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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Our two kids - 11 & 14 - love Harry Potter and would like to visit Universal during our next trip to WDW. Looking at the prices, it is really expensive to go for a day or two.
Advice request - does Universal offer any discounts during the year similar to Disney? Do they have seasonal discounts?
Here's the kicker - one of our kids is not a big fan of rides and would likely not do the coasters. I believe they are more interested in the diagon alley and other shops associated with the movies.
I'm not up to speed on all the Universal has to offer, and their website is not as user friendly as it could be.
PassPorter Guide Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire
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I am going to suggest going to another board where you'll find some good information and can ask questions and get answers from folks who seem to have their finger on how things are going at US/IOA.
Here's a link to the forums at the DIS. Universal Studios/Sea World - The DIS Discussion Forums - DISboards.com
I just got back from a trip before Christmas. We stayed at Hard Rock on an Annual Pass rate. I still saved more than $300 on our four night stay even with a more expensive ticket (Universal APs are a lot cheaper than those at WDW). Most other discounts are based on length of stay, so if you are planning on staying on site, you may not find much for one or two nights.
As for tickets, I bought my AP online and picked up at a Kiosk in the park. The rest of the family got 3 day tickets I bought from UndercoverTourist (at a discount).
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You might want to call Universal and check out prices for package deals. We got our best package prices that way. We've stayed at the Royal Pacific and at the Hard Rock Hotel. Both were great, short walks to the parks, and the package offered unlimited front of line passes, which would come in handy if you're going at a busy time. Those passes won't get you front of line on Forbidden Journey or Gringotts though.
We've been able to do most everything we wanted quite easily in 2 days since the parks are small. But if you want to ride Hogwarts Express, you will need the hopper passes. We've been there three times and have really enjoyed it.
If you decide to go, the kids can purchase wands and use them throughout the HP area. Similar to the Phineas & Ferb at Epcot. About 2 yrs ago, our son was picked to be part of the show in Ollivanders, which was really cute.
Overall, we felt that Universal was well worth the money.
Can't help with prices, but I was just there in November and although I paid $144 for a park to park ticket for four hours, it was worth it for the experience. My colleague was not a ride person either so she wandered and looked while I was on the rides - the lines were not long at all although the streets were packed.
Hogwart's Express is a must do and is FUN! A really easy ride and my colleague loved it too. But talk about too short!!
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