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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 just got back from what has to be the UGLIEST hotel in the US. Every year, we go to the same hotel for a convention of a sort. It's always been your standard issue comfortable hotel, but this year, when we walked in, our jaws just dropped. The doors were red colored glass and when you entered, there was a huge wall of lava lamps to your left. The lobby was done in tones of burnt orange and avocado. There were planters that were filled with nothing but astroturf. The lobby bathroom walls were covered with Barbies and video screens showing old Barbie commercials. (My DH said the men's room was covered in Aqua Velva bottles) To get into the bar area you had to go through a chain meil bead curtain. They had weird curved walls that seemed to have no purpose all over the lobby. These walls looked like they were made from see-through cement blocks with weird lights in them that would light up in red at odd times. And above every guest room door was a weird neon yellow green light. (Everyone looked awful as they put their room key in their door.) One wall had a really scary looking photo of Salvadore Dali on it and there was shag carpet pillows on the sofas. In one corner of the lobby were two barber chairs, in another two odd shaped purple chairs that didn't look at all comfortable. Thank goodness that the guest rooms were your everyday ordinary hotel rooms.
Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but all I could think of was, "who thought bringing back the worst of the 70's was a good idea?" I wish I had brought my camera with me. You cannot believe how awful this place looked. I have never appreciated the beauty of Disney World hotel more than I do right now. I'm so glad to be home!
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.
WOW! Did you stay at an Aria hotel? Sounds similar to the experience I had at one in Milwaukee. When we checked in, the lobby had blaring club music playing and the check in desk was in the center of the room. Retro furnishings and neon lit up the place. Our rooms were furnished in funky Ikea with small glass block windows up the side in the shower to let in "natural" light from the living area. The wall that separated the bedroom from the bathroom was not closed off at the ceiling so you could hear everything going on in there. It was very weird.
__________________
Michele
I'm living the dream 20 minutes from Disney! Next trip...tomorrow. Follow me on instagram at ShirtsByShell
Well that sounds special. Maybe you should write the hotel's corporate offices and let them know how horrid you and everyone else found this place. Not the sort of place I think I'd like to stay.
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WOW! Did you stay at an Aria hotel? Sounds similar to the experience I had at one in Milwaukee. When we checked in, the lobby had blaring club music playing and the check in desk was in the center of the room. Retro furnishings and neon lit up the place. Our rooms were furnished in funky Ikea with small glass block windows up the side in the shower to let in "natural" light from the living area. The wall that separated the bedroom from the bathroom was not closed off at the ceiling so you could hear everything going on in there. It was very weird.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jennifer2003
I'd like to look at the hotel's site...what's the name of the place?
Sounds...interesting...
Quote:
Originally Posted by JKnott17
That sounds terrible! I wonder who's brilliant idea that was Is this hotel part of a chain?
It was a chain, but I don't know if I should say which one. Let's just say, I went to the New England Theatre Conference this past weekend. I doubt the rest of the chain hotels look like this. I checked out their site and they don't have photos of the lobby on it. No surprise there. With other hotels so close by, maybe they're just trying to stand out.
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.
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Is this hotel part of a chain?
PassPorter Guide Author
Not what you want to be greeted with first thing in the morning... or any time of the day for that matter! 
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