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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 don't feel the Disney rules are acceptable but if I were in line and you needed a transfer to a wheelchair, I would gladly push you as far as needed. I think asking another guest may be the way to go and perhaps the CM can ask for people-even letting someone move up the queue if they volunteer (or give a fast pass).
Maybe we should all remember to volunteer if we see this problem.
And I think it's too easy to blame legal/insurance issues. My guess is it's easy for the CMs if everyone uses a wheelchair rather than moving scooters to the end of the ride.
And I think it's too easy to blame legal/insurance issues. My guess is it's easy for the CMs if everyone uses a wheelchair rather than moving scooters to the end of the ride.
I guess you could say the same thing about blaming it on the CM's, but I still think that Disney is just covering the bases by insisting that people transfer to a wheelchair rather than walk with or without a cane so that they don't fall. All it takes is one person to fall, which probably already happpened and that's why this all started in the first place, and there's a lawsuit in the making.
I think IMO this is an issue that truly needs addressed. For those it has affected or will affect please keep pushing for a change by repeatedly complaining/writing to Disney.
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Not the ideal solution, but I think someone could make a bundle o' bucks in Florida by starting a rent-an-aide service for solo travelers wanting to experience these rides and have some assistance otherwise.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Not the ideal solution, but I think someone could make a bundle o' bucks in Florida by starting a rent-an-aide service for solo travelers wanting to experience these rides and have some assistance otherwise.
Smart idea...a couple smart college kids could make a bundle being escorts all while enjoying the parks.
Smart idea...a couple smart college kids could make a bundle being escorts all while enjoying the parks.
Only if they were thoroughly trained as part of a well-funded and very well insured agency which is why this is too costly an idea to make money, helpful though it would be. Too many liability issues when assisting people with various conditions. I was being rather flippant saying you'd make lots of money.
A great deal of care and skill is required to push a wheelchair safely.
I was amazed how attentive and cautious I had to be to push DH's wheelchair before he got a powerchair. I had no idea how much effort it took to gauge the smoothest route, be ready to stop on a dime if necessary and keep a safe distance behind people. You have no awareness of how complicated propelling a chair is until you've done it a while.
Truly, it's rather like learning to drive a car--lots more challenging than you'd think.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
And I think it's too easy to blame legal/insurance issues
Granted I don't work for Disney and don't know 100% but for the rides listed above, I'm pretty sure that's exactly what it comes down to - legal and insurance issues. Have you ever tried to get off these rides and had a back up because what should be a nice wide exit, several people wide, has been cut down to a single person wide only because of the number of scooters left at the exit? Up until Disney started the "wheelchair only in line" for these rides - at least two years ago, if not three - I've experience it several times. If Disney ever needed to quickly evacuate people from a ride (I witnessed it happening at Small World) the scooters get in the way and slow people down.
Lenny uses a scooter so this rule does affect us but If Disney makes an exception for one person though, they'll have to make the exception for everyone because in reality, in the theme park environment, too many people will see it and say "you let that person go, why won't you let me?" One year, when we had Lenny's personal scooter, he was denied entrance to Buzz. As he was turning around, another guest, with a Disney scooter, was allowed into the line. Lenny turned around and asked the CM about it who said "we can let Disney scooters in line but not personal scooters" and he kept telling us Lenny would have to park and walk - something he couldn't do. What he couldn't do though was explain why only Disney scooters were allowed. We eventually asked for a supervisor who told us the CM was wrong and he allowed us in the line with Lenny's scooter.
Long story story short though, I understand Disney's wanting to limit the scooters in line and at the exits but it does totally suck for the solo traveler.
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Only if they were thoroughly trained as part of a well-funded and very well insured agency which is why this is too costly an idea to make money, helpful though it would be. Too many liability issues when assisting people with various conditions. I was being rather flippant saying you'd make lots of money.
A great deal of care and skill is required to push a wheelchair safely.
I was amazed how attentive and cautious I had to be to push DH's wheelchair before he got a powerchair. I had no idea how much effort it took to gauge the smoothest route, be ready to stop on a dime if necessary and keep a safe distance behind people. You have no awareness of how complicated propelling a chair is until you've done it a while.
Truly, it's rather like learning to drive a car--lots more challenging than you'd think.
You are absolutely correct. There have been countless times I have seen both wheelchairs and also scooters run up the back heels of walking guest. There were no major incidents from what I saw, but I imagine there could easily be. Also navigating this wheelchairs and scooters after parades and firework shows when the crowds are huge looks to be awful. The stop and go and the people walking in front of them seems to be non stop. At least though the OP voiced their concern and maybe others with similar issues will do the same and Disney will at least look into it. They may ultimately not do anything to change the policy, but it may at least start a discussion which may lead to other ideas for a better solution in the future.
I think asking another guest may be the way to go and perhaps the CM can ask for people-even letting someone move up the queue if they volunteer (or give a fast pass).
Maybe we should all remember to volunteer if we see this problem.
While your desire to help is wonderful, it's just not wise or workable unfortunately
I had been pushing DH's wheelchair for around a decade when we'd go to various events such as MLB games and then learned I had to push him in a clunky, poorly maintained Disney wheelchair for us to ride POTC. He tried to help propel the chair up that hellaciously long steep ramp to the boarding area, but it proved very wearing indeed since he's a good-sized guy.
Pushing a person's wheelchair requires a good deal of caution on a flat sidewalk. Try it in a semi-dark, curved and unfamiliar approach to a Disney ride and you are terrified the whole way you'll run into something, painfully mashing the rider's toes or worse. The feeling that the chair is slipping backward on the POTC upramp instills sheer terror, believe me.
No, kind though your or anyone else's urge to help is, please don't offer.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
This concerns me as well! My grandmother is going with us in November and I would in no way be able to push her!!! I am very petite and tried to push her through Longwood Gardens and it was very difficult for me. We ended up needing an EVC!
You will definitely need one for her at WDW. There are lots of slight inclines unnoticeable to a walking person but difficult when pushing a wheelchair. That and lots of jarring decorative pavement.
I strongly recommend checking the various agencies that deliver to your resort by appointment, showing her and you how the scooter operates and where to connect the charger. The Disney-approved ones can drop it off with bell services for you to get upon arriving, but I emphatically do not recommend that. They all differ a bit and can be dangerous to others if the operator doesn't fully understand how it works.
Does your grandmother use the electric carts in stores? Does she go to malls? If no, she will absolutely need to use one both places several times to get familiar with how fast is too fast and stopping safely. Going to a busy mall on a weekend is wise so that she gets some experience running a scooter in crowds.
If she's easily confused or hesitant, I hate to say this, but a wheelchair may be necessary.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Last edited by Her Dotness; 05-25-2017 at 09:26 AM..
I realize my Gram was average size and while difficult we pushed her around every park, resort and then some. My mom & I switched off throughout the day. It was the only trip we have ever lost weight at Disney. In addition to her we used the wheelchair as a pack mule for our park bag and of course her oxygen. So if there is a group of you going it might not be too bad for all of you to take turns pushing your Grandmother so she doesn't have to deal with the EVC if she isn't familiar with it.
I think IMO this is an issue that truly needs addressed. For those it has affected or will affect please keep pushing for a change by repeatedly complaining/writing to Disney.
Couldn't agree more. This "policy" seems to punish those with disabilities who travel solo. Disheartening that DISNEY of all companies would be seemingly prejudiced to solo disabled travelers.
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