Adventures by Disney & other guided tours - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
PassPorter.com
Award-winning travel guidebooks

   guidebooks   |   news   |   podcasts   |   boards   |   blog   |   worksheets   |   photos   |   articles   |   updates   |   register   |   follow us on


Forums Closed
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!

Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!

Go Back   PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums > PassPorter Universe: General Trip Planning and Discussion > Globetrotting: General Travel Planning
Register


Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.

To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.

If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 08-21-2017, 01:47 AM   #1
mamajab
Community Rank: Globetrotter
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Concierge Level: 4
Posts: 3,043

Post Thanks / Like
Question Adventures by Disney & other guided tours

I know the Williams family (aka toddjodybrent) have been on one, but has anyone else? We just returned from our first one, to Costa Rica, and it was FANTASTIC!! It truly is in our top 3 list of favorite vacations! We loved the guides, the activities, the hotels, not having to reserve rooms or handle luggage or pay admission fees. We can't wait to go again, but AbD can be pricey, so I'm looking at options. Does anyone else have experience with other programs, like Tauck, Vantage, National Geographic, etc?
mamajab is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 08-21-2017, 04:20 PM   #2
Belle*
PassPorter Goddess

PassPorter's Club Passholder


What's this?

Community Rank: Legend
 
Belle*'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 16,825

Post Thanks / Like
I loved my Backstage Magic Adventures by Disney! I have sent clients on Tauck itineraries as well and love their options.
__________________
Co-Host - Disney Every Week with the PassPorter Moms Podcast
Travel Planner affiliated with
MEI & Mouse Fan Travel

sarav@mei-travel.com
My Countdown Counting down to: Celebrating my birthday with my Main Man and Main Mouse
Wooohoooooo!
My PassPorter Bookshelf <table width=100% height=75 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0><tr><td width=86 style='background-image: url(http://www.passporter.com/concierge/ticker/countdown1001-3262.png); background-repeat: no-repeat;'><a href='http://www.passporterboards.com/concierge/universal-2fprincess-5k-trip3262.html' border=0><img src='http://www.passporter.com/forums/club/images/bookshelf/transparent.png' height=75 width=86 border=0></a></td><td align=left style='background-image: url(http://www.passporter.com/forums/club/images/bookshelf/shelf1001.png); background-repeat: no-repeat;'><a href='http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/club/bookshelf.php?member=1001&name=Belle*' border=0><img src='http://www.passporter.com/forums/club/images/bookshelf/transparent.png' height=75 width=200 border=0></a></td></tr></table>
Belle* is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 08-22-2017, 01:00 AM   #3
mamajab
Community Rank: Globetrotter
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Concierge Level: 4
Posts: 3,043

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by Belle* View Post
I loved my Backstage Magic Adventures by Disney! I have sent clients on Tauck itineraries as well and love their options.
Have you personally done a Tauck tour?
mamajab is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 08-22-2017, 05:55 PM   #4
MickeyWatch
Community Rank: Jetsetter
 
MickeyWatch's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Northern Illinois
Concierge Level: 5
Posts: 2,780

Post Thanks / Like
My daughter and I did Backstage Magic in California a few years ago. It was fantastic. Also, a few years ago we did the Adventures by Disney add on for our Mediterranean cruise. We had some exclusive tours that weren't available to the other people on the cruise. The best one was a trip to a local farm where we made the best margarita pizza from scratch. The kids on the trip had a blast rolling out the dough and getting flour everywhere! We had fresh from the oven pizza and other local delights, along with wonderful wine for the adults, on an outside patio.
__________________
[SIGPIC]
Margaret and I got to see the Cubs play in October. They won!
My Countdown Counting down to: Solo visit to Disneyworld
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsFirst trip: Disneyland Ju.y 1965 with my grandparents, 16th Birthday party at the Contemporary in 1973, many trips to WDW since then, most recent, Grand Floridian, November 2006, DCL Mediterranean Cruise July 2007, Margaret's 8th birthday trip to the Polynesian, June 2008, Grand Floridian Concierge November 2008, March and November2009, DCL Inaugural Baltic Cruise June 2010. Polynesian Resort November 2010, All Star Sports March 2011, Polynesian March 2011, Disney Dream Concierge, November 2011, Contemporary CL November 2011, Disney Fantasy Concierge, October 2012, Adventures By Disney Backstage Magic June 2012, Disney Magic Mediterranean Cruise June 2013, Polynesian October 2013, Tanzania Safari December2013 celebrating my Mom's 80th birthday, Yacht Club Club Level, June 2014
MickeyWatch is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 08-22-2017, 05:57 PM   #5
MickeyWatch
Community Rank: Jetsetter
 
MickeyWatch's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Northern Illinois
Concierge Level: 5
Posts: 2,780

Post Thanks / Like
I've also done a Tauck safari to Tanzania. I would have to say that they out did ABD in terms of customer satisfaction, but maybe that was just the spectacular exotic locale.
__________________
[SIGPIC]
Margaret and I got to see the Cubs play in October. They won!
My Countdown Counting down to: Solo visit to Disneyworld
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsFirst trip: Disneyland Ju.y 1965 with my grandparents, 16th Birthday party at the Contemporary in 1973, many trips to WDW since then, most recent, Grand Floridian, November 2006, DCL Mediterranean Cruise July 2007, Margaret's 8th birthday trip to the Polynesian, June 2008, Grand Floridian Concierge November 2008, March and November2009, DCL Inaugural Baltic Cruise June 2010. Polynesian Resort November 2010, All Star Sports March 2011, Polynesian March 2011, Disney Dream Concierge, November 2011, Contemporary CL November 2011, Disney Fantasy Concierge, October 2012, Adventures By Disney Backstage Magic June 2012, Disney Magic Mediterranean Cruise June 2013, Polynesian October 2013, Tanzania Safari December2013 celebrating my Mom's 80th birthday, Yacht Club Club Level, June 2014
MickeyWatch is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 08-24-2017, 09:08 AM   #6
Belle*
PassPorter Goddess

PassPorter's Club Passholder


What's this?

Community Rank: Legend
 
Belle*'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 16,825

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by mamajab View Post
Have you personally done a Tauck tour?
I have not personally done one but have worked closely with the company for clients. They have a fantastic product and great service.
__________________
Co-Host - Disney Every Week with the PassPorter Moms Podcast
Travel Planner affiliated with
MEI & Mouse Fan Travel

sarav@mei-travel.com
My Countdown Counting down to: Celebrating my birthday with my Main Man and Main Mouse
Wooohoooooo!
My PassPorter Bookshelf <table width=100% height=75 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0><tr><td width=86 style='background-image: url(http://www.passporter.com/concierge/ticker/countdown1001-3262.png); background-repeat: no-repeat;'><a href='http://www.passporterboards.com/concierge/universal-2fprincess-5k-trip3262.html' border=0><img src='http://www.passporter.com/forums/club/images/bookshelf/transparent.png' height=75 width=86 border=0></a></td><td align=left style='background-image: url(http://www.passporter.com/forums/club/images/bookshelf/shelf1001.png); background-repeat: no-repeat;'><a href='http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/club/bookshelf.php?member=1001&name=Belle*' border=0><img src='http://www.passporter.com/forums/club/images/bookshelf/transparent.png' height=75 width=200 border=0></a></td></tr></table>
Belle* is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 08-26-2017, 12:06 PM   #7
mamajab
Community Rank: Globetrotter
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Concierge Level: 4
Posts: 3,043

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by MickeyWatch View Post
I've also done a Tauck safari to Tanzania. I would have to say that they out did ABD in terms of customer satisfaction, but maybe that was just the spectacular exotic locale.
This is what I was looking for -- someone who has done both, to give me a comparison. Although I'm not sure how Tauck could have outdone AbD for customer satisfaction, because our trip was phenomenal!
mamajab is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Reply




Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump














Please login or register to hide these ads -- it's free and easy!

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:16 PM.

-->

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like v3.4.0 Patch Level 1 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
(c) 1998-2017 PassPorter Travel Press/MediaMarx, Inc.
Celebrating 19 Years of Making Dreams Come True
Ad Management plugin by RedTyger