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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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So sorry to hear about your DH. Just also wanted to say we've used Walker Mobility for my mom and it's made such a difference for her. She has Asthma and COPD so breathing is an issue. Not to mention her knee too. She couldn't even walk down main street without taking a break. And now we have to keep up with her! It makes a world of difference. We love Walker Mobility and have never had any problems. It sure makes it a lot easier for her to get from the hotel room to the food court as well.
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Tanya
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I'm thinking that even though it's more expensive we should just rent them at the parks. If things don't get worse by our trip, he will be able to walk short distances (like around the block). It just seems like if we rent from a company, using transportation will be a hassle and he will probably only need them to tour the parks.
It's going to take ALOT to convince him. Not sure if I'll be able to do it.
I've already planned my comebacks if we get any "looks" (after reading another thread).
Keep in mind that the scooters at the parks are "first come/first served" and they do run out of available scooters.
Many people report that they are much slower and don't climb hills as well as the rental ones. And, if you're staying in a larger resort, it can be quite the walk from the buses to the rooms...
I would rent one from offsite in the summer crowds are Higher, meaning much higher demand for the ecv's that the parks offer. They are first come first serve and They DO run out. Have had that happen many times.
Transportation is not that difficult used it in July with an ECV and never had an issue. You may have to wait for a bus or two if there are a lot of ecv's/wheelchairs in line but its a pretty easy process.
I used Buena Vista Scooter Rentals, they were fantastic and I actually got a better price there over Walker Mobility because BVS had a special going with All Ears through their newsletter. So look around sometimes different companies offer specials.
The resorts can be huge and depending on the location of the room you are assigned there can be a lot of walking around the resort. We stayed at Pop Century and were in a regular room (non handicap accessible) and while it was a bit tight by the entry the ecv fit in the room.
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Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust! Studying Hard to Make a Difference!
Disney scooters are tanks built to withstand the rough handling by guests. Once in DCA on the west coast I was trying to help a lady with her rental scooter. The front bar and front end had been bent back so that the frame was touching the wheel. The scooters on both coasts are heavier and go slower for safety.
What is up with all the scooters? Word gets out that people no longer have to walk to the castle, sit half an hour, walk a bit, sit, walk. I push my mother around Disneyland resorts and would never ask someone to push me around any park in the world. It is hard on the pusher and limits the person in the chair. When pushing Mom in parks it is a lot of walk, sit sit sit, walk, lean, walk, sit sit sit cry, walk, sit. HARD WORK. I use a scooter so I can make it through the day without hitting the wall then being so tire that I get into road rage or worse make mistakes like walk in front of a horse or trip on a curb.
Why do people point out scooters?
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Mom calls to check on me and reminded me to pay the gardener. I love her so much.
Disneyland was fun with flag retreat and pickles. I have a home here, thank you. GAC is NOT a "front of the line pass".
She is gone but keeping signature. Laundry is getting done. My purpose in life is to help poor people in FL. Farewell, will miss you.
And the attitude that people in the scooters are "lazy" as pointed out by another poster here is reason enough to state ONCE AGAIN-there are people who look to be in perfect health, maybe in better shape than you, who you will see in scooters. These people have "invisible" diseases, & judging anyone for using assistance in a park is such a horrible thing. Instead, be thankful that you have the health to NOT need assistance.
When i went in 09 with my mom and my Fiance` Nick my mom rented a scooter from an off property place and had it delivered to POP where we were stayng.
Right before we left that yr she had a BUNION removed from her foot and it affected her walking along with her having a slipped disk on her left side. the scooter made everything easy for her, me and nick.
Get a scooter from an off property place and it will be delivered to your resort.
On our earlier trips to WDW before DHs MS progressed and he was mobile,we first used a wheelchair and then rented ECVs. The first time his mobility became an issue we "borrowed" a wheelchair from the resort...at that time we were able to keep it for own entire stay to use. Well, by the end of the week I had blistered my both hands ( I never experienced "pushing" a wheel chair and it is alot of work)....I was sore for weeks after. After that year we rented ECVs from Walker Mobility. They are great to work with. To look at my DH, you'd never know there was a problem....he's lean and trim and looks good, he doesn't even look his age.....(I,on the other hand...well, let's just say it's hard being a caregiver). Actually, we had more "problems" when he was still able to walk. He would stumble and fall...we got comments about him being DRUNK with his children and that he should be ashamed of himself.......So, looks can be deceiving. This year, I'm going to rent an ECV myself, the arthretis in my spine and legs has gotten worse.
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I believe I said that SOME people in scooters are just lazy and that I had people with me that should have used them but chose not to, which goes to show what your body can endure with exercise. Also I wasn't generalizing people using different forms of assistance as lazy and that I was using a wheelchair from the resort and then later posted where the best place to rent a scooter was since my mother and my grandmother has had to use them at the parks before. Maybe you should read the entire post next time and not judge yourself. I hadn't noticed how many people were using scooters until that trip while being in a wheelchair, with a broken ankle in two places and having a surgery 6 weeks before and having difficulty with walking (since I could not put any pressure on that leg at all) and then seeing people who looked like they could get up without difficulty and transfer makes you wonder as to why they were using assistance to begin with. An observation doesn't mean that I feel that way about everyone, it is simply that....an observation.
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Hope
Last edited by NarnianDVCmember; 03-27-2011 at 02:32 PM..
I believe I said that SOME people in scooters are just lazy...
I think it is important that we all realize that this is a very touchy subject for many people -- people who have had dirty looks and snide comments directed at them even though they suffer from a legitimate and debilitating "hidden" disease like MS or fibromyalgia. For them, a scooter is a necessity, even though they can transfer from the ECV and look "normal" to everyone else. It is very painful to feel that others assume they are lazy because of the use of the assistive device that enables them to enjoy the parks.
For the sake of the friendly tone of the boards, we ask that everyone be sensitive to the feelings of others.
I think the abundance (for lack of a better word) of scooters is due in large part to the sheer size of WDW -- people that don't use them elsewhere use them at Disney. And the fact that it draws more multi-generational groups than the average amusement park.
While we'd never think to invite my inlaws to join us at Valleyfair or Cedar Point or Kings Island, we have floated the idea of having them join us at WDW for vacation. And although neither of them uses or needs a scooter at home, we know that they would need one in order to navigate WDW -- especially the larger parks like Epcot and DAK.
I agree -- WDW is so disability-friendly and also FAMILY friendly, which means that more grandparents (who can't walk much) are able to enjoy trips with their familys.
And as Stitch says "Ohana" means "Family". and "Family" means "no one left behind"!!
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Just also wanted to say we've used Walker Mobility for my mom and it's made such a difference for her. She has Asthma and COPD so breathing is an issue. Not to mention her knee too. She couldn't even walk down main street without taking a break. And now we have to keep up with her! It makes a world of difference. We love Walker Mobility and have never had any problems. It sure makes it a lot easier for her to get from the hotel room to the food court as well.
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and not judge yourself. I hadn't noticed how many people were using scooters until that trip while being in a wheelchair, with a broken ankle in two places and having a surgery 6 weeks before and having difficulty with walking (since I could not put any pressure on that leg at all) and then seeing people who looked like they could get up without difficulty and transfer makes you wonder as to why they were using assistance to begin with. An observation doesn't mean that I feel that way about everyone, it is simply that....an observation.
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