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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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01-25-2010, 01:40 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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Feature Article: Disney Vacation Club's Old Key West - A Resort Review
Disney Vacation Club's Old Key West - A Resort Review
by Cheryl Pendry
I'm a Beach Club girl through and through. Let's just get that little fact out of the way first. Wherever we stay in Disney, no other resort will ever better my beloved Beach Club.
Having said that, we don't spend our entire life at Disney at the Beach Club. (Much as I'd love to.) Firstly, I believe that variety is the spice of life and let's be honest, how do you know if one resort is the best and perfect for you if you don't try the others out? Secondly -- and, let's be honest, more importantly -- sometimes your first choice of resort isn't always available. That's exactly what happened to us as we planned for our fall vacation last year. So faced with the news that we couldn’t get into the Beach Club Villas for the last five nights of our stay, what were we going to do? The Disney Vacation Club was able to offer us Saratoga Springs or Old Key West. It didn’t take long for me to decide. Not only would Old Key West cost us fewer DVC points, it would be new to us and I had been hearing good things about the resort for some time from those who'd already stayed there. So choice made, what did we make of the place?
The first thing you notice when you arrive here is that the resort is well hidden away. You can't really see it as you drive along and the only way you'll get a glimpse of it, without actually entering the resort, is by renting a boat from Downtown Disney. As soon as you get into the grounds, you notice how spread out everything is and it quickly becomes clear why that is the Lake Buena Vista golf course sprawls its way throughout the resort. Holes three to eight see golfers make their way around Old Key West and if you're lucky, you may even get a room overlooking the course.
Set against the golf course and Trumbo Canal that cuts through the resort are a total of 64 buildings, all in beautiful pastel colors. As with all Disney's resorts, there are superb photo opportunities all around this resort. The buildings make for some great shots, as does the Hospitality House area. This is where you'll find check-in and the resort's dining options. While they're not as plentiful as at some other DVC resorts, you can still enjoy a great meal at the resort's table service restaurant, Olivia's Café, get hamburgers or ice cream at Good's to Go or get some drinks at the Gurgling Suitcase. Many people choose to eat in their rooms, especially as every room, except for the studios, comes with fully-equipped kitchens. It's no surprise then that the Conch Flats General Store has a great range of items, including food, drink, Disney souvenirs and Disney Vacation Club and Old Key West merchandise.
Walk a little further and you'll find the recreation area, including Hank's Rent-n-Return. This is the place to either rent a boat (a great way to spend a couple of hours) or if you're feeling more energetic, you can rent bicycles here and set off on two wheels to explore the resort. Nearby you'll find a children's playground, tennis, basketball and volleyball courts and there's also a jogging trail that runs all around the resort.
If the weather doesn't inspire you to do any of those things, then there's also the Electric Game room or you can rent DVDs and games from Conch Flats Community Hall. The Hall is also home to various activities for youngsters -- it's worth checking it out to see what's going on while you're there. The main swimming pool in the recreation area has recently undergone some major improvements, including the addition of a new slide. If the main pool is busy, there are three other quiet pools scattered around the resort, meaning you should never be too far from one.
As this is a sprawling resort, if you don't have a car, you may need to catch one of the many buses to get around Old Key West. As rental car drivers though, one of the things we most enjoyed here was being able to park right by the building we were staying in. Trust me; it's a big bonus when you come back from a long day at the parks. Instead of having to park and then walk for what seems like miles back to your room, you can pull up just outside.
And the rooms at Old Key West are perhaps the biggest draw. If you want space, this is the place to head for. This was the first Disney Vacation Club resort to open on Walt Disney World property, and rooms were built a lot bigger in those days. We were really impressed with the extra space we had in our studio, especially with the amount of luggage we were carrying with us! The pastel continues inside the rooms and we found that very relaxing.
But let's not forget, Old Key West is designed to be relaxing. That's the beauty of the place. It's laid back and has a wonderful community feel to it. We really felt as if we were part of a big family during our stay here and that's not something we've encountered to that degree at any other Disney resort.
So if you're looking for somewhere that will offer a complete break after a long day at the parks, then it's worth considering Old Key West. Although my heart remains firmly with the Beach Club, I can now say that Old Key West is an excellent alternative if our number one choice isn't available!
View the full article and download a free formatted PDF of it here!
Added to PassPorter's Article Collection on 09-16-2009 05:34 PM
What do you think? Please add your own comments, experiences, or news related to this article in this thread! Reader feedback is welcomed and encouraged.
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