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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Location: South Dakota - not too far from Mt Rushmore!
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DCL Bus questions
Hello! I am going to be taking the DCL transfers from MCO to the port for our upcoming trip in Feb. We are staying at DD with a rental car for the two nights prior so my plan is to bring back the rental car and then get on the DCL bus. There are only 2 of us and I like the idea of not having to read a map etc... to get to the port.
Here are my questions:
1. What time should we get to MCO to check in and not have to wait a really long time? I have a 6 year old to entertain
2. If you check in at the DCL bus desk at MCO, can you actually check in for the cruise there? or, do you have to do that at the port? I have a 11 AM check in time already assigned by DCL if that matters.
3. If you deliver your luggage to DCL, do you have to take it off at the port and give it to the porter to get it on board or is it handled for you?
4. If anyone has done this, can you tell me how far of a walk it is from the car rental return to the DCL desk?
Let me try to help you with your questions:
1. The first bus leaves MCO at 9:30 with more busses leaving as they fill up. Hopefully that will help you gauge your time.
2. Yep, you will actually be able to check in for the cruise at MCO. . . key to the world cards, lanyards, boarding photo, everything. You'll just want to pick up a ship map at the port.
3. If you are taking Disney transfers, it is my understanding luggage, other than a carry-on will be handled for you.
4. This one, I don't know. . . we don't usually rent cars.
The trick with MCO is that there are two "sides" to the terminal that are almost indistinguishable from each other - "A" and "B." There are car rental returns for for all on-airport agencies at both A and B, in the parking structures right across the street from the terminal. DCL buses, however, are only on the B side. Be sure to follow the the road signs, and head for "B." The return areas are on the second level of the parking structures. Elevator down to ground level and cross the bus/taxi/limo-only access road to the terminal. Enter the terminal at ground level, hang a left, and walk down to the far end for DCL check-in.
You'll find SmartCarts at the rental return, and sometimes you get lucky and someone hasn't returned their cart to the vending machine.
If you make a mistake and return your car to the "A" side, you have to take the elevator up to Level 3, walk across the central terminal to the B side, and take the elevator back down to Level 1. It's not a horrible distance, maybe two city blocks.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
You'll find SmartCarts at the rental return, and sometimes you get lucky and someone hasn't returned their cart to the vending machine.
Ok, I must be tired because I read this and thought, "Wow - they have Smart Cars at MCO?!" Though really... SmartCarts and Smart Cars are pretty much the same size!
Can I make a suggestion? Why don't you drop your car off at Port canaveral and have a free shuttle take you over with your luggage. You could save $$$ by doing this. Just a thought........
Location: South Dakota - not too far from Mt Rushmore!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nurse_mom
Can I make a suggestion? Why don't you drop your car off at Port canaveral and have a free shuttle take you over with your luggage. You could save $$$ by doing this. Just a thought........
Thanks for the suggestion. I actually have a free rental car (on points) for the first two days and couldnt make that a one way rental to the port. I have checked the prices for a one way rental to port and it wouldnt save me enough over the bus for the two of us to make it worthwhile in my opinion. I am traveling alone with my daughter and dont want to handle luggage and shuttles anymore than I have to
If the driver does handle luggage, yes, $1 per bag. Often they won't be handling luggage, so it's generally not an issue.
If you're traveling from WDW to Port Canaveral, you leave your bags in your room, bell services picks them up from your room, and they're trucked to the port.
If you're traveling between MCO and Port Canaveral, as long as you've put the Disney-supplied luggage tags on before the flight, the bags will be intercepted and trucked to the port. The exception is if you get your own bags from the carousel.
If you're traveling from Port Canaveral or WDW to MCO, if you use Resort/Onboard Airline Check-in, they'll be trucked to the airport unless you intentionally hold onto them. (Of course, that's true in any of these cases). The driver will only handle bags if you're flying an airline that doesn't participate in the check-in program.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
If you're traveling from WDW to Port Canaveral, you leave your bags in your room, bell services picks them up from your room, and they're trucked to the port.
Thank you - I have been trying to find information about transportation to/fr the hotels to Port C and this is the first info I found (of course, I have just started scanning the boards but since this was asked here I wonder if I can ask my questions?) If so, here goes:
1. What time does the disney transportation leave WDW hotels?
We will be staying overnight at the Contemporary and then taking the bus to the port. We are doing room only, club level so I am trying to figure out if I need to include lunch for us or if we can just last on snacks til we get on the ship.
So, 2. Will I get to the ship in time for lunch?
We did the Wonder and this will be our first trip on the Dream and our first time to/fr Port Canaveral so your answers will be extremely appreciated to this obsessive planner.
Bus departures are usually between 11:30 am and 12:30 pm. Since there's a big lunch awaiting you once you board, I recommend a solid breakfast, and maybe some snacks to tide you over.
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to get to the port. 
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Though really... SmartCarts and Smart Cars are pretty much the same size! 
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