Going north, south, east and west - UPDATED 12/18 - Page 38 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Great updates and photos, especially of the spaceships at KSC!! to hear it was a bit of a let down. Sounds like a fun time Downtown! Looking forward to more
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
Wednesday 22 October – part four: a photo tour on the wild side!
One thing that we all know they’ve been up to is creating T-Rex and I just had to go and have a look in there. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that we could just walk in and take photos. In fact, they seem to positively encourage you to do that and it’s well worth going in. This has to win the award for the most imaginatively themed restaurant on Disney property and that’s saying something. I loved the way that there were different areas of this restaurant and the animatronics they had in there were excellent. This is a superb addition to Downtown Disney and I’d love to see more of this in the future. As to whether the food is any good, well that’s just something that will have to wait until our next trip. Sadly this time, it’s been a case of too many restaurants, too little time. There are so many places that I wish we had more time to go to, but it’s just not possible.
We headed back to the car and I suggested going to Saratoga Springs to see the Bay Lake Towers models. A PassPorter friend (hello Wendy! ) had suggested that we should take a look at them while we were here and I had just asked at the DVC booth by T-Rex where to find them. She told me that they were over at Saratoga Springs and were open from 5 – 7 pm ever night, so off we went.
We were a few minutes early, but they were fine about it and immediately opened it up for us. The models are superb and I love the attention to detail, especially the fact that they even create the corridors. It was fascinating to see the Kidani Village rooms of the Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas, having stayed in the Jambo House room in December. They were very different and much nicer and of course bigger. Having seen those, I will always be looking to stay in Kidani Village whenever we stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas in the future.
Mark told me that it almost felt like home here and asked if we could trade our Saratoga Springs points for Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas ones. Well, not easily, but hopefully staying there again in the future won’t be a problem. I did worry for a second about how keen Mark was on the place, but a quick check ensured that the Beach Club Villas are still his number one favourite, followed by Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas. Well, that’s OK then.
I loved looking at the pics of the AKV model rooms! I can't wait to stay there in May Also, the T-Rex restaurant looks very well designed. Not sure if we'd enjoy dining there but I sure want to check it out.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
We were wondering about T-Rex when we were there in October, but didn't check it out. I wish, now, we had at least gone over and looked! I guess we'll just HAVE to go back!
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.
Catching up with the report again! The pics of DD remind us so much of when we lived just a couple of miles away. Used to hang out there at least once a week and then walk over to Saratoga Springs. The pics were fabulous! This is my favorite DVC property because it feels like a comprehensive resort - you could hang out there and never get to the parks.
BTW, that pic of Puck's Express - I didn't recognize it. When they remodeled, did they enclose that lovely outdoor seating area? Oh, I hope not - that was a favorite hangout - not to mention the yummy garlic-mashed potatoes!
You're having quite the time and you haven't even gotten to Disneyland yet - can't wait!
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
to hear it was a bit of a let down. 
Sounds like a fun time Downtown! Looking forward to more
PassPorter Guide Author
There are so many places that I wish we had more time to go to, but it’s just not possible. 
) had suggested that we should take a look at them while we were here and I had just asked at the DVC booth by T-Rex where to find them. She told me that they were over at Saratoga Springs and were open from 5 – 7 pm ever night, so off we went. 
:
Linear Mode
