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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 always try to get a Hilton, Hyatt or Marriott property. I can honestly say I've never had a bad stay. The rooms are always well maintained and clean. Like Joan, I love Residence Inns, especially for a longer stay and we will always choose a Homewood Suites (Hilton) if that is an option. With 3 teen/young adults in our family I liked the two beds and a sleep sofa that you can get for a very reasonable price.
Like Sabine, I've had more bad luck than good with Raddisons, which I think is because they are franchised but there appears to be little oversight/quaility control.
My DD just stayed in a Comfort Inn for a recent horse show (She needs to be in the same hotel as the barn so I don't get to pick). I was surprised as to what a nice property it was and very reasonably priced for mid-summer. The staff was outstanding. I made a booking error as did everyone else in the barn. The rooms were non refundable but the manager not only refunded the wrong dates, but offerred a good rate on the rooms. They had a nice breakfast, although they usually had to grab and go to get the the show. The rewards program is great. It one of the few in which you can easily earn rewards and there are tons of options.
I have never been impressed with a Best Western on the east coast, although some of the western ones seem better.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
We are big fans of Holiday Inn Express -- they always have a pool, which DD loves, and their breakfast bar includes yummy cinnamon rolls. They have a promo now that every 2d nite earns you 2000 bonus points and it only takes 10000 points for a free nite. So we've done 6 nites this summer and have a free one coming already.
We've only stayed in one Hampton -- it was soooo overpriced that we don't even consider hte chain when making our plans -- even now, 10 years later. But from this thread maybe I should rethink.
Last edited by Carousel96; 07-30-2007 at 04:20 PM..
We like to stay in Comfort Inn and related properties ( Comfort Suites, Sleep Inn, Clarion, MainstaySuites, Quality Inn). Their rewards program is called Choice Privileges. You get points for each stay and then can use you points within 2 years for free stays anywhere that accepts them. They usually give you extra points when you sign up. They almost always have a great breakfast including the fresh waffles. Many also have fresh fruit, etc.. We have never gone away hungry. The only hotel choin included in Choice Priviledges program that we don't like very much is Quality Inn.
We like Choice Hotels (think Comfort Inn and Suites). They usually have one of their hotels (several in the chain) in whatever area we want. We like queen beds which is kinda hard to come by. Also get free paper, free breakfast, nice pool, etc.
We've never been disappointed with Marriott. The rewards program is great and they have a terrific breakfast. The rooms are always super clean and spacious and lots of stuff in the kitchen.
We like Choice Hotels (Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, etc). I always find the rooms are always comfy and clean . A lot that we've stayed in have indoor pools (great for any season stay) and the breakfast is good (I'm not a breakfast eater, hence only being a good rating from me). Pastries, breads and muffins, do it yourself belgian waffles, plenty of coffee.
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Donna - Hampton Inn and Hilton Garden Inn belong to the Hilton Hhonors program Hilton HHonors® - I really like the program for the following reasons -
Hilton has 8 separate hotel chains under the umbrella.
You can earn both points in the Hilton program toward rewards AND points in your favorite airline travel partner program (or extra points if you don't want the airline bonus).
I prefer the Hilton Garden Inn chain - nice food options, free high speed, business center, gym, pool, all inside hallways (big for me since I usually travel solo).
Feel free to PM me with any questions you may have - you can join Hhonors through the Hhonors website.
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.
Here's another vote for Hampton Inn. They have been upgrading their beds and they are yummy like the Hilton's. I don't know if they are all done yet tho. We also love the Wingate Inns. The rooms are huge, refrig, nice toiletries, great breakfast, ondoor pool and whirlpool, exercise room, hi speed internet, and alot more. I get pickier and pickier about the midrange hotels we stay at since more and more we stay at deluxe. As I get older, the amenities and the BEDS make a bigger and bigger difference. Bigred
I stay at Hampton Inns or Courtyard by Marriott. Both chains frequently have AAA/CA discounts, Donna - so be sure to ask. Hampton has free breakfast, Courtyard varies - sometimes free and sometimes they charge extra. Both usually have indoor pools (at least in the midwest) and interior hallways. I hae stayed at Embassy Suites before when travelling on business and the extra room is great! They have wonderful breakfasts and you can't beat the happy hour with free drinks and appetizers. They tend to be a little more expensive, but if you're travelling with the kids the extra room may make it worth it.
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.
We like the Marriott family of hotels. The free breakfasts at the different locations are a great deal, and they always seem to have a nice pool. Never had a bad stay yet.
Believe it or not, I like staying at Motel 6. Most of them are easy to find, the price is cheap, and the rooms are generally clean. My friend particularly enjoy the hot showers. Motel 6's may not have room service and the hotels never call me when I request a wake-up call, but for a no-frills hotel, the brand is fairly consistent. If Motel 6 had a reward program, I'd sign up for it in a heartbeat.
Red Roof Inn (owned by the same company) has a rewards program. I believe it is if you stay 10 nights, you get a night free.
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.
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