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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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There are both boats and buses to MK. We stayed at WLV in September and found both services to be fairly prompt. The only trouble we had was on our last night; we took the boat from WL to the Contemporary to shop. We had to wait 25 minutes out on the dock for the return boat to WL. The good thing was that WISHES was going on over at MK so we could see it, and they broadcast the music at Contemp so we could hear it as well.
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Raising our family's 3rd generation of WDW fanatics!
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s 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.
The boats seems to be quicker but maybe it just felt that way because it was such a nice way to travel. During the evening when people are trying to get to Ft. Wilderness for the Hoop-Dee-Do or Mickey's Backyard BBQ, the boats can be full and/or not let anyone on.
Sometimes the bus from WL went to Ft. Wilderness before going to MK which added time to the trip.
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Lynn
Yes, I am a Disney Addict... and I'd rather be cruising!.
We loved the boat service. Never had to wait very long, and it is a nice way to travel. My youngest thought the boat was an attraction in itself! On our "non-park" day, my father took him on a "transportation tour" -- boat from WL to MK, Ferry to TTC, Monorail to Contemporary, boat from Contemporary to WL! He loved it!!!
We didn't have any trouble at all with transportation -- busses ran often, boats, too.
This is the ONLY resort we've had NO trouble with transportation. The boats really are the "fun" way to travel, but the buses were prompt and efficient.
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Yvonne:
My Gorgeous Daughter the Graduate----------------->
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s 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.
Tip: Our boat stopped at Fort Wilderness on the way to MK adding quite a bit of time. The next day, we took bus to MK and Boat back to WL --worked GREAT!
We loved the boats as part of the Disney rides. It does stop at FW as do the buses for that matter. You just have to leave early enough to get where you want to go. It was a little hectic when we went to Poly for the show, cause we had to wait for another boat to take us there which we had not figured in so be careful of reservations you make for eating and that sort of thing. We will be at FW in April so it will be nice to be able to take the boat again to MK.
Another boat lover from Wilderness Lodge to the Magic Kingdom, it is a nice relaxing ride.
I also enjoyed taking the smaller ferry boat over to the Contemporary and then walking to the Magic Kingdom. It's a nice walk and you can wait and watch the monorail zoom overhead.
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Another thing to consider about the boats...
I don't know if you will have young children with you at WL, and if not then maybe this will help someone else.
We found that we could leave our baby in the stroller and just wheel it onto the large (partially enclosed) boats that usually cover the WL/FtW/MK loop. However, boarding the smaller boat to Contemporary required taking my son out of the stroller and folding the stroller before we got on the boat. Depending on the size/weight of your stroller this is a bit challenging, but not unmanageable.
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Raising our family's 3rd generation of WDW fanatics!
They had both running when we were there September. We loved the boats because they did seem to run more frequently. As mentioned before, the boat does stop at FW sometimes going to and from. There was no rhyme or reason for us when they did this. Sometimes they went straight to the MK while others stopped at FW first. The same coming back. The rest of the buses were prompt as well.
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Matt,Kendra,Jacob and Peyton