I made a HUGE mistake!! I am so mad at myself! - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
So... for the first time ever I used an agent to book my trip. Everyone always says its the way to go and so I thought I would.
Then came a PIN postcard back in January or so for like 35 to 40% off our rooms and we booked the treehouse. (Remember that!?) Of course then we decided to book at POFQ. Our agent even called back to say the cast member commented on what a great code it was.
Dumb ME never actually looked at the price breakdown. Now in July we realize it doesn't seem right and sure enough... RACK RATE. We called Disney and they couldn't tell us much except that for our two room at POFQ for 12 nights we are paying around $4400. I did the math over and over. Rack rate.
Agent called us back to say no no no. Don't worry. The pin code is showing up on our ressie and we are al set. Um...no. Do the math. There is NO discount. She just called back again to say that actually we booked durning blackout dates.
NO. I booked the dates I did on purpose (Oct 23 to Nov 4) because there were on the card. That was the day it started. I would never arrive on a Sunday otherwise...I would go Friday or saturday.
I am so sad about this. I have cost my family so much money by being complacent and not being the one to make sure they were taken care of. I thought someone else would care too. There is a new AP rate coming Wednesday so I don't know what to do. Do I trust her to apply it and it really be? I thought using an agent got you expertise and inside stuff we might not know about.
I'm still excited to go...the kids are excited...but there is a HUGE cloud over my head now...
Are you looking at the current rates (they went up)? But still I'd make you're travel agent show you what the "rack rate" and how she applied the PIN. Its her/ his error they should fix it.
PassPorter Guide Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Southwestern Florida, USA
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 39,153
Post Thanks / Like
Likes (Given): 39
Likes (Received): 114
Thanks (Given): 18
Thanks (Received): 46
Pixie Dust (Given): 1
Pixie Dust (Received): 8
So you gave your TA the pin code so that she could book for you??
Something tells me that your TA didn't have your pin code applied to your reservation.
But as it was already suggested, I would go to your TA and ask to see all of your paperwork. I hope you still have the card with the pin code on it, so that you can show it to her and compare it with what she is supposed to have used.
Agreed with the others--her mistake, she should sit down & look at the paperwork. *If the TA were not helpful in trying to resolve the issue I would raise such a fit with the higher ups!
Im sorry for you, my TA is excellant & has fully lived up to my expectations..I hope you get to the bottom of it all!
__________________
5/02 AKL*8/09 POR*10/10 ASMu*8/11 Pop*2/12 ASMu*8/12 POFQ*2/13 ASM*8/13 CB *4/14 AoA*8/14 AKL*8/15 CS*2/16 Disney Magic*8/16 Split stay! POR/BC*2/17 Disney Fantasy & OKW*8/17 Poly/AKL*1/18 ASMu*8/18 SS/?? split stay!
None of the paperwork we have here says anything about the PIN code at all. Just total price and our names and POFQ. How can she call me back and say that she spoke to WDW and we are all set it IS applied and then when we say do the math she calls WDW back and tells us they say those are black out dates??
I'm searching high and low for that darn flyer... I really think I saved it but DH is afraid I tossed it.
Wouldn't they have said it won't work those days and she should call me back and say it wont work? When she made the reservation she said the cast member said wow what a great pin.
I think we are paying a very big price for trusting someone else to help. I know my dates were on that card!
We can't "go" there as we used a company recommended online. We did a request online and she was the agent that replied.
I've had concerns. She told me Akershus was signature, didn't know which discounts I could get on tours with AP/visa... Didnt know when our dining window opened...
Live and learn!
You know you can do the job yourself and be responsible for the outcome. You won't be happy trying someone new because of this poor experience.
I would rebook a cheaper room online myself, ensure I had everything in place and then cancel with your TA (even if it costs just so TA doesn't make commission) but that's just me! Good luck - remember you ARE going to WDW.
That is awful!! I would do what the others on here have said, and once that is done...fire her and complain LONG and HARD!! that you are able to get it worked out.
Since you've done the math, know that you're paying rack rate, make a new ressie, cancel yours with your TA and complain long and loud. Discount rates will be out soon and you know you can do better, so do it!! Good luck!
Since you've done the math, know that you're paying rack rate, make a new ressie, cancel yours with your TA and complain long and loud. Discount rates will be out soon and you know you can do better, so do it!! Good luck!
- I wouldnt put anymore trust in this TA...Doesnt sound right that she told you she called and yes the Pin was applied then said she called and they said the dates were a blackout time (when it isnt)...I would rebook and do it yourself.
Good Luck!!
Like everyone else, something doesn't seem to add up. Sorry to hear about the extra stress that this is causing you. I always felt that if you want things done right the best person for the job is one self.
Hope everything works out.
About This Page: 
I made a HUGE mistake!! I am so mad at myself!
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Are you looking at the current rates (they went up)? But still I'd make you're travel agent show you what the "rack rate" and how she applied the PIN. Its her/ his error they should fix it.
PassPorter Guide Author
"Sparky"(My first trip.)
Good luck!
- I wouldnt put anymore trust in this TA...Doesnt sound right that she told you she called and yes the Pin was applied then said she called and they said the dates were a blackout time (when it isnt)...I would rebook and do it yourself. 
WDW 2015 !
Linear Mode
