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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We are looking into DVC (finally!) and I'm trying to figure out which resort would best suit our family. I have a son who is wheelchair-bound, and we love Beach Club because of its accessibility to the parks, but I'm sure rooms there are hard to come by (not to mention expensive point-wise). I'm looking at either SSR or OKW, and wondering which one of the two would be easier to navigate. I've heard that SSR is huge, and we rely on Disney transportation, so that gives me some concern. Is OKW equally as spread out, or would we have less walking if we stayed there?
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Both OKW and SSR have multiple bus stops. No guest room is more than 2 minutes from a bus stop.
Note that most of OKW was constructed before ADA regulations. Only 3 of its 40-50 buildings have elevators. All other buildings only have stairway access to the second and third floors. Those with a medical need can typically arrange to be placed in one of the elevator buildings or--in a pinch--a first floor unit in one of the other buildings. Make sure the need is specified at the time of reservation.
All SSR buildings have elevators.
As stated both resorts are spread out. However there is not typically a need to be crisscrossing the resort. All of the main services (front desk, gift shop, restaurant(s), community hall, etc.) are in one location at both resorts.
Size wise, they're both huge. Maybe Saratoga Springs is a little larger but there can't be much in it,
Whilst I love Old Key West so much more than Saratoga Springs, I agree that Saratoga Springs, being more modern, will likely be far more wheelchair friendly.
About the same. We stayed at OKW in May and I was amazed at how large the resort is
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by tjkraz
Both OKW and SSR have multiple bus stops. No guest room is more than 2 minutes from a bus stop.
Note that most of OKW was constructed before ADA regulations. Only 3 of its 40-50 buildings have elevators. All other buildings only have stairway access to the second and third floors. Those with a medical need can typically arrange to be placed in one of the elevator buildings or--in a pinch--a first floor unit in one of the other buildings. Make sure the need is specified at the time of reservation.
All SSR buildings have elevators.
As stated both resorts are spread out. However there is not typically a need to be crisscrossing the resort. All of the main services (front desk, gift shop, restaurant(s), community hall, etc.) are in one location at both resorts.
Great info, thank you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mattnkatsmum
Hey Beth
Long time, no hear!
Size wise, they're both huge. Maybe Saratoga Springs is a little larger but there can't be much in it,
Whilst I love Old Key West so much more than Saratoga Springs, I agree that Saratoga Springs, being more modern, will likely be far more wheelchair friendly.
Karen! Glad to see you around here, too! Hope you will be doing a TR for your upcoming trip! Man, I really like the look of OKW! We have been to Key West twice and just loved it. Maybe DH and I will stay there on one of our race trips, and we can take the family to SSR.
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Last edited by mom to 3 princesses and 1 prince; 07-06-2012 at 09:24 PM..
Beth,
The rooms at OKW are bigger than any other resort. Good luck with your decision.
Thanks. We have decided to buy SSR, but I am hoping to check out OKW in January, when it's just DH and me. In reality, I think we'd be happy anywhere and can't wait to be a part of DVC!
my mom's ex husband's family were DVC members and we stayed at OKW for many years. I have Spina Bifida and use a wheelchair full time and we would stay in a 2 BDR villa and it was HUGE and very accessible. It's been over 10 years since we stayed there but i know our villa was very close to a bus stop and i never found any issues with accessibility. I have dreamed of staying there again but on my single 27 year old budget i haven't been able to even think about affording a room there since I don't own with DVC.
my mom's ex husband's family were DVC members and we stayed at OKW for many years. I have Spina Bifida and use a wheelchair full time and we would stay in a 2 BDR villa and it was HUGE and very accessible. It's been over 10 years since we stayed there but i know our villa was very close to a bus stop and i never found any issues with accessibility. I have dreamed of staying there again but on my single 27 year old budget i haven't been able to even think about affording a room there since I don't own with DVC.
Thanks so much for the info! That's very encouraging. Hope you get to stay there again someday.
Thanks!! I just got back from a week at CBR and it was the next best thing i guess! I enjoyed my stay there and would stay there again but nothing compares to the comfy, homey feeling of OKW!!
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Glad to see you around here, too! Hope you will be doing a TR for your upcoming trip! Man, I really like the look of OKW! We have been to Key West twice and just loved it. Maybe DH and I will stay there on one of our race trips, and we can take the family to SSR.
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