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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Does anyone have any suggestions for a hotel for 1 night prior to the start of our Disney trip this June? Hubby & I are going to drive down & we just need a place to crash for the night before checking in at CBR! Any suggestions would be very appreciated. We've only ever stayed on property & I'm unfamiliar with any other options!
We tried the Best Western on International drive near Sea World and found it okay room was decent size and clean. Free breakfast was a major disappointment but there was a diner type restaurant next door that was decent. We have also found booking our resort for room only the night before package our package very convenient just get up early check out and back in and you have entire with plan options before you
I would check Groupon for hotel deals in Orlando for your dates, right now Coco Key is $68 a night--they have a water park attached to the hotel. If you are looking for something for a little less money check reviews before you book--lots of the "hotels" on 192 are a disaster. I've used Priceline and ended up at the Best Western on Hotel Plaza Blvd for $35 and at the Hilton there for $45.
We have stayed at the Hilton across from Downtown Disney. Plus there are other hotels in the same area. You can walk to the shops and restaurants. Get a little Disney before you check in.
Since you're going to CBR, I would look for somewhere on Hotel Plaza Blvd or Palm Parkway. I was going to recommend the Orlando Vista, but I just googled it, and it is closed. I have stayed on Palm Parkway at the Extended Stay Deluxe and Comfort Inn (it's now a Clarion).
Bookit.com is having sale (aren't they always??? ), and I just picked 6/13/14, and the Clarion Lake Buena Vista is $59. If you do go there, as for a room on the parking lot side. The I-4 side can be noisy w/ traffic.
Check Mousesavers.com to see if you can score a room deal at one of the DTD hotels or another nearby one like the Radisson Resort Celebration, two miles east of WDW in Celebration area on 192. We have enjoyed two stays there and Mousesavers often has a good rate for them. No free breakfast, but they do have a "diner" option for things like Starbucks, breakfast sandwiches, etc. as well as a sit-down restaurant. Great pools too.
We stated at the Royal Plaza our first night in town last year. It was clean and close to downtown Disney. Also we have stayed at the Comfort inn maingete east in Old town. They are not Disney hotels, but they are comfortable and clean.
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Paige-Blessed Mom of two wonderful, amazing little boys through the miracle of adoption.
We love WDW!!! I know what is not to love? So glad to find there are more Disney crazy people out there like me!
I think Royal Plaza is now closed. Turning it into another hotel.
I second the suggestion of a DTD hotel along Hotel Plaza. Still has the Disney feel, and you can walk to DTD. One August we got a great deal for the DTD Doubletree from Mousesavers. Under $100/night & included breakfast. They do charge for parking.
We've also stayed at the Marriott Courtyard on Palm Parkway, walked to Olive Garden for dinner. I think there's also a Hampton Inn on Palm Pkwy, and Sheraton Safari.
There is also The Marriott Village with a Courtyard, Springhill, & Fairfield on Vineland just a hop from DTD area. Mousesavers freq has discounts for these too. Also Buenavista Suites.
There are so many hotels around wdw, it would be easiest to pick one close by so in the morning when you move you won't be stuck in traffic. We like to go first thing, get early check in at wdw resort then be at park for rope drop!
You can always use Hotwire and look at Lake Buena Vista/Disney area. You won't know where the hotel is, but it will be in the area. We always choose 3 stars or over and have always had a very nice room, sometimes for as low as $50+ tax.
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Michele
I'm living the dream 20 minutes from Disney! Next trip...tomorrow. Follow me on instagram at ShirtsByShell
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), and I just picked 6/13/14, and the Clarion Lake Buena Vista is $59. If you do go there, as for a room on the parking lot side. The I-4 side can be noisy w/ traffic.
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