Haven't been in 5 years! Technology help please! - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 used to know so much about WDW that I would help newbies plan their vacation. Now I need help! I'm a teacher who will retire next January and I would like to celebrate with my family by taking everyone to WDW in May or June of 2017.
My biggest fear is all the new technology. I don't like technology and I don't want all this new disney tech stuff to ruin the planning and actual vacation! (I haven't booked yet).
I don't have the latest Passporter book, is there a section on magic bands ?
What else do I have to know about planning for this trip, that's new and different from the last time that I was there in April 2012?
Thanks
Its not really that bad. The magic bands are just a bracelet version of your room key card. But it does more then just open your door and charge back to your room. You know about fastpasses, they work about the same way except now you book 3 a day before you go and they are linked to your account so you scan your MB instead of getting a paper ticket. Then you can add more when you use those up. If you have a smart phone you can download the disney park app and it will have all of your reservations and fast passes on their. So you do not need to put it on a piece of paper to keep track of it. It really is as simple as you want to make it.
First, congratulations on your upcoming retirement. I'm also a retired teacher and WDW was one of the first things I did to celebrate. I would recommend early May as a great time to go where the crowds are lower, the weather is not quite so hot and the Flower and Garden Festival is beautiful. I understand your concerns about the technology, but it really isn't bad at all, and when used well will enhance your vacation. WillCad has a wonderful Tech Primer here in the technology forum. As you study that, feel free to ask all kinds of questions. You know we are here for you. http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...d.php?t=279318
Pris got to it before I did but I too was going to give a link to Willcad's post.
I know it can seem very overwhelming, all this technology. I don't like it and it doesn't like me but as said, it really isn't all that bad. If I can use it and understand it, I have faith that you will too. You have plenty of time to read over things and ask all the questions you have so take it one day at a time and don't dwell on it. The only "planning" that should be impacted by the technology is your Fastpass selections since those can now be done 60 days in advance if you're staying at a Disney resort. Dining is still 180+10 and can be done either online or by phone as can room reservations. The only thing I think that might have changed since 2012 and it has nothing to do with technology is for every table service meal you book, a credit card guarantee is now required and if you neglect to cancel in advance or you just do not show up, there is a $10 per person charge.
Congrats on the upcoming retirement and the vacation.
I am bad with technology and love the website! Everything shows up under my reservations plus there is also an itinerary you can step up for each day. Your ADRs and FPs automatically show up but you can link shows/parades and add notes. Congrats on your retirement and thanks for all you do!
Thank you to everyone for your kind and helpful comments! Now I don't feel so nervous because I can still make dining reservations via phone, and it seems like the only thing to worry about are the FP's. So, that should be easy enough to manage.
When I have more questions and there will be lots, I can ask you guys!
Thanks!
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I'm going to move this over to the Disney Tech forum so that if you come up with any more technological questions, you'll already be in the best place to ask (and get answers to) them!
Also, congrats on the upcoming retirement -- and the upcoming trip to Disney!
It is technology and is still undergoing...eh, hem..."magical enhancements" from time to time but the beauty of Disney is there's a Cast Member around every corner to help. So if you're having trouble getting something to link or function on your device or in your account, even when you're at the park, there are My Magic+ guest service stations around the parks where you can get some extra assistance if needed.
Congrats on the retirement! 2 more years for me (also in Education but at the University level)
About the technology - while I love tech, it had been over 10 years since I'd gone to Disney and I was worried about the bands. They were comfortable and worked great - I ended up not taking mine off the entire stay, although my son took his off at night. Even my youngest grandkid had no problem using her band and we only had one problem. At our first hotel, after we checked in at the desk, only my band would open the door even though everyone else was on my MDE account. We just called the front desk from our door and they fixed it in 5 minutes without a trip back to the desk. When we moved to our second hotel, we didn't have a bit of problem getting in and even bypassed the front desk.
I charged a couple of quick-service meals at the parks to my band rather than trying to wrestle out my wallet in a crowded line, which was nice. When we went to the pool, it was great to not have to carry a bag and worry about my wallet or keys - I just wore my band and got drinks for us with ease. I was really pleased with how well it worked.
Another nice improvement is the smart phone app. Not only was I able to look at our dining reservations on it and make Fast Passes, but my granddaughter tries to find every bathroom wherever she goes - it was nice to be able to look up the closest bathroom on the app. I was impressed with the way the new tech worked.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
I used to know so much about WDW that I would help newbies plan their vacation. Now I need help! I'm a teacher who will retire next January and I would like to celebrate with my family by taking everyone to WDW in May or June of 2017.
My biggest fear is all the new technology. I don't like technology and I don't want all this new disney tech stuff to ruin the planning and actual vacation! (I haven't booked yet).
I don't have the latest Passporter book, is there a section on magic bands ?
What else do I have to know about planning for this trip, that's new and different from the last time that I was there in April 2012?
Thanks
So, Laurie, have you browsed through the primer yet? Any further questions? We're here to help!
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