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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I have been searching like a mad woman and, living under the assumption that our chances of exchanging into a WDW VC property are slim to none, I think I have narrowed our choice down to one of these resorts. They seem to have more amenities than other properties, especially in the pool/water park areas. Also, they have larger units....which in our case is a must.
So, have any of you stayed in either property?
Of course I would rather stay on site but with all of the kids (we have five...3 daughters/ 2 sons) their spouses or fiances (only one is not married and I can't say that he won't be by Thanksgiving 2008....when this trip will occur) and grandkids we are now a party of 16! I am really at a disadvantage here. I have never planned anything but an all inclusive trip, to WDW, and that is just so easy....Pay and Play! I can't even imagine what an all-inclusive trip for sixteen would cost.....*gag, cough, gag, cough, cough* !!!!!!
Anyway, we'll have enough credits, points, weeks etc.... to more than cover the number of units we'll need so this seems to be the best route for us to take. What do you think?
I've stayed at Orange Lake and Liki Tiki is only a short drive from my house.
Orange Lake is massive!!!! The rooms were beautiful when we stayed there and absolutely loved it. We've stayed in many timeshares in the past, and this was our favorite. It's about a 15 minute drive to Disney. It's right near a Publix (you'll have to drive to it) and across the street from Walgreens. We only used the main pool and loved it.
Liki Tiki is a little further away from Disney but I've heard good things about it.
My uncle owns a time share at Liki Tiki. Actually when we drive back to Orlando with my parents two weeks after our vacation at WDW, we will be staying at Liki TIki. According to my uncle it is great! The brochures he sent us make it look really fun and interesting.
Although I've never stayed at Orange Lake, a close friend has a time share there. She and her family absolutely love it. There is so much to do there that they regularly take a day or 2 off from WDW just to enjoy all of the activities that Orange Lake has to offer. Good luck making your decision. I'm sure you'll all have a great time no matter where you choose to stay.
We satyed at Orange Lake when we went with my parents. The place was great! The condo was very spacious. I don't know anything about the other one you mentioned.
My DD and I stayed at Orange Lake 4 years ago using one of my parent's 'weeks'. The place is H-U-G-E but absolutely gorgeous! The grounds are lovely and there is so much to do there. Publix is really close (my favorite FL supermarket) and the drive to Disney isn't that long. However, it's the traffic rolling out of the theme park parking lots that will vex you most.
We stayed in one of the duplex units that had our own driveway. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a gorgeous living room and kitchen. It was well-kept and stocked with cleaning essentials. My only complaint is since it was just me and my DD, it was too much of a hassle driving back from the parks to nap then going back then fighting traffic when the parks closed. That's why we stay on-site now.
But for all of the people you have, Orange Lake is an excellent choice! I highly recommend it.
__________________
Trish (AKA Mum to 'Princess Avery')
Hittin' WDW since Space Mountain was 'Coming Soon'
Although I've never stayed at Orange Lake, a close friend has a time share there. She and her family absolutely love it. There is so much to do there that they regularly take a day or 2 off from WDW just to enjoy all of the activities that Orange Lake has to offer. Good luck making your decision. I'm sure you'll all have a great time no matter where you choose to stay.
In fact my friend and her family are there right now! They have nothing but good to say about this resort.
My mom used her timeshare to exchange into Liki Tiki last summer. She was extremely disappointed. Now, I am a little less picky, we stay at comfort inns etc. so I thought it was OK. She didn't find it acceptable but her timeshare was a 5star resort on a golfcourse and she felt Liki was more like a 3 star, so an exchange down. She has stayed at tons of timeshares and I haven't so I would probably say if she calls it a 3 star it is. I do know they had a few maintenance issues the things across the shelves on the fridge fell off making a mess of our juices, water etc. The VCR didn't work right (maintenance did fix this although a little slowly). There was a screened in patio area but since there were holes in the screen we had hornets or yellowjackets flying in constantly so didn't sit out there. And the wave pool in the waterpark area wasn't working. My mom felt they charged too much for the few activities they offered like putput and bumper boats. All in all it was OK but definitely more budget. For what my mom pays for maintenance and fees at her timeshare she felt it was a bad value to have traded into.
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In fact my friend and her family are there right now! They have nothing but good to say about this resort.
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