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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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In sticking to our smaller budget this trip, we are considering a less expensive off-property hotel.
Can anyone tell me anything (good or bad) about the Anaheim Desert Inn & Suites? Rooms there are as low as $59/night and this book I have from '06 gave it a 3 out of 4 star rate, but I would like something more recent. Also, the web site says they're a Good Neighbor hotel, but I can't find them on DLR's website.
We stayed there in aug. 2006 and I liked it. Three of us gals went for about 5 days and we had one of their parlor suites. While there is a deck for viewing fireworks, we were able to see them form the rear window of our suite.
I did have a concern about being right next to the elevator, but we never heard it. We didn't really take advantage of the breakfast - i went one morning and it was your basic fair. We went to Denny's next door instead.
I have stayed on property before, and would have to see this location is closer to DL's gates than some of the DLH buildings, and certianly closer than PP.
Don't expect the Ritz, but it was fine for what we used it for most - sleeping, showering, etc. I did not use the indoor pool, btw.
Most readers here rely upon Trip Advisor for their reviews which I have setup for you in the next link. If you wish to review other hotels, inns, etc. just change the search box near the top of the site. Other hotel, etc. reviews are available by going to that hotel or inn site.
We stayed there in January of this year and had a double queen room at the back of the hotel very near the elevators, which we barely heard - quite quiet. It was plenty of room for 4 adults as we spent much of our time in the parks.
The "continental" breakfast room is very small for a hotel that large (5 booths and maybe two tables) but there were trays to take back to your room (which we did). Breakfast offerings were oranges and apples, toast, 2 types of cereal, milk, 2 kinds of juice, coffee and tea. Just the basics, but enough to get you going.
We never did make it to the indoor pool, but it had a few families in there in the evenings - especially since we had the rain of the century the week that we were there!
As we are heading back this summer, we have booked a hotel with an outdoor pool, otherwise, I would have stayed here again.
I book it 3-4 times a year for short DLR excursions. As mentioned earlier, it is closer to the main gate then DL or PP hotels.
It's a basic, no frills room. But it does have a fridge, coffee pot, and microwave.
The price is usually pretty good, although I've noticed it has gone up in the last year or so. Still can get 2 or 3 nights here for the price of 1 night at a DLR resort.
I don't care for their toiletries, so I bring my own. The towels are very thin/small, so I also bring my own. (It's nice to be a local so I'm able to do this.)
Usually don't do the breakfast, not much there. But it does have the very basics, and I've seen worse. The parking is really bad. Even if you reserve a suite that sleeps 10, you only get 1 parking spot. If there are any more cars in your party, you have to go park at a local hotel for $15/nt and walk or take DLR shuttle to get back to the hotel.
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There is only ONE advantage to staying at any of the places right across from the DL Main Entrance, location-location-location. None of these hotels are remarkable in any way. They are just convenient.
For years, we have stayed at them (Desert Inn & Suites included) for just that reason. HOWEVER, my wife has discovered Priceline and has mastered the system and we are now staying at NICER places in the general resort area for well under $100 pn! All area hotels have some sort of shuttle to the park (oftentimes free). We are PAP holders and can park for free in the Mickey & Friends structure and we typically do use it on the last day of a visit as we drive straight home on that day, otherwise, the shuttles are fine. Therefore, Priceline or other hotel discount site(s) are my recommendation. Fuggedabout those places right across the street. If you're made of money, stay at a Disney property (which we find obscenely expensive, tho we love the parks dearly). That's my .02.
We stayed there in 2006 and thought it was fine. The location was great, and we liked being close to Denny's for breakfast. It was a "gals trip," and we had one of the parlor suites. We could see the DL fireworks from our back window (or go to the roof). I was worried being next to the elevator, but we never heard it. It was basic and clean, and we really only slept and showered there (we were there in August). Tried the breakfast one day and it's not much and was mobbed. Did not use the indoor pool.
I'd stay there again if I couldn't afford to stay at DLH. Again, it's all in the location!
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