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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Has anyone done the Backstage Magic Tour with a ECV? Just wondering if it is too inconvenient to do it with an ECV. Can I rent one at each of the 3 parks without holding up the tour? The guy I talked to on the phone had a couple of suggestions, but not sure they were very practical or doable.
He said that we could bring our own ECV, which means we would have to rent one from an outside source and bring it. He also said the tour begins and ends in Epcot, and that they MIGHT let us take the ECV on the bus to other parks, and bring it back at the end of the tour. I can't imagine they would let us do that, but maybe someone has some experience with this. Let me know!
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
I have taken "keys to the kingdom" using my own ECV, No trouble at all.
I would also recommend renting from a outside company, much easier & a
smaller more maneuverable ECV that you will have with you for all the parks..
Check the "sticky" at the top of this forum for ECV info..
Renting off site is cheaper and has the scooter at your hotel. It is a long walk from buses or other transportation to the ECV rental places and way cheaper. Disboards has a disability board that has FAQs that explain the rental sites.
The tour is supposed to be ECV and wheelchair friendly for the majority if not all of the tour. I think you should consider the off site rental and let the tour people know you will have an ECV so they can make arrangements. I have never heard of wheelchairs having trouble with that tour but sometimes Disney will say no ECVs because some ECVs come with canopies, baggage, are super heavy, and oversized. At Disneyland they say no ECVs on the train but they allow my Lark 3 because it is small enough to fit the train.
__________________
Mom calls to check on me and reminded me to pay the gardener. I love her so much.
Disneyland was fun with flag retreat and pickles. I have a home here, thank you. GAC is NOT a "front of the line pass".
She is gone but keeping signature. Laundry is getting done. My purpose in life is to help poor people in FL. Farewell, will miss you.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
This is our first time staying on property. In the past we have always rented from an outside source and hauled the scooter in our rented car or van. We were hoping not to have to do all that this time and just rent from the parks. But you have good points. I had not thought about the distance to the busses and other transportation.
So, tell me how much a pain is it to put the scooter on the busses? What if there are a bunch of us with scooters? How many can a bus accomodate? Is it hard to get on the bus. Do you have to drive it on?
Normally it is not hard to drive the scooter onto a bus. You could freewheel it and have family push it in place but that is a pain. It is just like driving a car basically with the same parking skills but you can man handle an ECV into place some times. My scooter is light in front so I can tip the front pretty easy but that back end does not budge very much. I will get the front and lift it and toss it over to where I want it to go. I think they are easier than driving cars, lol.
two wheelchairs or ECVs per bus and only if the guests will move out of the area. I would say it is easy usually and if you have problems with the driver then ask for a manageer and note the name of the driver and bus number and the time of the incident and make sure if you have a camera to use it. If the driver says a bus is full and it is empty you have the picture. That is the only way correct the mistrained drivers.
I strongly recommend that persons not sit in the ECV while on a moving bus. Corners can be scary and even start tipping. I ride public busses and have had enough scares that I do not sit in the seat unless it is a straight line.
__________________
Mom calls to check on me and reminded me to pay the gardener. I love her so much.
Disneyland was fun with flag retreat and pickles. I have a home here, thank you. GAC is NOT a "front of the line pass".
She is gone but keeping signature. Laundry is getting done. My purpose in life is to help poor people in FL. Farewell, will miss you.
Are you guys saying that if you rent an ECV from Disney, you must leave it behind in the parks, but if you rent from an outside company, you can take it back to your hotel?
Are you guys saying that if you rent an ECV from Disney, you must leave it behind in the parks, but if you rent from an outside company, you can take it back to your hotel?
yep
At DLR you can rent in one park a stroller, wheelchair or ECV and park hop until around closing time at DCA. Eventually they stop letting people take the rentals out of Disneyland once DCA is closed.
At WDW you keep your receipt for a stroller, wheelchair, or ECV and have to leave the item behind.
With rentals from places like RAndy's and Walker you get the ECV or wheelchair delivered to the lobby or your room. You then can take the rental to Universal Studios, park hop, and go any place you want with it. It costs a lot less to rent off site and there is clear evidence from folks who have had problems with the item and they get it fixed right away.
There are also places that rent out strollers and pushchairs that drop the item off and you keep it for your whole trip.
It is much easier to have it dropped off at your hotel then you can test drive it and practice driving it. You can call and ask for instructions before geting into the parks. Last April I rented about $300 in ECV rentals from DLR and can tell you that owning your own or renting from offsite is far cheaper and less painful.
Someone asked me what I would do if I was in charge of hades and heaven. I said I would make a certain former corporate ninny for Disney have to daily push people up and down the monorail ramp at TTC. I still have nightmares about that after over 10 years,.
__________________
Mom calls to check on me and reminded me to pay the gardener. I love her so much.
Disneyland was fun with flag retreat and pickles. I have a home here, thank you. GAC is NOT a "front of the line pass".
She is gone but keeping signature. Laundry is getting done. My purpose in life is to help poor people in FL. Farewell, will miss you.
At DLR you can rent in one park a stroller, wheelchair or ECV and park hop until around closing time at DCA. Eventually they stop letting people take the rentals out of Disneyland once DCA is closed.
At WDW you keep your receipt for a stroller, wheelchair, or ECV and have to leave the item behind.
With rentals from places like RAndy's and Walker you get the ECV or wheelchair delivered to the lobby or your room. You then can take the rental to Universal Studios, park hop, and go any place you want with it. It costs a lot less to rent off site and there is clear evidence from folks who have had problems with the item and they get it fixed right away.
There are also places that rent out strollers and pushchairs that drop the item off and you keep it for your whole trip.
It is much easier to have it dropped off at your hotel then you can test drive it and practice driving it. You can call and ask for instructions before geting into the parks. Last April I rented about $300 in ECV rentals from DLR and can tell you that owning your own or renting from offsite is far cheaper and less painful.
Someone asked me what I would do if I was in charge of hades and heaven. I said I would make a certain former corporate ninny for Disney have to daily push people up and down the monorail ramp at TTC. I still have nightmares about that after over 10 years,.
Thanks so much for answering my question! All this ECV info is very new to me!
Sue has an excellent FAQ at disboards that you should read.
Lots to learn like never go down a hill at an angle, lol. I am one of the few people who can get an ECV up to the fort at Pirate's Lair in DLR but I do not recommend doing that in a Disneyland rental. I can do things with my ECV that are hard to do with Disney scooters and I also have driven sweeper trucks, motorhomes, and other vehicles off and on for over 35 years so I know a few driving tricks to use on a scooter. I am an ECV daredevil. Coming down the hill from the fort I just aimed for the tree and kept her straight down hill.
I also love doing donuts in my ECV.
__________________
Mom calls to check on me and reminded me to pay the gardener. I love her so much.
Disneyland was fun with flag retreat and pickles. I have a home here, thank you. GAC is NOT a "front of the line pass".
She is gone but keeping signature. Laundry is getting done. My purpose in life is to help poor people in FL. Farewell, will miss you.
Sue has an excellent FAQ at disboards that you should read.
I know a few driving tricks to use on a scooter. I am an ECV daredevil. Coming down the hill from the fort I just aimed for the tree and kept her straight down hill.
At taht time I was posting information on DLR for guests with disabilities and food related issues and also did WDW related disabilites and food.
i wanted to know if the area was accessible and it is if you know how to get up there. I just figured that the tree would stop me as that was better than going into the duck bathroom known as Rivers of America. However I would not recommend climbing up there an use the elevator to get to the bathroom and skip that hill. I plan to go back again and hike the interior without the ECV.
I am a daredevil but not going to let disabilities from me not having fun. first it is DLR then who knows as I would love to get a job instead of sitting here helping people plan vacations. I wish I could copy and paste here all my lists from that site as they helped so many.
My number one tip to disabled travelers is DO NOT EAT AT CAPTAIN KIDD'S.
__________________
Mom calls to check on me and reminded me to pay the gardener. I love her so much.
Disneyland was fun with flag retreat and pickles. I have a home here, thank you. GAC is NOT a "front of the line pass".
She is gone but keeping signature. Laundry is getting done. My purpose in life is to help poor people in FL. Farewell, will miss you.