...and we're all in bed by 9:30-10. For us, spending the money for the hopper option is just not worth it. You'll get a lot of people who like it, but I am not one of them!
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For 10 days we did not do the park hopper. We felt it was long enough when our kids were 2 and 4 the first year we took them. PLenty of time to see everything and not go commando!
We went last Christmas and enjooyed the MVMCP, Osborne lights at Epcot along with the storytellers, the decorations at GF. Happy planning!
to the boards and congrats on the trip (and any other additions in the meantime )!
December in WDW is amazing! Allears.net provides some great information regarding the many holiday happenings around Disney in December, including MVMCP, which is scheduled at the MK on certain nights through mid-December (but requires a separate ticket to attend); "park extras," such as The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at DHS and the Candlelight Processional and Holidays Storytellers in Epcot (which are included with park admission); and some no cost activities, including visiting the resorts, many of which are all decorated for the season!
In addition, don't forget to also check out the menus over there for all of the restaurants on property! This will give you an idea of what to expect/plan for when it's ADR-making time!
And, as far as traveling with little ones, try reviewing our own Disney For Kids section, located within this forum, for tips, tricks, and plans to help you get around with toddlers, and babies, alike!
Congrats on the trip! For a first visit- I'd do 2 days at each park, then for the last 2 days (assuming they're whole days?) revisit your favs.
You've gotten some great ideas here.
I would also do some reading- Passporter and WDW- The Unofficial Guide books are very good. Unofficial Guide has a good web site too, touringplans.com I esp like their Crowd Calendar. I always use it to plan what days I'll go to each park.
If you're planning on getting the dining plan that includes Table Service restaurants- you need to book 180 days in advance. It helps to make you park plans, then slot in dinner in or near the park you plan on being in.
Have fun planning!
thanks everyone for the warm welcome and the advice! I purchased both the 2011 unofficial guide and the unofficial guide with all the pics, my daughter loves to look at pictures of disney
I am now going through to plan out our dining reservations, i got the deluxe dining so we would be able to do as many character meals and dinner shows as possible. I know it's early but june 10 will be here before i know it lol.
We can't wait to see everything decorated for christmas!!!
We took our DD for her first trip to WDW at 9 months old (in Dec 2009) and she did fantastic. She even cooed at all the characters. She also slept in her stroller so we didn't need to take mid-day breaks. At that young age I think Christmas time is the best. They love the music and the lights.
Also, a good tip is to take advantage of the Baby Care Center in each park. I was nursing and found the quiet place in the midst of a chaotic park a true blessing. They also have high chairs and carry baby supplies for purchase if you forgot something or run out.
Here some suggestions:
I´d not get "a priori" PH option. You can add later if you need, and with a longer vacation you might not want to do 2 park same day.
For your DD: I´ve planned my DD 6 Bday at WDW and she loved it! We did BBBoutique in the morning and lunch at Cinderella Royal Table!
We usually had 2 meals per day, a breakfast meal and a lunch-dinner meal. The portions a huge and you can book some special places for the kids. Like character meals, and so on....and try to combine the park and restaurant. For example, At MK CRT is a great option for a late lunch or early dinner, Epcot Garden Grill or Arkhansus (both character meals) are great options. And so on....so you can habe breakfast, touring in the park, have a late lunch early dinner meal in a TS restaurant (a great break in the day) and after that decide if you want to return to the resort to rest or continue touring.
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We got the deluxe dining plan and am staying at Pop for 10 days. We will be there starting Dec 7. Also, any advice on traveling with an infant will be helpful as well, we're hoping to have another little one by then, he/she would be anywhere from 6 wks - 5 months 
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Pixie Dust
Cassie
PassPorter Guide Author
WDW 2015 !
Our last WDW trip as a family 
Deb
to the boards and congrats on the trip (and any other additions in the meantime 
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