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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 everyone! We will be at WDW in less than 2 weeks! Man, that sneaked up on me. As my title states, we are now a family of four adults ( in WDW's eyes ). My dd turned 10 last December. I thought I would share some trip details ahead of time. Let me know what you think.
Introduction:
Me (48);Dh (48),Ds(12),Dd(10)
We are DVC members and have made many trips to the world over the years. All of us still get excited for each new trip. We have been pretty successful at getting the kids to try a new thrill ride each year and this year's goal is TOT. I believe this is the last one. Ds and Dd have been apprehensive about the larger rides and have tried (or been bribed) to conquer a new one on several trips. Guess what? They usually love them! However, Dd claims never again on Dinosaur. That's ok, at least she tried it. Space Mountain is her favorite and Ds loves the Haunted Mansion. Both of these were "bribe" rides. It is so nice when all 4 of us can ride together.
Coming up: accommodations, dining, FP+, and fun extras
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Accommodations
We will spend the first night off site and then check in to BWV for 8 nights. AKLV is our home resort and we love it. We usually take a long weekend during the winter and try a different resort. We have been able to stay at WLV, OKW, SS, and BWV. BLT is next. We decided to switch things up and spend our summer vacation at BWV again. I'm looking forward to the convenience of walking to Epcot and boating to MGM ( DHS).
Dining
We have done the TS dining plan in the past. While great with small children and nightly character meals, we have decided it is not the best choice, at this time. Dd is a picky eater who likes to graze throughout the day. Ds has a growing appetite and is willing to try non-standard fare (sometimes). Sometimes, he only wants a hotdog. Dh and I like to try new restaurants and can usually find something we like. We have decided the best choice is to let each person pick one TS for the week and one family pick. We pay oop for all food. We are also trying TIW for the first time.
Here are our choices:
Most breakfasts will be eaten in the room from food brought from home.
Garden Grill - my choice - new to us
Chef Mickey's breakfast - Dd choice - every trip
T-Rex - Ds choice - new to us
Biergarten - Dh choice - several years since we ate here
Boma dinner - family choice - every trip
BOG lunch - FP+ invite -2nd time
Boardwalk bakery breakfast - just have to!
All other meals will be cs. I compared the numbers of the QS dining plan + oop for the TS meals with completely oop. They were close, but oop saves a few dollars and fits our eating styles better. I even included a budget for snacks and refillable mugs.
FP+
We are very happy with our FP+ selections.
Day 1 - Splash Mountain, Anna and Elsa meet, 7DMR
Day 2 - Soarin', Nemo (really?),Mission Space
Day 3 - This is a rest day, so our plans call for breakfast at Chef Mickey's, lounging by the pool, and dinner at T-Rex. However, I scheduled FP+ for Illuminations. It just depends on how long dinner takes.
Day 4 - Kilimanjaro Safari, EE, KRR
Day 5 - Star Tours, TOT, TSMM
Day 6 - Pool day - no FP+ Dinner is at Boma and I know we won't get back in time for Illuminations.
Day 7 - Spaceship Earth (again, really?), TT, Maelstrom
Day 8 - Buzz, Space Mountain, 7DMR
Extras
Fishing:
Dh and Ds have scheduled a fishing excursion on our second non-park day. They did this last year and had a great time. This was Dh's Father's Day request. Dd and I are invited, but I think we will probably stake out a shaded lounge chair by the pool.
BOG
Lunch at BOG is an added meal we did not plan on reserving. We were fortunate to get a FP+ invite, so we went for it. We ate lunch here last year. Dh's braised pork was so good! Ds's and my sandwiches were ok and Dd's pasta dish was not very good. I tried it, and the sauce was quite sweet. She was just happy with a cupcake. After some discussion, she decided she will try the turkey sandwich on this trip. We sat in the ballroom next to the " snowfall" windows last time. This year we hope to sit in the "rose" room. This is Ds's request. I guess it's the least girly.
Jedi Training Academy:
We will be at DHS before opening and I will be walking ( quickly ) to sign up Dd for this. Ds did it a couple of years ago. She is looking forward to this and I hope she makes it in an earlier time slot. This could cause some FP+ reworking. Fingers crossed that it works out. I couldn't get the family to the park early enough last year and all the slots were taken by the time we got there. Maybe they will listen to me this time.
Behind the Seeds Tour:
This is not definite, but I love Living with the Land. If we have time, then great. If we don't, then maybe another trip. My kids would get a kick out of it .
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
Sounds like it'll be a great trip. I love staying at BWV and coffee and a pastry in the morning at Belle Vue Lounge is one of my favorite things. I like sitting at one of the tables inside or, on a nice morning, out on the beautiful porch overlooking the lake. I'm homesick!
Tickets
We will try to pick up our annual passes the first night of our stay. If we get to WDW early enough for some park time, the kids have voted for Epcot.
Travel
We will be driving from NC. If Dh's work schedule allows, we might leave around 4am and get in around 2pm. I will drive if he needs to work on the computer or take a conference call on the road. If he needs to stay in the office that morning, we might be able to leave before 12 and get in around 10pm.
Sorcerer's of the Magic Kingdom and Agent P:
Our kids enjoy these activities and could play along indefinitely. Dh and I have decided to allocate certain days for these games. Day 1 at MK has the morning set aside for this. If you haven't experienced S of MK, it is an interactive quest. The players get a pack of spell cards to use by holding them up to a display that reads the spell and activates it. The player is instructed by different animated characters on a screen. After one clue is solved or spell is cast, the player is instructed to go to the next one. You find yourself backtracking and walking around different areas of Main Street, Adventureland, and the Fantasyland areas behind the castle. Day 2 at Epcot in the afternoon is scheduled for Agent P. Agent P is similar, but uses an electronic communicator instead of cards. The player is sent on different quests around World Showcase, one country at a time. When a clue is solved, a physical change takes place in that area. Examples: pieces of decor have hidden symbols light up, volcano in Mexico pavilion erupts, a monkey statue appears from the pond in China...
We think these games are really neat, but they are so time consuming. It works best to schedule certain days for these activities.
Pin trading and autographs:
Dd enjoys pin trading, so she will be packing her lanyard. She still needs to sort through her pins to decide which ones to trade. She has also decided to take her autograph book again. It has stayed home for a few trips, but I think Anna and Elsa will be added to the pages. Maybe she can review her characters and decide if there others we need to find. Ds has no interest in either of these activities. I think he would enjoy pin trading, as he is such a collector.
Thanks for reading along. I hope to take notes, practice with my new camera, and come back with a fantastic trip report!
Sounds like it'll be a great trip. I love staying at BWV and coffee and a pastry in the morning at Belle Vue Lounge is one of my favorite things. I like sitting at one of the tables inside or, on a nice morning, out on the beautiful porch overlooking the lake. I'm homesick!
We take our pastries out on the boardwalk in the morning and watch the fish and turtles swim under while we eat. ( We don't share with the wildlife, though.😄 )
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It is so nice when all 4 of us can ride together.
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