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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 know Disney has cancelled some incidental benefits for folks that buy DVC through resale market. But, is there a downside if you are already a DVC member just adding on points? We only use them at Disney
Shouldn't apply to you if you bought in directly from Disney or by resale before April 4 last year when the reduced benefits on resale went into effect. Those buying a resale before that date were "grandfathered" so to speak. Adding points by resale after that date doesn't affect your benefits status as I understand it.
We hesitated to buy a resale this year because of not getting the benefits and then discovered we didn't care about most of them anyway. As HollyH mentioned to me, the benefits are mostly discounts, some member-only events and other experiences.
It just depends on what a family wants from DVC as to whether or not the lack of benefits means much.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Last edited by Her Dotness; 02-14-2017 at 10:47 AM..
Out of our six contracts, one is resale and that's not impacted at all on our ability to get all the perks entitled to membership purchased directly through Disney.
We have 140 points directly from disney. Here's a hypothetical - If we were to add on with a resale, how does it work if we wanted to book a week in a 2 bedroom that costs 200 points? Can we overlap, or would we have to make 1 reservation with the 140 and finish the week off with the resale points?
We have 140 points directly from disney. Here's a hypothetical - If we were to add on with a resale, how does it work if we wanted to book a week in a 2 bedroom that costs 200 points? Can we overlap, or would we have to make 1 reservation with the 140 and finish the week off with the resale points?
The DVC Member website is (finally!) very sophisticated when it comes to this. If you have more than one contract, it will display them all whenever you go to make a booking, and will ask you which one you want to use first, second etc. until you have enough points to cover the booking.
Having said that, of course your 11 month "home resort" booking window still applies. Therefore, we have 165 Beach Club Villas points that we can use at the 11 month mark out of our total 600 points. The rest can't be use on a Beach Club Villa booking unless we're at the seven month or less mark from our stay.
We have 140 points directly from disney. Here's a hypothetical - If we were to add on with a resale, how does it work if we wanted to book a week in a 2 bedroom that costs 200 points? Can we overlap, or would we have to make 1 reservation with the 140 and finish the week off with the resale points?
In addition to what Cheryl said about the 11/7 month windows applying, it's also important that the purchases be titled identically and have the same Use Year. If everything does not match, It's my understanding that DVC would administratively set it up as 2 separate memberships. In that case, you'll have 2 separate web logins and points cannot be combined unless you book through member services.
As for the original question, issues may arise if the owners old all of the direct purchase points and only kept the resale. In that situation, perks would no longer be available.
Hmmm, that's a useful caution, Tim, about losing benefits if an owner sells all direct points, keeping only a resale bought now. I hadn't thought about that possibility.
I'm still getting used to how all this DVC stuff works so appreciate your info.
__________________
“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
In addition to what Cheryl said about the 11/7 month windows applying, it's also important that the purchases be titled identically and have the same Use Year. If everything does not match, It's my understanding that DVC would administratively set it up as 2 separate memberships. In that case, you'll have 2 separate web logins and points cannot be combined unless you book through member services.
Thanks for the info. That's what I was wondering about with the Use Year, because trying to match up resorts and Use Year with the right amount of points is the challenge. So even if I have 2 separate memberships, I should be able to combine the points. That makes sense since members are allowed to transfer points to other members.
So even if I have 2 separate memberships, I should be able to combine the points. That makes sense since members are allowed to transfer points to other members.
DVC will let you combine them, but if the contracts aren't properly linked for online booking, the reservations will always require a phone call to DVC Member Services in order to reserve. In addition to the hassle involved with calling, it places you at a disadvantage in relation to other members. The website allows online reservations starting at 8am daily while Member Services doesn't open until 9am. In competitive circumstances (high demand dates/resorts/view at both 11 months and 7 months), that hour can mean the difference between getting a room and not getting a room.
Tim, our dec use year contracts are all under the same membership number and all in my name and husband's name. I am considering adding my adult children to our next add-on contract. Since the title would be different do you think they would create a new membership number?
Tim, our dec use year contracts are all under the same membership number and all in my name and husband's name. I am considering adding my adult children to our next add-on contract. Since the title would be different do you think they would create a new membership number?
Yes. It's my understanding that if a contract is titled differently than your current holdings, it has to be set up as a separate membership.
The amount of hassle involved is certainly subjective. We frequently vacation with some friends, with each of us booking half the trip. Then we call DVC to have the two reservations linked. It's one phone call per year.
All things being equal, it's more convenient to have everything grouped together. But if you have higher priorities--like making other relatives eligible for DVC discounts--you'll have to decide if you can live with those drawbacks.
As for the join ownership, that's another topic where it's wise to educate yourself. DVC is a shared asset. In a legal sense, it's comparable to listing your kids as owners on your primary home. There are legal repercussions for everyone on that deed in the event of death, divorce, bankruptcy, etc. for just one owner. It's worth speaking to a lawyer or estate planner so that you fully understand the potential fallout before proceeding.
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