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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Disney Vacation ClubŪ has announced a new policy that limits access to certain Member Getaways exchanges for Ownership Interests purchased on the secondary market (also known as the re-sale market).
Under the new policy, Members who purchase from anyone other than Disney Vacation Development, Inc., on or after March 21, 2011, will not be eligible to use those Vacation Points to make reservations within the Concierge Collection, the Disney Collection or the Adventurer Collection. Those Vacation Points will instead be valid only for reservations at Disney Vacation Club resorts, as well as for RCIŪ exchanges, Club Cordial and Club Intrawest.
The affected collections are special Member benefits programs offered by Disney Vacation Development, Inc., and are not part of Members' Ownership Interests. That said, Members who purchased on the secondary market prior to March 21, 2011, may use those Vacation Points for all Member Getaways.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World Its 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.
In a bid to buttress its own sales, Disney's time-share business said Tuesday it will impose new restrictions on buyers who purchase their time shares from existing owners rather than directly from Disney.
A Disney Vacation Club spokeswoman said customers who bought their time shares directly from Disney have requested such a change.
"Our members just felt that that they should get more benefits when they purchase through Disney Vacation Club than those who purchase on the secondary market," spokeswoman Diane Hancock said. She added that the change aligns Disney with other time-share operators who impose similar restrictions on resales.
But some company followers said Disney is trying to prop up its own direct sales, which stumbled during the global recession and credit freeze. Disney reported lower vacation-club sales during its 2010 fiscal year, which ended Oct. 2.
I know they are doing this to increase direct sales but I wonder if it will really help. I would think this new policy will have an effect on resale prices. Would you really want to spend $110-$120 per point or more knowing the great losses you would take should you have to or want to sell? We don't care about cruises, the other collections they offer or trading our points through RCI because its not the best use of points for the money. We only stay at Disney resorts so if the resale prices dropped it would be in my best interest to purchase more points resale. This could get interesting.
I really dont see this as too much of a hassle. As others have stated it not the best use of pts. Now more ppl will look toward renting pts and paying cash for such excursions. If this were to limit trading through RCI then I could see an uproar.
"Our members just felt that that they should get more benefits when they purchase through Disney Vacation Club than those who purchase on the secondary market."
Doubt it. DVC probably got tired of answering the question "Why should I buy new at $110 a point from you instead of $70 a point at resale?"
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World Its 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.
"Our members just felt that that they should get more benefits when they purchase through Disney Vacation Club than those who purchase on the secondary market."
Doubt it. DVC probably got tired of answering the question "Why should I buy new at $110 a point from you instead of $70 a point at resale?"
The salespeople (AKA guides) will now be able to come up with an answer on why someone should buy from them. Before they danced around it or said the low offers will not pass ROFR which is not true most of the time. If buyers do their research I think they will still find resale to be a much better value.
"Our members just felt that that they should get more benefits when they purchase through Disney Vacation Club than those who purchase on the secondary market."
Doubt it. DVC probably got tired of answering the question "Why should I buy new at $110 a point from you instead of $70 a point at resale?"
I'm sure both are true. Obviously this would never have happened if it didn't serve DVC's own interests. But I'm quite certain direct buyers have often asked for some form of differentiation over resale buyers.
I was at the DVC annual meeting last month when a member stood up and questioned why she didn't get extra perks as thanks for owning 1600 DVC points. And that member was applauded by some in the audience!
The phrase "it takes all sorts..." would seem to apply.
Don't think it's fair that they are going to start treating people who want to save some money (so they can buy more points) like second class citizens. The points get me there and I still spend a boatload of money.
Don't think it's fair that they are going to start treating people who want to save some money (so they can buy more points) like second class citizens. The points get me there and I still spend a boatload of money.
I have to agree with that. If I was looking to buy a home, I would still get to live there whether I bought an existing home or built a new one. If I bought an existing home, the original owner wouldn't be able to tell me "Well, you didn't buy from me, so therefore, you can't use the garage." I don't want to start a controversy here, but I feel pretty strongly about this. DVC already made the money on the sale, and lets face it, if someone is selling a contract, its for a very good reason. Perhaps they can no longer afford to go to Disney, maybe there was a job loss or illness, and they can no longer use the points. So now, DVC is making the sale harder on people that already might have a financial hardship. And yes, I think the resale market will go down because of this.
I have to agree with that. If I was looking to buy a home, I would still get to live there whether I bought an existing home or built a new one. If I bought an existing home, the original owner wouldn't be able to tell me "Well, you didn't buy from me, so therefore, you can't use the garage."
No tomatoes intended but I do think that's sort of an imperfect analogy. The trading options involved aren't contractually guaranteed--they are actually perks that DVC arranges for/provides to members. Really it's not much different than the Annual Pass discount or free Internet.
If you want to use a house analogy, you'd have to think about something provided by the developer which isn't part of the deeded property ownership. Let's say that a builder agrees to pay for free lawn care for as long as that buyer owns the house. That sort of perk is unlikely to be passed along to the second and third owner of the property because the developer doesn't have anything to gain by those additional transfers in ownership.
Perhaps a better example would be a car purchase where the dealer provides free oil changes for life. It's a dealer perk given to the original buyer--their customer--but they aren't going to continue giving free oil changes when ownership of the vehicle is transferred.
It's a tough situation for Disney to be in. Prices on the resale market have fallen off markedly in the last couple of years. Part of the reason is supply--the more Disney sells, the more the resale market will naturally grow. But the economy hasn't helped.
Disney not only has to consider the well being of members but they have an obligation to shareholders to maximize ROI. When DVD develops a plot of land right next door to the Magic Kingdom or spends $120 million on land alone in Hawaii, they're sort of obligated to maximize the return on those investments.
As an owner, I'm more concerned that DVD may someday reach a point where they cannot financially justify building additional resorts. I know we all see billion-dollar profit reports from Disney and think that all is well. But each division, including DVC, needs to pull its own weight. And if Disney reaches a point where they no longer get sufficient return from DVC point sales, they'll get out of the market. Consider what will happen to resale values and member perks if THAT happens.
I'm not terribly thrilled with the decision, but seeing both sides of the argument I'm not sure what I would have done differently. These changes are modest in comparison to some of the (unsubstantiated) rumors that were floating around involving different resale booking windows and such. In DVD's eyes, every customer who buys resale is a lost customer, and I just don't know what else they could do to compete with some of today's resale prices.
Unless I buy resale again or attempt to sell my contracts, I guess I am covered, because I did buy partly with the idea of using points for cruises and ABD tours. I am aware that this may not be the most cost-effective use of points, but I can envision a situation where I may not have the ready cash, but I have the points to cover it. Yes, I suppose I could rent the points, but I am hesitant, to be frank.
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Pixie Dust
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I'm not surprised at this, as Disney are obviously keen to take more of a foothold in the resale market.
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