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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Do you think six months is far enough ahead to book a vacation to WDW??? Thats when I will have my money together. My main concern is getting into one of the pop resorts. I am willing to stay off property if necessary.
I think within six months you should be fine but if you want to book earlier all you would have to do is pay $200 deposit and pay off the rest 45 days prior to arrival. If that is too much for you to swing now, you could pay one night's room only charge to hold the reservation and then change over to a package before arriving.
I think within six months you should be fine but if you want to book earlier all you would have to do is pay $200 deposit and pay off the rest 45 days prior to arrival. If that is too much for you to swing now, you could pay one night's room only charge to hold the reservation and then change over to a package before arriving.
I think 6 months out would be fine. However, I like to do what the above PP mentioned- I put down the $200 deposit and have been making payments on it this whole time....... It worked well for me
Scott, I book my vacation when I know I'm going and book a room only. Do you have AAA? You can ask for a room only AAA discount. Then I pay a little each pay day to pay it off. Closer to the day I'll switch to a package IF I want to add the DDP, or to take advantage of special discounts that WDW comes out with.
If not getting a pkg. I get my tickets thru Undercover Toruist using link from Mousesavers.com newsletter.
So to avoid any disappointment of booked resorts I'd book now!
I do the room only thing too. I think 6 months is enough, but I prefer more, but I'm a freak. The only problem with just doing one night...would you be able to make ADRs?
The only problem with just doing one night...would you be able to make ADRs?
He shouldn't-since they let folks staying off-site make ressies. The only thing they might make issue over is allowing the 10 days of ressies to be made. I'm sure if he explained the situation they'd let him. If not, he'd just have to call/get online each day which is a pain I know.
I do what others have said, Scott-make the ressie as a one-night (if I don't have the $200 for a package deposit) as far out as possible. I consider it my Disney "layaway"-paying over time helps stretch it out & not having to come up with a large sum of money all at once.
Even with a room-only, aren't you able to take advantage of the 90+10 rule. All you need is the reservation number...
Scott, I'd totally book now and then do a payment plan. It'll be a great way to pay a little as you go. As soon as you have the money, call and make a payment. If you're diligent, you can have it all paid off before either the 45-day before check in mark (for a package) or by the time you check in (room only reservation.)
Good luck - the savings part is hard, but the vacation is SO worth it!
Eileen
I book when I know my dates and the resort I want to stay at and have the required deposit. Then I just make payments when I want and make sure to have the package paid off 45 days in advance of my trip. I ususally divide the remaining balance after the initial deposit is paid by however many checks I'll get before the balance is due and that's how much I pay from each check. Sometimes I just stash that amount in savings and pay it off in one big lump sum and other times I make a payment every time I receive a check. I booked my February 2010 trip in August and have been paying on it since then. I made the deposit of $200 and am down to owing $500 by December 18.
I think 6 months out would be fine. However, I like to do what the above PP mentioned- I put down the $200 deposit and have been making payments on it this whole time....... It worked well for me
That's what we do! We always book our vacations at least 6 mths out and start with the deposit. Then we make biweekly payments. Never had an issue and doesn't strap us with paying out savings all at once. Good Luck!
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