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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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
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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.
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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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because i am ridiculous, we are once again arriving to WDW three days before the start of our DVC stay. this means i needed to book a room elsewhere for those first three nights. when we made this decision, we booked at galleria palms, which is off of sherbeth road (so just off property in the area of AK.) it's definitely a budget choice.
but the plan was to rent a car (free, because i have free rental days), stop at the grocery store to stock up, get a cheap meal somewhere off property, and go to sleep (our flight does not land until 6pm). and then we are going to do MK on our first full morning and AK in the evening of our second day, driving to both parks. then on the morning of day three, we would drop our stuff off at the boardwalk and return the car to the dolphin (there's a national rental car location there) and begin our five night stay at the boardwalk. this doesn't sound bad.
but then i was like i don't know...maybe it would be nicer to stay at the dolphin. i can do this for very little money, as i have hotel points. but i'd be spending most of my hotel points (hotel points are like money to me) and there's still the $30/day resort fee. it would for sure be cheaper, money-wise. and it would for sure be nicer. but is it worth all of my points? or should i just deal with budget motel?
the benefits i see of switching to the dolphin are:
1. we would be able to use morning EMH on day 1 of our trip at MK.
2. after our morning at MK, we could take the monorail to epcot and have lunch at F&WF. possibly even catching illluminations, which is not on our schedule for the entire trip.
3. i'd need a car for less time (we could even just skip the car all together and take an uber from MCO.)
4. we would have a MUCH much much nicer pool for down time on the first two days; it's likely we will have down time.
5. on the morning of our third day, we would just walk our stuff over to the boardwalk and go on with our trip.
thoughts? i should make this decision like...now. our trip is in a week and a half!
I'm probably not much help, but here's how I see it.
How important to you are 1-5? More than the points cost for the Dolphin? If so, there's your decision.
I stayed in my lifetime's share of cheap hotels with uncomfortable beds before age 40. Now, my aging bod wants to be comfortable as opposed to hoarding points I might later feel obliged to use sensibly.
I'd blow the points on the Dolphin and wallow in comfort.
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I'm probably not much help, but here's how I see it.
How important to you are 1-5? More than the points cost for the Dolphin? If so, there's your decision.
I stayed in my lifetime's share of cheap hotels with uncomfortable beds before age 40. Now, my aging bod wants to be comfortable as opposed to hoarding points I might later feel obliged to use sensibly.
I'd blow the points on the Dolphin and wallow in comfort.
that's EXACTLY what i'm trying to decide. i guess no one else can make that decision for me, huh? drat.
and honestly, it's not the comfort level. i live in hotels (i'm in one now, on an uncomfortable couch.) i'm used to being uncomfortable. i just want our trip to be...i don't know. easy? magical? also my husband is VERY pro dolphin.
So, you “live” in hotels. How long would it take to recoup your points spent on the Dolphin? Also, what else are you saving them for? Is there another goal out there?
The Dolphin is just a hop, skip, and jump from the Boardwalk, which would appeal to me. The idea of not dealing with a rental car would also appeal.
Personally, I would go Dolphin, but, as Dot always says, YMMV.
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I like the Dolphin and it's convenience. I've also stayed offsite quite a few times now and if the place is nice and an easy drive, and cheaper, I don't mind that. Tough call, good luck.
...and honestly, it's not the comfort level....i'm used to being uncomfortable.
You mean you like being uncomfortable? Or is it that you're accustomed to it and figure a little more won't kill you?
Either way, I gotta label that weird when this is a vacation where it's practically required to pamper oneself as I see it. You know how I put it: "I am on Vay-Cay-SHUN. I deserve pampering."
See this?
Quote:
i just want our trip to be...i don't know. easy? magical?
You've just said that very thing yourself.
Quote:
also my husband is VERY pro dolphin.
There's Reason #6 right there.
Quote:
i just don't know.
Yes, you do. Just do it! That Vay-Cay-SHUN indulgence is good for even stoic you once in a while.
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Last edited by Her Dotness; 10-15-2017 at 03:38 AM..
After reading all your thoughts, I would definitely switch to the Dolphin! You earned the hotel points. Why not use them now? If you're in hotels a lot, it sounds like you'll be earning points again soon.
Part of the allure of WDW for us is to stay on property so I would stay at the Dolphin. Even though its technically not a Disney property you do get a lot of the benefits of staying on property and its close to everything. The way I look at it is vacation time is very valuable and you should make the best of it. If it cost a few $ more to stay at a nicer place it is more than worth it.
ok. you all make a very convincing point. and her dotness is right--my husband preferring the dolphin is reason #6. and that should count more than anything.
room at dolphin is officially booked.
yay!
edit: and yes, i do live in hotels (i'm in yet ANOTHER hotel right now) and i do earn points rather quickly. we are saving up for a road trip for next summer, but that's far away in time; i surely will earn enough points to make that work by then. or we can do airbnb. ever since the SPG/marriott merger, i've kind of resigned myself that all points earnings will go towards disney trips. and honestly? that's kind of awesome. also, life is short. right? right.
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Just saw this and was going to vote Dolphin, but I see you already made the move. Wise choice I think.
thanks. i realized that this is doug's last disney trip for a while (big life changes coming--i haven't been allowed to announce this on FB yet, which is ridiculous but--he's going back into the classroom.) so i wanted him to have a great last-trip-for-a-while.
i mean. we surely will make it there together at least once a year. it just may have to be in the (gulp) summer.
also, he agreed that since i booked at the dolphin, we can not rent a car. which is nice for me. because ALL I EVER DO IS DRIVE. now we just need to figure out how to cheaply have beer and wine delivered and we are all set!
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I'm pretty sure Total Wine delivers beer and wine....
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Oh, good. I was just going to say go for the Dolphin. We stayed at the Swan and loved the location, the easy access to restaurants, both casual and fancy, and the nice pool and rooms. Perfectly located too between the Studios and Epcot, plus walking distance from mini-golf. Grab those EMHs and enjoy your trip!
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