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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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With the stroller price increase, is there still anyone out there just sucking it up and renting one??
I'm trying to figure out what to do. My youngest is now 2 and we only have an umbrella stroller. I've considered either buying a new one just for Disney or borrowing one.
The real problem is that I also have a just turned 6 year old and he will need to be in the stroller as well. (That means I must have a double). I know a lot of people disagree with putting a child that old in a stroller, but even though he can physically walk miles around me, he is not able to stay focused and distracts easily and I don't feel that its safe for him to be out of a stroller. When we go on day trips to sixflags and such, I just rent theirs. Also, he is VERY, very tall for his age and so he won't fit in just any stroller.
So....................Do I just Pay big bucks and rent Disney's stroller for the week that my 6 yr old will fit very well in?
Or...................Does anyone have experience in putting a larger child (close to 50'inches tall, but skinny) in a regular stroller?
Thanks in Advance!
One more concern...........I dont like the idea of having a "hard type" stroller because I'd like for my 2 yr old to recline and be comfy.
I personally am planning on buying a stroller when I get to Florida. One of those sit N stand ones where the older kid can ride on the back. I've done some research and they are only $130 from Target (199 here in Canada) This way my 4 year old can ride when he gets tired and it isn't a big huge double storoller.
We just bought a Joovy sit-n-stand for our 19mos.old and our 4 1/2 year old. It has the seat in the back where she can sit (and also be strapped it!) or she can stand on the back. The front reclines a little for the baby. Check out the seat back height if your youngest will nap in it. I've heard the Baby Trend sit-n-stand's seat is a little shorter and their head is above the back so they can't sleep real well.
We just bought and almost new one one off our local craigslist for $100 from a girl who bought her's for their Disney trip this past May! Nice to know it will be making the trip back! We may or may not sell it when we get back depending on if we think we will use it again. If you aren't familiar with craigslist and are willing to buy used you should check it out. (It's like the classified ads for your local paper but it's a website) At the moment ours has several sit-n-stands listed.
We used a stroller for DS (he's 6) and we just got back. He's only 44 inches though. He spent a lot of time in it. It was just easier and faster to put him in and go. DD sat in it for a bit at the beginning (she's 9) but toughed it out and walked most of the time! I wasn't going to pay the outrageous prices they are now DD is about 51 inches and she could still fit. It's a Chicco Caddy stroller.
We're leaving next week and I had 1 stroller for DGS (2), but DGD (5) needed something. She will walk and walk, but when she gets tired, someone would have to carry her.
I broke down and bought a new Maclaren Volo because she's pretty tall 46" and her weight is more than the 40 lbs most strollers recommend. I love that stroller. We tried it out this past weekend and she fits in it and she also finds it comfy. I'm glad I spent the little bit extra and now I have it for going back to the room after the parks (which is when we're going to need it most). Last time we rented a stroller, but you have to leave it at the park and that's just when we needed it the most.
I also just got a stroller on craigs list. I got a combi double which is a side-by-side but it holds up to 50 lb on both sides. It has been to WDW already & is very used but I paid less than 2 days rental for it so I am happy.
as well as craig's list . try your local garage sale this is the last year we need a stroller for our 3yods . we picked up the one i got for 25.00 which is worth shelping it since it would be cheaper then renting one . it was imaculantly clean i got lucky .
this is just another suggestion.
p.s. i'm leaving it there when we go because we do not need the stroller after our dec trip.
I've been going back and forth with this too. My DD will be almost 8 on our trip and she'll be fine but DS 5 (autistic) gets tired and likes to be picked up. Problem with this is he just turned 5 and he's 46 lbs and 47". We still have our Combi stroller but I'm not sure I feel like shlepping it to Florida if it may or may not be used. I'm leaning towards renting a double when need be so DD can rest too. I think the $$ is worth the convenience of not shlepping one through the airport.
I just ordered a Mia Moda Cielo stroller. It only weighs 15 lbs & folds up very small for a stroller. I am going to take a Graco Metrolite for my 2yo & then fold-up the Mia Moda Cielo stroller & put it in the basket under the Graco in case my 6 yo needs a place to sit. I hope it works out!
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My girlfriend bought a sit n stand for Disney and wished she would have had a side by side. Her dd could not lay back at all for a nap and she felt the front didn't recline enough for her ds to get a good enough nap. We bought a Chicco side by side... Chicco Trevi Twin Stroller - Extreme - Chicco - Babies "R" Us It folds up real small. DD is 5-1/2, and small, but I think a taller kid would be okay in it. When it's reclined, she can even fold her knees up and sleep. It was pricey, but still way cheaper than renting every day of our 10 day vacation and I NEED a stroller for the airport and from the buses to the room at night.
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We are leaving in 4 days and with any luck we will have lots of sun so it will be really hot. I am leaning towards renting the double stroller for DS4. He does not do well when he is hot. And then I will have the extra seat for DS8 if he needs it. Plus I thought it would be a great place for them to sit while watching the parades. It is going to kill me to pay that kind of money for a stroller though.
I've used a sit-n-stand at Disney in the past and loved it. My youngest will be 4 on our next trip, but I think even my DD7 will benefit from it when she's tired. I remember one night coming back from Epcot when we got off of the bus at our resort and I had ALL 4 of my kids riding on it because they were so tired!
You should also consider consignment shops. I had very good luck purchasing a Graco double-stroller at one awhile ago. It was practically brand new and I got it for 1/2 price--definitely worth it!
As we have a couple of smaller girls, they can get all their clothes into one suitcase. This allows us to count our stroller for DD5 as a piece of checked luggage.
We will be renting them this year again. I find the Disney strollers plenty large enough to accomodate older children such as you and I have. They must find them comfortable, too because they generally fall asleep in them a couple of times each trip
We had originally considered renting a stroller until we found out about the price increase. We couldn't justify spending that much money on the rental. We bought a double jogger. It was very nice but some of the CMs at the entrance gates weren't the most friendly (we had several tell us to just lift it up over the gate while DS was still strapped inside, told us to fold it up which then caused DS to get mad since he got out of the stroller and then didn't want back in). A couple were nice and let us go through a different gate (one that was wider).
Our double jogger allows one sit to be reclined while the other is upright. That was nice when one was awake and the other was asleep. It also allows each sit to have 50lbs a piece for a total of 100lbs.