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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I'm looking over our plans for our upcoming trip and tell me if I'm crazy. We are crusing on the Fantasy and plan to stay off-site in the DTD area prior. We plan to drive but are looking at flying now since we are coming from Texas and would rather not spend that much time on the road.
Looking at the site, we can get the ASMu for the same amount that we would spend off-site. One plus for ASMu is that we could take advantage of DME for transportation and not have to deal with a rental car and we could just tack on Disney transportation to the port. We do not plan to visit the parks just want to spend some down time before our vacation and possibly take in Cirque at DTD.
We've never stayed in a value so have no idea what to expect. I know it's away from DTD and may spend lots of time on the buses but what would you do? Would you stay in a value to take advantage of DME? If so, is there a particular section we should try to get?
TIA
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We stay at Music every year and love it. If you have a desire to be close to the action, near the food court and main pool, then reserve a preferred room in Calypso. Otherwise, the next closest section is Jazz, followed by Rock Inn and Broadway (close to the quiet pool). Farthest (and quietest) is Country, just below the quiet pool. There are evening activities, like movies by the pool, and of course you can visit both the other All Stars just by walking across the parking areas. The three food courts offer similiar menus, although Movies is slightly larger. You also are welcome to swim in all six pools and walk around the resorts to view the theming (sports, music, movies) and giant icons.
The rooms are small but we find them adequate for three of us. Basic H2O toiletries - Mickey soaps and shampoo - are supplied. There are no towels by the pools, so take the ones from your room. Just call Housekeeping before you leave and ask for more to be delivered. Laundry facilities are next to the pools, so you can multitask a tan and a load of undies. We think the grounds at Music have nice, mature landscaping, and even include a New Orleans-style fountain and garden area near Jazz. If you have kids, there is a shaded playground too.
The All Stars are located at the end of Buena Vista Drive nearest AK, so it is a straight shot to DTD. The bus to DTD shouldn't take more than 20 minutes. My son and I often take it even though we have our car, since parking can be awful at DTD, although near Cirque that's not usually a problem.
So long as you are not expecting deluxe-level accomodations and services (although the CMs have always done right by us), you will enjoy the whimsical atmosphere of the All Stars. No question you're at Disney when you stay there! Get a drink from the Singing Spirits bar, listen to the wind in the palm trees and have a great stay.
We've been to ASMusic too. I think overall it's the quietest & certainly the most grown-up feel of the All Stars. We stayed in the Broadway section, which was very quiet and has a Beauty & the Beast on Broadway theme. It was nice & maybe a 5 minute walk to the food court, gift shop, buses, etc.
If the money is about the same, I'd definitely choose ASMusic over a DTD hotel. The bus transport to DTD is just fine. It takes only a few minutes, and those buses are usually a bit less crowded than the ones going to the parks.
The All Stars are very recently reno'd. The rooms are basic, but you'll have two full beds and a curtain you can use to divide the sink & bath areas from the bed area. I like ASMusic very much.
All Star Music is my favorite value resort. It's got the most user-friendly layout and we had a good location in the Rock Building. Great food court and atmosphere.
If you plan on hanging out at the resort, I would check to be sure there isn't a large group staying at AS Music. Both times I've visited the All Stars, I've been surrounded by teens and preteens who were barely supervised. It was no fun to be at the resort during the day while they were there. The food court was crazy and dirty and the pool was un-useable to us as it was full of teens throwing each other into the pool, using filthy language and taking up every available lounge chair. It seems the All Stars attract all the large groups. Have you looked into staying at Pop Century?
The All Stars as a whole do seem to attract the large groups -- cheerleaders, Pop Warner, football, etc. -- but it's been my experience that Music is less affected than Movies or Sports. We have enjoyed staying at ASMusic - we never pay for preferred room but have gotten Jazz which is nearly as close.
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We think the grounds at Music have nice, mature landscaping, and even include a New Orleans-style fountain and garden area near Jazz. If you have kids, there is a shaded playground too.
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