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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Hi All,
My wife and I are planning our second trip to WDW. First time we stayed in All Star Movies. This time will be in Caribbean Beach. One of the things we would like to do is tour several resorts to get a feel of what they are like. I'm hoping there are others who have done this and can offer some advice.
Thanks !
One thing we've done is start in Epcot (or Magic Kingdom, wherever there's a Monorail) and hop from Polynesian to Contemporary to Grand Floridian. I wanted to ask to see a room, to say we're considering staying there our next trip and all, to really get a feel of it, but there were always hordes of people checking in while we were there, and I figured a real vacation took priority over my imaginary one
You can go to DHS, walk or take the water taxi to Boardwalk (or what ever resort it stops at first), tour Boardwalk, then walk around and tour Yacht and Beach Clubs. (you can also do the Swan and Dolphins if you want on your way!
Go through EPCOT's International Gateway (assuming you have a park hopper) - take the monorail to TTC. Get on the Magic Kingdom monorail, not the express one, and stop at Poly, GF, and Contemporary. Take a water taxi from Cont. to Wilderness Lodge.
Bus to AK, and hop a bus to AKL. Bus back to AK, and hop a bus to Pop.
That's all the thinking I can do for now!!
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We've toured the monorail resorts before - that's easy to do and it's easy to get to the BoardWalk, Yacht and Beach Club and Swan and Dolphin by boat or by walking from the International Gateway from Epcot.
we usually have a car and pick a few resorts and go to them. if when i go to a resort and really like it and want to see a certain room ask a cm and they would help out . as per getting to them other then a car mk area use the monarail like someone said or go to a park or dtd and take the bus system . this is alot of fun we do it every trip.
DH and I love to do the MK monorail resorts, although we never make it to the Contemporary! LOL However, once we get to stay at BLT, that will be remedied! We also love the Boardwalk resorts. YC is a great place to end the tour and sit around and lounge!
You could also go up to one of the Disney VAcation Club representatives - they will take you on a tour of their villas - Contemporary and Animal Kingdom both have villas now - oh and the TreeHouse Villas just opened - so they have models they can take you on -
the plus side is they will drive you, you view them listen to a very short non pressure sales pitch (dream a dream!) and they give you free stuff!! Sometimes Fast passes, and ice cream!!
You can visit the MK resorts (GF, POLY, CR) in one swoop and the Epcot reorts (BWI, BC / YC, Swan, Dolphin) in another. You can even take WDW transport to get there. The All Stars could be done together, and POR / POFQ could be done as a tandem.
You can just tour the resorts as others have mentioned or you can incorporate a meal or two into the works to see the resorts. For example, plan a lunch at the Grand Floridian Cafe, breakfast at Kona (Polynesian) one morning, dinner at Boma (DAK) and plan time to look around in addition to the meal. Then you can park in the parking lot, assuming you are driving, and get a really good feel for the property.
The plus side is that I think the food is better at the resorts than the parks anyway...and there are many fun options!
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I second visiting the resorts and trying out their restaurants. WCC at WL is fun, plus you get to look at the lobby. Just beautiful. I love Kona Cafe. Have breakfast there, then hop on the Monorail to MK.
Wow, you guys are awesome ! Thanks for all the advice. We've decided to rent a car and we're also planning some meals in a few of the resorts. Which leads to my next question ... do we need to make ADR in order to use the resort parking? If not, do we just pull in to the resort and tell them we're visiting?
Thanks in advance,
Frank
We do as many others have said, eat at the resort and tour before / after.
Our usual tradition has been to eat at YC steakhouse the first night (DH's favorite restaurant) and then spend the rest of the night wandering though the resorts by Epcot and the Boardwalk. Depending on the time we also take in illuminations.
We always eat breakfast at Kona at least once, have afternoon tea at the GF and eat at the Calf Grill which covers the MK resorts. It's also relaxing after a morning at the MK to just hop on the monorail and visit the resorts.
Boma is a must which takes us to the AKL and Artist Point is my favorite restaurant which takes us to the WL for a visit if we're not staying there.
The rest we usually tour by car if we want to take a look around.
When we went in December a few years back we made sure we checked out every resort at some point of the trip to view the beautiful decorations.
If you're staying on property unless it's changed you can just tell the guard that you're taking a look around if you are driving to the resorts when doing your resort hopping if they ask.
Wow, you guys are awesome ! Thanks for all the advice. We've decided to rent a car and we're also planning some meals in a few of the resorts. Which leads to my next question ... do we need to make ADR in order to use the resort parking? If not, do we just pull in to the resort and tell them we're visiting?
Thanks in advance,
Frank
No, you don't need to show any ADR reservation to get into a resort (but without one you prob. won't get into the restaurant) just show your WDW I.D. (KTTW card).
Hope you enjoy CBR, we loved our stay there.
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