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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We are going to Universal/IOA Nov 20 to 24 just before Thanksgiving. We cannot afford to stay on site and would like a hotel close enough to walk back for an afternoon break. Not too budget because I don't want to deal with moldy, smelly rooms! Which Hotel would you reccommend? We want a hotel that has free wifi and either a complimentary breakfast or an inexpensive breakfast option nearby. Thanks so much for your advice!
Hi whizkidcat! Welcome to the Passporter boards and the Universal/Islands of Adventure forum!
I've stayed in 2 offsite hotels near Universal. One was no where near walking distance. The other was the Doubletree. It's a beautiful hotel with several restaurants. No free breakfast, but it has a very nice breakfast buffet that is moderately priced.
I don't know of any hotel that is within easy walking distance. You could walk from the Doubletree, but I bet it would take 20-30 minutes. Most of the hotels have free shuttles to the parks, so you could check the schedules for that.
I looked at Google Earth, and there's a Holiday Inn on S Kirkman Road, but you'd have to cross a couple of divided highways to get to Universal. If you see Universal on Google Earth you can see that the parks are surrounded by their hotels and the parking garages, so nothing is exactly "next door" to the parks. I know there is a high school on Turkey Lake across from one Universal entrance and I don't remember any hotels near it. But, someone else may have some experience walking to the parks that could offer you some advice.
Have you checked mousesavers.com? There is a section for Universal discounts. Sometimes you can get discounts on the onsite hotels that might make them more affordable.
I stayed at the enclave suites on international drive in 2008, i cant remember what the prices were like but me and my brother did walk to universal twice
I think there is a La Quinta Inn on Major Blvd. near Universal. They have a great complementary breakfast (best I've had in budget motels) and I believe they have wifi. Rates tend to be $50-$80.
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We've stayed at The Doubletree-Universal Shell mentioned. Great hotel, large rooms, food options at hotel, and there is a couple of restaurants down the street, an Ale House and a Buffet Restaurant.
We walked one morning to Universal, it took around 25 min. Mostly we used the shuttle from the hotel. It had excellent service all hours of the day. Some of the hotels in the area only had a few shuttles in the morning then none until evening or late afternoon coming back to hotel from Universal. With their shuttle it was possible to return to hotel for afternoon rest, then return later to the parks.
The I Trolly stops around the corner too! We took it one day to The Prime Outlet.
This hotel also has a shuttle to SeaWorld.
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