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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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.
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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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I have been thinking about this for a while but, I am trying to decide how much cash to take for our upcoming trip. My mom and I will be at WDW for about 9 days and will be on the DDP. I am planning on using my debit card for most of my purchases but, will like to carry cash for tips and any small purchases I may make at a snack kiosk or something similar.
When on the DDP I think it is possible to leave the tip on a VISA card at the restaurants? Is this correct and do I need to tell the CMs this before eating?
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We don't take much cash with us on a WDW vacation, maybe $20 a day.
We use our CC to pay for things, including tips for restaurant servers....on our KTTW card. It's much easier to keep track of what you are paying for if it's all on your KTTW card (you can get a printout of charges any time, to check against your receipts).
We take $200-300 in cash. We pay our restaurant tips in cash, as well as meals along the road (we drive), and that leaves plenty for incidentals, extra snacks and drinks, small souveniers, etc.
I have been thinking about this for a while but, I am trying to decide how much cash to take for our upcoming trip. My mom and I will be at WDW for about 9 days and will be on the DDP. I am planning on using my debit card for most of my purchases but, will like to carry cash for tips and any small purchases I may make at a snack kiosk or something similar.
When on the DDP I think it is possible to leave the tip on a VISA card at the restaurants? Is this correct and do I need to tell the CMs this before eating?
Since you're on the DDP, you'r obviously staying on property. So, leave the debit card and cash in your room's safe. Just use your KttW card. Almost everywhere selling something, will be tied into Disney's system, and you can just charge it to your room account. At most, I'd carry $20 or $30 apiece.
Tips are only possible at restaurants - other CMs are not allowed to accept them (on pain, I have been told by two different CMs, of possibly losing their job entirely). And there, the receipt will have a line on which you can write the desired tip in, and charge that to your room, too. Yes, even while on the DDP and using points for your meals. We did this for every meal during our 9-day/8-night stay, on the Deluxe dining plan, in January of '09.
Just as a thought, I really like to leave my server's tip in cash. Then they have right away and don't have to wait for the credit card to clear. When I do this at home, I have had server's say that they are grateful for people who do it that way.
I usually add my CC to the KTTW - but I prefer not using it....
Past trip I got 4 gift cards. 2 with 50$ each (one for each kid for souveniers). 1 with 100$ for SIL and another with 250$ for DH and I. We paid all our gratuities in it . Plus the kids got their souveniers from their "disney card" - they´ve to choose what to buy so they left to the last day when they´ve vistited all parks and DTD. SIL was able to spend ther money during our week - we´ve shared one room so ewvery expense on the KTTW would go to MY CC....with her own GC she was able to get what she wanted without worries. At the end of the week our room charge was ....100$ only (internet budget!)...meaning no surprises at the end of the vacation.
I liked GC so much that I got 2 for this upcoming trip (one for our DD and another for us). After using it we kept them as "souveniers" and DD added as details to her vacation scrapbook!
I take about $100 cash for odds and ends. But then I do have cash set aside for tips and a roll of quarters for laundry and pressed pennies.
For tips, since i have ADR's I know where I am eating. I figure out what the average meal is at the places we are eating. Determine what the 20% tip will be. Add up all those amounts, add in an extra 10%. I bring that amount in cash for the tips. Placing it in a separate envelope. I usually have some cash left over at the end of the trip.
We use our KTTW card for everything...even $2 charges at the resort gift shop. It's nice to just charge TS tips instead of having to carry cash. We pay the balance at the end with Visa Rewards, gifts cards, etc... It is just easiest for us.
Last trip, I think we had little over $100 cash on us and $60 of it was to pay the airport parking when we got back! This did not include the money DD saved and brought herself..that I kept separate and she paid for all her souvenirs with that money. This next trip we'll do the same.
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I take cash for everything it just helps me budget my ca$h better. I put my money in envelopes for each day that we are there.
That is what I do as well, but's that's just me personally. I know my limitations, especially when shopping for souvenirs at Disney!! I budget $50 per day, which covers extra drinks and/or snacks not covered by DDP, one ADR tip per day (4 people, $15 to $20), daily mousekeeping, plus a little extra cash "cushion". We also set aside one envelope with about $50 per person for "souvenir days", usually the day we go to DD. Then whatever we have left from our envelopes on the last day we spend at Contemporary gift shop after our Chef Mickey's breakfast!
Just as a thought, I really like to leave my server's tip in cash. Then they have right away and don't have to wait for the credit card to clear. When I do this at home, I have had server's say that they are grateful for people who do it that way.
I'm a restaurant manager and they DONT wait for the credit card to clear. That's not how it works. They have the money in hand when their shift os over, so you don't have to worry about that.
I'm a restaurant manager and they DONT wait for the credit card to clear. That's not how it works. They have the money in hand when their shift os over, so you don't have to worry about that.
That's really good to know - I always wondered about that and felt a little guilty leaving tip on a credit card. I don't carry much cash around because 1) I never have it and 2) It's easier for me to spend cash.
For the parks, I try to keep the cash to a minimum just in case some place doesn't take my KTTW card. Maybe $20-$30 a day.
Thanks for the information. I might end up adding my Debit card to the KTTW card but, we are all sharing one room and does anyone know if my mom can add her debit card to her card specifically or would it just be one debit card connected to the room?
Thank you for the quick reply and all the helpful information.
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