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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I just got back from France and while we were there, we had to make a day trip to DLP, of course! I didn't know quite what to expect, but had high hopes b/c I'm so used to the high quality of everything at WDW in Florida. I have to say that I was pretty disappointed in DLP. Not everything, of course, but many aspects of our day. The rides were fantastic & definitely scarier than WDW. The architecture and look of the park was beautiful. But, when it came down to the little details, it was not WDW. For one, I felt that there just weren't enough employees there and the employees I did see seemed a bit lackluster. I was shocked when I saw trash and cigarette butts everywhere and also, paint chipping and sidewalks cracked. Also, half the park closed an hour before fireworks and the fireworks themselves were very short with no finale. In the shops on Main Street an hour before fireworks, most of the employees had "closed down their registers" (I went to 3 people to try to pay and they all said they weren't open. Finally found one cashier and I waited in line for 20 minutes! ). It was as if they were trying to get rid of everyone early. Also, dinner in Blue Lagoon was inedible. Neither DH or I could eat it (and we're not picky eaters).
Sorry if DLP is your favorite Disney Park! I'm really not trying to be a hater, but I had such high hopes for my day there and it makes me sad that Disney seems to have slipped at this location!
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Sorry your visit wasn't as magical as at WDW! I'd like to visit there someday, so I'm interested to hear that. I wouldn't expect it to beat WDW but I would expect it to have more Disney magic in its employees and other aspects!
__________________
Amanda =)
Living out a childhood dream during my summer 2015 trip to WDW. Is it time to go back yet?
“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." –Walt Disney
Whether it be in the US or another country IMO just the Disney name means high standards to me so I too would be disappointed in what you saw and experienced. I'm sorry that it happened.
I think you've summed up Disneyland Paris pretty well. Sure, there are elements that are much better than other parks - and that's the case at every Disney park around the world (having been to them all, I can say that! ) but equally there are areas where DLP is lacking, particularly compared to the American parks. The one thing I always find is that the character meets are chaotic for example.
I hope, despite that, it didn't spoil your visit too much and you're still glad you went.
I'm sorry that DLP was slightly less than Magical. I'm hoping to visit sometime relatively soon. I've spent quite a bit of time in France, but not visited DLP yet.
I'm sorry to hear that you were disappointed with DLRP, but I can totally understand it .
I live in Belgium, and I've been to DLRP a few times, so I know how it is over there.
Until now, I can not relate to how it is in WDW, but I'm going in October, and I'm really looking forward to it, because I've read so many things about WDW, that I already know that it's going to have more 'magic' then it does in DLRP.
Reading trip-reports from people who have been to DLRP (and experiencing it myself...), it always comes down to this :
People (other visitors) are rude, and do only care about themselves (cutting in lines, standing in front of you for parades, while you were there even before them, not giving you a chance to take a photo of a character, etc)
Some of the employees really don't look happy at all (fortunately, there are also some of them who would do everything to make your stay magical)
Toilets are a place you would want to avoid (but that's not really possible)
It's a chaos to have your picture taken with a character, either kids tend to hang around the character, so they're in all your pictures, or you just don't get a chance at all, because the character doesn't notice you, or people just push you out of the way
I'm really looking forward to my visit to WDW, but I already know that when I return to DLRP after WDW, it will have lost some more magic, knowing by then, that it can be done so much better, so much more magical...
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I'm sorry to hear that you were disappointed with DLRP, but I can totally understand it .
I live in Belgium, and I've been to DLRP a few times, so I know how it is over there.
Until now, I can not relate to how it is in WDW, but I'm going in October, and I'm really looking forward to it, because I've read so many things about WDW, that I already know that it's going to have more 'magic' then it does in DLRP.
Reading trip-reports from people who have been to DLRP (and experiencing it myself...), it always comes down to this :
People (other visitors) are rude, and do only care about themselves (cutting in lines, standing in front of you for parades, while you were there even before them, not giving you a chance to take a photo of a character, etc)
Some of the employees really don't look happy at all (fortunately, there are also some of them who would do everything to make your stay magical)
Toilets are a place you would want to avoid (but that's not really possible)
It's a chaos to have your picture taken with a character, either kids tend to hang around the character, so they're in all your pictures, or you just don't get a chance at all, because the character doesn't notice you, or people just push you out of the way
I'm really looking forward to my visit to WDW, but I already know that when I return to DLRP after WDW, it will have lost some more magic, knowing by then, that it can be done so much better, so much more magical...
I just wanted to welcome you to the boards - what a beautiful part of the world you live in, we love Bruges.
People (other visitors) are rude, and do only care about themselves (cutting in lines, standing in front of you for parades, while you were there even before them, not giving you a chance to take a photo of a character, etc)
We definitely experienced this too! I was quite shocked at how rude the other visitors were. We had an entire family (parents with kids ) try to cut in line in front of us at Indiana Jones and since I'm a pretty outspoken person, I said something to them. They got behind us, but then the father got on his cell phone & was saying something about "Americans" in Arabic and staring at us! (Don't know what he was saying, but DH and I definitely caught the "Americans".)
It was definitely an uncomfortable 90 minute wait. (Maybe I'll just keep my mouth shut next time...)
I have to agree that there are areas where DLP is lacking in Disney magic. While I love DLP dearly, I'd really like to see improvement when it comes to cast member motivation. Of course, the biggest problem always seem to be fellow guests. - And this is coming from a European (I live in Germany) There are always people trying to cut in line (and yes, teenagers and adults alike) or generally being rude. Unfortunately, I don't think Disney will be able to do something about that.
Since we keep going to DLP due to convenience (it is a lot closer to us than WDW!), we've simply adjusted our expectations. Sure, I'd rather people didn't cut in line right in front of me. But if I let it bother me, it's gonna ruin my vacation, so I tend to let stuff slide more so I can enjoy the other things that are magical - like the gorgious castle
I was a castmember in Disneyland Paris a good few years ago, back then we had a very cosmopolitan crew with staff from all over the world...now it seems that the castmembers are mostly French and not (in general) as friendly.
Standards have fallen no doubt...but I still love DLP and hope it gets it's house in order.
Sure there are tens of thousands of us (former cast members) out there....not too many seem to be still as hooked on Disney as me though! Thanks for the welcome!
Last edited by barrackali; 08-18-2011 at 10:38 AM..
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Not everything, of course, but many aspects of our day. The rides were fantastic & definitely scarier than WDW. The architecture and look of the park was beautiful. But, when it came down to the little details, it was not WDW. For one, I felt that there just weren't enough employees there and the employees I did see seemed a bit lackluster. I was shocked when I saw trash and cigarette butts everywhere and also, paint chipping and sidewalks cracked. Also, half the park closed an hour before fireworks and the fireworks themselves were very short with no finale. In the shops on Main Street an hour before fireworks, most of the employees had "closed down their registers" (I went to 3 people to try to pay and they all said they weren't open. Finally found one cashier and I waited in line for 20 minutes! 
). It was as if they were trying to get rid of everyone early. Also, dinner in Blue Lagoon was inedible. Neither DH or I could eat it (and we're not picky eaters). 
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Pixie Dust
PassPorter Guide Author
) but equally there are areas where DLP is lacking, particularly compared to the American parks. The one thing I always find is that the character meets are chaotic for example. 
- And this is coming from a European 
Great to have a former Disneyland Paris Cast Member with us! 
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