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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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One feature of the CR which we still love is how VERY cool that monorail station INSIDE the Tower is. You simply can't beat approaching or leaving a monorail station without having to dodge windblown rain.
And, it's easier to get to WL from the CR than from any othee monorail resort. Just go out the CR's back door to the boat dock and hop onto the boat to WL. If not in the mood to ride around the monorail loop or walk to the MK, you can also take the boat to the MK, a fairly short and relaxing ride from the CR.
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We took the boat from CR to FW and went to Trail's Inn To Go and got fried chicken dinners. Jumped back on the boat (boy you should have seen everybody eyeing up our food ) and had dinner on our balcony one night. It was the best! Love all the lights and the castle, plus the fireworks. It was a perfect Disney moment that I will never forget.
I agree with all the points against CR, and yet I LOVE the place! I love the angles and lines of the architecture. The bathroom sinks are awful but the view we had of Cinderella's castle was truly magical. The wall of windows on the interior levels lets in so much light and views. Watching the monorail come and go is appealing. Walking to and from CR to MK was so darn easy. The shopping level is bustling and fun; the gingerbread display was quite appealing. Chef Mickey's was awesome. The fast service cafe was awful. California Grill was disappointing. But the world of flavors restaurant was wonderful. The coffee shop was great. The interior views from upper floors was really nice. It has a very open, large space feel.
I would not hesitate to stay there again.
That said, I think the GF is absolutely beautiful. I would love to stay there some day. The shopping area was cramped although I liked the shop with the soaps. The breakfast at GF cafe was fantastic and the princess tea was fabulous. Their gingerbread display is amazing.
The GF feels majestic, rich, glorious and exclusive to me. The CR is bustling, busy, urban, relaxed, more casual. Although I would love to stay at GF, I would likely choose CR again when it comes down to it.
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Last edited by SheLovesAriel; 01-12-2016 at 05:18 PM..
I've stayed ina garden view room at CR which was far from walking distance to the MK. It was a good hike just to get to the main building. It is not my favorite resort, although the rooms were nice and large. I was there probably 15 years ago and paid around $200. night, which I consider reasonable.
We spent a few days at the GF at the beginning of last December and it was absolutely beautiful. I hadn't wanted to book there initially, but the building work at WL forced my hand. The Christmas decorations were absolutely magical and the smell of gingerbread intoxicating. There are loads of different dining options and the staff really couldn't have been more helpful. Transport was easy, either by boat or monorail and I ended up quite the convert. By the time we had to move on I was very reluctant to leave!
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