Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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08-11-2009, 07:50 PM
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#1
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PassPorter Guide
Community Rank: Globetrotter
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,041
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Feature Article: Disney's Wilderness Lodge - A Resort Review
Disney's Wilderness Lodge - A Resort Review
by Erin McAuliffe
Disney's Wilderness Lodge opened its doors for the first time on May 28, 1994 in the Magic Kingdom area of Walt Disney World. The resort is modeled on the historic Old Faithful Lodge in Yellowstone National Park circa 1904. Upon entering the lobby, no longer are you in Central Florida but in a majestic National Park Lodge, where the staff is more than happy to welcome you home. The lobby is home to an eighty-foot-tall fireplace, a built to scale replica of the Grand Canyon's rock layers, rocking chairs, two five- story-tall totem poles, tepee-topped chandeliers, and much more. During the holidays the Wilderness Lodge is decked out for the season with wreaths and garlands adorning the walls, while a 60-foot Christmas tree decorated with theme appropriate decorations and 60,000 lights take center stage in the lobby.
Rooms come with the choice of three views. Standard View faces out over the parking lot or driveway. Woods View rooms face out over the trees towards either the Magic Kingdom (although the Magic Kingdom cannot be seen, you may get a glimpse of a passing monorail or fireworks display) or the Wilderness Lodge Villas, which opened as part of the Disney Vacation Club in November 2002. Courtyard View looks out over the pools or Bay Lake upon which the resort is situated.
The Villas at the Wilderness Lodge is a free-standing Disney Vacation Club building adjacent to the Wilderness Lodge, offering studio, one- and two-bedroom vacation villas. The Wilderness Lodge and the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge share all facilities, and villas are available to the general public as well as to vacation club members.
The Wilderness Lodge houses 728 guest rooms that are approximately 340 square feet in size and come with either a single king bed, two queen beds, or a queen bed and a set of bunk beds, along with a sink area containing two vanities and a separately enclosed shower and toilet. Each room comes equipped with a television, table, chairs, coffee maker, refrigerator, hair dryer, iron and ironing board and small in-room safe that is adequate for storing airline tickets, traveler's checks/cash and some jewelry. For any other valuables, arrangements can be made at the front desk.
Another option for families is the Junior Suites, which are 500 square feet and have a kitchen/living room and a large bedroom with two beds. Along with the amenities found in the regular rooms, the suites also come equipped with a sofa bed and wet bar. Concierge rooms, located on the seventh floor, offer either a woods view or courtyard view. In addition to the regular amenities, concierge guests receive bathrobes, nightly turn down service, a continental breakfast and various snacks and drinks throughout the day at the Concierge Lounge.
The Wilderness Lodge is considered to be a Deluxe resort and is priced accordingly, although it is typically the least expensive resort in this category. There are four different rate seasons throughout the year: Value, Regular, Peak and Holiday. Quoted rates do not include Florida Sales Tax or County Resort Tax and are based on double occupancy. Children under the age of 17 stay free when staying in the same room as an adult.
Transportation to and from the Wilderness Lodge is offered through the boat dock and the bus depot. Boats can take guests from the Wilderness Lodge to Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground, the Contemporary Resort and the Magic Kingdom. Buses are available to every park, including the Magic Kingdom, the Transportation and Ticket Center and Downtown Disney.
The Wilderness Lodge has two full-service restaurants, a lounge and two snack bars.
Artist Point is a full service restaurant that serves dinner daily from 5:30 pm to 10:00 pm. It serves Pacific Northwestern cuisine. Well known for its Cedar Plank Salmon, Artist Point is one of the few restaurants to annually receive the rare Copper River Salmon.
Whispering Canyon Cafe is a family restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. All-you-can- eat skillets are a popular menu choice and range in price from $10.99 for breakfast to $22.99 for dinner. Little ones are kept entertained with the hourly Pony Express rides held throughout the restaurant.
The Territory Lounge is situated adjacent to Artist Point and is a relaxing lounge that serves a range of micro-brews, espresso and cappuccino along with light snacks between 5:00 pm and 10:00 pm nightly.
Roaring Forks Snacks is open daily from 6:00 a.m. to midnight with food offered at hot and cold stations and what is known as "Grab and Go," which includes items like fresh fruit, boxed cereal, etc. There is a small seating area to one side for those wishing to eat a quick breakfast before heading off to the parks for the day without having to return to their rooms. Refillable mugs are available for purchase for $11.99 and can be used for unlimited coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and fountain drinks for the duration of your stay.
The poolside Trout Pass Bar operates under seasonal hours.
Room service is available for breakfast from 7:00 am until 11:00 am and dinner is available from 5:00 pm until 10:00 pm.
Many activities are available to Lodge guests. The main pool begins in the lobby as a bubbling hot spring before flowing outside and over Silver Creek Falls, finishing in the pool, which contains a short water slide. There are two hot tubs, lounge chairs, tables and umbrellas available for use around the pool. A quiet pool is adjacent to the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge and is open to all guests.
Guests can take in the sun on the beach at the edge of Bay Lake, take advantage of the three-quarter mile wooded path that runs between the Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness by taking a walk, going for a jog, or taking a ride on a bike that can be rented at the Teton Boat and Bike Rental, located near the beach. Bikes can be rented for about $10 per hour, while small speed boats can be rented for about $40 per half hour. A 120- foot geyser spouts off every hour on the hour between 7:00 am and 10:00 pm daily and can be viewed from the main lobby, the courtyard or the walkway located just behind the pool.
There are many quiet areas to be found throughout the Wilderness Lodge that overlook either the lobby or the courtyard and are a great place to curl up with a good book after a long day traipsing through the various parks.
The Electrical Water Pageant runs nightly on Bay Lake and passes by the Wilderness Lodge at approximately 9:35 pm, although it may be canceled due to inclement weather.
The Mercantile stocks a variety of north-western and Wilderness Lodge themed merchandise, Disney plush and various sundries and the Disney character totem pole just outside the doors makes for a wonderful photo opportunity.
The Cub's Den is available for children aged 4-12 and is open from 5:00 pm to midnight daily. Kids are kept entertained with video games, storytelling, arts and crafts, and Disney movies. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 407-WDW-DINE (407-...).
Make sure to spend time exploring the Wilderness Lodge. One way to do this is through the Wonders of the Lodge Tour which is offered at 9:00 a.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays where you will learn about the Lodge's architecture, landscaping and artwork, including all the metalwork, totem poles and paintings.
View the full article and download a free formatted PDF of it here!
Added to PassPorter's Article Collection on 08-11-2009 06:37 PM
What do you think? Please add your own comments, experiences, or news related to this article in this thread! Reader feedback is welcome and encouraged.
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