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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 would like some suggestions on which resort we should stay at to celebrate a 50th birthday. Some background information it would be two maybe 3 family members. We would need a room with at least two beds and we would not be going into the fall of 2014. We would be willing do to a split stay. We would probably be gone for 10 days. All suggestions would be considered. TIA.
As for hotel suggestions, it's all very subjective. I like the value resorts but others here couldn't be paid to go to a value so it will be hard to suggest anything without more info. Do you spend all day in the parks or do you like spending time at the hotel? Do you like amenities like fitness rooms or spas or will a pool do? Is there a particular theme you like or that doesn't matter? With a little bit more info from you, we can give suggestions that will hopefully suit what you're looking for.
There are so many wonderful resorts to choose from so a lot of it comes down to things like which park you want to be closest to and how much you want to spend. A lovely compromise is Port Orleans French Quarter. It is a moderate but with its smaller, more compact layout, it has more of the feel of a deluxe rather than a moderate.
Will this be a first trip to WDW or has it been a long time since your last visit? There is a really good website that breaks down all the resorts and discusses why a particular resort would be good or not for whatever reasons.
But, I will agree with the previous post as our first stay on property was at Port Orleans and we thoroughly enjoyed it. For a moderate resort, we loved the location, the size, the amenities, and um, beignets! On more than one occasion I would wake early from our afternoon nap (we have small children) and after going down to get some laundry started, I would sneak over to the food court and enjoy some beignets. But, I also adore New Orleans theme, so it was a perfect fit for me.
You never mentioned budget? So without knowing, our fav moderate is Por, mansion section. Love the relaxing theming and landscaping. Boat to DTD, horse & carriage rides, evening entertainment in the lounge, great old court.
For deluxe we love Poly, BC, WL or AKL.
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As mentioned, budget is a big deciding factor. For the age of your group, I think you would be happier at a moderate or higher (voice of age here). I love POR or POFQ, personally.
There are a lot of nice places to stay at WDW and it all depends on how much you want to spend. Grand Floridian and Beach Club are the first to come to mind if you want some place nice but don't care about price. If you want to go with a moderate price resort Coronado Springs is a great resort.
I would do the CR because of the size of the room and third bed. I am one of the few that really do not like POFQ and would not stay again if I can avoid it. My favorite moderate is CSR. To me it is a step up from the other mods we have stayed at.
I think you first need to determine if it is 2 or 3. /With 2, I would consider a moderate and my moderate stays have always been just DD and I.
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I agree with the above. After you decide on budget, then you can look at the resorts in more detail.
Everyone here is going to have a different opinion. If it is all adults in your party, I'd say:
Value: ASMusic
Moderate: Caribbean Beach Resort
Deluxe: Animal Kingdom Lodge, Beach Club, Yacht Club or BoardWalk or the Contemporary.
__________________
Lori
“I’m in a Disney state of mind……”
Authorized Disney Vacation Planner w/Fairy Godmother Travel For a Pixie Dust Sprinkled Trip!
I've stayed at the Poly -- LOVE it, but it's rare that it's in my price range, and Wilderness Lodge - nice, but I didn't like it better that the Poly (in the delux catagory)
I've also stayed at POR a handful of times (I even knew it as Dixie Landings back in the day ) - and loved it each time -- I like the closeness to DTD and also Epcot and DHS...granted it's only via bus (DTD has the boat option).
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~ Jenn **Disney is REAL LIFE Magic, so much more than optical illusions **
Transportation options are also a factor in choosing a resort.
If you have a car with you and drive everywhere (as I do), then transportation may not play a big part in your decision. But if you're going to rely on Disney transportation to get you around, you should know the options before you choose a resort.
The Value level resorts (All-Star Sports/Music/Movies, Pop Century, and Art of Animation) and Moderate level resorts (Port Orleans Riverside, Port Orleans French Quarter, Carribean Beach, and Coronado Springs) have only busses to get to the parks. Riverside and French Quarter also have boat transportation to Downtown Disney.
Most of the Deluxe level resorts have additional trasnportation options.
In the Magic Kingdom area, Contemporary, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian are all located on the Magic Kingdom monorail line; you can also change monorails at the Transportation and Ticket Center to travel to Epcot. Wilderness Lodge and Ft Wilderness Campground are not on the monorail, but they offer direct boat transportation to Magic Kingdom. If you're one of those who just can't get enough Magic Kingdom, then one of these Deluxe level resorts is for you (assuming that they fit your budget).
On the other hand, if you're a big fan of either Epcot or Disney's Hollywood Studios, then you might consider the Epcot resorts area - Boardwalk Inn, Yacht Club, and Beach Club (all Deluxes) are arrayed around Crescent Lake, which lies between Epcot and DHS. They're closer to Epcot - litterally within short walking distance. You can also walk to DHS, but it takes longer. Boat transportation is provided from all 3 resorts to both parks, as well as bus transportation to MK and AK.
Another option to mention is the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin hotels. These are also located along Crescent Lake, and are on the same boat routes as Boardwalk, and Yacht/Beach, but the Swan and Dolphin are not owned by Disney; they are owned and operated by Sheraton/Starwood. Staying there, you can take advantage of Extra Magic Hours, but you can't charge purchases in the parks to your room, or have packages delivered, as you can at Disney resorts. The big advantage is that Swan/Dolphin tend to be cheaper than Boardwalk or Yacht/Beach, and the location cannot be beat.
Farther out you'll find Animal Kingdom Lodge, which is land-locked (i.e. offers only bus transportation to any other part of WDW). AKL is located very close to the Animal Kingdom park and offers some amenities that aren't available to those who stay anywhere else, such as the Sunrise Safari (available only to Concierge level Guests at AKL).
Most Disney resort rooms come standard with two double beds, and additional rollaway beds are available if needed. I believe that some of the Deluxes offer rooms with one or two queen size beds, and all rooms at Swan and Dolphin come standard with two queen size Heavenly Beds. Family suites which sleep up to six people are available at All-Star Music and Art of Animation. Cabins which sleep up to 6 are available at Fort Wilderness.
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) - and loved it each time -- I like the closeness to DTD and also Epcot and DHS...granted it's only via bus (DTD has the boat option).
~ Jenn 
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