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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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My baby girl turns 3 tomorrow and we leave for WDW on Saturday even though we'll celebrate her bday tomorrow, I want to do a little something special during our trip, too. I thought about doing a special order cake either at Tusker House lunch or 1900 PF dinner, but when I started looking at cake pics online, they just didn't seem all that impressive. Not up to the normal Disney standards, anyway. So I'm wondering....
Has anyone done a special order cake lately? Was it worth it?
If we, say, stopped by Main Street Bakery on our way to PF and picked up cupcakes, would they be ok w us eating them at PF?
When you celebrate at a character meal, will the characters do anything special to make a big deal for the birthday boy/girl? She loves Mickey and Minnie, so to have them wish her a happy bday (even in pantomime) would blow her sweet little mind!)
Any other ideas on how to celebrate? Maybe I'm thinking too narrowly.
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Be sure to get a birthday button from guest services for the birthday girl. Not only will she get interactions from the characters , but the CMs as well.
Make sure you have it noted on your hotel reservation and any dining reservations you have you are celebrating a birthday. We've had surprises from confetti and special desserts at meals to cards left in our room.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mares75
Make sure you have it noted on your hotel reservation and any dining reservations you have you are celebrating a birthday. We've had surprises from confetti and special desserts at meals to cards left in our room.
But don't get your hopes up. Whenever we've put this kind of info on our reservation we've had no acknowledgement whatsoever. And I've tried several times at different resorts. Using the Birthday buttons is a much better way of getting at least some attention.
PassPorter Guide Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire
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I've never been impressed with the pictures of the cakes I've seen, so I'd skip ordering one. And I also don't think that they'd allow food from outside the restaurant in with you. Can't you just do a cupcake at some other time? Get one as you leave the park one evening and then put a candle on it (that you brought from home, don't forget matches) in your room.
When I celebrated my birthday during breakfast at Crystal Palace, the characters all signed a happy birthday card and we had confetti and a special cupcake brought to the table. I made sure to note it on my dining reservation and then I wore my Happy Birthday button.
Happy Birthday to your little one and have a magical Disney vacation
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Absolutely make sure she's gets a Birthday Button and Wears it! We took the grandkids for their birthdays in March. When we got back home, My DD forgot to send the birthday cupcakes to school and our grandson told her that's ok mommy.... I had plenty of birthday at Disney!
Cast members will wish her happy birthday throughout the parks, she'll get a birthday cupcake at each of your ADRs. You can also make mention to the server that it's a special day if the button gets left back in the room. We had noted on ADRs that it was their birthday...but that never helped. Mentioning the birthday to the server guaranteed they got their birthday cupcakes.
7 years ago we took my grandmother to WDW for her 94th bday. We stayed on property & it was listed on our reservations. I have never heard happy birthday so much. She got a special cupcake or signed card at most meals and usually a tiara too. Most notably was the character Bfast at Cape May & the Bfast at 1900 PF. Usually she got multiple character visits at that time too. On her bday she also wore a Happy 94th bday shirt. I too was not impressed with the pics so I waited til we got there & talked to the Polynesian manager & he got us the best cake with think on top. Sorry so long winded but basically if u make a lot out of her bday they will too. Get a celebrating my 3rd bday shirt at Disney shirt made for her either by u or off etsy. Make sure her bday is on ur reservations even if u fudge the date to ur arrival day & definitely have her wear her bday button. Have a wonderful & magical bday. Just remember it's Disney & anything is possible. U just have to ask & pursue it. A bday welcome basket is also available for her from the florist. BDAY WISHES to her from us.
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3 year old birthday celebration advice
and we leave for WDW on Saturday 
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