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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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First time cruisers planning for upcoming cruise in Feb, 2012. With not being familar with the Port, we were wondering which rental car company is the closest and easist for drop off. We are looking at Budget, Dollar, Avis.........any others? We would have rented the car initially at Sanford Airport 4-5 days prior.
Our itenerary plan has us driving (rental car) to the port on the morning for the cruise from the Palm Springs area. We will drop off the car rental prior to boarding the cruise. Travelers are DH, Self, DD(14) & DS (11).
Following the cruise, depending on our flight plan from Sanford airport, we will either stay one night at Cocoa Beach and then rent a car to drive to Sanford the next day or rent a car the day of departure from the ship and drive to Sanford that same day. This car rental company choice isn't as important as the day of drop off prior the cruise..........just looking for a decent rate for one-way rental.
Any suggestions would be welcome..........Thanks in advance!!
We always use Budget. They have a shuttle that will take you to and from the port. They are about a 3 mintue drive away and we have never had any problems.
We are coming in 4 days early and spending some time at WDW and Universal before the Cruise. We will need a car but I was wondering if it is possible to rent a car at Orlando Airport and retrun at Port Canaveral.
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Yes, a one-way rental from MCO to Port Canaveral is a very common thing to do (we do it quite regularly ourselves).
Most of the area's rental car agencies are on the same road - SR A1A, aka Astronaut Boulevard. Budget, Avis, and Hertz all offer free shuttles to the cruise terminal, which makes them the most convenient. Hertz and Budget are physically closest to the pier.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
Ask about one way fees when you pick up and drop off at different locations. I didn't realize that there's typically a fee with these types of resos. We had a $100 fee on our reso with Enterprise last year when we rented in Boston and returned in Newport RI.
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Last edited by modisney; 04-02-2011 at 04:08 PM..
Reason: forgot a word
Enterprise is particularly bad on one-ways. I think it has something to do with its business model/franchise set-up.
You'll find that one-way fees in general depend on where you're renting. In Florida, they tend to be low or non-existent with many agencies, as there's so much tourism-related business, that the cars will be put to use, no matter where they're dropped off. In other areas, a car that goes one-way from, say Boston to Bennington may not get back to Boston for a while.
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Thanks everyone!! I think we will concentrate on Budget as I have read some good reports about them but will also keep an eye out for Hertz (forgot about them). We will see which one offers the best deal for a one way rental for 5 days.
Is it better for the entire family to go to the rental car co for drop off and then be shuttled to the port ~or~ for DH to drop us off at the port and return the car himself and be shuttled??
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May ALL your DREAMS come true!
Last edited by Tiki4; 04-02-2011 at 09:33 PM..
Reason: additional question
I'm a fan of dropping all the passengers and baggage at the port first. Fewer hassles with the luggage, and getting a seat for one on the shuttle beats finding seats for five.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
I have used Budget and Avis. I would not use Avis again. Really poor service and not enough employees for those of us arriving for cars. Budget seemed to have it down to a science.
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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.
Is it better for the entire family to go to the rental car co for drop off and then be shuttled to the port ~or~ for DH to drop us off at the port and return the car himself and be shuttled??
I have done it both ways and it hasn't made much difference. It depends on how early you arrive at the port (once we were there too early and we couldn't get in) and if you have kids with you.