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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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're just back a week and I'm already thinking of next year's trip!
Now that DD is in school, it's looking like the only time we could go for a long stretch would be the summer. I'd probably be looking at early July (possibly late June, depending on the school calendar) and doing a long stretch - like 10 nights - so we could take it at a slow pace (with lots of pool breaks) because we're not the greatest in the heat.
So how are the crowds and weather? Is there a big differene in temps between early and late July? (I see the rates go down even further at the Deluxes the further into July we go.)
We normally go in April/May or January, so I know this is going to be a whole differnt ballgame. Thanks for the input!
We usually went in September but since my son started school last year we went in late July- yes it was hot but i didn't feel the crowds were too terribly bad. Some of the young children's rides were long but we just opted for some other ones since we go every year. Bring lots of water!! I love the vitaminwater because it tastes like plain water no aftertaste but with a little oomp!
Let's see. In July it's hot and it rains. It's hot and it will rain. Oh and yes, it's hot and will rain. I think I covered it all.
Seriously though, It's summer in Florida. It will be hot, there will be rain, there will be crowds. All of my trips have either been in July or August and to me, you can't beat that time of year. The parks are open late, usually every attraction is open (it always use to be that way - everything open - but as the years have passed, sometimes something will be down but not a lot of things), and for the most part, the rain will come like clockwork (usually at 3 pm or so) and leave just as quickly. You've been before so you know the ropes with FP and with a 10 day trip, you'll get to see everything and you're already planning on taking it slow so I think you'll be fine going that time. If you go early July, the only "problem" I could see is which park to be in on the 4th. The last time I spent the 4th in Disney, AK wasn't open and DHS didn't have any kind of fireworks so the MK and Epcot ended up being packed and then closed due to capacity. Of course, back then Epcot had the better show but Illuminations has changed and isn't nearly as good as it used to be and Disney didn't show the 4th of July fireworks on any night but the 4th so you had to choose, one or the other. But all that aside, depending upon what's happening in Disney, there could be a small chance of closing due to capacity on the 4th.
Let's see. In July it's hot and it rains. It's hot and it will rain. Oh and yes, it's hot and will rain. I think I covered it all.
Seriously though, It's summer in Florida. It will be hot, there will be rain, there will be crowds. All of my trips have either been in July or August and to me, you can't beat that time of year. The parks are open late, usually every attraction is open (it always use to be that way - everything open - but as the years have passed, sometimes something will be down but not a lot of things), and for the most part, the rain will come like clockwork (usually at 3 pm or so) and leave just as quickly. You've been before so you know the ropes with FP and with a 10 day trip, you'll get to see everything and you're already planning on taking it slow so I think you'll be fine going that time. If you go early July, the only "problem" I could see is which park to be in on the 4th. The last time I spent the 4th in Disney, AK wasn't open and DHS didn't have any kind of fireworks so the MK and Epcot ended up being packed and then closed due to capacity. Of course, back then Epcot had the better show but Illuminations has changed and isn't nearly as good as it used to be and Disney didn't show the 4th of July fireworks on any night but the 4th so you had to choose, one or the other. But all that aside, depending upon what's happening in Disney, there could be a small chance of closing due to capacity on the 4th.
Hot and rainy - check! Thanks for all the info - it helps a lot. Good point about the lack of closures. We experienced lots and lots of closures on our last two January trips.
We've always gone in the summer (twice over July 4th week) and I really enjoyed it. Yes, there were crowds, but as you probably already know FP's are key. I would definitely recommend staying out of the parks on July 4 though.
We too are limited by DS's school breaks so we go when the crowds are there. Yes it's hot and it rains almost every day but just a short monsoon kind of rain. As long as you know how to use fastpasses to your full advantage and you take it slow, you should be fine. We usually head back to the resort midday for a swim or nap (in air conditioning!). Some days we stay in the parks and even that's not so bad. Lots of attractions are air conditioned, there's the water rides, and you can always browse the shops for a nice cool break. The park hours are longer, most every attraction is open, and it's easier to plan the nighttime entertainment IMHO. You'll find Fantasmic showing much more often in July than January.
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Hot and rainy - check! Thanks for all the info - it helps a lot. Good point about the lack of closures. We experienced lots and lots of closures on our last two January trips.
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