Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
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01-03-2007, 02:49 PM
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#1
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PassPorter Guide
Community Rank: Globetrotter
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,041
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Making the Most of Disney\'s BoardWalk Resort
by Terry Rohrer, Guest Contributor
A hidden gem at Walt Disney World is Disney's Boardwalk Resort. Most vacationers may not know what entertainment and dining options are available to guests that are not staying at the property. We found what this resort offers when a friend wanted to meet us for dinner but did not have park admission. We decided to meet at the BoardWalk and have dinner at one of the restaurants.
continued in next post...
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01-03-2007, 02:50 PM
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#2
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PassPorter Guide
Community Rank: Globetrotter
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,041
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Re: Making the Most of Disney\'s BoardWalk Resort
The BoardWalk Resort is of course a deluxe property with all the amenities. But what most guests miss is the actual boardwalk that sits in the back of the resort. There are restaurants, shops, an ice cream parlor & candy store, and carnival games for the kids. There is the Atlantic Dance Hall, and Jellyrolls, which is a dueling piano bar for the over 21 crowd.
There are bikes available for rent to ride around the Boardwalk and Crescent Lake. The path that circles Crescent Lake is 7/8 of a mile and will take you past five different resorts. It starts at the BoardWalk and goes past the Swan, Dolphin, Beach Club and Yacht Club resorts. The best part of the bike ride is seeing these resorts from the back. You get an up-close look at the best pool on Disney property, the Beach and Yacht Club's Stormalong Bay. You can even get a four-wheeled surrey bike that the entire family can ride!
The dining options at the BoardWalk are wonderful: there is the Big River Brewing Co., the Flying Fish Café, Spoodles and an ESPN Club (for the sports nut in the family). Be sure to check your PassPorter for the details on what they serve and the costs. We enjoy Spoodles for the Mediterranean-style pasta. When you see the menu and the amount of food you will understand why we rent the bike AFTER dinner!
One of the things that Disney has done to make the night great for the entire family is add entertainers to the boardwalk. They change them on a frequent basis so that if you go every night you may experience a variety of entertainers or (at least) not see the same show as you saw the previous night. Each roving entertainer will stop and perform their act, and as he or she gets going you will see they have a large crowd watching. They will get the crowd involved in the act. Our 6 year-old played a washboard with the Banjo Man, swung a rope with the cowgirl, and helped the magician with a trick, all in one night.
The entertainers are out every night from 7:00 pm until 9:00 pm. Disney does not advertise them or list when or where they will perform, as they are meant to be a “happy surprise” for the guests. If it rains they are still there but may be a bit harder to find - they will perform in the lobby of the BoardWalk or in the restaurant lobbies. If it is raining be sure to keep a look out for them as it will help pass the time while you wait for a table and keeps the little ones happy while trapped inside.
The performers include but are not limited to:
Professor Flapdoodle and his All American Medicine Pitch is an original member of the BoardWalk Buskers, who started in 1996 when the BoardWalk opened. He performs magic with comedy.
Erick Olson and Brian Staron, who do comedic magic.
The Amazing Carlo (Marek Dudek) who does amazing balancing and sword swallowing.
Bill & Lin Whitmire do a comedy juggling routine.
Mark Anderson, aka The Musicale Mark and his bicycle piano.
Anthony the Banjo Man who does comedic banjo tunes.
When you see them perform be sure to tell them that, "Shy Brady from Indiana says hello." Our son was a bit shy at first but once he realized how much fun it was to participate he started talking to all of them, and was a hit. Every time we go back we see someone who remembers him.
Another neat thing that the BoardWalk offers is a view of IllumiNations, Epcot's fireworks spectacular. Head for the west end of the boardwalk near Jelly Rolls and the Atlantic Dance Hall to grab a spot! You can also see IllumiNations from the bridge between the BoardWalk and the Swan & Dolphin resorts.
As you can tell, the BoardWalk is on our "must do" list every trip because of everything it offers. With all things Disney, the entertainment is subject to change (and usually does) so check your Times Guide or refer to your PassPorter for more information. You will have a great time at the BoardWalk and will start to include it in every trip, like we did after just one trip. Just remember to tell them, "Hi from Shy Brady in Indiana."
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01-03-2007, 03:24 PM
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#3
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Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 35,829
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Re: Making the Most of Disney\'s BoardWalk Resort
Being able to walk into Epcot in 5 minutes is quite a bonus. You can catch Illuminiations every night if you're so inclined (last trip, we were). Thanks for the review
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01-04-2007, 07:04 PM
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#4
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Community Rank: Trekker
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 1,402
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Re: Making the Most of Disney\'s BoardWalk Resort
Thanks for the info. I know I can't afford to stay there this time, but I'm going to check it out.
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01-05-2007, 08:44 AM
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#5
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Community Rank: Sightseer
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Salisbury, MA
Posts: 71
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Re: Making the Most of Disney\'s BoardWalk Resort
We stayed at the Beach Club in Dec and loved the whole area. We checked out the Boardwalk and my husband wants to stay there now. The whole area over there and the ease of walking around was so nice. I loved walking to Epcot and MGM and the atmosphere was just fun.
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