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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 rented 2 scooters from Walker mobility for both me and my mother on my last trip to Disney in Sept. 09. It is $30 a day for standard scooter and a little more for a heavy duty. They do offer insurance for $20 and sunshades for $20 these are for the entire rental not per day. Sometimes, I just booked for this year a few weeks ago and got this, they offer a deal and you get botht he insurance and shad for $30. They also give a discount for a week rental and beyond.
I was quite worried about going around Disney and what others might say or do. I have never had one person ask me why I had the scooter. I have rented a scooter for myself on my last two trips. All the CM were very nice and polite, the only question that I ever got asked was if I was able to get off the scooter to transfer onto a ride.
I also have to say that all the resort bus drivers were very nice as well. Helping me to get the scooter in the right spot on the bus. It is something to get use to, its like parallel parking the scooter, LOL. But remember, if she is mobile, they will request that she move to a seat for the ride, so anyone of you could ride the scooter on the bus, if she is nervous. I have seen many scooter rental companies around WDW, but the one thing I did notice with Walker Mobility is our baskets on the front of the scooter was made to be collapsable. Not that you ever folded it on purpose, but if you happened to "bump" into something the basket gave some. A nice feature as for the first day, you do tend to have to get your bearings, with us the elevator was a learned thing. But by the second day we were pros!
The only thing I can say about the other park guests is 99% of the people I have been around are very nice! There is that 1% that is not rude to you, but doesnt realize that a scooter is a moving "vehicle" and that you cannot just walk right out in front of someone on a scooter. Not that I ever hit anyone, because they dont go very fast, but literally a couple of times I winced. I just say I'm sorry and move on. Even if it's not my fault, that is the Disney way, I believe. To be kind to your fellow Disney lovers. Some people do not share this philosophy and I remember what my travel agent said "It's your vacation, and your money. You do what you need to, to have fun and be comfortable. Forget everyone else!"
Also, they're are LOTS of people on scooters. She will not be conspicuous, believe me.
Hope you have a great time, and if she still is against it, check out the Disney site for scooter rental locations in the parks. There is more than one in each park and if she feels it necessary you could rent one from the park for $50. Yes, $20 more, but is it worth the fight, the hassle (with mil)? No! If she wont agree just go ahead and get her the Disney rental when she needs it nonbegrudgingly. You are only as happy as the unhappiest person in your group, LOL. So have a great vacation either way! Good luck, hope you get her to rent one, it really is no big deal!
P.S. I am 32 and don't look disabled, my illness is not visible.
If she's really resistant, do what we did with my step-mom. We hit the parks the first day we arrived, at about 2 pm. By 9pm, she was worn out and realizing just how much that scooter we suggested would have come in handy, although she never complained, we could tell it was hard for her to keep going.
When we returned to the resort, there was a scooter waiting for her. We had already made the arrangements to have it delivered, knowing she'd change her mind, but never want to put us out by admitting it.
If she's really resistant, do what we did with my step-mom. We hit the parks the first day we arrived, at about 2 pm. By 9pm, she was worn out and realizing just how much that scooter we suggested would have come in handy, although she never complained, we could tell it was hard for her to keep going.
When we returned to the resort, there was a scooter waiting for her. We had already made the arrangements to have it delivered, knowing she'd change her mind, but never want to put us out by admitting it.
That's what we planned on doing. We figure she'll be worn out halfway through the first day and we'll just take her back to the resort and get it. She's just being stubborn, but as I've tried to politely point out, she can't keep up with us at the mall in the AC, there's no way she'll keep up with us in Disney in the heat. It's not that we don't love her, we just don't want to be miserable because she is (and when mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy)
My FIL rented a scooter last year. I truly believe he would not have made it from the buses to the parks. Sometimes that alone is quite a hike. Also when we asked around we were told not to depend on getting the scooter from Disney as they can all be rented! Yikes we had not thought about that. So we rented off site and it was sitting right there waiting for us when we checked in.
I rented a scooter in December for my trip for myself due to having stress fractures in both my legs and having one of my legs in a removable walking cast. I think I got more nasty accusatory looks due to my walking cast than the scooter. And none of the looks came from the CMs they came from other guests assuming I was faking the cast. Trust me, being at Disney in a cast was the last thing I wanted but having the scooter was the only way I was going to make it around the parks comfortably.
I rented from Walker Mobility. They delivered the scooter to the Polynesian the day before we arrived and picked it up the day we checked out.
Heck, there are people there that rent them just to cut the line,
Just remember that a scooter or wheelchair does not automatically mean a "front of the line pass." With many of Disney newest rides/attractions and refurbs, wheelchairs and scooters can go through the regular standby line just as easily as someone not in a chair/scooter. Even if you are able to go through an alternate entrance onto the ride/attraction, there is still a wait until you can actually board. This last November, my DD was in her wheelchair and we often used the alternate entrances. We still had waits anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour for the rides/attractions. So please dont' be fooled by the misconception that a scooter/wheelchair will grant you "front of the line" privileges.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
"Nothing has worked the same since the alien abduction." (said it in monotone and with BIG eyes)
"Injured in that game against the yankees last week" (I am a 5'1" 100lb blonde female)
"I have a terribly contagious deadly disease, so I figured i should see disney one last time" (then start mock-coughing - not the real thing so no one thinks you mean it)
OMG that's too funny -- esp. the last one!
Disclaimer: Not that making light of anyone with such ailments is intended, but to use such a response to rude/inconsiderate people is just
Mom is in a wheelchair and at Disneyland's Small World ride she was at the head of the line. Unfortunately people were walking right onto the ride and the CM was letting those who could transfer go on the ride. We were at the head of the line for 10 minutes while waiting for her special boat to arrive..
On both coasts an effort is being made to make all new rides and as many old rides as possible the mainstreamed lines. It is hard to do so with Magic Kingdom and Disneyland that are so old but they are making it so that the disabled have equal access but that they have to suffer long lines like everyone else. I hate the lines but like being treated like everyone else.
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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.
My husband has trouble walking due to diabetic nerve damage, and we were always waiting for him to catch up, and watching his crabby expression as he struggled with the distances. He was exhausted in no time. We tried wheelchairs but I am not a spring chicken and just couldn't push them without needing a rest myself (our son is strong but not reliable due to autism).
We rented a scooter from Buena Vista Scooters (located on Disney property actually) and what a difference it made in last year's trip. For the first time in years, he actually was able to enjoy himself, and I didn't feel compelled to fuss over his discomfort. We used FP for as many rides as possible, just as we do with our son. Some rides my husband just sat out; others he rode up to the area indicated by the CM and waited to board. BV delivers to your resort and has weekly rates, but I have also heard good reports about Randy's, Walker Mobility, and Scooterama.
And it is true that although some CMs allow you to enter through the FP line because you can fit that way, you will still normally have the same wait as if you were not on a scooter. For example, we were directed to enter at the rear ofSpaceship Earth at Epcot, where we waited about 20 minutes to board the ride. So it's definitely not a front-of-the-line guarantee and those who waste their money on a scooter thinking they will get preferential treatment will get the wait they deserve.
Great discussion! I'm on property right now, and I can say that the scooters are right with the standers in line. Disney has created wide queues and there are very few occasions where the scooters will not fit.
Most people who need to use a mobility aid feel like they miss out on seeing the queues where sometimes there are little details that one might miss because the alternate entrance isn't as themed as the main queue. Most people would rather wait then have to use a wheelchair/scooter but can't because their disability prevents that. So by Disney redesigning the queues during refurbishments gives those in Mobility Aids the same opportunities that those who are able to walk/stand etc have.
If one truly needs a mobility aid, their goal isn't to beat a line, its to have the same experience every other person has but sometimes due to age of attraction or design require alternate assistance.
Hopefully this helps others understand at least my pov as a person who needs the use of a wheelchair/scooter to be able to see the World. I'll gladly trade with any healthy person my medical concerns for a day and see if they feel the same way about my use of the mobility aid. I'd love a day without pain.
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Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust! Studying Hard to Make a Difference!
Last edited by iamgrumpy; 05-04-2010 at 11:32 AM..
Reason: spelling
I wonder if they redesigned the lines because of people cheating the system or because it really wasn't fair for wheelchair people to not have a wait?
My guess is that they did it so everyone could have an equal experience for the reasons Amy mentioned, but I am not sure. I think Disney is aware that most people who need an ECV actually NEED them!
Most people who need to use a mobility aid feel like they miss out on seeing the queues where sometimes there are little details that one might miss because the alternate entrance isn't as themed as the main queue. Most people would rather wait then have to use a wheelchair/scooter but can't because their disability prevents that. So by Disney redesigning the queues during refurbishments gives those in Mobility Aids the same opportunities that those who are able to walk/stand etc have.
If one truly needs a mobility aid, their goal isn't to beat a line, its to have the same experience every other person has but sometimes due to age of attraction or design require alternate assistance.
Hopefully this helps others understand at least my pov as a person who needs the use of a wheelchair/scooter to be able to see the World. I'll gladly trade with any healthy person my medical concerns for a day and see if they feel the same way about my use of the mobility aid. I'd love a day without pain.
on the note of missing what everyone else sees in the queues....
I always seem a little sad because the times i have to use a scooter I miss things. I also do not allow my family to go with me through the alt entrance because i dont want them (the kids 12 - 13 yo boys) to think it is a FP. I love the fact that i can stay in line with the family, from what everyone is saying. I have been able to do it on some rides at the last visit but not as many as I would like, so I hope it has gotten better.
I will join you in the day without pain. I always am so self conscience when in Disney too because to look at me I am a 36 yr old mom who looks "normal". I am far from it. I have disinagrading disks and herniated ones too, total of 4. I am plagued with Severe Fibromyalgia and as if that wasn't enough I was just diagnosed with the beginning stages of Lupos, an auto immune disorder. So yeah ONE DAY OF NO PAIN FOR ME PLEASE!!!!
had my share of "rude" people while vacationing and them thinking I am being LAZY. ugh
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Tessa Tilli
Last edited by tessatilli; 05-04-2010 at 08:27 PM..
I second that! "ONE DAY OF NO PAIN FOR ME PLEASE"
Tessa, Sorry you are also one of the Fibro people..
I have it along with some other "fun" stuff.
I have come to terms that I can not do Disney without my trusty Eeyore,
The name I gave to my blue ECV..
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
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I have been able to do it on some rides at the last visit but not as many as I would like, so I hope it has gotten better.
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