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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 just returned from a week in WDW. I have Spina Bifida and use a wheelchair full-time. I had never used Magical Express before but i was excited to use it. I made sure by calling 3 times prior to my trip, up to the day before to make sure the bus would have a lift. We got there sunday 6/24 and our flight had been delayed but only by 20 minutes or so. When we got there, the bus for CBR didn't have a lift and we were told they would "order" one. It took over two hours of us waiting to get a bus with a lift to get to CBR. Is this normal? I would have thought one would have been there. On the way back our driver seemed a little peeved because apparently it wasn't marked that we needed a bus with a lift but luckily his bus had one. I double and triple checked before i left too!!
I just returned from a week in WDW. I have Spina Bifida and use a wheelchair full-time. I had never used Magical Express before but i was excited to use it. I made sure by calling 3 times prior to my trip, up to the day before to make sure the bus would have a lift. We got there sunday 6/24 and our flight had been delayed but only by 20 minutes or so. When we got there, the bus for CBR didn't have a lift and we were told they would "order" one. It took over two hours of us waiting to get a bus with a lift to get to CBR. Is this normal? I would have thought one would have been there. On the way back our driver seemed a little peeved because apparently it wasn't marked that we needed a bus with a lift but luckily his bus had one. I double and triple checked before i left too!!
I'm so sorry you had this experience! I've used DME with a pre-requested lift many times and never have had this happen. Once I had to wait for the next bus because the one waiting already had a full quota of wheelchairs on board. The wait was minimal, though.
I just returned from a week in WDW. I have Spina Bifida and use a wheelchair full-time. I had never used Magical Express before but i was excited to use it. I made sure by calling 3 times prior to my trip, up to the day before to make sure the bus would have a lift. We got there sunday 6/24 and our flight had been delayed but only by 20 minutes or so. When we got there, the bus for CBR didn't have a lift and we were told they would "order" one. It took over two hours of us waiting to get a bus with a lift to get to CBR. Is this normal? I would have thought one would have been there. On the way back our driver seemed a little peeved because apparently it wasn't marked that we needed a bus with a lift but luckily his bus had one. I double and triple checked before i left too!!
WOW! That is alot of park time to miss! I think if you let Disney know what happened, they'd look into it to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Mistakes DO happen, and I hope that was just an isolated incident.
We used ME a couple of times with DD (in an electric chair). Both times, they were expecting us, but had to call for the bus. It was never a 2 hour wait, but once it took about an hour. And then, we were of course, the last stop!
It is not normal but then again buses break down, lifts stop working, and drivers get sick. I would have been whining after the first half hour. I did not need a lift but they did go out of their way to help me get on the bus. I had a scooter which they stowed under the bus. I think you need to contact them and complain.
__________________
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.
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
We have ridden DME on 2 trips a year with our daughter who uses a wheelchair.
We have usually had a wait of at least 20 minutes, but never 2 hours.
So, to answer your question, it's not common to wait that long.
I have used DME with a scooter. I had also called and triple-checked that the lift bus would be there. Our plane was on time, there was no line at DME and there was no bus with a lift. We had to wait about 1/2 hour for them to call a bus, THEN they wanted to make us the last stop. I put up a fuss (we had ADRs and had already been delayed). We were made the first stop.
The only other time I've used DME it was not when I had someone with their own wheelchair/scooter with them. Otherwise, I don't believe a word they say that a lift bus will be there when you are. Two hours is ridiculous. At one hour they should have gotten you a cab.
Im hoping the next time will be better.... I didn't mention the fact that the bus driver parked the bus where the lift wouldn't go all the way flat once we made it to CBR(after my sister had to run to the front of the bus to ask the driver to stop because he forgot I was on there and was pulling away to go to Pop) it was pouring down rain and the driver left me sitting on the lift getting drenched while he was trying to force the lift down with me on it