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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We have just begun planning our 1st WDW vacation! I'm already feeling overwelmed!! I've heard it's cheaper to make your own reservations and book your own flights. Is this true?! We are on a budget and would like to save any money we can! We have 4 children, when we would like to go (Oct.) they will be 9, 7, 4, and 1. Please help!!
PassPorter Guide Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Chapel Hill, NC USA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 36,592
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Re: 1st timers need tips!
Hey Disneybound....Welcome to the boards from another North Carolinian! Planning your first trip can be very overwhelming, especially if you start by reading on different internet sites . You are correct that most of the time you can do better financially if you book your own vacation in pieces rather than doing a package. Have you any idea of where you want to stay yet? That is usually where I start my planning. With a family of 6, your options on WDW property are somewhat limited, but there are some good choices. The Passporter will give you some ideas as to where you can stay with your family size and a range of prices for those resorts. The book also lists off-property options that you can investigate.
Living where you do, you can also consider driving rather than flying to save money. (We've done both.) From Chapel Hill, it takes about 10 hours if you don't hit any slowdowns on I95, so I imagine it would be about an 11 hour drive for you. But there are often some really good airline rates out of Raleigh or Charlotte (I don't know about Greensboro).
If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask....we'll all be glad to give whatever advise we can. -HiddenMickey
Thanks HM! I appreciate the help! We're looking at the Wilderness Cabins, as you said, because of our family's size. So far, it does seem more expensive with the travel agents I've checked with. Any help you can offer would be great!
Welcome Disneybound!
i'm so excited for your first trip to WDW
i definitely think you can save more money planning the details of your trip on your own, versus a travel agent, PLUS, it's more fun that way.
i highly recommend getting a Disney Club membership ($40). it has helped me save so much money so far...between hotel room discounts and park tickets. you can get 10-20% off Disney hotels if they have "discount" rooms available--they only allot a certain number at any given time. i saved 5% on park tickets. the savings have already paid for the card!
check out www.disneyclub.com for info on other discounts, too.
read my posting "I can't believe the deal i got" on this board to see my savings regarding booking sept 25 (value season) if your dates are flexible
good luck, and happy planning!!
goofyforWDW
Hi Disneybound!
So you're planning your first trip to "The World" huh? You'll have lots of fun if you don't go insane first <laughing>. A great website to check is www.wdwig.com (Deb Wills disney site). It has TONS of useful information, including info on resorts and cabins. Good luck with your planning!!
You should try going to "Ask the travel agent" on the Passporter Boards. I have had great help from "Jean". She works wonders with her pixie dust. I was feeling overwhelmed planning a Sept. trip for my family & our friends, I clicked on that & have had wonderful results. Good Luck!
Hi Disneybound! I found this site invaluable in planning our trip in January. We saved a large chunk of change by buying Annual Passes and gettting a great deal on our room at Dixie Landings. I can't remember what kinda of discounts are available in Oct. I agree with ILuvDisney - go to wdwig - tons of info. mary
I don't have any additional hints for you -- the folks above have covered all the bases, I think -- but I just wanted to wish you happy planning. The planning is half the fun!
We went last November for our first visit. I looked into buying the room,passes, airport transfers,and airfare supertly(sp). Then I checked with my AAA travel agent to see what a package price would be with airfare and believe it or not the package was cheeper. go figure!! We are now in planning stages for our next trip in November 2002.
Welcome to the boards, Disneybound! I know that planning is half the fun of a Disney vacation (!) but try to remember that if your plans go awry it can be a lot of fun to just go with the flow! There's nothing worse than the feeling of depression that descends on you when the best laid plans go wrong, so the most important planning tip I can give you is to relax and just enjoy, no matter what happens!
Check out Jean's forum (Ask the Travel Agent) for great tips on how to save on your room and travel expenses too!
Have a great time!
------------------
Cruella ºoº
"...where the young at heart, of all ages, can laugh and play and learn, together!" Cruella
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. You are correct that most of the time you can do better financially if you book your own vacation in pieces rather than doing a package. Have you any idea of where you want to stay yet? That is usually where I start my planning. With a family of 6, your options on WDW property are somewhat limited, but there are some good choices. The Passporter will give you some ideas as to where you can stay with your family size and a range of prices for those resorts. The book also lists off-property options that you can investigate. 
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