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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I just returned from my third visit to BLT and have a question that I never really thought about until one of my in-laws brought it up.
Does anyone know the basis for the security of the BLT building? When asked, I immediately guessed its proximity to MK, but after thinking about it, both BCV and BWV are close to Epcot. Has anyone been told the reasons for it?
Although I appreciate it, I guess I just don't understand why.
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Probably because there is no real justification for non-guests being in the Bay Lake Tower. It doesn't have any restaurants. It doesn't have any gift shops. The rooftop lounge is reserved for people on DVC stays only. There is no hopping permitted at the pool.
It's also a very visible landmark just outside of the Magic Kingdom. In fact, from the MK bus stops it's about the same distance to the BLT as it is to the MK turnstiles. They probably want to discourage curiosity-seekers.
The BoardWalk and Yacht/Beach are quite a bit more removed from Epcot. Thousands of guests who walk into Epcot every day don't even realize the International Gateway exists, much less do they have a reason to venture back there. By comparison, when vising the Magic Kingdom, the Bay Lake Tower is unavoidable.
Probably because there is no real justification for non-guests being in the Bay Lake Tower. It doesn't have any restaurants. It doesn't have any gift shops. The rooftop lounge is reserved for people on DVC stays only. There is no hopping permitted at the pool.
Is the lounge just for people staying on DVC points or it for anyone including cash customers staying in the hotel ?
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I totally agree with the response, I think as a guest in BLT, you feel better knowing that people can't just roam the halls when they aren't staying there. There is nothing there for them to see. I think because of the set up and location, it adds safety for the BLT guests. Also, I think the lounge is open to anyone staying in BLT, whether by points or cash. DVC members can not visit the lounge unless they are staying there, not even if your home is BLT.
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Teresa
Sammy 5 years and Peyton 15 months - September 2013
We just stayed at BLT a few weeks ago. We are not DVC members or DVC guests. The sign said you had to be a DVC member or have one with you. I want to say the sign said you had to contact a certain number if you were planning to go as well.
Probably because there is no real justification for non-guests being in the Bay Lake Tower. It doesn't have any restaurants. It doesn't have any gift shops. The rooftop lounge is reserved for people on DVC stays only. There is no hopping permitted at the pool.
Is the lounge just for people staying on DVC points or it for anyone including cash customers staying in the hotel ?
The "letter of the law" states that it's for BLT guests staying on reservations booked through DVC using either points or cash.
Cash reservations booked through Central Reservations or a travel agent are not eligible.
BLT owners staying at other resorts are not eligible.
DVC members staying at other resorts are not eligible.
But anyone staying at BLT on points OR a cash reservation booked through DVC is eligible. That includes members, guests of members, renters, etc.
The "letter of the law" states that it's for BLT guests staying on reservations booked through DVC using either points or cash.
Cash reservations booked through Central Reservations or a travel agent are not eligible.
BLT owners staying at other resorts are not eligible.
DVC members staying at other resorts are not eligible.
But anyone staying at BLT on points OR a cash reservation booked through DVC is eligible. That includes members, guests of members, renters, etc.
You learn something every day!! I thought you could go to the lounge as long as you were a valid guest. Thanks for that info.
Thanks for the info. I thought it for anyone staying there. I just recommended BLT to a family and told them about the lounge. I will have to give them the correct info since they are not DVC members.
Thanks for the information. My in-laws are staying at BLT in November and we are wondering if we will be allowed in the lounge as their guests.
if they are DVC members you might. Sometimes the person asks for one ID - sometimes they demand to see all the ID. If all your Id would have the wrong resort.
think it is more the you can't get on this property without owning (or at least visiting).
because they went overboard. the swimming pool is surrounded by fences that only BLT Keys can open. to even get there you need a ID (key). It is downright silly.
think they did it because people who make alot of money want secuirty.
to me it is silly and way out of preportion. now the outside doors - yes - kept them security. but the pool area?
Do you need your blue DVC card, or just your KTTW card to go up to the lounge? We'll be there for a few nights next week (staying at BLT on points), and while I think that my DVC card is in my wallet, I don't know exactly where DH's card is. Do we need to have his with us, too?
Thanks for the information. My in-laws are staying at BLT in November and we are wondering if we will be allowed in the lounge as their guests.
If you are staying in the same room with them and have your own room keys, then yes you could accompany them. If not, it depends upon how diligent the CM is being in the lobby. Sometimes they just ask to see one room key per group. Sometimes it's a key for every person.
Quote:
Originally Posted by julieb
Do you need your blue DVC card, or just your KTTW card to go up to the lounge? We'll be there for a few nights next week (staying at BLT on points), and while I think that my DVC card is in my wallet, I don't know exactly where DH's card is. Do we need to have his with us, too?
Just the room key. The blue member ID is meaningless in this case since only BLT guests staying on trips booked through DVC are eligible.
Also, I like not allowing others to sight-see. When I stay there I don't like the feeling that lots of people could just roam the halls with no really reason to be there. There is nothing for a tourist to see inside. Just room doors. I also like that the pool is kept private. It was not overly crowded, and again, fewer people likely to wander around and a limited access. I like this in any hotel by the way. It just made things seem a little more private and quiet.
Do others get in, probably, but it is a bit of a deterant, which makes me feel better.
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