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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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FINALLY... after many false starts, we've begun the real planning stages for a 2008 Disney trip! After tossing around many different resorts, on and off, we've decided on the Swan/Dolphin. I have no idea which one we'll actually book - are they pretty much exactly the same?
I definitely wanted the Boardwalk area, since EPCOT is our park of choice, and with discounts I found, it would only be something like $175 / night. We're going in "value season" (early Sept). I'm sooooooooooooo excited! The only thing that stinks is the cost of parking, but I can deal with that.
Anyone want to rave about the resorts and give me some things to look forward to?? Do they have adjoining rooms, do you know?
Man, I'm excited! I can't wait to actually BOOK it but that's not til February, unfortunately. Sigh. I hate waiting!
So I just wanted to kind of get a little excited on here, since you all are so awesome about that kind of thing! I love reading everyone's threads about their upcoming trips (or past ones).
Congrats on your trip We've never stayed there, but my parents stay there twice a year (with either the teacher discount rate or the nurses rate) and they seem to enjoy it They used to be BC/YC people but were tired of paying all that money
Disney in September, you are going to have a wonderful time! We'll be staying at the Swan in a few weeks. I know that the Dolphin is larger (more rooms) and higher (floors) than the Swan. But the Dolphin has Double Beds, where the Swan has Queens. We got a very nice discounted rate- $149/night. There are teacher, nurse, military, and government discounts, which make the cost quite nice!
Happy Planning!
Your plans sound great - and it always helps to have a Disney vacation to look forward to. I've heard nothing but good things from those who've stayed at both the Swan and the Dolphin.
Congrats! We've stayed at the Dolphin and loved the location. It is a bit big, so if you prefer a smaller setting go for the Swan. Plus the Swan has the queen beds, the Dolphin just has doubles.
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.
Well Congrats! I'm in the false start stage myself. We have been on and off for the past few months.....I'm getting really down. It is nice to see that there is still hope.
__________________
Melanie
June 1985-off site/March 2004- Pop & OKW
Aug. 2004- Hurricane Charlie POR & FWCG/July 2005- Grand Villa OKW
Feb. 2006-Pop/Feb. 2007- AS Music, WL, AS Movies
Sept. 2011- Disney Med Cruise
Congrats on your upcoming vacation I've not stayed at either but they look good! On our last trip I looked up the photos! And seen the outside while we were in the Epcot area. I'm sure you'll love it. One of my fav restaurants on the Boardwalk is Spoodles.
We stayed at the BC last December, so I can speak to the location. Great side of the World with lots of dining options! I can understand your excitement, and it makes me smile thinking of all the nights that I've gone to sleep dreaming about Disney! Congrats and have fun planning!
Congrats on officially jumping into the planning frenzy! I haven't stayed at the Swan/Dolphin but I've heard very good things about it. The area is lovely and the boat access to MGM and EPCOT is a wonderful perk. You'll enjoy it!
Happy planning!
__________________
Trish (AKA Mum to 'Princess Avery')
Hittin' WDW since Space Mountain was 'Coming Soon'
We have stayed at the Dolphin twice and loved it! The boat transportation to Epcot and MGM is great. The pool at Swan/Dolpin is awesome. It is our favorite pool on Disney property. I think you will have a great time!
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.
Thanks for all of the feedback! I'm really excited! The hard part about being this far out is that I can't DO anything yet. Just dream. But once I make those ressies, the fun will really start.
Since my daughter will only be 2 1/2 when we go (I figure that since she watches the Disney channel and is already familiar with all the characters, she'll really appreciate it in a year. And the great thing about her being so young is she'll have no expectations. I anticipate only doing a few hours a day in the parks (ok, well EPCOT will probably take a little longer) and then spending a lot of down time checking out the other resorts and doing some character meals (assuming she doesn't have a stroke if a character comes over - it's so hard to tell what a kid will do til they're in that position). And shopping, of course. And we might try a day at the beach, to mix it up a bit.
I'm just so excited at all of the possibilities. The last time we were at Disney we stayed at the Boardwalk (we had a wedding discount, so it wasn't nearly as expensive as it normally is) and I was just so sold on the location. I could not believe how awesome it was to just walk over to World Showcase. I mean... it was RIGHT THERE! I looked out my window to see Illuminations and everything!
And I've heard that if you're a Starwood member you have some odds of getting an upgrade. Oh man that would make my day. But if not, we can watch from the Boardwalk.
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We've never stayed there, but my parents stay there twice a year (with either the teacher discount rate or the nurses rate) and they seem to enjoy it 
They used to be BC/YC people but were tired of paying all that money 
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