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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Boarding Begins around Noon. If you are using Disney's Transportation over to the Port then you would have to see what time the bus is picking up at your WDW resort
Grand Floridian 11:15 Boardwalk 11:30 Contemporary 11:30 Port Orleans 11:30 Beach Club 11:45 Polynesian Noon Swan Noon Dixie Landings 12:15 Dolphin 12:30 Caribbean Beach 12:45 Wilderness Lodge 11:30
If you are renting a car then I would say arriving between 10:30-11:30 would be good just make sure you have your paperwork all filled out and ready to go!
If you are using a towncar service to a hotel in Port Canaveral and are using their shuttle that is provided free or for a small fee then usually they start running those around 10:00 am.
I know the Radisson has a 10am and the Residence Inn in Port Canaveral has 10 or 10:15 i believe. They both require reservations but the Residence Inn has told me that they only accept reservations 24 hours before you need the shuttle.
Hope this helps!
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I know the Radisson has a 10am and the Residence Inn in Port Canaveral has 10 or 10:15 i believe. They both require reservations but the Residence Inn has told me that they only accept reservations 24 hours before you need the shuttle.
Hope this helps!
I continue to hear complaints about the reservation system at the Radisson. Clients are telling me that they make a 10:15 reservation, are at the door at 10 and find 50 people standing around, many of whom don't have reservations. Sometimes the shuttle driver will tell them no, other times he/she just boards the people who push the hardest. I've called the hotel directly, but am not satisfied with the response.
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hi
if my husband and I stay at an airport hotel the night before, whats the best way to get to the port?? i was looking at DCL, is that from the airport or from our hotel???
would that be cheaper than taxi?? we are flying in from Australia via hawaii the night before, then going to POR after cruise....any suggestions would be great.
If you're staying at an airport hotel, you'd return to the airport to board the DCL bus. If you're staying at the Hayatt (the in-airport hotel), then it's very simple. It's not too much if you're at the off-airport airport hotels, as they do provide shuttle bus service to and from the airport (we've done this several times with great success).
It would definitely not be cheaper by taxi. It might be more pleasant if you book a towncar service, but it will not be cheaper than using the DCL service.
If you have plans to rent a car for the time you stay at PO-R, then you'd do well to rent right at Port Canaveral - there are shuttles to most rental car offices (do reserve your car in advance, and do make sure they offer a free shuttle - not all do).
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
We stayed at the Radisson from Jan 10th- 13th when our cruise departed. Originally I called a few days before we left and made a 10:30 am reservation. I was told the shuttle runs on the 1/2 hour. Once there I called the front desk the night before our cruise and asked if I could get on the 10am. They had space so we took it. We arrived out front 10 minutes to 10am and gave our name to the person with the clipboard ( Clark), he asked us to have our luggage ready when he called our name. Our party of 6 was called 2 minutes later, our luggage loaded and we proceeded onto the bus follwed by the rest of the group. A quick ride dropped us at the terminal. I thought it was very well organized. And I can be very picky!
As far as arrival time I wished I would have waited until the 10:30 shuttle or even 11am. You said you would be in the first group to board zso I assume you mean you have a suite booked. We did as well for this cruise. There is a concierge check in line (very cute, red carpet and all), and a lounge area roped off for concierge guests. There is nothing special about the lounge, in fact my kids say over in the main waiting area since that is where the tv is. About 10 minutes to 12 they announced the "Dream Family" and they boarded, we proceeded right after them.
Characters, (Goofy and Pluto for us) arrived slightly after 11am and we lined ip for pictures...the lines moved well, but there really isn't any benefit to arriving early. At no time was there a line of any sort at the concierge check in
Hope this helps
have a wonderful trip