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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We just stayed at POFQ for the first time Aug 28-Sept 3. We loved the beauty and peacefulness of the grounds, and did appreciate the resort's "compactness." We also loved the beignets! This was our first time being totally dependent on buses (we had a car when we were at AKL) and we found the experience a little aggravating at times. If we were going to stay there again, we would probably rent a car.
We also had a not-great experience with the CM who checked us in. It was noted on our ressie that we were celebrating our 15th anniversary, and that we'd like Building 5. At check-in, she told us we were in Building 3. I asked about 5, and she said no, and I asked about Building 2, and she said "we're fully booked" and totally shut me down. The room we had was an "inside corner" (if you know what I mean) so it was quite dark. It didn't warrant a complaint, but it was a bit of a bummer. At least we were on the 3rd floor (which I wanted but hadn't requested), so it was quiet. And the resort really is so compact that building 3 was still close enough to everything.
The room was an adequate size, and I found the beds to be comfortable. I didn't like not having a real closet (with doors) and I had to work a little harder at keeping our stuff organized, because there were fewer options of where to put things than with a deluxe.
My boys (10 and 12) enjoyed the pool very much, but declared the slide "boring." We did enjoy the boat ride to DtD, but were disappointed that it wasn't running one evening (understandably!) due to thunderstorms nearby. We wound up waiting 45 minutes for a bus. (One of the above-mentioned "aggravating experiences.")
So while I liked POFQ, I wasn't completely won over. If I was choosing between the Swalphin and POFQ, I would actually choose the Swalphin because we all fell in love with the Epcot resort area when we stayed at the BC last February. I realize the Swalphin lacks the Disney theming, but we just love the Boardwalk area, and being able to walk or take a boat to Epcot or MGM. (We had planned on taking mid-day breaks during our August trip, but decided that the bus back and forth just ate up too much time!)
I am sorry this post is so long! I wanted to share our experience, but I don't have the time (or the talent!) for a full TR.
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We just stayed at POFQ for the first time Aug 28-Sept 3. We loved the beauty and peacefulness of the grounds, and did appreciate the resort's "compactness." We also loved the beignets! This was our first time being totally dependent on buses (we had a car when we were at AKL) and we found the experience a little aggravating at times. If we were going to stay there again, we would probably rent a car.
We also had a not-great experience with the CM who checked us in. It was noted on our ressie that we were celebrating our 15th anniversary, and that we'd like Building 5. At check-in, she told us we were in Building 3. I asked about 5, and she said no, and I asked about Building 2, and she said "we're fully booked" and totally shut me down. The room we had was an "inside corner" (if you know what I mean) so it was quite dark. It didn't warrant a complaint, but it was a bit of a bummer. At least we were on the 3rd floor (which I wanted but hadn't requested), so it was quiet. And the resort really is so compact that building 3 was still close enough to everything.
The room was an adequate size, and I found the beds to be comfortable. I didn't like not having a real closet (with doors) and I had to work a little harder at keeping our stuff organized, because there were fewer options of where to put things than with a deluxe.
My boys (10 and 12) enjoyed the pool very much, but declared the slide "boring." We did enjoy the boat ride to DtD, but were disappointed that it wasn't running one evening (understandably!) due to thunderstorms nearby. We wound up waiting 45 minutes for a bus. (One of the above-mentioned "aggravating experiences.")
So while I liked POFQ, I wasn't completely won over. If I was choosing between the Swalphin and POFQ, I would actually choose the Swalphin because we all fell in love with the Epcot resort area when we stayed at the BC last February. I realize the Swalphin lacks the Disney theming, but we just love the Boardwalk area, and being able to walk or take a boat to Epcot or MGM. (We had planned on taking mid-day breaks during our August trip, but decided that the bus back and forth just ate up too much time!)
I am sorry this post is so long! I wanted to share our experience, but I don't have the time (or the talent!) for a full TR.
Good luck deciding!
Thanks for all the info. I can see why you would be frustrated going from a deluxe to a mod and not having the convience of a car... we on the other hand have never stayed above mod level and never use a car, because we utilize wdw transport. See, the major problem with S&D is that because it lacks the official Disney resort tag we are not eligible to get the DDP. We are not staying long enough to do a split stay and frankly, I have a feeling that in coming years the DDP will lose its value to us so I want to take advantage while I still can. I think I may plan this years trip at POFQ and since we are only staying 4 nights instead of 6 or 7, use the extra money for the deluxe dining plan. Then for our 09 trip I will nix the DDP and possibly look at S&D. Idunno. I can't decide. Thanks for the mini TR though.
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Beigents are pastries local to Lousiania. Absofreakinlouty indescriblely delish!!!
Pronounced ben-yeas. Make sure you have one with a strong cup of coffee!!!
POFQ is our favorite disney resort and we have stayed at POP Century, all the moderates, AKL, WL (2nd fave!), & the Grand FL. FQ was our first "on property" resort so that may be why we are biased. To us it really feels like a deluxe resort. We love the boat to DownTown Disney. You may take a walk along the river to PO Riverside (or catch a boat) where they have carriage rides in the beautiful award winning gardens or you may go to the marina and rent bikes and boats. And I second that DDE card 20% discount at the food court is a big plus!
I prefer POFQ---the small size of the resort (everything's a quick walk) and your always first to be picked up--- when we were there a few weeks ago, we never had to worry about a seat on the way to the parks, but by the time the busses got to the second stop at POR, it was standing room only. Although I like the look/theming of POR better.
Thanks for all the info... once I get Rob fully on board for our next trip I think I am just going to give him the whole list of pros and cons and let him have final say.
POFQ has its own bus to and from MK, which is nice. It is generally the first stop on your way back (except from TL and DtD), so that's nice, too. We found the bus lines at or near park closing to be really long. One night at MGM, two buses came along at the same time, and got filled, and there was still a long line after they left. This happened at Epcot, too. But in both circumstances, another bus came fairly soon afterwards, so maybe the wait time was around 30 minutes. That just felt a little long for us (and was a little crowded for us) after a full (and hot!) day in the park.
So, in summary, it wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great, either. We opted to take a cab once because we were tired of the bus mob scene after a while.
I'm a huge fan of POFQ. For me, other than the lack of a private balcony, it has more the feel of a deluxe hotel than a moderate one. Its small compact layout means that, no matter where your room is located, you never have a long walk to the bus stop, pool or any of the other amenities. The grounds are lovely, the pool is wonderful and I love the cozy feel of the hot tub with the way it is ensconced in a little shrubbery-filled grotto. We found the service here to be fantastic. Frequently there were towel animal creations waiting for us when we would return from the parks. We had great experiences with the buses, never waiting long for one and I did feel a little sorry for a lot of the folks at POR who ended up not able to get a seat by the time the bus got to their stop. I also loved being the first stop on the route when returning from the parks as well.
As for the Swan and Dolphin, they would be my last choice for several reasons:
You can't use the Disney Dining Plan.
You can't use Disney's Magical Express.
You can't charge purchases in the parks or restaurant meals in the parks to your room card.
The theming of the Swan and Dolphin doesn't appeal to me.
Since they're not owned or operated by Disney, frequently the level of customer service is not what one would expect to find at a Disney resort.
Joy
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We love POFQ; it's our favorite moderate, and love the theme. Can't beat the fresh beignets for breakfast... uh, mid morning snack... uh, lunch... uh, elvensies... uh, midnight snack...
If I were to make a pros and cons list this is what it would say:
FRENCH QUARTER
Pros: Cozy location, Pool theming seems wonderful, Access to amenities of POR (carriage rides, boat rides, etc), First picked up and dropped off on buses
Cons: Not a huge fan of the Mardi Gras theme
RIVERSIDE:
Pros: Love the theme, amenities (boat rides, carriage rides, etc)
Cons: Buses, Size of resort and inability to pay for preferred location
So there isn't much holding me back from FQ but theme is a big deal AND at the same time so is room location.... what to do, what to do...
Well, I don't think the size of POR is going to be a con for you because in my opinion, it's just as big and spread out as CBR - which you didn't seem to have a problem with. They are both romantic and lovely and one doesn't really have any more pros or cons than the other. I have stayed at all 3 (POR, POFQ, and CBR) and I like them all equally. Hope that helps.
Well, I don't think the size of POR is going to be a con for you because in my opinion, it's just as big and spread out as CBR - which you didn't seem to have a problem with. They are both romantic and lovely and one doesn't really have any more pros or cons than the other. I have stayed at all 3 (POR, POFQ, and CBR) and I like them all equally. Hope that helps.
Since you can't pay for preferred location at POR, how far were you when you stayed? Did you make any special requests?
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Danny and I at Epcot 8/14/08
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