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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Here is the situation:
We are planning a 3 or 4 night Dream Cruise and will more than likely have 1-3 nights pre or post cruise so the question is where to choose to stay. Here are our
options to date:
1. Stay within WDW (CSR, AK or WL) but do NO parks. Spend our time at the resort, DTD (possible DQ visit) and Resort touring.
2. Stay at a DTD hotel with NO parks spending our time DTD and Resort touring.
3. Stay at a Port Hotel and tour Kennedy Space Center and Cocoa Beach.
Which would you choose and why?
We will have a rental car but if we stay WDW we may turn it in to use Disney transportation and shuttle to the cruise.
All your choices seem like fun! If you want to be in the Disney bubble, and don't mind Disney resort prices, WL offers plenty to enjoy without going to the parks!
The DTD hotel would also be fun! I enjoy DTD, and if you love to shop it would be nice. I've never stayed at any of those hotels, so not sure about resort activities.
If you want to go the beach route, your third option is great too! Less of the crowd scene, and KSC is very cool!
I didn't help any, I'm sure, but I guess I'm saying that all these seem like fun! Now you just have to figure out what is more fun for you and your family. Good luck choosing!
I voted for WDW resort, and more specifically from that list I would pick AKL. I don't think I could do WL because that would be a leeeetle too close to MK for me and I might be bummed to not be able to go in.
Thanks....I totally understand all the above reasonings. That is the situation our family is in: DD & DS say WDW resort even if we go to no parks (I may be too tempted by the parks ) but I would really like to see some of the other resorts too. We have not stayed at WL, AKL or CSR (our Mod. choice) so it would be a good opportunity to do so and get a little peek. DH thinks staying at WDW would be to hard without doing parks and feels the Port Hotel stay idea would be less costly and easier. That's were the DTD idea came about because it is sort of
middle ground ( a little taste of WDW but less expensive). Decisions Decisions Decisions!!
Please keep the suggestions and advice coming...............
I would stay at AKL again in a minute. So beautiful and a lot to do for the kids. The pool is gorgeous. Then I would resort hop and get to DTD for some shopping. Now that would be N.I.C.E.
I personally couldn't stand to be at Disney and not do any parks. There's certainly lots to do outside the parks and we'll usually have a good couple of days in any vacation where we don't go near them, but to miss them out altogether... I'm not sure I could do that, so option three gets my vote.
I voted for WDW resort, and more specifically from that list I would pick AKL. I don't think I could do WL because that would be a leeeetle too close to MK for me and I might be bummed to not be able to go in.
With views of Seven Seas Lagoon, ferry to MK, etc. - it might be too tempting for me - I would want to go to MK. But I have heard AKL has lots of activities and, since more isolated from the parks (except AK), I think this would be a more do-able way to enjoy everything WDW resorts have to offer - without going to the parks.
Of the options listed I was thinking AKL because of the pool, animal viewing but not too close to MK to make me want to be there. But if given the option I liked the idea of doing a value or moderate and then going to the parks. I LOVE POFQ, short boat ride to DTD, nice pool, but maybe with the savings on the room you could do a park too.
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Would you, Could you, Do no parks??
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DH thinks staying at WDW would be to hard without doing parks and feels the Port Hotel stay idea would be less costly and easier. That's were the DTD idea came about because it is sort of
Decisions Decisions Decisions!!
Lisa 
PassPorter Guide Author
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