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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Just thought I'd pass this along - if you're considering a stay at one of the Downtown Disney hotels, there is a website for all 7 hotels: http://www.downtowndisneyhotels.com. This might save you time searching for each hotel individually.
Since we are not staying at a Disney Resort this time, but are staying in a DTD hotel, I've checked this site out already myself. I requested to be sent their info twice, but I have yet to see it. I would love to know what kind of coupons are in the book they give you when you get there.
Haven't stayed at a DTD hotel for a couple of years but when we did, the coupon book was for 10 to 15% off some of the merchandise at DTD. Think there was an Earl of Sandwich coupon too. Nothing that sticks out in my mind as being great. We stopped staying there when the Courtyard/Holiday Inn closed down. After that, we found Pop Century and then DVC. I've heard of some great deals lately at the old Windham Resort, now the Buena Vista Palace.
Thanks for the website! We're thinking of staying at the Best Western, now that's it's been remodeled. Any opinions? [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
I've stayed at the Grosvenor Resort before and enjoyed it. I noticed it had mixed reviews, but we got a great deal and the room we had was fine and the pools were really nice. Also it's within walking distance of Downtown Disney, so eating, shopping, and drinking were convenient!
We just got back from our WDW trip and stayed at the Hilton on Hotel Plaza Blvd. We loved it. It was refurbished within the last two years and the rooms are beautifully decorated and the beds were very comfortable. They were like the Heavenly Beds that the Sheraton hotels advertise. I would definitely recommend this hotel. The pool area was very nice and it was very convenient to DTD and to the Crossroads shopping area.
We've stayed at the Hilton and the Grosvenor at DTD, and they are fantastic, at the moment, the Hilton is my favourite, but who knows once the Grosvenor has completed its refurb! But I think the location of these two is perfect! All the shopping and eating just across the road, and no messing about trying to park in DTD, you can just walk!!!
DD and I just returned from the Hotel Royal Plaza. It was a nice enough hotel...the staff was pleasant, the buses on time, Room Service prompt....BUT....and this is a big but...it held nothing that would call me back. Nothing special that would make me want to return. I rented a refidgerator and a microwave for my room so with the room rate and resort fees, i could have stayed at a Disney Moderate...and next time I probably will.
We had a great trip though.......
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