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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Hi. Please help. We have the choice of staying at a Universal hotel for 7 days and a Disney hotel for 7 days. I am worried that 7 days at Disney will not be enough. I would be grateful for your advice on what would be a good balance. We have 2 lads of 12 and 9. Thanks Kaz
I have done Disney AND Universal/IOA every trip but I can't imagine trying to do the Universal parks for 7 days.
Personally I think each park, Universal and Island of Adventure only need one full day for each park. Then maybe park hop and do both parks on the 3rd day. But 3 days is the maximum I would spend at IOA/US.
But I also am one that wouldn't spend more than one day in each Disney park.
I get bored easy so I need variety.
On our last trip we did Sea World, Busch Gardens, Discovery Cove, Universal, Island of Adventure, Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom. It was a perfect trip.
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7 days at US / IOA is too much imho. Max of 3 days; 1 for each park, 1 for a highlight combo day would suffice. 2 days at US / IOA and 5 days at WDW would be the best way to go
I'm with the others. Go with a couple of days at Universal at the max. We've done seven days at Disney before and it's plenty of time to do everything. I usually say six days as a minimum if possible - two days each for the Magic Kingdom and Epcot and a day for the Studios and Animal Kingdom.
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I too agree with the others. The most I've ever done at US/IOA is 5 days, but really you could get by with 3 days. 7 days should also be plenty of time to explore and have fun at Disney.
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.
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I also think one full day at each universal park and one day to hop between and to the highlights is enough.
And the remainder at WDW is a great amount of time to spend there
We´ve stayed 4 nights at US and it was enought for both parks and also Discovery Cove/Sea World. Unless you´ve planned other parks at International Drive area 7 days would be too much.
7 days at Disney is enough for visiting the 4 major parks, and depend on the weather try a water park. You´ll probably leave without experience "everything" but I find this feeling as positive once it help me planning a future vacation.
I would say stay at Disney and drive to Universal when you decide to go because its only a 5 min drive.....and the magic staying at Disney is amazing.....p.s I highly recommend Pop Century Resort if you stay at Disney
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We went during spring break this year. Two days was more than enough, with park hopper, at Us/IOA. We took a third day to visit SeaWorld. That was plenty for us. But Disney.... we usually stay 6-7 days.
There is not enough to do at Universal for 7 days, its a one day trip for us (if we ever do it again, which is not likely).
Disney however, we like to have 10 days at, although we settle for 7. Your kids will find plenty to do at Disney, but the same can not be said for Universal. You should go to Disney and then go to Universal for 1-3 days.
I would say stay at Disney and drive to Universal when you decide to go because its only a 5 min drive.....and the magic staying at Disney is amazing.....p.s I highly recommend Pop Century Resort if you stay at Disney
I'm the opposite. I find the magic of staying onsite at Universal to be far superior to what WDW has to offer. And the perks far outweigh WDW's onsite perks. So if I were staying in one place I would stay at Universal and commute to Disney.
We like long stays, and we like repeating rides. We also like having the time to explore resorts, to swim, to relax. 7 days at Universal sounds incredible. Wonderful. Fabulous. Oh man would I love to do that.
7 days at WDW sounds a little short, though. Again, we like repeating, relaxing, and exploring. 7 days doesn't give me 2 days in each park. Nor does it give me a rest day.
I would say 3 full days for Universal and the rest at Disney. The extra time at Disney is needed. I am going to Universal for 7 nights the end of February and staying at Royal Pacific. We have a lot of other activities we are doing though. Hockey games in Estero and Orlando, also we have tickets for LaNouba so we will spend an evening over at Disney Marketplace. The rest of the time we will be at Universal. Just booked a week in October at Disney.
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.
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