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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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07-15-2016, 03:50 PM
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#1
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PassPorter Guide
 Community Rank: Globetrotter 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,041
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Feature Article: The Pros and Cons of Disneyland Paris - A Disneyland Park Review
The Pros and Cons of Disneyland Paris - A Disneyland Park Review
by Cheryl Pendry
We’re fortunate to be located near enough to Disneyland Paris that we can visit just for the day, albeit a very long one! We’ve made a number of trips there, and over the years, we’ve come to appreciate the park, although for us, it will never compare to Walt Disney World or even Disneyland in California. On our most recent trip, I couldn’t help but wonder why that is. There are a lot of great things about Disneyland Paris, but sadly there are a lot of negatives as well.</p> So what are the pros first? The Castle: Well, one that’s obvious from not long after you enter the Disneyland Park is the castle. I guess over the years I’ve just grown used to the sight of it, but I know every time first time visitors see it, their mouths drop open, and that’s exactly what happened to our eight year old niece on our most recent trip with family. Seeing her reaction reminded me of just how beautiful the castle here is. Oh and of course, there’s even a dragon that sleeps beneath the castle, but sssh… because occasionally he wakes up! Now that’s something you don’t get to experience in California or Florida.
Discoveryland: Staying in the Disneyland Park, Discoveryland is their version of Tomorrowland, and this is a retro version, depicting the future that Jules Verne predicted. As such, it has a wonderful ageless quality, and I just love all the vibrant colours in this part of the park. It makes for some great photos, particularly when you’re lucky enough to get a sunny day.
Ratatouille: Both parks are home to some superb unique attractions, and I know you can argue that about every Disney park, but what puts Disneyland Paris ahead on this score is the fact it’s recently acquired a major E-ticket attraction. Called Ratatouille: the Adventure, this is a 4D experience that takes the latest technology and uses it to superb effect to transport you into scenes from the movie. The Shows: The Studios are also home to some unique shows. Cinemagique blends movie magic and live action together in a truly unusual way, while also managing to tell a story in both French and English, no easy challenge! Stitch Live gets over the language problem by offering shows in a variety of different languages, all you need to do is get in line for the right one, then you can interact with the mischievous blue alien, using similar technology to Turtle Talk with Crush, but for my money, this is a lot more fun.
Location: While Disneyland in California has exactly the same plus point, Disneyland Paris is definitely way ahead of Walt Disney World when it comes to the locations of the parks. They’re literally just a five minute walk away from each other, which makes park hopping very simple. It’s even better if you can afford to stay at the Disneyland Hotel, which is right at the entrance to the Disneyland Park. It’s always our choice if we have enough Disney Vacation Club points, as otherwise it is an extortionate price!
So what are some of the downsides to Disneyland Paris?
Weather: The first and most obvious one is the weather. If you’re fortunate enough to visit on a dry and sunny day in the spring, summer or fall, you may wonder what I’m talking about, but trust me, it’s not always like that. Unlike Florida or California, there are some very distinct seasons here, and if rain arrives, it can easily set in for whole days at a time. Snow is a possibility, and we’ve frozen during some of our winter visits. The wind is also exceptionally biting during the colder months, so you need to come prepared for just about anything… and whatever you do, don’t expect it to be good weather, otherwise you may be disappointed.
Food: This next one really surprised me, given the French are so well known for their amazing cuisine, but we’ve had a lot of disappointments over the years with the restaurants at Disneyland Paris. Don’t get me wrong, there are some superb options (Walt’s, An American Restaurant in the Disneyland Park, Bistrot Chez Remy in the Walt Disney Studios Park, and the Inventions buffet in the Disneyland Hotel immediately spring to mind), but it’s not consistently good. On our most recent visit, we struggled to come up with a list of places we wanted to eat at, which told us a lot.
Attitudes: Sadly, one problem we consistently run into is that Disneyland Paris seems to attract a clientele where a number of people have a less than magical attitude, shall we say? We were shocked at some of the behaviours we witnessed before and during parades and fireworks on our last visit. Something else we also constantly notice is the blatant disregard a number of people have about the smoking areas. They seem to smoke wherever they want, and unfortunately we’ve never once seen a guest picked up for this, which of course exacerbates the problem further.
Prices: Something you may encounter even before you get to the parks is the cost of a Disneyland Paris vacation. While staying at a Disney resort is never cheap, the problem seems to be worse here. We are fortunate enough to be Disney Vacation Club members, and have used our points on a number of occasions for stays at the Disney resorts. We’ve spoken to people in the past and when they’ve told us how much they paid to get to resort just from the UK, we realised it would actually be cheaper to go to Walt Disney World in Florida. That’s saying something! The problem is particularly acute if you want the convenience of staying just outside the park gates at the Disneyland Hotel. Before your start pricing your vacation, you may want to make sure you’re sitting down.
There’s certainly a lot to commend Disneyland Paris, but equally, to truly enjoy a vacation there, you do need to be aware of some of the potential downsides before you go, so you can adjust your expectations accordingly, and ensure you really do enjoy the Disney magic when you get there.
Added to PassPorter's Article Collection on 07-12-2016 07:07 AM
What do you think? Please add your own comments, experiences, or news related to this article in this thread! Reader feedback is welcomed and encouraged.
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