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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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A few months back I realized that we have some AKLV points that we need to use by the end of Jan 09 or we lose them! (How did that happen? LOL) DH says he knew about that all along and figured we'd have to squeeze in a trip somewhere - I thought I was springing that news on him and he "scooped" me
Anyway, we're looking at Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend of '09 (1/15-1/19). I've been waiting for DH to give me the green light to call Member Svcs to book at AKLV (hopefully it's available) as we're well within our 11 month window. Tonight DH hopped on the computer and booked our flights as he worried about airfares rising due to all of this merger talk. Of course, Member Svcs is closed right now so I can't find out about availability.
I'm thinking if AKLV is not available, I'll have to wait for our 7 month window to call for any of the other resorts. Do you think that weekend will be very busy? Now, we've gone to WDW the past two Easters so we know all about busy but I'm not worried about crowds at all; I'm more concerned about availability. I know that I've called at the 7month window for Memorial Day weekend and got my choice so should I be very worried about MLK weekend?
I know I can call first thing in the morning but this is just the kind of thing that will keep me awake all night long LOL Thanks!
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MLK week does tend to be busier than Memorial Day...at least in DVC terms. MLK week often represents a sensible time to take the kids out of school for a trip for those unwilling to deal with the Christmas crowds. Many school systems schedule teacher in-service days near the MLK holiday, so a week at Disney may mean only 2 or 3 school days missed.
By comparison, the week after Memorial Day is exam time for school systems that remain in session until late-May / early-June. Not much chance of taking a vacation there for a lot of people.
That said, I'm sure you'll be able to get something this far out. If you can't get AKV when you call, and it's your first choice, go on the waitlist right away. Then try calling at 7 months and see what's available.
If we were only 4 or 5 months out, you might have reason to worry. But I don't see any chance that all 6 on-site resorts will be booked solid more than 7 months out.
Last summer (at 7 months) we had no problem booking two studios at Animal Kingdom Lodge for the Thursday and Friday before MLK Day. In fact, one of the rooms may have been booked at less than 7 months. So, you may be able to get AKV, and you should certainly be able to get something.
It will depend, too, on what accommodations you're looking for. I did a day by day for 3+ weeks in January at 11 months for a value 1BR and toward the end, it was getting a bit dicey.
Thanks so much for all the encouraging words! After all that anguish, I got stuck at work and then at the kids' afterschool activities until 5:25pm yesterday - DVC closes at 5:30pm!! LOL But I called and got the most helpful and friendly CM ever and yes, I was able to book a 1 bedroom Savannah view at AKLV for the time we wanted! Hooray!! We're all pretty excited to stay there although no one is happy that it's such a short little trip (Thurs night check in to Mon afternoon check out). But we're planning on going back for Easter again so we totally can't complain!
Thanks again for the advice and the pixie dust - it helped!!
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