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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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.
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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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16 September – part one: is that spelling out what I think it is?
Dates: Sunday 16 September Adventurers: Me, Cheryl (39) and DH Mark (47) Destinations: Legoland Windsor Celebration: we have two for one vouchers burning a hole in our pocket!
A bit of history here first... in the UK, we have a number of attractions owned and operated by the Merlin group. This includes Madame Tussard’s, Chessington World of Adventures, the Sea Life Centres, Warwick Castle, Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and Legoland Windsor. Almost every year, without fail, there are two for the price of one vouchers either through our main supermarket or national newspapers. Every time, we cut them out and keep them, intending to use them. I’m sure you can see where this is going... You’re right! Every time, we never get round to using them and we just bin them, although we did at least use one set for Chessington World of Adventures last year. I was determined to use at least one again this year.
We’d been talking about going to Legoland Windsor for some time. The last time we were there, I was a journalist, and I left journalism in April 2002. We took our niece and nephew, who then were aged about 10 and 12, give or take a year or two. Now one of them is 22 and the other’s 24. it’s been some time since we last went to the park...
We were hoping to go a week earlier, but sadly Mark’s gout flared up, which meant walking was pretty much not an option – and hitting a theme park wasn’t the best plan. It turned out to be a good thing, as the weather was unseasonably hot – into the mid 80s and, although it was very pleasant to sit out in the sun, I don’t think it would have been particularly pleasant to walk around in. Equally, I can imagine that the place would’ve been packed.
Today was very different. It was overcast, although the weather forecast at least promised it would stay dry. We set off at about 9:00am, a bit later than I was hoping, as I wanted to be there by park opening, which was 10:00am. We had a good run up to Windsor. The GPS system took us a slightly odd route, but it worked out quite well, as it took us first through Runnymede...
... then towards Windsor, along the road which offers a superb glimpse of Windsor Castle, if you’re quick enough to get the shot that is.... and of course I was!
We stopped off on the way to get some money out, as neither of us had much cash on us and it’s just as well we did, as you’ll see in a moment...
Soon, we were arriving at the park. Sadly, I missed the Lego deer on the roundabout as we entered, but all over the place, there were cool Lego sculptures.
Almost immediately we were passing the resort hotel. As you’d expect, it was Lego themed, but it was also a bit too much for our taste...
As we drove along, we saw some Lego workmen with letters. They came in this order, even if I didn’t photograph all of them.... C.... O.... W.... I started to get really excited!
But ... here’s what it was actually spelling out...
We arrived at the parking lot and decided to pay for the priority parking, which was right by the park entrance for £8. See, just as well we got some cash on the way here! To be honest, it wasn’t that bad, as you have to pay £2 for standard parking here.
As we walked towards the entrance, I could see that it was going to be busy... I’d had that horrible feeling as we’d driven in, judging by the number of cars.
We joined the shortest line and it still took about 10 minutes to get our tickets but at least the two tickets only cost us £44, rather than the standard £88 price tag.
We headed into the park and unsurprisingly, the entrance area, called appropriately enough the Beginning, was absolutely mobbed. What is it with people when they enter a theme park that they just stand by the entrance, trying to decide what to do, instead of already having a plan? Still, I guess that puts those of us who do actually plan ahead of the game...
We walked a little way with the intention of heading for the newest ride at the park immediately, but we did get sidetracked on the way there. Our first stop was just beyond the Beginning, where there was a stunning view over Windsor below us, as well as part of the park, including the resort hotel...
... you could see Windsor Castle and from here, you really got the idea of how big the park is.
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What a great shot of Windsor Castle! I always love seeing the Lego sculptures at Downtown Disney but always wonder if Legoland would be a bit too much of the same thing.... it'll be interesting to get your point of view, visiting without kids. I love that you got excited about seeing "C O W" and then it turned out to be.... not cows!
What a great shot of Windsor Castle! I always love seeing the Lego sculptures at Downtown Disney but always wonder if Legoland would be a bit too much of the same thing.... it'll be interesting to get your point of view, visiting without kids.
I think that opinion will come out as we go through this trip report, so I won't answer that just yet...
Cool start.
My son Evan is just getting into Legos. His birthday is next week and I have some for him and Santa will be bringing some I'm sure. I know our next visit to Florida will include a day at legoland there so I'm anxious to see what you think about Lego land in general and I know you have some amazing pictures too.
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Great start! I would never have thought there would be a Legoland in Windsor. It doesn't seem quite right.
I hear you, but as you can see, it's quite some distance outside Windsor itself. It used to be the Windsor Safari Park, before that closed and it became Legoland.
16 September – part two: that’s a long wait so soon after opening!
We headed downwards, as everything is downhill from the park entrance. Of course, you know what that means – it’s going to be uphill on the way back. Personally, I’d prefer it the other way around, but you can’t have everything...
All along the way, there were Lego models and I got as many photos as I could, although it was hard as the kids were all playing with them, which is partly what they’re there for.
Putting the Mount Rushmore statues up an embankment wasn’t the greatest plan though, as it meant that kids were running up there and then careering back down. As we said, they’ll be exhausted before long and then moody and grumpy. That’s pretty much what happened to us all those years ago when we came here with our niece and nephew...
Still, it was downwards and eventually we got to Miniland, which we were both really looking forward to, but again, we didn’t stop here and I only grabbed a couple of photos. From what we could see, everything here was very impressive and I knew that we would spend some serious time here later...
The next section of the park we came to was the Duplo Land area, which seemed pretty quiet. I can’t imagine why there weren’t any kids playing in the water play area. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that it wasn’t that warm...
Still, we kept going and we saw the Boating School. There was no way we were going on that, with a 60 minute wait. That didn’t bode well, so soon after the park opened. We looked at some of the Lego models around here that we would see on the Boating School ride and I could see why it was so popular.
Then it was over to the Atlantis submarine ride, which is what I had been aiming for. It’s new to the park this year, so I figured it would be mobbed. Certainly the line looked pretty long when we joined it.
As we waited, we saw the train go round, which I would really liked to have taken, but what stopped us was the warnings that “you will get wet”, not “you may get wet”. We couldn’t figure out why, but eventually we did. It’s because there are secret buttons that the kids can press to set off water jets to soak passengers on the train.
Personally, I thought that was a shame, as I’d like to have done it, but that put us off. Why does everything have to have an extra thrill element to it? I’d have been very happy with just a train ride and I’m sure that would keep kids occupied as well.
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........Personally, I thought that was a shame, as I’d like to have done it, but that put us off. Why does everything have to have an extra thrill element to it? I’d have been very happy with just a train ride and I’m sure that would keep kids occupied as well.
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Every time, we never get round to using them and we just bin them, although we did at least use one set for Chessington World of Adventures last year. I was determined to use at least one again this year. 
... here’s what it was actually spelling out... 
I’d had that horrible feeling as we’d driven in, judging by the number of cars. 
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Holly: 
That didn’t bode well, so soon after the park opened. We looked at some of the Lego models around here that we would see on the Boating School ride and I could see why it was so popular. 
Put the water jets in the water play area!! 
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