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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I love it when all the people vacationing together share the same love for Disney. I cannot travel with my extended family nor my husband's, because they are not Disney obsessed and really don't enjoy the parks as me and my little family does. They don't get it.
We also have a brother and his family isn't into Disney like my sister and I are, so I understand what it's like to have family that doesn't get it.
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Originally Posted by B.M.
Great start!
Thank you!
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Originally Posted by SharonK0527
Can't wait to follow along!
I am glad you are joining us!
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Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Great intros!!
Thank you!
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Originally Posted by SuperDave
Nice start to your TR and should be a great trip!
Thank you!
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Originally Posted by KMB733
Glad the schedule worked out and you can finally take that Disney trip! Great introductions!
It has been so long since we have started planning this trip with so many dates thrown around, I can't believe its almost here!
The beginning and easiest stage of planning for me is choosing a resort. We have our favorite (Wilderness Lodge) and also a list of resorts we would love to try. Logistically it would be best if we stay at the same resort as my sister's family, so I consulted with Angie to see where they were thinking of staying. Budget wise my sister requested we stay moderate which was fine with me. The only moderate we have stayed before is POFQ, so I am excited for the chance to try out another moderate.
Angie's other request was that we go during free dining. I wanted to go during the month of October since Lexi has fall break mid-October, but those dates would not be included in the free dining offer. We looked at a calendar and decided on the week of November 12- 19. When free dining was announced, the beginning of that week was excluded from the offer. Back to the calendar and we chose the week after Thanksgiving November 26- December 3. I am stoked that we will be there when the Christmas decorations are up!
When my sister and I got online to book our package the morning free dining was announced (sometime in April, if I remember correctly) NONE of the moderate resorts had availability. Ugh! I was willing to give up free dining and wait for a room discount, but for my sister's family, free dining is a better savings. We went ahead and booked at All Stars Music with an upgrade to the regular dining plan, which I wasn't thrilled about. I have nothing against value resorts, but I have never had the desire to stay at any of the All Stars resorts.
After checking the boards and reading some other Disney websites that I frequent, I realized a lot of people were running into no availability at the moderates for free dining. The next day I read that some people were finding more availability and were able to switch to their resort of choice. My sister and I were both able to switch the next day to Coronado Springs with free dining, but for the first 5 days of our week. We decided to do a split stay at Coronado Springs for the first five days with free dining and then move to Art of Animation for last three days with no dining plan.
Two days later, I am on a field trip with Lexi and when I checked my phone my sister had blown it up with missed phone calls. What in the world was going on? I texted her that I couldn't talk at the moment, and she texted back that she was able to get free dining at Coronado Springs for our entire stay and she wanted me to try and get the same. I couldn't do anything at that moment, I was on a bus with a bunch of screaming third graders , so I texted my sister my log in information for MyDisneyExperience and she was able to take care of it for me.
Finally!! We had our dates and our resort and free dining. That was such a giant pain in the you-know-what, but I'm glad it all worked out.
So for a refresher:
Coronado Springs Resort
November 26-December 3
8 day park hoppers
Free Dining Plan
I did a bit of resort research on CSR, as I don't know much about this resort, and I found that people give it mixed reviews. Some people love it and some people not so much. I also got a letter in the mail stating there will be renovations going on while we are there during the hours of 9:00 – 5:00, but it will not affect the main areas or the pool. I am fine with that. I am really excited to stay at CSR for myself and form my own opinion.
And kudos to you if you stuck with me through that entire explanation just to find out where we would be staying.
Great going with booking CSR as I've stayed there twice and have enjoyed it! Try to avoid staying in Ranchos if you can as it's quite a long walk to Pepper Market and the main area. Try to put in a request for Casistas or Cabanas, which are located well.
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Glad you and your sister were able to get the free dining deal for your entire stay! Coronado Springs is one of the resorts I would like to stay at. Many people don't like it because it is a convention resort, but I think it's beautiful.
That worked out great - being able to get a Moderate resort and Free Dining for your entire stay!
We have stayed at Coronado Springs twice and we really like it. We find it to be a very nice resort, really enjoyed the pool area, dining areas and the rooms. Hopefully you'll enjoy it too.
Glad you managed to get your resort and free dining for your entire stay! Can't wait to see what ADRs you make!
Thank you! I am going to try and get my ADR list up soon, hopefully no later than tomorrow.
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Originally Posted by DMA
Very cool that you were able to get the free dining for the length of your stay!
And glad that you were able to get a moderate resort as well.
I am so happy we were able to get CSR and the free dining is a nice bonus, too!
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Originally Posted by SuperDave
Great going with booking CSR as I've stayed there twice and have enjoyed it! Try to avoid staying in Ranchos if you can as it's quite a long walk to Pepper Market and the main area. Try to put in a request for Casistas or Cabanas, which are located well.
Thank you for the advice! I have done online check-in, but I was doing a bit of research on requesting a location. I will go in and add Casistas or Cabanas to my requests.
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Originally Posted by Tara O'Hara
Your family is adorable as is your sister's!! How fun to experience a new resort and go during the free dining!!
Thank you so much!
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Originally Posted by MayraLR
Glad you and your sister were able to get the free dining deal for your entire stay! Coronado Springs is one of the resorts I would like to stay at. Many people don't like it because it is a convention resort, but I think it's beautiful.
I have read that if you are not there for a convention, you don't even notice that it is a convention resort. I found a 15 minute resort tour video about a month ago and it showed how beautiful the resort is.
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Originally Posted by KMB733
Glad you were finally able to get your dates, resort and free dining all worked out! You'll love Christmastime at WDW!
Thank you! I cannot wait to see the Christmas decorations. I've only been there one other time during the Christmas season, but that was now 10 years ago.
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Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Congrats on CSR and the free dining!!
Thank you!
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Originally Posted by Nemo125
Joining if for what sounds like a fun trip! Great intro and nice job on getting the room! It can take work that's for sure.
Thank you for joining in!
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Originally Posted by SharonK0527
That worked out great - being able to get a Moderate resort and Free Dining for your entire stay!
I was so happy it all worked out. It made all that hard work juggling things around worth it!
We have stayed at Coronado Springs twice and we really like it. We find it to be a very nice resort, really enjoyed the pool area, dining areas and the rooms. Hopefully you'll enjoy it too.
I am glad you liked CSR, that makes me feel better about staying there. I have a feeling we will end up really liking it.
Congrats on getting dates and free dining all worked out You are going to love being in WDW at that time of year and checking out all the holiday decor and feeling
Congrats on getting dates and free dining all worked out You are going to love being in WDW at that time of year and checking out all the holiday decor and feeling
Thank you! I am really looking forward to being there during the Holiday time.
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Disney Magic - Oct 2015
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I wanted to go during the month of October since Lexi has fall break mid-October, but those dates would not be included in the free dining offer. We looked at a calendar and decided on the week of November 12- 19. When free dining was announced, the beginning of that week was excluded from the offer. Back to the calendar and we chose the week after Thanksgiving November 26- December 3. I am stoked that we will be there when the Christmas decorations are up! 
I was willing to give up free dining and wait for a room discount, but for my sister's family, free dining is a better savings. We went ahead and booked at All Stars Music with an upgrade to the regular dining plan, which I wasn't thrilled about. I have nothing against value resorts, but I have never had the desire to stay at any of the All Stars resorts.
What in the world was going on? I texted her that I couldn't talk at the moment, and she texted back that she was able to get free dining at Coronado Springs for our entire stay and she wanted me to try and get the same. I couldn't do anything at that moment, I was on a bus with a bunch of screaming third graders 
, so I texted my sister my log in information for MyDisneyExperience and she was able to take care of it for me. 
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