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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Looks like we are going to change our reservation from OKW to SSR. They got the most votes and I like being close to DTD. That said can anyone suggest which part of SSR I should request when I make the change? I don't know the resort at all but we would like to be in the middle of things and also have a nice view (if they will give us a room with a view). This is our home resort so maybe we will have a little pull???? thanks!
Sorry but owning at a particular resort doesn't give you any preferential treatment when it comes to room assignment.
The most popular areas tend to be:
"The Springs" - Right across from the main pool and restaurants. Most rooms have a view of the nearby pond by some face the road which runs through the resort.
"Congress Park" - Closest area to Downtown Disney. From some rooms you can walk to the Marketplace in 5 minutes. About 60% of the rooms have an actual view of Downtown Disney. There is also a "quiet pool" (i.e. no slide) nearby with a playground and BBQ grill. It's about 5-7 minutes to walk to the main pool.
"The Grandstand" - Mostly views of the golf course. There is a path that will take you to the DTD West Side in about 10-15 minutes, but then you need to walk all the way across to the Marketplace if that's where you are headed. The Grandstand has another Quiet Pool which features a special water play area which appeals to younger kids. Also very close to the main pool and restaurants (2-3 min walk).
The other two areas are "The Paddock" and "The Carousel." "The Paddock" is hard to describe because it's spread over such a large area. Of the 5 buildings in that area, a couple might be good and a couple might be really bad depending upon the type of experience you want.
"The Carousel" is probably the least appealing area of the resort. It's the furthest from Downtown Disney, furthest from the main pool/restaurants and has no quiet pool of its own. It IS the first set of buildings just inside the resort gate, making it quite convenient if you are driving to the theme parks. But aside from that I'd struggle to come up with reasons to recommend "The Carousel."
I created a database with details on rooms at Saratoga. You can find it here:
I'm in the process of gathering balcony photos from as many rooms as possible. The project is still in its infancy, but there are several dozen images available now.
I would NOT recommend using this as a means for requesting specific rooms. But if you select one of the resort "Neighborhoods" like Congress Park, you'll get a list of all of the rooms in that region. Then you can browse the list and see the views available from some of the balconies. It also contains notes from many past resort guests which cite reasons why the did or did not like their room or that area of the resort.
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We just got back from a room in the Springs section. Upon checkin, they put us in a different section (can't remember which anymore!). So I asked if they could switch us to Springs, and they did! Plus we were on the top floor - which I love. I think that always gets you a better view, no matter what.
We were facing north, which drives me nuts because it means no sunshine . But the view across the lake was gorgeous, so that made up for it. We had a nice short walk to the main pool and food court - which we only went to 2 times! Which is funny because that's the reason I wanted the Springs section in the first place. It really looked like a wonderful resort. I wish we had more time for exploring it. I had plans to take the boat to DTD, wander aimlessly around the resort, relax at the pool.... well, it didn't happen. We were too busy. But I wouldn't hesitate to go there again to spend more time at the resort!!
What section to request would depend on what you plan on doing most. If you want to be in the middle of things, then ask for the Springs section. It truly is the closest to everything. Right next to a bus stop too. We had a car, so that wasn't an issue for us.
Here's the view from our room. (4th floor, springs section, the first building on the left in the PP layout resort map) We were facing Saratoga Lake. Attachment 25064 Attachment 25066
(sorry the pictures are so small, still trying to get the hang of resizing them!! Just click on them to see them larger - - sorry!!)
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Last edited by disney_duke; 01-18-2013 at 07:50 PM..
We have stayed twice at SSR, once in Congress Park with a lovely view of DTD and once in The Paddock, on the corner closest to Congress Park. There we had a view of the ponds and fountains. Both times we were close to a bus stop for easy access around the resort and to the parks.
We stayed in the Springs section and loved being close to the pool and restaurants. We faced a lovely little pond where we watched the birds while sipping our coffee in the morning. It was quiet, but everything was accessible just across the street.
Personally, we prefer The Grandstand because it's not too far away from everything but still nice and quiet. Like others have said, if you want a view of DTD, ask for Congress Park. If you want to be as close to the main pool and food court, The Springs is best. Good luck!
We have stayed in the Paddock area and Congress Park. The Paddock was ok but not much in the way of a view or easy access to anything. It was quite a walk to the main pool and we ended up driving up to the pool most days. Congress Park was wonderful! We had an awesome view of DTD, right across the water from Cirque de Soliel. We have requested that area again for our trip in December. I do want to try the Springs out sometime because I would love being close to the main pool!
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. But the view across the lake was gorgeous, so that made up for it. We had a nice short walk to the main pool and food court - which we only went to 2 times! Which is funny because that's the reason I wanted the Springs section in the first place. It really looked like a wonderful resort. I wish we had more time for exploring it. I had plans to take the boat to DTD, wander aimlessly around the resort, relax at the pool.... well, it didn't happen. We were too busy. But I wouldn't hesitate to go there again to spend more time at the resort!!
ANGIE
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