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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Ok our first night at WDW will be 2.8.6. I am thinking about Mickeys backyard BBQ, for out 1st night. Any other ideas would be helpfull. Our kids will be 9, and 6.
Mickey's Backyard BBQ is only held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from March -> December. February 8, 2006 (if I'm reading your date correctly) is a Wednesday, but will also be during a time when they will not offer the BBQ.
My vote is for Chef Mickey's! It has become our 1st dinner stop every year - it is a jump start to the magic!
WOW, maybe we will go to Chef Mickey's first. ok here is another one for you all. Our last night we are thinking about Ohanas. What is your feelings on that??
We went to 'Ohana's on our last night last trip. DS really enjoyed it - especially the coconut races and hoola hoop contest! It was a fun, yet relaxing way to enjoy our last evening.
We don't have a family traditional first meal. We used to arrive mid-afternoon, so we would go to either Epcot for the Ice Cream Social, or MGM with an early seating at the Prime Time Cafe. We've done both of those twice, so that is as close as we get to a tradition. Other times, I don't really remember - we do usually hit a park our first day, so we go with the flow.
This trip - we originally were not going to arrive till 3:40 pm, so we wouldn't have gotten to the hotel till around 5 pm. We made a PS for Chef Mickey's based on everyone's recommendation.
Of course - I've since changed our flights to arrive the night before, so that we can have the full day on Friday - but I haven't changed the PS, so we'll still have dinner with Mickey - unless we decide to cancel it when we're there, if we are in a park, and having fun!
I've never been to Chef Mickey's, but my parents went there and loved it. We started our Dec 04 trip with dinner at Ohana and it was terrific. The food was excellent and the atmosphere is fun.
I would probably say Chef Mickey's for characters - especially if you don't want to use a park day. Otherwise, if you don't want to do a buffet - 'Ohana is great fun - although no characters at dinner.
'ohana breakfast is our "last morning" ritual since we usually can't make it into the parks
I love the idea of Chef Mickey's on your first night, and 'OHana on your last. Chef Mickey's is a great introduction to the magic for each trip since the main characters are there, and the food is really good. 'OHana is my favorite Disney restaurant, the atmosphere was great and the food was unbelievable... I want some shrimp wantons right now! There were a lot of kids there having a great time during the hula-hoop contest, and the view of the castle was great. Both restaurants are great ways to begin and top-off the magic!
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DS really enjoyed it - especially the coconut races and hoola hoop contest! It was a fun, yet relaxing way to enjoy our last evening.
There were a lot of kids there having a great time during the hula-hoop contest, and the view of the castle was great. Both restaurants are great ways to begin and top-off the magic!
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