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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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huge increase. In essence forcing you to buy photo pass. I don't want photo pass. There's only so many pics I need on Main St, Tree of Life etc. Being an AP holder, we go frequently. No option not to include photo pass.
This may be my last AP. Just getting too expensive. Especially with this huge increase.
Ok rant done.
I just saw this and I, too, am rather unhappy with the changes, especially since it's forceably charging me for things like parking (for Florida residents) and Photopass. These should both continue to be optional, like they've always been, as not everyone uses them.
I keep telling DH that I'm so happy for all the changes and expansions being made across the Disney parks, but, unfortunately, we are definitely going to be paying for it. However, I also keep saying that with the uber success of the Frozen franchise, I don't understand why there is still a need to pass on these pretty significant costs to the consumer -- again. Amirite?
I am so upset about these new prices and changes to the Annual Passes. We are DVC members and I renewed my APs this past May for use during our Easter 2016 trip. Well guess what? I believe my APs are considered the new Gold Passes which have blockout dates from March 19, 2016 - April 1, 2016. My trip is booked from March 23 - April 1st!! So would I have to upgrade my 4 APs to become Platinum Passes so that I could actually enter the parks for a visit that we've booked DVC rooms, airfare, dining, tours, etc? I am livid right now >
I just saw this and I, too, am rather unhappy with the changes, especially since it's forceably charging me for things like parking (for Florida residents) and Photopass. These should both continue to be optional, like they've always been, as not everyone uses them.
I keep telling DH that I'm so happy for all the changes and expansions being made across the Disney parks, but, unfortunately, we are definitely going to be paying for it. However, I also keep saying that with the uber success of the Frozen franchise, I don't understand why there is still a need to pass on these pretty significant costs to the consumer -- again. Amirite?
Yup, Disney has been making major profits so I don't understand either why all the major price increases to everything, APs, TIW is now $150!!, valet parking now $25
Quote:
Originally Posted by Goofy'sGal
I am so upset about these new prices and changes to the Annual Passes. We are DVC members and I renewed my APs this past May for use during our Easter 2016 trip. Well guess what? I believe my APs are considered the new Gold Passes which have blockout dates from March 19, 2016 - April 1, 2016. My trip is booked from March 23 - April 1st!! So would I have to upgrade my 4 APs to become Platinum Passes so that I could actually enter the parks for a visit that we've booked DVC rooms, airfare, dining, tours, etc? I am livid right now >
I think if you already renewed your AP, you don't have to upgrade. I'm not DVC, but I renewed my AP last week, so don't have to upgrade to new one, and what ever terms you have on your current one will continue. But I waited until today to renew daughters, so had to get her the new one $$$ ugh.
Yup, Disney has been making major profits so I don't understand either why all the major price increases to everything, APs, TIW is now $150!!, valet parking now $25
I think if you already renewed your AP, you don't have to upgrade. I'm not DVC, but I renewed my AP last week, so don't have to upgrade to new one, and what ever terms you have on your current one will continue. But I waited until today to renew daughters, so had to get her the new one $$$ ugh.
I hope you're right but I've sent an email to DVC Member Services so we'll see what they say. Sorry that happened to you. I think since you already have APs, Disney should have sent a "heads up". One thing to charge the increased price for new APs but for current APholders, it's like a slap in the face. Not feeling the Disney love at all tonight
Pass holder website says all current AP's will retain their benefits in place when purchased for the duration of your AP. New rules only apply to new AP's.
i saw this news on facebook and then immediately came on to find out what people are saying. personally, i'm torn. i once had an AP, but do no longer. which makes me sad, because if i still had one, i'm assuming that renewal would be less. now, for me to even get one would be $835 (i think?) and that's a lot of money. however, i do appreciate that they are doing this to keep crowd levels down. thoughts on that?
i saw this news on facebook and then immediately came on to find out what people are saying. personally, i'm torn. i once had an AP, but do no longer. which makes me sad, because if i still had one, i'm assuming that renewal would be less. now, for me to even get one would be $835 (i think?) and that's a lot of money. however, i do appreciate that they are doing this to keep crowd levels down. thoughts on that?
Keeping crowds down by making it unaffordable to go
Keeping crowds down by making it unaffordable to go
well. ok, sure. that's one way to look at it. i was trying to think more supply/demand. because it is more than just the AP prices which are changing. from what i've read, they really are going to do 'surge pricing'--some form of making it more expensive on more popular days (which they already do, in my opinion, by making lodging super expensive during peak times.)
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I read an article where the Disney exec basically said that.....trying to move people around by charging more for times when it is crowded and less for when it's not. I'm not thrilled with this turn by any means. Not all people can be as fluid at that....most have restrictions on when they can vacation and it's generally not during what they think are slow times and that's why the parks are more crowded on holidays and in the summer.
well. ok, sure. that's one way to look at it. i was trying to think more supply/demand. because it is more than just the AP prices which are changing. from what i've read, they really are going to do 'surge pricing'--some form of making it more expensive on more popular days (which they already do, in my opinion, by making lodging super expensive during peak times.)
Yes, they do already charge more for rooms on holidays/weekends, anyway they can. Now charging more on APs, from what I've read, to discourage locals who just do day trips, crowding the parks. So let's price them out to make room for....
They'd rather have people who are coming in, buying the expensive tickets and staying in resorts, more spending. And they feel that upping AP rates by 35% they will loose some passholders, but not loose $ because some will still buy at the overinflated rate. From article I read.
But, not all are locals. Me for example. In general I make 2 trips a year, and stay onsite. AP did make sense for us as we stay a combined total of 20-24 days/yr.
Next up- tiered ticket pricing? Apparently Disney Paris is doing this.
Not happy about any of this. Slowly getting priced out of wdw. But I have a choice, not go. . And it may come to that. Perhaps I'll have to cut back my trips to one every few years. Or alternate WDW & Universal.
I think this will be my last AP for awhile. And less wdw visits.
PassPorter Guide Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Chapel Hill, NC USA
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Posts: 36,592
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I've only been a Pass Holder twice in the 15 years we've been going to WDW. The first time I bought one was in 2001 and it cost $349. Along with being able to get good AP rates in Deluxes ($149 for AKL) it was very cost effective that year and helped me make an extra trip to meet Passporters in early December and my first chances to do one-on-one trips with each of my children.
We own DVC so we get a bit of a discount. We will be buying Gold passes in the future. We prefer to travel in low points season so the black out dates don't effect us.
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huge increase. In essence forcing you to buy photo pass. I don't want photo pass. There's only so many pics I need on Main St, Tree of Life etc. Being an AP holder, we go frequently. No option not to include photo pass. 
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until today to renew daughters, so had to get her the new one $$$ ugh.
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