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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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That was an impossible choice but I went with the line of thinking that "what resort would I go to if I had no intention of going to the parks." Saratoga wins.
We like the variety of pools, nice walkable grounds, proximity to DTD, the QS options, and the treehouses are great for extended family trips. A big sell for my family is the clay courts. They are a novelty for my tennis kid. We tend to take advantage of the community hall and activities there more often too.
I have to agree......impossible choice! I have a top three of the places I have stayed at! I really have a hard time when choosing just one! My top three are AKL, WL and BC. I love them all! However, I voted for Wilderness Lodge because it my hubby's favorite and I absolutely love staying there! I love being able to take the boat to the MK! To me that is a highlight!
But truthfully, I love AKL and BC just as much as I do WL!
I have no idea really since our first DVC stay will be this fall.
I have an opinion nevertheless.
I voted for the Poly Bungalows because I think it would be such fun to have your own private pool, tiny though they are. I also love the idea of a cottage on stilts above the water. Then, too, the view of the MK fireworks from your private deck with piped in audio would be so enjoyable, I think.
Now, all we need is a winning lottery ticket to afford to buy the gazillion points a weeklong stay in one would cost!
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
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Really tough question! I had to go with our home resort BCV - love, love, love location and atmosphere and the pools. BUT, we visited Wilderness Lodge to check out the new construction and those new units look amazing! Right on the water, fire place inside/outside, great views! I wish we could buy more points at Copper Creek
My favorite resort has been AKL since our first visit in 2003. So when it gained DVC villas, Luke bought points here for my 50th birthday. Now we stay here every other trip. it. My second favorite would be Wilderness Lodge, but we don't own points here, making it a little more difficult to book at the 7-month window.
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This was really hard, mostly because what I would prefer really depends on the trip. I voted for the one I would most want to stay at if I wasn't visiting the parks and that is my home resort -AKV.
We voted based on the memories we made at BWV and the location. We of course like the others found this to be really challenging. We are blessed to have stayed at a number of DVC resorts and have loved everyone of them.
We've enjoyed the ones we've visited, but OKW is our home resort and our hands-down favorite. We really enjoy the extra room. IF we got to choose two, . BLT would be our second choice.