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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Has anyone been to either of the miniature golf courses? The no park day we have scheduled I thought about doing one. I'm not sure which one is better though? Fantasia or Winter Summerland.
MiniGolf is a tradition with us. We've been to both (ok...3) courses. Love em all. Here's my take on it.
Fantasia Gardens:
I'm a big fan of Fantasia, so it was awesome for me. It's very whimsical and actually pretty challenging. This is a good course to do during the day. It's also close to the Swan & Dolphin Resort, so it's (in my opinion) easier to get to.
Winter Summerland:
Gotta do this one at night when it's all lit up. Lots of fun, with a lot of surprises. The only drawback - and admittedly, this might be due to being unfamiliar with bus schedules and such - was transportation there. It's by Blizzard Beach (if memory serves) and once busses stop running in the evening, it's a pain in the hindquarters to get to where you need to be. I would suggest leaving a lot of time free for transportation before and after, and try not to schedule an ADR or other timed event afterwards.
Either way, I can't imagine a WDW trip without MiniGolf. Each course is themed perfectly, it's fun, it's something everyone can do, and the staff are outstanding - as are all the cast members we've met. I hope you get to try it...and enjoy!!
Better IMO depends upon what you like. Fantasia is most definitely the harder of the two so this is good if you want a challenge. For themeing, both are done well but Winter Summerland is a bit better IMO. For Shade/comfort if you go when it's hot, Winter Summerland has far more trees and shade than Fantasia does. I've played and enjoyed both but I would have to say we like the Winter Summerland better.
Thank you for posting this! We are finally going to hit Fantasia Gardens this upcoming trip as we LOVE our mini-golf! Can't wait to check it out. I'm glad my fellow PPers give it a good review!
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Lori
“I’m in a Disney state of mind……”
Authorized Disney Vacation Planner w/Fairy Godmother Travel For a Pixie Dust Sprinkled Trip!
In March, my DS and I decided to use some old vouchers to play. We first drove to Fantasia but saw that it was pretty crowded, so we got back in the car and drove to Blizzard Beach so we could play Winter-Summerland. We ended up playing a round on the Winterland side and enjoyed it quite a bit. There were only a couple other groups there the afternoon we went.
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We loved Fantasai gardens. Only problem we had is you are out in the sun for quite a while my 9 year old is very fair and got quite burnt in February which we hadn't expected so remember to take water and sun cream. It is a real good family day out and the annual pass discounts are good.