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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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've been on Space Mountain, and I really pretty much hate it (though I tollerate it more at DLR than WDW) I just don't like feeling like I'm going to die the whole time. I really do feel like I'm going to fall for miles. I can tackle the other roller coasters disney throws at me (except California Screamin' I know that I would hate it lol), but SM wigs me out.
Anyway, my neice (just turned six) is a little daredevil. She's already let us know that while she wants to do the kid rides again, she wants to do more of the "BIG rides" like the Matterhorn and Grizzly River Run. Like those rides we let her watch from all angles before she committed to do anything. Honestly I thought she'd freak on the Matterhorn but she squealed with delight the whole time (I on the otherhand was holding onto her so I bounced all over that stupid car! LOL but it was worth it, I love that ride and I loved going on it with her). She wanted to do Griz. River so many times and we only got to go once. Splash Mt. wasn't open last time but I have a feeling that - should she be okay with watching the drop that others go on she'll love it.
So here's the question - there's no way for her to see what Space Mountain is like. We won't know how she'll react until she's on the ride. And I don't want her to be apprehensive of rides after it, should it freak her out. She liked the Indy ride until the giant snake and then every ride after that she wanted to know if it was the snake ride. She still went on other rides, but we had to promise her there were no snakes (yeah that meant Jungle Cruise was out lol she wouldn't believe us when we said it wasn't scary. Apparently the child is scared of snakes, who knew?! We live in AK so we don't have any snakes up here)
So, is this a bypass altogether, or do we talk it up? How do you introduce it to your kids?
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I hate Space Mountain too! My first time riding was my last time riding. Too bumpy and not a smooth ride at all. Now that I hurt my back I have another reason not to ride. My wife hated it too, we skip it every trip. If my daughter wants to ride it when she is old enough to ride by herself she can choose to ride it or not. Unless my wife wants to go with her!
My daughter rode it for the first time when she was 7 or 8, and she loved it! I'm not sure she would've loved it at 6, to be honest. It really depends on the child.
The only thing that "worries" me about Space Mountain is that there's really no time for a breather throughout the entire ride...once it starts speeding, it doesn't stop until the very end, so the child (or adult!) doesn't really have time to catch her breath.
My son loves BTMRR, but that ride isn't in the dark, and it does slow down here and there for you to catch your breath. He didn't ride Space Mountain until he a few months ago when he turned 8. On his first ride, he came off it a bit dazed but liked it. We've since been back on it twice, and he loved it both times (although I don't think he would've done back to back rides).
Just my opinion. You know your niece best!
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My DS went on Space Moutain for the first time when he was 7. Before we went we watched videos on youtube so he could see what it was like. I know that it's not the same as actually riding it but it got him excited. Once he rode it he loved it, me not so much, he is so skinny that when the bar came down there was a lot of space between it and him and with no other seat belts I was worried the whole time that he was gonna fall out. I was sitting in front and actually had my right arm behind me holding on to his foot, like that would really help, but in the end he loved it and wanted to ride it again but since all the adults were like no way, he will have to wait until he is old enough to ride it by himself.
I also was going to suggest You tube... When we were taking my step son(who is 11) for his first time last August that is exactly what we did. He viewed all things Disney and was able to make a decision after viewing. Ended up riding everything and funny thing he says this year he doesn't want to go on Tower of Terror again..LOL...
My daughter rode SM the first time at four and was fine. She was a huge daredevil young. I was a wreck worried about her on the ride, but she was sitting with Dad and just loved it. DS didn't ride for the first time until he was about 10. He was okay with fast, but not the dark part. So, I think it depends on the kid. I'd let her try it, as long as she understands she can't get off until it's over. I'd bet she's going to love it unless she's bothered by the darkness.