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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Has anyone gone on a bass fishing trip at WDW? There is a coupon for it in Birnbaum's guide. I was thinking of taking my family on a fishing excursion during our April trip. I would appreciate any feedback and personal experiences regarding their fishing excursions. I was also wondering are you supposed to tip the guide?
I haven't personally done any of the fishing excursions, but per AllEars.net (assuming you haven't already been over there! ), there are two types of excursions: "Regular," which is a two-hour private, catch-and-release experience, for up to five people, at various locations throughout the resort, and there are also "Junior" excursions for kids, ages 6-12 years old.
As far as any personal experiences/feedback, checkout the "Review Page" too which will hopefully better answer your questions and/or provide additional information not already available on the main page.
I hope that helps until someone here on the boards can provide more recent feedback!
We took one from Saratoga Springs and went over to the Treehouse Villas and to the Marina at DTD. We did catch some fish at DTD but was advised that if we do it in the future to book the excursion to fish in Bay Lake. The fishing is better there. We had a wonderful time and a great fishing guide. He was determined to have everyone catch at least one fish but I was more concerned that our then 5 or 6 year old grandson be the one catching. I was taking pictures!
I haven't personally done any of the fishing excursions, but per AllEars.net (assuming you haven't already been over there! ), there are two types of excursions: "Regular," which is a two-hour private, catch-and-release experience, for up to five people, at various locations throughout the resort, and there are also "Junior" excursions for kids, ages 6-12 years old.
As far as any personal experiences/feedback, checkout the "Review Page" too which will hopefully better answer your questions and/or provide additional information not already available on the main page.
I hope that helps until someone here on the boards can provide more recent feedback!
Thanks, that was very helpful. It looks like all the reviews are good.
We took one from Saratoga Springs and went over to the Treehouse Villas and to the Marina at DTD. We did catch some fish at DTD but was advised that if we do it in the future to book the excursion to fish in Bay Lake. The fishing is better there. We had a wonderful time and a great fishing guide. He was determined to have everyone catch at least one fish but I was more concerned that our then 5 or 6 year old grandson be the one catching. I was taking pictures!
Best of luck!!
Thanks for the info. We are staying at WLV so it should be on Bay Lake. My boys are 10 and 14 so I think they would get a kick out of it. It would also make for some excellent photo opportunities for my wife. We might even be able to get her fishing.
My DH, DS and FIL did the excursion from the VWL while the girls were doing princess stuff and they loved it! My DH said the guide was great and he let my son steer the boat for a little while (he was probably 8 at the time). They caught lots of fish and got lots of great photos. The only con to the whole thing was that it was on the expensive side but it was nice for a special treat!
My DH, DS and FIL did the excursion from the VWL while the girls were doing princess stuff and they loved it! My DH said the guide was great and he let my son steer the boat for a little while (he was probably 8 at the time). They caught lots of fish and got lots of great photos. The only con to the whole thing was that it was on the expensive side but it was nice for a special treat!
We have done the Bass fishing excursion a couple of times. Once we did Downtown Disney area and the other time left from the Wilderness Lodge and fished in Bay Lake. Bay Lake was a better experience. We went to several areas around the lake. Carrie was our guide and she is very friendly. We provided her with a tip. We have also been told that if the weather is cool fishing is better late morning or early afternoon. Have fun.