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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I just returned from WDW with sore knees, arthritis, so I guess my next trip will be with an ECV. Remember, I've never rented one at WDW, or really paid too much attention, so I'm sorry I've got some real basic questions. I really only need the scooter for long distances-like getting from BCV over to FW in Epcot. But once I'm at, say, the F&W festival center, I could walk all around inside. Same thing at UK, I need the ECV to get there, but I can walk around all the stores. Walking in and around Beaches and Cream is no problem, but where do I leave my ECV while I do these things? I know at MK, there are stroller "parking lots". Is this the type of place I leave my ECV? In Africa/AK, if I want to go to Dawa Bar, shop in some stores, go on the KS ride, is there one central place I can leave the EVC if I really only need it for the long trip back to the front of the park, or do I have to take it everywhere with me? And if anyone knows of any helpful "ECV 101" links, I'd really appreciate it. TIA.
Yes. You can park the EVC in a central area, near or at the stroller areas (or in cases like the EPCOT countries, just out of the main walking areas), get out, walk around and then come back. The only things you'll need to worry about: Make sure you take the key and don't leave valuables on the EVC. We've never had anything stolen from a stroller or wheelchair (DD's in an electric, but we carry her on to every ride in WDW). That isn't to say it's not possible though. Better safe than sorry.
Yes. You can park the EVC in a central area, near or at the stroller areas (or in cases like the EPCOT countries, just out of the main walking areas), get out, walk around and then come back. The only things you'll need to worry about: Make sure you take the key and don't leave valuables on the EVC. We've never had anything stolen from a stroller or wheelchair (DD's in an electric, but we carry her on to every ride in WDW). That isn't to say it's not possible though. Better safe than sorry.
Great to hear! I can't visulaize the parking areas in Epcot or on Main Street in the MK, but hopefully I'll see them. Hopefully, I won't forget and leave valuables in there. I'm glad you reminded me.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
On Main Street at Disneyland I park in the street in front of a shop if there is no parade or vehicles otherwise in front of the store as close as I can get to the wall. I also park next to trash cans and along fences in the hubs at Disneyland as that is out of the way. In this video you see a bridge to Tomorrowland around 5 minutes and that is not a good place to park as it is my opinion that it is wrong to block scenic views. Fantasyland is one place you will need to park in the stroller areas though.
Enjoy the videos and each has a link to the next video. If you still have questions on MK parking for scooters ask but that should familiarize you on good places to park at MK.
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Mom calls to check on me and reminded me to pay the gardener. I love her so much.
Disneyland was fun with flag retreat and pickles. I have a home here, thank you. GAC is NOT a "front of the line pass".
She is gone but keeping signature. Laundry is getting done. My purpose in life is to help poor people in FL. Farewell, will miss you.
Hi! I'm so sorry you wore yourself out with the magic. An ECV sounds perfect for you!
If you stop at guest relations at your resort or in the parks, you can pick up The Guide for Guests with Disabilities and you can ask questions about parking areas.
The best place to find out where to park an ECV is with CMs in the area you want to park. Things like parades, time of day, and crowds may change things. CMs will know what is going on and might even have omme good suggestios. or can find someone who knows what is going on.
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Mom calls to check on me and reminded me to pay the gardener. I love her so much.
Disneyland was fun with flag retreat and pickles. I have a home here, thank you. GAC is NOT a "front of the line pass".
She is gone but keeping signature. Laundry is getting done. My purpose in life is to help poor people in FL. Farewell, will miss you.
I don't want to hijack the thread but I'm glad you posted it. Turns out I need an ECV myself for my upcoming trip in 4 weeks time. I have 2 stress fractures in my left lower leg and I have to wear a removable walking cast on my leg. I know there is absolutely no way that I can do 15 hours in a park on my leg in the boot so I've rented an ECV for the length of my stay from Walker Mobility. This thread has given me some good information.
SORRY from Sandy! I hit edit instead of quote. I hate when I do that!
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Last edited by Sandra Bostwick; 11-01-2009 at 09:57 AM..
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I highly recommend renting a scooter from an outside agency, then you can use it no matter where you go -- the parks, downtown disney and your resort. It is there waiting for you when you check into the resort and it is yours the whole trip.
I just got back from WDW and I would not recommend the scooter company I used, Scooterama. I had several difficulties with them, starting with no instructions on how to charge the scooter (they said it was on the website, but I was not on the website) and in addition to plugging it in, you have to push a switch and monitor the lights to see if it is fully charged, etc...etc... I spent the whole first day at Epcot and 1/2 of the second day at AK charging my scooter for hours at a time (after I charged it all night the right way - it still was not fully charged). They finally gave me a new one at AK 1/2 way through the day, but refused to work with me because they said it was user error. I have a motorized wheelchair at home and never had any problem. This was very very frustrating. Those of you with health problems know the stress can do you in quickly.
So, yes rent a ECV, don't be embarrased because it is just another way to ensure you have lots of fun at WDW!! Have a GREAT time!!
I don't want to hijack the thread but I'm glad you posted it. Turns out I need an ECV myself for my upcoming trip in 4 weeks time. I have 2 stress fractures in my left lower leg and I have to wear a removable walking cast on my leg. I know there is absolutely no way that I can do 15 hours in a park on my leg in the boot so I've rented an ECV for the length of my stay from Walker Mobility. This thread has given me some good information.
Hi there!
Any time you want to hijack a thread to say our posters have been helpful, feel free!
I am SO sorry to hear about your difficulties, OUCH! Please let us know if you have any other questions.
I highly recommend renting a scooter from an outside agency, then you can use it no matter where you go -- the parks, downtown disney and your resort. It is there waiting for you when you check into the resort and it is yours the whole trip.
I just got back from WDW and I would not recommend the scooter company I used, Scooterama. I had several difficulties with them, starting with no instructions on how to charge the scooter (they said it was on the website, but I was not on the website) and in addition to plugging it in, you have to push a switch and monitor the lights to see if it is fully charged, etc...etc... I spent the whole first day at Epcot and 1/2 of the second day at AK charging my scooter for hours at a time (after I charged it all night the right way - it still was not fully charged). They finally gave me a new one at AK 1/2 way through the day, but refused to work with me because they said it was user error. I have a motorized wheelchair at home and never had any problem. This was very very frustrating. Those of you with health problems know the stress can do you in quickly.
So, yes rent a ECV, don't be embarrased because it is just another way to ensure you have lots of fun at WDW!! Have a GREAT time!!
Thanks for that information. Sorry you had a problem with that.
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I am sorry you had trouble with Scooterama, I have used them for years & have not ever had any trouble..
It may be because they rent the same type of scooter I own & am very familiar with it's workings.. Glad they got you a new one & you had a wonderful vacation..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Texasgrandma
I highly recommend renting a scooter from an outside agency, then you can use it no matter where you go -- the parks, downtown Disney and your resort. It is there waiting for you when you check into the resort and it is yours the whole trip.
I just got back from WDW and I would not recommend the scooter company I used, Scooterama. I had several difficulties with them, starting with no instructions on how to charge the scooter (they said it was on the website, but I was not on the website) and in addition to plugging it in, you have to push a switch and monitor the lights to see if it is fully charged, etc...etc... I spent the whole first day at Epcot and 1/2 of the second day at AK charging my scooter for hours at a time (after I charged it all night the right way - it still was not fully charged). They finally gave me a new one at AK 1/2 way through the day, but refused to work with me because they said it was user error. I have a motorized wheelchair at home and never had any problem. This was very very frustrating. Those of you with health problems know the stress can do you in quickly.
So, yes rent a ECV, don't be embarrassed because it is just another way to ensure you have lots of fun at WDW!! Have a GREAT time!!
It may be because they rent the same type of scooter I own & am very familiar with it's workings.. Glad they got you a new one & you had a wonderful vacation..
Hmmmmm, sounds like a good topic for another sharing question.
Thanks everyone! Something else just occured to me-where do you keep it when you're in your room? And they said it has to be recharged. Is that something you can do just with a regular plug or what? And once it's been recharged, is it good for all day?