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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Three hotels (resorts) that are Disney owned, Paradise Pier, DL Hotel and Grand Californian (from cheapest to most expensive). IMHO most pixilated is the DL Hotel.
Two parks currently Disneyland and California Adventure
--near by (bus service available is Knott's Berry farm) about 20 minutes by car or bus.
Downtown Disney is shopping and restaurants. Entertainment there is the movie theater, ESPN zone and in the House of Blues.
No public disclosure of additions before 2011.
About a year out get your PP to DL and Southern California Attractions
there is no dining plan at disneyland. there are dining vouchers, but you only stand to lose with them. they have $ values, you don't get change if you don't spend every dollar and you have to pay the difference out of pocket if you go over.
i personally can't advocate staying on site at disneyland. there are off site hotels that are much less expensive, decent and literally across the street, even closer than the disneyland hotel.
will let my aunt know... this is for my neice (well really step cousin but her mom plans on having her call me aunt toni lol) when she turns 5 which is way far away... I'm just one that - hey I have the resources why not use them now? so that we can better budget for this one lol
By 2011 it could all be different. There are projections for Disney Vacation Club villas, renovation of the Disneyland Hotel and the addition of other hotel(s) to the property.
My family and I actually prefer to stay on site. When you purchase a package and stay off site, you get one extra magic morning...when you stay on site, you get all of them (3 - 4 per week, on specific days...don't recall off the top of my head which days those are) all you have to do is show your hotel confimation/charge ticket with your park ticket and you're in. We also think that staying on site makes the trip much more magical. We've stayed both on and off site...and over the years have come to prefer our on site stays. It just seems like less hassle to us. Yes, some of the off-site hotels are closer to the park entrances than Paradise Pier...but if you're a person who follows the rules of the road and you walk the extra distance to get to the crosswalk instead of J-walking (which is more prohibited because of fencing) then I would argue that the distance is not all that much different...and no hotel is closer to the entrance of DCA than the Grand Californian...guests there have their own private entrance right into the park.
I think it's great that your researching early, but with DCA up for a full renovation and the changes with hotels...a good portion of the changes are projected to be completed over the next 5 years...but it's a 10 year project for full completion...so research now...but re-research again in the future.
You didn't mention if you are a DVC member, but that is a cost effective solution as well if you have that option. The Grand Californian is a really good first choice (but pricey option) and rarely has deals. You have a better chance of a great stay and deals at the Disneyland hotel and Paradise Pier. Downtown Disney links the parks and hotels and the Monorail entrance is near the Disneyland Hotel. Haven't stayed offsite, but the area is really nice and you have all kinds of options no more than a block away.
I agree that staying off property is a great way to save money, but if you can afford it (and sometimes Paraise Pier is pretty reasonable), then I am a total advocate for staying on the Disneyland Resort property. For us, we've done both, and after having stayed on the property for the first time, and then staying off....well, we ended up so unhappy that we transfered mid-vacation to the Disneyland Hotel. There was nothing wrong with the hotel we were in, but in comparing the two experiences.....on property offers so much more DISNEY. The hotel themes are fun, service is great, and walking through the clean streets of Downtown Disney to get back to our hotel sure beats walking along a busy road or standing in line waiting for a shuttle. (Granted, we did a fair amount of walking.) I like being surrounded by the Disney experience that has been created for us - but we do pay for that experience.
I'm sure you will have a great time, no matter where you stay. Good luck, and enjoy the planning process!
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