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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I have been to Universal, but it has been years! We are repeat Disney goers, but decided to make a quick trip over Thanksgiving to just do Universal. On crowd calendars, it looks like our Monday-Tuesday of Thanksgiving week will be moderate, but Wednesday will be busy. I have not been there and used Express pass. Does it make a huge difference? From what I am reading, it can cut your wait down to 10-15 minutes, even during busy times.
We are more concerned about Harry Potter as I'm traveling with two children, a 6 year old, and a 41 year old. But both are all about seeing everything, and I'm trying to get an idea of how the Express Pass works compared to say, fast pass.
Now that Express Pass can be used on Harry Potter attractions, it is worth it!
We did both parks in one day using Express Pass upgrade and a park-to-park ticket which is necessary for Hogwarts Express.
Only a limited number of Express Passes are sold each day, so plan ahead and purchase it for the day(s) you plan to be at Universal. Universal's website will tell you the price depending on which day you plan to go. Just purchase and print out the barcode for each person and have that with your park ticket.
Have fun!
We get one with our hotel package, and I'm glad to hear it'll help. I'm like a fish out of water. I can plan Disney with both arms tied behind my back, but Universal is a new animal! I hate not knowing what I'm doing.
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We really like having the Express at Universal. We can do everything we want by dinner time. I agree that adding the Harry Potter attractions has made Express much more enticing. Plus, if you’re getting them included with your resort, it’s a no-brainer to use them.
We get one with our hotel package, and I'm glad to hear it'll help. I'm like a fish out of water. I can plan Disney with both arms tied behind my back, but Universal is a new animal! I hate not knowing what I'm doing.
I feel ya!
We prioritized like at Disney and did the important stuff first--Harry Potter. After that, everything was cake. We did Islands of Adventure in order around the "lake". Universal was more about proximity as we walked--did we want to do "that" while we were here. There are some cool shows at Universal so be sure to do some research on times.
We ate when we were hungry at whatever was nearby.
There are some great restaurants at City Walk!
Thank all y'all! It sounds like the Express pass should really limit waits. I didn't realize they only gave out or sold so many in a day. I was thinking everyone would buy them, and then we'd still be waiting in long lines!
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We only get it if it comes with our hotel. When we stay at a hotel that doesn't have it, we just suffer through the lines. We've found that with some planning and three days, we can do everything we want and have shortish lines. Express Passes are great and do save a lot of time especially mid-day (which is when we do the pool).
Hi, we’ve had it twice now with our hotel room and I would definitely say it was worth it!
As previous people had said, now that it has HP added onto it wow! no more ‘hot footing’ it into the park to get to Gringotts
We could relax at breakfast without the stress of ‘hurry up everyone’ lol
Have fun!
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Disneyland Paris approx 2004, Caribbean Beach April 2013, Polynesian May 2014, Old Key West October 2015, Wilderness Lodge Oct 2017, Disneyland Paris October 2018 and looking forward to AKL Sept/Oct 2019 trip!
Do they still sell that “front of the line pass.” We were there about 3 years ago and barely got to do anything, even with the early entry from staying on site. This trip it’s just me & DS, so it would be worth it. It was outrageously expensive before, for a family of 5.
Ok, I just read another post in another thread— I guess express pass IS the “front of the line pass” I was thinking of. How do you get that? I didn’t see it as an option when making a mock ressie at an on site hotel, on the universal website. I just saw early entry.
Last edited by Jennifer_W; 10-25-2018 at 03:16 PM..
Reason: Duh!
Do they still sell that “front of the line pass.” We were there about 3 years ago and barely got to do anything, even with the early entry from staying on site. This trip it’s just me & DS, so it would be worth it. It was outrageously expensive before, for a family of 5.
Ok, I just read another post in another thread— I guess express pass IS the “front of the line pass” I was thinking of. How do you get that? I didn’t see it as an option when making a mock ressie at an on site hotel, on the universal website. I just saw early entry.
If you are booking a Universal Resort property, Express comes with the top 3 only, those being Portofino Bay, Hard Rock, and Royal Pacific. Otherwise, you must purchase it to add it on to your package. And yes, I agree that it’s pricey. Essentially, staying at Cabana Bay and adding Express is akin to paying to stay at Royal Pacific, but we like Cabana Bay. You just have to weigh whether or not the cost is worth it to you.
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But both are all about seeing everything, and I'm trying to get an idea of how the Express Pass works compared to say, fast pass. 
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