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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
My family would love to buy into DVC within the next 6 months or so. I have no idea where to look!!! If you have bought resale....where did you purchase? I need help!
We also can't decide where we want our home resort. My sister's home is AKL so I thought it might be nice to have a different home
We are a family of 6 (4 girls ages 6-17). I'm sure if I asked the kids I would get 4 different favorites! It seems like BC has a lot to offer but I hear the rooms are small and transportation could be an issue. I think I would love wilderness but I don't see many available resales. I'm hoping I can find a deal that will sway me one way or the other.
I would highly recommend the Passporter Guide to DVC. I bought it and read it through several times before we decided to purchase. I think you will find that it will answer all of your questions.
I bought direct from Disney however, not resale, as I wasn't comfortable saying I would NEVER want to use points for a cruise, or to stay at a Disneyland hotel. etc. As to home resort, this is my advice: Consider the price and length of the contract and whether there is a specific benefit to owning there that you would not have elsewhere. While you should like your home resort and not mind staying there, remember that you do not ALWAYS have to stay there. It's possible that you could seldom or even never stay at your home resort. If you want/need something very specific and hard to get then the 11 month booking window is a big advantage at some resorts (for example, to book a Treehouse villa at SSR or a concierge villa at AKL).
As far as your home resort goes, I'd go with where your heart is - because that's where you get your booking priority at the 11 month mark. We love the Beach Club Villas and I am so glad that we bought there, as we always have points to pretty much guarantee a stay there.
With resale vs. buying through Disney, it does depend on what you plan on using your points for. We know that we like to use ours for Disney cruises, Disneyland Paris and other things, so resale isn't an option for us. I have to say I agree that even if you don't plan on such things now, I'm not sure I could put my hand on my heart and say that I wouldn't want to do them one day in the future, so I'd probably go with Disney....
Thanks for the tips so far. I completely understand what you are saying about buying through disney but unfortunately I have to look at the $$$ real seriously. To buy the amount of points we want/need...I'm not sure I can fork over $135 a point! I truly doubt that I will ever go on a cruise and if I do it seems that paying the money over the points is a better option. As far as Disneyland is concerned I don't know. Each of my girls get a one on one trip when they are 9 so I only have one more girl to go. Couldn't stay on property with her...wouldn't be fair to the other girls (as I'm sure I would hear! )
I will get the passporter for DVC for sure...thanks!
When buying resale it is best to use a company that has a good reputation and specializes in DVC. The Timeshare Store and DVC by Resale (sponsor of this board) are both good places. We bought resale through TTS and were very happy. Avoid places such as ebay and internet companies that don't know how DVC works.
Also, where you buy - Disney vs. resale - does depend on how you want to use your points. We bought resale a few years ago before the restrictions but if I bought today I would stil buy resale. The prices Disney charges is very high and you can get a lot more for your money resale. Also using DVC points for cruises and the collections is not always a good use of points.
I have been wanting DVC for years, but it's only been the last month or so that I've been really researching it in hopes of joining, and I know exactly how you're feeling! It was so overwhelming at first, with so much to learn! It did not take long for me to get a handle on the lingo and the specifics, so I don't think you'll feel that way for very long. Do as much reading as you can -- there are lots of good forums out there where you will find the answers to most of your questions. I just purchased the Passporter guide to DVC and can't wait to read it. I know it will be extremely helpful!
Lot's of questions for sure. Lot's of help here,always. Get the book,and ask more questions,when it's right you'll know. We don't regret a thing,and our home is BLT!
__________________
"Life can be as easy as a fall,it's all so easy once you just let go."
I purchased my first membership from Disney, but add-ons are through DVC by Resale. I was at first upset and disappointed when they changed the rules and made resale points ineligible for booking cruises, etc. It's turned out to be fine for me, though. I almost always use up all my yearly points (and borrow from the next year!) at WDW, which is the best use (cost-wise) of the points in any case. The one year I couldn't use all my points I had no problem selling them to a friend, giving them a great deal and paying my dues at the same time. If resale fits your budget and you do plan on using the points at a DVC property, I say don't worry about it-- you won't regret it!
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