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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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that it's perfectly fine to stay in a value resort.
He is a hotel snob. (I personally just need a clean room)
Our recent trip we stayed at the Boardwalk, in one of the villas. It was great, the space we had was great and we saved a bunch of $ eating breakfast in the room. But that was a planned and well budgeted for trip.
We have an opportunity to go back in late February and I can only make the numbers swing a value resort.
I have a business trip and will only be around half of our trip but staying in the room at night. (My budget takes into account that some of my expenses are paid for, including room) (I am driven by budget so over all cost is key to me)
I need to sell him with more than cost. (With the annual pass discount I can also add a meal plan and still be more comfortable on budget)
What are some of the things that make the value resorts great?
What about a compromise and stay at a Mod. esp if you can get an AP discount.
CSR has queen beds and they have started renos at POFQ, with queen beds too.
They're fun!!!! The resorts are bright and bold and make you feel like a kid again!! Tons of awesome photo ops! We are the kind of people to try anything once and never say never. We'd like to stay at every Disney resort on property!
They're not as loud and annoying as people make them out to be. We just stayed at All Star Music, and honestly, it had the feel of a moderate to me. Each individual area had its own theming and decor. The rooms are not huge, but we spend very little time there, so for us they are more than sufficient. You can pay for preferred and request a king room if bed size is a concern...but dh and I sleep perfectly fine in a full even though we have a queen at home. We asked for a quiet room and our area was super quiet. The food courts at the values far surpass most of the mods and deluxes, with the exception to The Pepper Market at CSR, IMHO. Every afternoon there were all kinds of activities by the pool and at night there were movies and activities.
Hope this helps!
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Stephanie- Mom to Jaden and Emerson, Wife to Keith, Novelist
I'm an independent agent with Fairytale Journeys, specializing in Disney vacations!
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We always stay at values and we love them. They are very fun and theme based. You really feel like you are at Disney when you stay at a value. They really are not any different than a good quality hotel outside the parks. The main draw is that you are at WDW.
My husband is the same way and for him....value is just not a value. We stay at the Coronado Springs and we love it. Its the moderate that thinks it's a deluxe!
I have to say my DH is the same way. We have stayed at the BWVs and also at CBR & POFQ. He really liked the resort at POFQ but felt the rooms were too small. Thank goodness this helped me to convince him to join DVC!
We have stayed @ Pop Century as well as DVC places. We had a blast @ Pop! The 80's pool area is so quiet and love all the photo ops of the past (potato heads, walkman, playdough, etc). They have scrumptious parmasean crusted chicken too!
Otherwise, on another board, there is a forum where people rent out their DVC points... try there. We were able to snag a studio @ WL for what turned out to be ~ $30 cheaper than when I priced out Pop for the same stay. Good Luck!
PS... I would take a trip to WDW w/ value vs not going at all any day!
Values have beds, showers and lockable doors - that's all we really need right?
Seriously I would come up with all sorts of things DH can spend the difference on whilst you work. Things like ESPN zone, DisneyQuest, beer at the Boardwalk, golf and shopping. Then hope he doesn't overspend!
Values are fun! We love the theming.
And if all you use the room for is the bed and shower, why pay more? The rooms all look the same while you're asleep.
I agree with the earlier post -- think of the things he can spend the savings on. Which will he remember more? The wallpaper or the great dinner? Or parasailing? Or ....
I understand that hubby is a resort snob, (in my own way I guess I am too) but being able to go to Di9sney is better than not being able to go to Disney even in a value!
We have never actually stayed in a value but have stayed several times at a moderate and of course have stayed at CR twice and villas several times. All things considered I have to say that our stay in the garden wing at CR was one ofth noisiest stays we have experienced at Disney, and the tower room was also noisy a few nights from the room above (late as in post midnight, it sounded like elephants herding back and forth across the ceiling!!!!). So really noise is not a total issue as I see it.
There ARE however some good reasons to stay in a mod that I am thinking maybe yourhubby is considering (or not)...and that could be some of the better amenities located in the moderates. We stayed at PO in the riverside once, and we staed at CSR twice. We really enjoyed our stay in those resorts!
I understand that hubby is a resort snob, (in my own way I guess I am too) but being able to go to Disney is better than not being able to go to Disney even in a value!
Yeah. I'm a hotel snob too and I really dislike the value resorts but when it is our only option I suck it up because I love Disney more than I hate the value resorts.
We had a little talk yesterday. I was prepared for a bigger battle then actually happened.
He totally understands that it's meet a budget or not go at all. (I also thought he was going to give me an issue with having to take Disney transportation on the days that I have the car for work - but he had no issue with that as well "We don't have a stroller anymore, so it's fine")
I am going to run the numbers with the CSR rate and look at the DVC resell option as well befor I book it. I need to stay under a specific rate in order to be fully reimbursed for the nights I am working.