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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Has anyone stayed at OKW with an ECV? I've come up with a tentative game plan, and was hoping to benefit from others' experiences to see if it will work.
I've heard that the first bus stop for OKW is on Peninsular Road, near Bldg. 26. DVC told me that Bldgs. 23-26 are a higher category, so I've requested Bldg. 27 on the ground floor. I was thinking that, if I got my scooter on at the first stop, it would be easier than trying to do so at a later one, when the bus might already be crowded.
I was also thinking that, while I'm waiting for the bus, my DBF could head to the Hospitality House and pick up breakfast. If the bus is crowded by the time we get there, do you think the driver would let him on, since he's with me? Also, do you think this idea would work, timing-wise, since the bus would still have three stops to make after I board, before reaching the HH?
We've stayed at resorts with multiple bus stops before (CBR & SSR), but not since I've had to use my scooter, so I thought I'd seek the wisdom of other ECV users. Have you ever had a problem getting a scooter on a bus at one of the later stops, or do you think I should go with my plan of making sure I'm at the first stop? Thanks so much for any insights you can offer!
We've stayed OKW with DD who uses an electric chair.
you're on to something with planning to be at the first bus stop.
yes, your BF will be allowed on the bus as long as he's with you when you board. They will not separate parties.
We love OKW, it's very calming and serene.
Thanks, Teresa, for thinking I'm "on to something"! I should've been more clear about my other question: I wasn't worried about them separating our party, but if I've boarded the bus at the first stop, and my boyfriend doesn't get on until the last one at the Hospitality House (because he's gone to pick up breakfast), do you think the driver would let him on even if the bus is crowded? (It's just the two of us traveling.)
We're only staying at OKW for two nights, then moving to VWL for four. I think it will be easier there, since there's only one bus stop.
We are DVC members at OKW since 1993, so have stayed there many times. Many people drive there from their homes or rent a car since the parking is so very convenient.
We have found that the buses most of the time are not totally filled. We usually stay in the Miller Road area, which is the last stop before Hospitality House. We have had only a couple times in all those years when we could not get onto the bus with our daughter's wheelchair.
If you are leaving at peak time - like at park opening, it is possible the bus might be full when you get to Hospitality House. If that's the case, your DBF would not be able to board, even if you are on.
So, I would probably send him for breakfast in enough time to get back to the Peninsilar stop to board. (In case you are not aware, there is no eating or drinking allowed on the buses).
If you are leaving at a pesky time for people to be leaving the park and coming back to OKW, the bus might still be too full of people when it gets to the first stop for you to board.
If that happens, you can always walk/roll to Hospitality House and board there.
Because guests are getting off the bus and few are getting on, it is often almost empty when it stops at Hospitality House.
Thanks, Sue! I really appreciate your sharing your knowledge from all the years you've stayed there.
We probably would be leaving at park opening (or close to it -- sometimes the fatigue from the day before overrides the plan to get up early ). We do know about the eating/drinking restriction (but thanks for the reminder). We'd just stow the bagels, muffins, or whatever in my ECV's basket until we arrive at the park. (I haven't added it yet, but we're thinking of doing the DDP, and figured a snack credit item would make a good breakfast -- except for the day when we go to Chef Mickey's!) We've never even seen OKW or the Wilderness Lodge, so we're really looking forward to adding them to our "stayed there" list!
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). We do know about the eating/drinking restriction (but thanks for the reminder). We'd just stow the bagels, muffins, or whatever in my ECV's basket until we arrive at the park. (I haven't added it yet, but we're thinking of doing the DDP, and figured a snack credit item would make a good breakfast -- except for the day when we go to Chef Mickey's!) We've never even seen OKW or the Wilderness Lodge, so we're really looking forward to adding them to our "stayed there" list! 
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