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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Sorry about your food poisoning..that's aweful! I've read a lot of negative things about the housekeeping, so if they turn out ok, then that's more than I would expect. I'm renting a car, so I don't need to worry about any issues with their buses.
The GF is wonderful. The staff and service is top notch there. I loved everything about it, and the Christmas decorations are gorgeous! Have a great trip.
Thank you, I can't wait to go!!! Honestly I don't think you can go wrong at any of the Disney Deluxe Resorts. My biggest hangup with the AKL was the transportation problem, but since you are renting a car you won't have to deal with or worry about that and I'm sure you will have a fantastic time!!!
I love, love, love the AKL! We have stayed there 3 times with a fourth visit scheduled for July. I really feel like Disney pulled out all the stops when it came to themeing this resort, It is so well done.
And so many on site activites to take advantage of. Jiko and Boma are wonderful and so are the bars. Try the little wine bar tucked inside Jiko. We even dine at AKL when we are staying elsewhere.
Now for a little reality check. IMHO the worse experiences I have encountered with bus service and mousekeeping have occured at, you guessed it AKL. But its never ruined our vacation. We vacation at Disney to chill and not sweat the small stuff.
If anything happens take a deep breath (of that wonderful Disney air) and move on. I have read some real horror stories on these and other boards, heck I've lived a few myself. But unless I get snakes in my room like the family did last year in the Contempory, nothings a deal breaker.
Stayed there June 1-8 this year. I don't think we will be able to stay anywhere else and not compare the place to how great AKL is. Please see my review on the link below. Have a good trip!
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We're staying a couple of days in AKL too (first in Contemporary, then after the cruise in AKL) - I've read some complaints regarding the resort ... I'll just see what we find. I can not imagine a deluxe resort that bad!!! My daughter was in love with the idea of initially stay near Cinderella Castle and then in "the zoo" - her own words!!!
What I think - probably some people with a really bad temper!! If something is not right you just need to go and nicelly talk to someone - however I´ve saw a lot of people who either wait to the last day to fill a long complain form, or come screaming and demanding solving their problems! A more resonable (Oand polite) person would come to de CM and tell what is wrong and see if a solution might be done. For instance I read a lot of people compaining about the lins duringthe spring break. It goes until someone who lives in Florida wrote a post stating that it was spring break - one of the crowdest period of the year!!! Regarding AKL I've read somewhere a couple compaining about the proximity of animals and their sounds!!!
In other words, relax!!! You should go to AKL with confidence!