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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Hi - I have a bit of a dilemma and was wondering if anyone could make a suggestion ..
I will be traveling with my husband and 2 kids (2&4) and currently have a booking at the Wilderness Lodge for a courtyard view w/bunkbed.
Since we will be there for 10 days (Oct. 9-18) I was wondering if after a few days the room may not become too small? So I am considering maybe trying 9-14 (tue-sun) at the DWL and maybe 14-18 at the Boardwalk Villas in a 1-bedroom unit ...
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
We've done numerous split stays (like you we normally stay for 10 days). All I suggest is to book the last part of your stay at the better/bigger resort so it's not a let down We've done WL/BC, AKL/BC, AKL/BC/Poly. No problems at all, and it's like having two separate vacations within a vacation
PassPorter Guide Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Chapel Hill, NC USA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 36,592
Post Thanks / Like
I can give you a bit of input on this.
We just came back from a split stay... five nights BWV 1 bedroom and then 3 nights WL Woods view with bunks.
It was nice to have room to spread out at BWV, but when we moved to WL, we didn't miss having the extra room at all. I think part of it was that we all spent most of our time together in the living area of the BWV, not spread out. We tended to watch tv together all on the couch and the chair brought in from the bedroom.....in a space that really was smaller than the WL room. It was nice to have the King bedroom, but we didn't use it that much...mostly sleeping. And we really didn't use the kitchen much at all since we were on the dining plan.....it was really a waste of good space for us.
I think the really big differnce was in the size of the bathroom area and the laundry. There is a lot more room for people in both parts and it was nice to have the washer (the dryer took forever to dry anything).
And of course the location between Epcot and MGM was great. Being in two different parts of WDW during your stay is fun. But if you are moving just for more space....think about how you would really see yourselves using the space and whether it's worth spending more money on.
Whatever you choose to do, I'm sure will be the right thing for you.
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
I stayed at the Wilderness Lodge w/a courtyard view and loved it. We've also done the split stay but not to a Villa, to another resort(BWI/CR). I didn't like moving. Yes Disney moved my luggage and stuff but I just didn't enjoy the check in process, our room wasn't ready til later than 4, made us need to push back our dinner ADR's etc . For us it just wasn't worth it. I'd stay at the WL if it were me. I agree with the previous poster who said that we spent most of the time in one room even when we stayed at the BWV unless we were sleeping. The washer and dryer was nice but it isn't enough to make me swap resorts midstay.
I've stayed at WL and a two bedroom villa (at Saratoga Springs though, not BW). I think if you have two yound children, the location of WL is fantastic. You will probably spend more time at MK and you can just take the boat over from the resort.
We only stayed in a two-bedroom because my parents were w/us. We are DVC members and will probably stay in a studio when it's just us and our daughter as it's more cost (point) effective and I think there's enough room in a studio or a deluxe resort room for a family. However, I would consider your children's normal sleep routines. If you think they would sleep better in a separate room and you would like to stay up and talk or watch tv, you might like the villa. I know the only difficult thing about being in one room w/our daughter is she normally falls asleep alone in the dark so having us in the same room trying to watch tv and put her to bed is difficult.
If you do decide on a split stay (which we've done in the past as well with relative ease) I would suggest staying in the WL first since you'll probably do most of your parks at the beginning of the vacation and then going into the villa when you'll be on the relaxing end of your vacation and can have time to enjoy the extra space.
Splitting up your stay can also be a fun way to enjoy other areas of WDW Resort. Since the bulk of your time would be at WL, you will get the opportunity to enjoy the MK area as well as all of the fun outdoor activities around the lodge. October is a super month for that!
For your last few days at Boardwalk, you will get the opportunity to hang our around the Boardwalk and easy access to Epcot and Disney Studios. It is really different over there and a lot of fun as well. So it will almost feel like two different vacations.
If you are taking advantage of the Oct-Dec promotions, be sure to book quickly so that you can get the good rates!
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.
Hi - I have a bit of a dilemma and was wondering if anyone could make a suggestion ..
I will be traveling with my husband and 2 kids (2&4) and currently have a booking at the Wilderness Lodge for a courtyard view w/bunkbed.
Since we will be there for 10 days (Oct. 9-18) I was wondering if after a few days the room may not become too small? So I am considering maybe trying 9-14 (tue-sun) at the DWL and maybe 14-18 at the Boardwalk Villas in a 1-bedroom unit ...
Anyone can suggest the best plan of action?
Thanks so much!!
(going nuts here with all this planning!! LOL)
Honestly, aside from being able to catch up on your laundry for free(comes with washer and dryer!!!), you might not like pulling out the sofa sleeper every night for the kids.
But it is so nice to do a split stay, because it is like having two vacations!!
I think with kidlets 2&4, room is not so much of an issue. But we always split our stays between at least 2 resorts. We like the different experiences each trip.
Thank you everyone for taking the time to reply
I am now convinced that it would make sense to do the split, since obviously it will give it that extra vacation feel
However, now the issue is, where would be the best place to split it with?
I noticed that once I start playing with the dates, more resort options become available
Also, anyone have any experience changing around reservations after having paid in full? I am asking since I already have a booking at the WL with park hopper tickets and DDP? So would it be easy to split it up at this point?
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.
Since you have a package with the DDP booked, this is a whole new "beast" to deal with. You would have to, in essence, modify your current booking to reflect your days there, then make a NEW booking for your second resort. You can keep the full number of days on your current park tickets (so that they cover you whole trip), HOWEVER the DDP will give you some trouble. In order to get the DDP for the remainder of your trip, in the new hotel, that must be booked as a package with at least one day park admission. Your original ticket only goes up about $2 a day for each additional day, but you would have to add a whole NEW ticket on for each person (on the second reservation). At almost $100 a person, that is an expensive move.
Your choices are basically to not do the DDP for the second reservation (make it room only), to buy the one day passes and save them to apply towards tickets in the future (they won't expire) or to just go ahead and use them. Since we would probably get the DDP every trip, option 2 would never work for us, because we would have to buy new park tickets with every package!
There is no promblem at all about this and if i'm correct bell service will even move your bags to your new resort withot a promblem
__________________
_________________
Katie
____________
May 1997 Disneyland--- Offsite
May 2002 Disneyland---Offsite---Embassy Suites Anahiem South
June 2007 Disneyworld--- Animal Kingdom Lodge
Call me lazy, I don't know!!! I just returned from 10 days at CBR. I had thought of doing a split, but in the end, the thought of packing & unpacking made me think twice. And it was nice to "settle in" and enjoy the resort & relax.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
With two little kids I would not move mid stay! I have a 4year old and 18 month old...they come with alot of STUFF! I personally like to go unpack and not have to repack anything till the day we leave. Also being so close to MK is wonderful. You can wheel your stroller on and off the boat from WL to MK...no need to wake sleeping kids or unload the overflowing basket to fold up the stroller!
Erica
__________________
2004 Wilderness Lodge
2005 Villas at Wilderness Lodge
2006 Villas at Wilderness Lodge
2007 Saratogo Springs Resort and Spa--Girls ONLY Trip
November 2007 first trip as DVC Members! Villas at Wilderness Lodge.
2008 Villas at Wilderness Lodge
Jan2010 Villas at Wilderness Lodge
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
We've done WL/BC, AKL/BC, AKL/BC/Poly. No problems at all, and it's like having two separate vacations within a vacation 
Sunderella 
Linear Mode
