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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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You were so great in answering my last question, I couldn't help but ask one more! I promise I'll stop after this one because, well, all my questions will be answered .
I know that there are several different ways to get from WDW to IOA, however I don't know which one is most reliable and cost effective. The reliability factor is much more important than the cost, but of course I would like to keep the cost in mind. I have heard some awful stories about the Mears bus, did you have a good experience/bad experience? I just heard about the Lynx bus - how does this system work? I went to the website but it is all somewhat confusing, so I figured I would ask if anyone has used the system and if they liked it or not. Of course the third option is to take a taxi - I decided not to rent a car, it would be too much hassle.
If you were staying at the POFQ, how would you get to IOA? (This question has been plaguing me since January!) Thanks for any advice you have!
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We have always used Mears to get to Universal/IOA and never had a problem. They were always on time. Some drivers are more friendly than others-nothing magical, but not a bad experience either in the roughly 8 times we've used them.
The shuttle-type rides (like Mears) can use up quite a bit of time. I have never experienced Lynx, so I can't comment on that, but I've used shuttles in general. Even if you only have to wait 20 minutes each way for the shuttle to arrive, and if you only spend 30 minutes (a hopeful estimate) dropping others off, that is over an hour right there waiting, which is valuable time on vacation. That does not even count actual travel time. Also, with the shuttle-type rides, you pay per person, so that can add up.
You could drive your own rental car, but if you plan to use Disney transportation inside the parks it is kind of a waste. Renting a car for only one day can be pricey.
I like to call a car service. The PassPorter book lists some good ones. You tell them the time you want to leave and they are RIGHT there. You pay per car, so if you have several people a nice town car can actually be cheaper. You don't have the extra stops and they'll even make a stop at a food store or some other point of interest if you like. Also, the drivers seem to be just plain nicer than some of the shuttles (though the drivers on Disney transportation can be quite magical!)
I just ask myself how much that extra hour+ is worth in $$. It puts paying for car service in a perspective, especially if I only have a short vacation.
Hope you have lots of fun and travel safely, whatever you decide!
Oh, I forgot to mention, one UPSIDE of the time spent visiting other hotels/resorts to pick-up and drop-off others with a shuttle is that you get to see what they look like. Especially at Disney, that can be a real fun excursion in itself.
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Michelle - with my step sisters!
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