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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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My husband and I will get off the Dream on Sunday, Nov 13. Our flight home is not until 8 pm.
We have one day left on our Universal tickets from a previous trip. I leaning toward not visiting Universal because of the special Harry Potter goings on that weekend.
Should we visit a Disney park for the day? We would have to buy one day passes, so they would not be park hoppers. Should we visit EPCOT for the last day of the F&WF, or avoid it?
Should we do something else?
We have not had a day in Orlando by ourselves since having our son 14 years ago! Any suggestions are appreciated!
Hard question! A 1 day ticket is pretty expensive, for not a full day. You'd have to leave for the airport by 5ish.
But would be fun to go to Epcot F&WF! Or MK.
Another option would be SeaWorld. Perhaps less expensive too. Good luck deciding!
We cruised the Dream in Oct, and got a rental car to drive back. We went to Downtown Disney and got there right as they opened. We shopped for a few hours, and ate lunch at Earl. Our flight was at 3:30. You could do something similar, and even visit a resort or two before heading to the airport.
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Looking forward to another Christmas with The Mouse!!
We cruised the Dream in Oct, and got a rental car to drive back. We went to Downtown Disney and got there right as they opened. We shopped for a few hours, and ate lunch at Earl. Our flight was at 3:30. You could do something similar, and even visit a resort or two before heading to the airport.
I like this idea. You could go resort hopping and take in the holiday decorations and enjoy a nice meal somewhere. Keep in mind that that weekend is Veteran's Day, so it is possible the parks will be pretty crowded. Hope you have a marvelous time!
You could go to Epcot for the Food and Wine Festival, but usually that's pretty busy at weekends. I'd be tempted to have a non-park day and visit Downtown Disney and maybe some resorts or, as has been suggested, go to Universal, rather than Islands of Adventure.
If you have a Universal park ticket, I would use it! Otherwise the suggestions for going to DTD are good as well. I cannot see paying the one day admission price for a Disney Park. It's gotten super expensive and you only have a few hours!
I agree with everyone else and would just opt for DTD. It's free and you can grab some last minute souvenirs and have some lunch/dinner, and then be on your way to the airport. One day ticket is pretty expensive just for a few hours and the F&WF is probably going to be super busy that day since it is the last weekend. Hope this helps!! Have a great time!
Thanks for all of your advice. I had thought of some of it, but didn't realize it was a holiday weekend!
A few more bits of info - I am not much of a shopper! Also, although I am frugal, I don't mind spending the money on admission to a Disney park - it's a big anniversary for DH and I this month. Our cruise was not very pricey, we are not doing any excursions, and we used airline miles for our airfare. We will have a rental car.
I am much more concerned about crowds! If we do Universal, we won't have the benefit of staying onsite to get front of the line access - and I am not paying for it! Might as well pay Disney admission in my opinion!
One more thing - we only get to Orlando every few years, so a day at a Disney park is a real treat! It sounds like we should avoid Epcot, much as we might not like that reality. What would you think Magic Kingdom might be like?
I think we will take all of your advice to heart, and then see how we feel that day.
Keep your thoughts coming please. I really appreciate all of your input!
If you think you will regret not going to Disney, then you should go. Magic Kingdom might be ok. Maybe you could check one of those websites that share crowd levels and see what they say about Veteran's Day weekend. It's possible that Sunday won't be as bad as Friday or Saturday. Good luck with your decision!
I would definitely do a one day trip to WDW. I actually had planned one in December but the plans were changed.
Here was my one day: DHS for Osbourne Lights, MK to see the beautiful castle and enjoy a Dole Whip float, and Sanaa for dinner (because I love it so!).
So, those plans were based on the Christmas decorations (and food, of course). I don't think the decorations would be up when you are there. However, I would definitely go for one day to a park, relax, ride what you like, eat what you love...see the beautiful sights and just enjoy it all!
EPCOT for F&W would be worth it even with the crowds. I say GO!
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"Disneyland has that thing - the imagination and the feeling of happy excitement - I knew when I was a kid."
--Walt Disney
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