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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We are just beginning to plan a trip to Disneyland Paris and really need some advice. We have visited the website but had difficulty getting answers to these questions:
Should we stay on property? We don't use EMH and don't mind bussing it or using RER. Which is best?
Where should we buy tickets? Should we buy a package from Disney or buy tickets separtely? Do they have a No-expiration option or park hoppers?
Can you tour the parks in one day each?
We are a family of 5. I know that can limit room options.
We have not purchased the PPer book yet because we are living in Europe and are not sure if it could be shipped soon enough. Is there an ebook as well?
I'll see what I can do to help with your questions.
Should we stay on property? We don't use EMH and don't mind bussing it or using RER. Which is best?
I think if you're not interested in EMH and you don't mind bussing it, I'd go for off site, as it's a lot cheaper than the Disney resorts. We stayed at the Dream Castle Hotel on our last visit and really enjoyed it. I'm not sure what their room occupancy limit is, but I'd recommend it in a heartbeat.
Where should we buy tickets? Should we buy a package from Disney or buy tickets separtely? Do they have a No-expiration option or park hoppers?
I always look at the packages from Disney and they always come out really expensive for us. I always wonder whether that's because they're aimed at families and I think that's where the deals are, whereas as a couple we don't get those. We got our Disney passes for our most recent visit as part of a 20th anniversary deal and they were reduced, which is one of the first times I've seen them do that, so it's worth keeping an eye out for that.
Can you tour the parks in one day each?
You can see a lot of each of the parks in one day, provided the parks aren't packed. Generally, they are a lot quieter during the weeks than at weekends, as they attract a lot of locals and British visitors for long weekends - the Brits are the biggest market outside of the French. When we first went, we allowed four days and that was a bit much. I always say, for first time visitors, three days is ideal, although they can be seen in two days.
We have not purchased the PPer book yet because we are living in Europe and are not sure if it could be shipped soon enough. Is there an ebook as well?
There is an e-book too and it will help you a huge amount with your planning.
Some great advice from CHEZP
We prefer to stay on-site, we have two boys in wheelchairs so the ease of being a short walk to the parks is better than catching a bus or driving in etc.
Having said that, we are budget conscious and need to get great value when we visit. Our last visit was on a special offer of buy two nights and get another two free. We stayed at Sequoia Lodge (Our new favourite on-site hotel) for 4 nights and had a great time.
Previously, we have stayed at the Novotel at Collegien which we really like and is a lot cheaper than staying on-site if no offers are available.
I would very much reccommend Trip Advisor when researching. We use it all the time and found some real gems.
You don't mention the ages of your party of 5, this can make quite a difference as to how long you need and in which parks.
Have a great stay when you go
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Check out our web site all about our next visit at www.wdw.me.uk
I agree with what's been said. You can save a lot of money staying off-site. If you do decide to book an off-site hotel, I wouldn't go through Disney. Instead, check various travel websites. Then, for tickets, go to the DLP website as they frequently have special offers. Those tickets are usually only for certain dates. DLP does not offer no-expiration tickets.
As far as how much time you need, it depends on crowd levels - much more so than at WDW. If you go during the week when school's are in session, a day for each park is fine. On the weekends or during the summer months, you'll get a lot less done.
Whatever you do, if you are interested in sit-down meals, make sure make reservations in advance.
For party of 5 it is really expensive to stay on-side. The Novotel at Collegien that was mentioned above is great, but you would need a car to get there.
I would prefer an offsite appartment hotel like the Adagio at Serris or the hipark. There you have a shuttle bus, but they are also in walking distance (20-30 minutes)
You can tour the parks one day each, but depending on the crowd level I would go for 3 days.
Parkhoppers are available. When you buy tickets through Disney they are valid 1 year, there is no "no expiration" offer.
If you dont go on black-out days I would buy an annuel passport "Fantasy". This AP is cheaper then a 3 day hopper and you get discounts oon shopping and food.