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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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're going to DL and So Cal in August of 2013. But for us, with the cross country flight costing in the upwards of $2000, we need to try and keep all the other costs at a minimum. We're planning on staying at a Good Neighbor hotel...the Ramada Maingate looks nice. Any thoughts?? We're not picky when it comes to hotels...as long as it's clean, we're happy. We spend very little time there.
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Stephanie- Mom to Jaden and Emerson, Wife to Keith, Novelist
I'm an independent agent with Fairytale Journeys, specializing in Disney vacations!
Visit my Facebook page!
We stayed in the Fairfield Inn in October 2011 over Halloween. We really liked the hotel. The price was good & it was within easy walking distance for our young family so we did not need to pay for a rental car while we were there. it is right next to McDonalds for cheap eating & there is a little Cafe in front of the hotel with great food at a discount for people that stay at the Fairfield. We would stay there again on our next trip.
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Planning a trip to WDW is like planning a wedding... If you expect things to be flawless, you will be sadly disappointed. If you know that there will be less than perfect times & decide to just laugh them off, then you will be excited when you find the magic all around you.
Thanks!! We don't want to rent a car for our DL portion either. We plan on renting when we're done there and will be transferring to a different hotel elsewhere. We'll need a car to get around and go to all the places we plan to visit. But if I can save the $ and not rent for the 5 days we'll be at DL, all the better!
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Stephanie- Mom to Jaden and Emerson, Wife to Keith, Novelist
I'm an independent agent with Fairytale Journeys, specializing in Disney vacations!
Visit my Facebook page!
We stayed at the Park Vue Inn in June 2011. It is directly across the street from the main entrance to the Disneyland parks. It was clean, quiet, and had a nice breakfast. We would definitely stay there again!
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MNSSHP 2015: DH (Bane), Me (Batgirl), Genie, and our friends
We have stayed at the Ramada Plaza and loved it. The room was HUGE and the hot breakfast was great. Plus there is quick dining in the shopping center next door. I think DH/DD ordered burritos from Alertos at least 7 times.
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DH and I: Epcot 12/07
Life is not about the things I accumulate, but the experiences shared with others
The Ramada Maingate is planning a MASSIVE renovation that starts later this year. I am not sure what stage it will be in by August of 2013. They are doing it in sections to minimize the impact on guests. But I might choose a different option to avoid the construction. I liked the Best Western Park Place Inn & Mini-Suites. It is literally directly across the street from the gate!
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The Ramada Maingate is planning a MASSIVE renovation that starts later this year. I am not sure what stage it will be in by August of 2013. They are doing it in sections to minimize the impact on guests. But I might choose a different option to avoid the construction. I liked the Best Western Park Place Inn & Mini-Suites. It is literally directly across the street from the gate!
Sara that is great to know! We have a trip planned to stay there in Feb! (To BWPPI, that is )
Belle* (above) mentioned a "MASSIVE renovation" was scheduled.
I did a research recalling that there are three Ramada(s) in Anaheim. They are the Ramada Limited Maingate North at 921 S. Harbor, the Ramada Maingate (At the Park) at 1650 S. Harbor Blvd. and the Ramada Limited at 2141 S. Harbor Blvd. Similiar in many ways at first glance. There name and all are on S. Harbor Blvd.
My conclusion is that according to Trip Avisor's site (scroll down slightly on page one)
The Ramada Maingate is the one doing the extensive renovation. I recently toured this hotel with my agency and we were told all about the plans and renovations by the Manager of the hotel. This is not a rumor that I heard, this is what we were told by Ramada.
The Ramada Maingate is the one doing the extensive renovation. I recently toured this hotel with my agency and we were told all about the plans and renovations by the Manager of the hotel. This is not a rumor that I heard, this is what we were told by Ramada.
My step-Father's friend runs this hotel and it is true that they are doing renovation they even told me to hold off on the accessible room pictures until they are done. Then they will allow me to put it on my web site.