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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Buffalogirl18..thanks for your honesty and reporting your experience there. I guess it's a matter of mousekeeping (every business has good and bad workers). I'm glad to read that everyone else has very positive comments. Like I said, I'm no stranger to WDW resorts, buses, etc... and I have visted AKL and liked what I saw. We're really looking forward to our trip this August.
I was just there in Sept. I can't tell you how much we enjoyed it!!! We loved the theme, and yes it is darker inside. Lots of dark woods, lots of colors, though, but in darker hues. Personally I appreciated the darker decor and the dimmer lighting after being out in the bright Florida sun all day.
My room was perfectly clean and Mousekeeping was great. The beds were the most comforatable I've slept in at WDW.
We had good experiences with the bus system. We typically waited no longer than 10-15 min. for a bus. The worst was coming home from DHS one night. We waited for a while then gave up and took a cab home. It was park closing and the bus lines were packed, that's to be expected though. Otherwise, we just allotted a few extra minutes to get where we were going (except for AK) and used the transit time to call home, or read a park map etc.
I didn't meet a rude CM at AKL, just a less than magical one at Jiko. I think he was just having a bad day.
I wouldn't put too much thought into what you read on trip advisor, I've often found their reviews to be very inaccurate.
I hope you will love AKL as much as I do!
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I had read some comments about Poly before we went in April and they are just that comments. We had a lovely time, no problems with CM's. Dont give it another thought. Go and have a wonderful time and decide for yourself. With how fast they have to get rooms cleaned at these places I dont care about dust as long as things are in order the bedclothes clean and tub and sink the rest I could ignore if needed. My house is certainly not dust free as is any of the people I bet who have complained. Some people just cant be satisfied. And expect more from others than they themselves do.
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Love the Magic of Disney Thanks Dad for our first 5 trips.
You are going to find that people will complain about those things at every resort so I would not worry about it. You could end up with bad housekeeping or a bad CM at any resort. As for the dark rooms I don’t know what to say. It is the theme of the resort and I can’t imagine them being bright and white. I had no problem with lighting levels but I also find that people will find stuff to complain about. I would take any reviews or even opinions with a grain of salt. The only way to really know if you will like a place is to try it. I also suggest visiting other resorts when you are there and many times you can ask to see in a room.
First off, I want to say that I've never stayed at or been to AKL. But, I was in the same position with the so/so to negative reviews about CBR on tripadvisor and allears. I don't think there's any way to really know what you're going to get until you get there. I assumed that the negative reviews I read were from snobby, non-Disney people, so I went there fully expecting to enjoy it.
Our room definitely had many "gross" aspects about it, but as you've already read, Buffalogirl went at the same time and loved it. You just never know. We had a great mousekeeper at All Star Sports, so, in the end I have more favorable memories of our All Star vacation than the one at CBR.
I get that this isn't the most helpful post, but it's my long-winded way of saying it seems like you can't tell until you get there. You may get a good mousekeeper...or you might have other people's trash on your floor. Good luck!
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We just stayed in April, found the resort to be great. The resort is darker than others but this creates a very relaxing ambiance. You really feel like you are in another world, very relaxing after the excitement of the parks. The transportation was great. You do not share a bus with another resort. We never waited more than 15 minutes for a bus, even at night after shows.
Mousekeeping was not as good as I've had at other resorts, but nothing was dusty or dirty.
You will have a great time, I'd go back in a second!
We've stayed in both a standard room and now we usually get a 1 bedroom. We are so thrilled with AKL that we booked a bounce back offer when we were at FW cabins during Xmas time. I definitely agree the atmosphere is extremely relaxing at the end of the day. Victoria Falls lounge is a wonderful place to sit and relax. Any CM we dealt with was always willing to help.
I can't wait until our trip at Kidani Village in Sept. Go and enjoy yourself !!
We stayed at AKL in December and had a great time. Yes the lighting in the lobby is a little dark but that is part of the atmosphere. We just booked AKL again when we go back again in November.
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We have stayed at the AKL twice and I have to say, its theme is amazing. Like the WL, when there, it is hard to believe you are smack dab in the middle of FL. It really feels like you have been transported to another place on earth.
I too, had read reviews about the rooms being dark, but only found that to be true if the curtians were drawn and all the lights turned out. I am a fan of dark woods and deep, rich colors and this resort is full of them. The decor is beautiful and ethnic and very different from "standard hotel room". I felt the rooms were not dark, but rather warm, cozy and inviting. And the lobby is a feast for the senses.
Many of the CMs at the AKL are from Africa and we have always enjoyed talking to them. They have always been willing to share information about their country, culture and traditions. We learn something new every time we talk to a CM there.
I was also concerned about transportation to and from the parks, but not sharing a bus with another resort was a huge plus. You said you will have a car, but don't be afraid to use the busses if the mood strikes you.
And of course, there is the thing that is the AKL's biggest asset (IMHO). The animals. It is truley amazing to pull back the drapes in the morning, step out on your balcony and see wonderful creatures roaming right in front of you.
Take bad reviews with a grain of salt, keep an open mind and enjoy everything this unique and beautiful resort has to offer.
Thanks so much everyone! I'm glad to hear all of this. I'm really looking forward to our visit. I'm sure everything will be just fine....afterall..It's Disney!!!!!
I had a similar experience when we first booked CBR. I read several negative comments on sites like travelocity, etec. to the point that I was expecting a flea bag motel. It couldn't have been further from the truth, and we loved it.
You have no worries from AKL - it's our favorite Disney resort!! Yes, the rooms are a bit darker, but it's not depressing, it's ambiance! The place was spotless and every CM we encountered was friendly.
Have never experience this. We went last September and had a great time.
The room was immaculately clean, cast members treated us great! we Loved it!
tons of personal touches. AKV is our Home resort as Disney vacation club members. I highly recommend to try it and see for yourself.
when you go into the lobby the first thing you will say is "WOW"
please let us know how it went, will love to hear it.
We've already visited this resort when we last stayed at Wilderness Lodge, and we all gave out a "WOW" when we first entered WL's lobby. Later on in that week, we decided to pop over to AKL just to see what it looked like...we did the same thing and let out another "Wow" when we walked into AKL's lobby. You could see similarity in lobby concept from the same architect of both lodges. This is why we wanted to come back and try AKL.
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I am a fan of dark woods and deep, rich colors and this resort is full of them. The decor is beautiful and ethnic and very different from "standard hotel room". I felt the rooms were not dark, but rather warm, cozy and inviting. And the lobby is a feast for the senses. 
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