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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
Still trying to shake the idea of buying into DVC OUT of my head... yet I keep coming back to it.. looking, planning, looking again.. lol. I just checked out some resales that have smaller point alotments (around 100 vs. the now manditory 160)
and I've seen points as low as $42! I know they would not be usable other than at DVC resorts, is there anything else to really consider as far as restrictions (or benefits)?
Also, do other "perks" (like discounts etc) still apply as if they were purchased direct?
Thanks for any help here...
Off site -1990, Carribean- 1997 Honeymoon,
all star movies- 2001,2002, All star sports/BCV 2004
BWV- 2005 Steven's 6th Birthday\DVC Member since 2003-BCV 2005 SSR\POLY,BWV,SSR,VWL,DCL,AND BCV-2007\ BWV & Cabins-2008\ Disneyland 2009\ Disneyland & Disneyworld- 2010 wdw. universal.vero beachand disney dream aug 2011. wdw 15yr anny june/july 2012
Unless things have changed very recently (as in the past few months), you can buy 100 pt contract from DVC. DVC lowered the minimum buy in requirement.
$42/point?!?! Snap it up!
We did 1 of our 3 contracts thru resale with Timeshare Store, and it was a good experience. Other than the restrictions on where you can use your points, there is no difference.
Good luck!
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
Depends upon the resort. I certainly wouldn't buy Vero points at $42 each. That Home resort would be useless to me and dues are $2.50 per point, per year higher than some other locations. With that sort of disparity, any savings realized in the up-front cost would be quickly lost. Would also be harder to sell the contract if it came to that, IMO.
As for OP's question, right now the booking restrictions are the only difference between direct and resale. Of course it's possible for DVC to introduce other restrictions in the future. But that's a difficult topic to debate because it's purely speculative. If other limitations are introduced, they may or may not grandfather current owners. They did in the case of the booking limitations but DVC was under no obligation to do so.
Perks are always subject to change so you're best not using them as any part of your decision. You may think that the AP discount is a great reason to buy, but DVC could discontinue that tomorrow--either for resale owners or ALL owners.
I think it's safe to say that both direct and resale buyers will continue to have access to the 11 native DVC resorts. That's where you should focus your decision. Understand that DVC has limitations on other aspects for resale owners--and they could introduce further limitations down the road.
But in my opinion, the ability to book all of the DVC resorts will continue to be a feature available to all owners. If that's how you would intend to use the points, it's a pretty safe purchase IMO.
I know they would not be usable other than at DVC resorts
If you buy resale you can use your points at any DVC resort. We bought resale and for the price that DVC sells points for today I would never buy directly from them.
I'm in the process of purchasing a resale contract now. I just sent in all my closing paperwork on Thursday. Using The Timeshare Store and this whole process has been so easy!
We bought a resale last year through Timeshare Store. It was so simple and much cheaper than buying BCV through Disney. I would do it again since we don't use our points for anything other than Disney. I would buy where you would like to stay not where is the cheapest. It's hard during low point seasons to sometimes get resorts other than your home. We are usually lucky but last year we ended up at SSR when we wanted to change to AKV. Not that there is anything wrong with AKV.
I've purchased from Disney and resale and both types of transactions went extremely well. I do recommend that you stick with one of the companies that specializes in DVC resales. That way there are no surprises.
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.
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Deer Isle Mom
Linear Mode
