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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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're due for a 3 week trip in January (WDW & Beaches), and can't wait! I've noticed the free dining dates for next year included some September dates.
It got me thinking
My girls told me last year they might like to try Y&BC so they could hit SAB. I'm pretty much a GF purist. Oh sure, I'll stay a few nights pre GF at POR but I really never wanted to stay anywhere else. I started working up a trip in September. It would have to be short, I'm thinking no more than 7 night, probably 6 and while we always do the Platinum plan, there's no way we could do that in January and then again in September~it would just be wayyyy to expensive. So I came up with doing free dining with a deluxe upgrade at Y&BC.
My question, yes, I'm finally getting to it, is about the rooms. We'll want concierge level and I think I'm leaning towards BC. View isn't too big a deal to me, but I do like a balcony. I've read that some of BC's balconys are standing only. Does anyone know if all the CL rooms have full balconies, and if not, which ones don't? Also, any thought on how YC and BC concierges compare would be appreciated.
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That's one of the drawbacks -- the balconies can be pretty puny!
That said, as long as you're going during a typically low-crowd time, it's more likely they'll be able to honor your request for a larger balcony.
When we stayed BC Club Level back in 2008, we ended up getting a "junior suite" that had a verrrrrry long balcony overlooking the quite pool that faces the walkway to the International Gateway.
It was a bit of a hike from the (EXCELLENT!) Club Level lounge, but it was perfect for quick exits out to Epcot and the boat to the Studios.
With the exception of the one and two bedroom suites, and the deluxe CL rooms like Eileen had (drool), all the CL rooms at the BC are located on the fifth floor, and the vast majority, if not all of them, have a full balcony.
Comparing YC and BC concierge is like comparing apples to apples. Since the YC and BC are actually one resort, they share the same cast members and the same itinerary planning staff . The lounges on both sides are about the same size and offer the same food and amenities.
We have stayed at both and found the only difference between the “sides” to be the décor and the type of guests there. The YC seems to have more adults/couples/business travelers where as the BC seems to have more families.
Both sides are beautiful and you can't go wrong with either one.
That's one of the drawbacks -- the balconies can be pretty puny!
That said, as long as you're going during a typically low-crowd time, it's more likely they'll be able to honor your request for a larger balcony.
When we stayed BC Club Level back in 2008, we ended up getting a "junior suite" that had a verrrrrry long balcony overlooking the quite pool that faces the walkway to the International Gateway.
It was a bit of a hike from the (EXCELLENT!) Club Level lounge, but it was perfect for quick exits out to Epcot and the boat to the Studios.
Thanks Eileen!
A junior suite sounds just heavenly! Probably a little out of $$$ reach this time but it's good to know that we might get lucky in the low season . And it sounds like we won't be disappointed is the lounge!
With the exception of the one and two bedroom suites, and the deluxe CL rooms like Eileen had (drool), all the CL rooms at the BC are located on the fifth floor, and the vast majority, if not all of them, have a full balcony.
Comparing YC and BC concierge is like comparing apples to apples. Since the YC and BC are actually one resort, they share the same cast members and the same itinerary planning staff . The lounges on both sides are about the same size and offer the same food and amenities.
We have stayed at both and found the only difference between the “sides” to be the décor and the type of guests there. The YC seems to have more adults/couples/business travelers where as the BC seems to have more families.
Both sides are beautiful and you can't go wrong with either one.
Thanks so much!!
We were thinking that the beach club looked more family friendly ~ thaks for confirming !
We stayed in the BC CL and loved it. Our room actually had a long balcony and a little balcony. It was awesome. I think most of the rooms have fairly big balconies. You can't go wrong with the BC.