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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
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On our last trip to WDW, we were able to use DME for the first time on what I think was the very first day of its service. Other then some confusion as to where to go at the airport to catch the bus, we found the service very convenient and the total time from arrival at the airport to being dropped off at our resort was less then 1.5 hours.
I have noticed that there still seems to be people that elect to not use DME and arrange other transportation from the airport to their WDW resort at their expense. I am wondering if somehow DME service as changed from when we first used it and there is some draw back to using the service now. We look at it as a $100 to $200 savings on the cost of our entire trip depending on how many people are traveling in our group and what type of other transportation we use.
If anyone has used DME recently, can you please let us know how well the system is now working?
the drawbacks are that you don't leave the airport exactly when you want to, you may stop at other resorts prior to your own and you don't get a grocery stop.
I used it in January and March of this year and actually found we got to the resort in less time even with other stops than we did last July when we rented a car. I think it's a great service! Especially for the price!
Due to our circumstances, we can't use it (top reason, we aren't flying in among a few other things) but I know that's why my mom (who is flying in) doesn't want to use it. She needs to go the grocery store first, then when she's done, she wants to go right to the resort to check in. Plus, she wants her luggage with her at the hotel, she doesn't want to wait for it to show up. Other than our reasons for not using it, I've heard nothing but good reviews of DME. If our circumstances were different, I would use it myself, but we can't (at least this time).
I would totally recommend it. I enjoy when you're on the bus going from the airport to the resort. There's usually REALLY excited kids on the trip who make the ride worthwhile. I love listening to them as they talk about their trip that's only moments away!!
While I love the convenience of the trip going back to the airport, it's usually a much more subdued trip as the excitement level is replaced with a wistfullness that everyone's trip has come to an end.
If I was flying in late at night and wanted my bags right away, I'd probably hire a towncar (love them!!)
But, I find DME a painless and fast way to get to the resort. We've averaged about 1 hour from de-boarding the plane to arriving at the check-in desk at the resort. Not having to wait for our luggage and/or wait to do the paperwork for a rental car can be a huge time-savings. And it's wonderful to walk into your room that night and find your bags. (We just make sure to pack a small carry-on with whatever we'd need for an afternoon -- swimsuits, etc.)
my dd is so excited that we get to take the "special bus" this time it's actually kind of funny! When I told her we were taking ME she was so excited. She's used to grandma picking us up, or renting a car, but this time grandma will meet us at the resort and we won't need a rental.
Kids and buses; I just don't get their excitement.
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