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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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to get an upgrade? Does anybody ever get upgraded to make a deluxe the same as a moderate? Just curious if there are any secrets to make my chances any better!
They used to run an advertisement every spring, but I haven't seen that one since 2004 or 2005. It was stay at a deluxe for the moderate price.....stay at a moderate for the value price. We took advantage of it during 2004....the only deluxes offered were WL & AKL. We stayed at WL for 2 glorious weeks!
I don't know if they will ever run that special again, but I would keep my eyes peeled in your local newspaper's travel section.
It's the luck of the draw... if there were magic words, I'd be staying at the Poly for the rest of my life!! Until those words get discovered, though, it'll be POR or CBR for me!
The only way you'd be upgraded from a moderate to a deluxe is if somehow the hotel is overbooked (or rooms were unexpectedly taken out of service). It's more likely (though still rare) to be upgraded within a resort -- from standard to preferred view, for example, or if you're really lucky at a deluxe, to concierge level. I don't know magic words for that, but being polite and mentioning any upcoming special occasions never hurts.
Happy planning,
Melissa
A couple of trips ago we were staying at WL and asked if they had any free upgrades to concierge available. The CM checked for us, but there weren't any. It just so happened that there was construction going on on the floor below us, which was keeping our daughter from napping. We asked the front desk if we could change rooms and then they upgraded us to concierge for free.
I've been told that you can get upgraded to concierge level sometimes if you ask at check-in.
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We got move up to the concierge level last June 2006 at the Beach Club. Wasn't expecting it all. Wonder if they don't fill concierge levels if they try moving families or individals to those levels
We've been upgraded at the CR - from a standard wing room to a Tower room. It was my daughter's surprise birthday trip - and the CM that booked my trip at CRO was wonderful. It was during the very first free dining promotion - so we had some nice side conversations as she helped me make my dining reservations at the same time - and marked them as birthday celebrations for Sarah. Apparently she had noted something in the computer - because we checked in VERY late! It was after midnight - I had requested North Garden Wing (was hoping for a last stay before they "rehabbed" it - as we all know now - it is no longer!) - and I really prefer not to stay in the South Wing. The CM was "Earning her Ears" and when we checked in - she called over her supervisor, as she didn't know why our reservations said Wing - but our rooms were preblocked in the Tower! Sure enough - we had gotten a great upgrade for Sarah's birthday!! They were wonderful!
Other than that - we haven't really been upgraded - we tend to pay for the view/level we want. Some resorts are more likely to upgrade than others - AKL often upgrades from standard to pool, or even savannah view. Our AKL stays were already booked for concierge.
This past April we got upgraded from a standard to a preferred room at ASMo. We didn't ask for it at check-in and didn't realize that we'd been upgraded until we went off to our room. The CM didn't say anything about an upgrade either. Boy were we glad we got upgraded because a few days later, lots of (loud) groups of cheerleaders checked in and occupied pretty much all the standard rooms.
It's always possible to get an update but it also depends on what time of the year. Disney picks out which room you'll be staying at 3 days before your arrival. When you book you can add your requests and they MAY be answered. When DH and I arrived late around 7pm at ASMu back in November 2003, when we asked if we could get any form of upgrade and the CM said all rooms were booked.
I have never had an upgrade but there is always hope for the future!
I do have to mention, though, I have always been happy with my rooms - I am just so ecstatic to be there!!!
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Favorite Disney Resort: Polynesian
Favorite Disney Character: Goofy
Favorite Park: EPCOT
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Our only upgrade was once from Coronado where we had several horrible experiences to then Disney Institute studio room. It was marvellous. (They also wrote off our entire bill for the first half of our stay, which we didn't know until later.)
I have had some of the worst stays ever and we have never gotten an upgrade even when we asked. I use the key that even if it is horrible just remember that your at Disney and getting upset never works.
I always try to get the upgrade because it never hurts to ask.
__________________
Melanie
June 1985-off site/March 2004- Pop & OKW
Aug. 2004- Hurricane Charlie POR & FWCG/July 2005- Grand Villa OKW
Feb. 2006-Pop/Feb. 2007- AS Music, WL, AS Movies
Sept. 2011- Disney Med Cruise
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