An Animal Kingdom State of Being with Cam and Fam COMPLETED 9/18 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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.
I completely understand your frustration with your check in. They could have a least given you access to the club level so you could grab a snack!!! I agree..they need to really step up their computer technology. It drives me nuts when I try to get on the website and it is down AGAIN!!
That is what amazed me as I showed the first CM our confirmation letter, which clearly said Club Level, but she said she had nothing to prove that on her end. I wish I had taken her name as she was pretty much worthless as help.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
That is NOT the way to step into the Disney bubble! You're right--computer issues are all too frequent at Disney and are no excuse for the kind of non-service you got. There's got to be a better way to handle a crash. It happens so often you'd think a back-up plan would be normal procedure. And poor Luke, hobbling along.
Glad you got in a couple of rides and some shopping at least.
We had planned on going to a park for a short time anyway, but we had hoped to get checked in so when Luke was tired and sore, we could just head to our room. He really earned a medal for all the standing he had to do that day on his poor feet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HollyH
I'm so sorry that you had to wait so long to check in! I would have been a bit peeved that I missed 2 food services in the lounge due to their computer problems. And now both Luke's toes are troubling him . I'm glad to hear that the magic is coming..... I can't wait to see your view! (We are currently waitlisted for a concierge studio for our April trip and I'm curious to hear about your experiences).
Later today I hope to get up my first update with info on staying club level.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nmeeboer
Loving this read! Getting us VERY excited for our next trip just a few weeks away. My 6 year old loves the idea of the goodie bags for the airline staff. Can I ask what you generally include?
For the goodie bags, I usually include some novelty items. This year I found magic eight balls, mini Uno cards, and rubber ducks at Wal-Mart. The crew really loved the rubber ducks. I also found some office supplies at Wal-Mart, including fancy paper clips and magnets. We always include some candy, mints, and/or gum.
Quote:
Originally Posted by islandgirl
Sorry about Luke's fall! I know it can put a bit of a damper on things when you aren't quite up to par. I know having that bug while I was there in Feb. made me push myself harder, and I also had to cut some of my days short as I just didn't feel good. I can imagine Luke's pain by the end of the day....{he is a trooper though!!} Also, I'm sorry about check-in....again, I know how you feel. Our check-in at BC took forever too!!! It really can start things off on a less than magical note! Glad you got a little time in at DHS! Oh, and I the flip flops {and all of your other purchases even though I'm not a HP fan!!!.) Hope the magic begins....SOON!
Luke did need to turn in earlier in the evenings than he normally would have, but mine and Stefanie's legs were glad for rest, too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by B.M.
Wow, that check-in sounds ridiculous! I agree with you they should have a back up plan incase the computers go down! And I had not even thought about the concierge lounge offerings until you mentioned it towards the end of your update.... I would have been upset about that also! It really seems like they could have allowed you into the lounge while they worked out their problems.....
Glad you had AP's and were able to enjoy the studio's- if you had regular park tickets and didn't have a days tickets alloted for check in day- that really would have a been a long 6+ hours!!
At least we had our own back up plan!
Quote:
Originally Posted by BettyBeBop
Oh my! Your check-in woes must have been very frustrating. Those upgrades have been giving Disney fits over the past months. I am with you on the IT staff. They need to get it together and also come up with that back-up plan. Their computer problems should not interfere with your day - especially at Club Level. I can't wait to hear how the magic improves.
The magic will be coming very soon!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolfy6688
Ugh! I'm sorry about your check-in issues. I absolutely agree there should be a backup plan.
Let's hope there are back up plans in the future.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MinnieMary
Wow what a nightmare checking in. We checked in the same day at the Polynesian and they still were able to do it manually. It took the CM a while, but it wasn't more than about 15 minutes. I think we arrived there about 11:30 am or so? Not sure why they couldn't get you checked in at AKL? I'm sure things will go much smoother for you the rest of your trip.
That is very interesting as both the CMs at AKL insisted that no one was able to check in in any way all across the WDW resort. I'm beginning to suspect that AKL doesn't like working without computers.
About This Page: 
. I'm glad to hear that the magic is coming..... I can't wait to see your view! (We are currently waitlisted for a concierge studio for our April trip and I'm curious to hear about your experiences).
} Also, I'm sorry about check-in....again, I know how you feel. Our check-in at BC took forever too!!! It really can start things off on a less than magical note! Glad you got a little time in at DHS! Oh, and I 
the flip flops {and all of your other purchases even though I'm not a HP fan!!!.) Hope the magic begins....SOON!
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Threaded Mode
