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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 my problem. We have to have a stroller in order to do Disney with my 11 year old special needs son (multiple emotional and physical problems). In the past, we have always rented a Liberty Special Needs Stroller form Orlando Stroller.
This year, he has met the maximum weight. The only wheelchairs for his weight, will not work for him. They are way too big and don't have the features needed for him.
Disney is the only time we ever use one for him, because at home we just don't go places for long periods of time that would require the mobility (and other issues) that Disney does.
Does anyone know where we can rent a small wheelchair or larger stroller type item for Disney? The Liberty was perfect, since it allowed for undisturbed naps and a place to hide during meltdowns. An open wheelchair will not help a lot, especially if it is too large.
Here is my problem. We have to have a stroller in order to do Disney with my 11 year old special needs son (multiple emotional and physical problems). In the past, we have always rented a Liberty Special Needs Stroller form Orlando Stroller.
This year, he has met the maximum weight. The only wheelchairs for his weight, will not work for him. They are way too big and don't have the features needed for him.
Disney is the only time we ever use one for him, because at home we just don't go places for long periods of time that would require the mobility (and other issues) that Disney does.
Does anyone know where we can rent a small wheelchair or larger stroller type item for Disney? The Liberty was perfect, since it allowed for undisturbed naps and a place to hide during meltdowns. An open wheelchair will not help a lot, especially if it is too large.
Nini
Hi Nini,
Thanks so much for your question.
Lucky you! Planning another trip to Disney! My first question is about what has already worked. You mentioned that your son has met the maximum weight. Is he over? I'd first see if he has one more visit with the stroller that you like, as long as it isn't a safety issue with a possibility of breaking or tipping.Are we talking a few pounds?
It sounds like the next size ride, which is the wheelchair, has you worried? Maybe the company has small wheel chairs?
The weight limit is 100, and he is now at 115, new meds causing significant weight gain! Unfortunately, the doctors say his weight will probably grow to the 130 range by the time we go in November.
The Liberty gave him a place to hide with the cover pulled down. He is emotionally a 3 yer old. He doesn't like people looking at him and lights bother him. His meds cause him to take a long nap each day, so he would pull the cover down and sleep.
From what I have seen, the wheelchairs that have a sun shade does not allow for complete coverage.
The wheelchairs we have found for his weight...the seats are really wide and look uncomfortable. Basically a sling seat with no padding. Because of his sensory issues he would last about 2 minutes in it.
We went to a local medical supply rental company so he could 'try' out a wheelchair and he did not like it...he even is saying he doesn't want to go to Disney if he has to ride in one of those things.
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The weight limit is 100, and he is now at 115, new meds causing significant weight gain! Unfortunately, the doctors say his weight will probably grow to the 130 range by the time we go in November.
The Liberty gave him a place to hide with the cover pulled down. He is emotionally a 3 yer old. He doesn't like people looking at him and lights bother him. His meds cause him to take a long nap each day, so he would pull the cover down and sleep.
From what I have seen, the wheelchairs that have a sun shade does not allow for complete coverage.
The wheelchairs we have found for his weight...the seats are really wide and look uncomfortable. Basically a sling seat with no padding. Because of his sensory issues he would last about 2 minutes in it.
We went to a local medical supply rental company so he could 'try' out a wheelchair and he did not like it...he even is saying he doesn't want to go to Disney if he has to ride in one of those things.
Hmmm. This sounds complicated. It sounds like his body has outgrown The Liberty. The restrictions on height or weight are for the safety of the rider, so it is in his best interests to follow those guidelines.
I wonder if a cushion might help with the wheelchair. What do you think you'll do?
Have you looked into the Convaid strollers/chairs? I know they have many different models and there might be one that could work for your son's needs. Some fold nicely like an umbrella stroller, others are larger and heavier but offer recline and such (I think a canopy but I"m not certain). I'm not sure if anywhere in Orlando rents them or not, but you might find a used one to buy if you want to make the investment - around here they are often listed on the state's AT Re-use website and there are other websites that list used special needs equipment. I was looking at Convaids but we settled on a Maclaren Major for DD, but she simply needs a "ride" when too tired and not as much of a retreat.
Insurance MAY cover part of the cost, but if you don't need it at home you'd have to get a therapist or doctor to write a creative reason for medical necessity. However, if you plan to make future WDW trips, it could pay for itself over time.
Trotter Mobility Chair size 3 would see him through 170 pounds. While it's a chunk of change (just at $900 for a basic model, extra for accessories like sun shade), it may be covered, at least in part, by insurance. We got insurance to pay for both a manual and an electric w/c for DD because doing so allowed her the freedom to interact with our family. Since he needs it for social situations, and for long walks, and not having it would inhibit his ability to interact with the family during long trips, it may not be such a stretch.
Or, you may be able to find a place to rent one from. Good luck with your search.
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Have you looked into the Convaid strollers/chairs? I know they have many different models and there might be one that could work for your son's needs. Some fold nicely like an umbrella stroller, others are larger and heavier but offer recline and such (I think a canopy but I"m not certain). I'm not sure if anywhere in Orlando rents them or not, but you might find a used one to buy if you want to make the investment - around here they are often listed on the state's AT Re-use website and there are other websites that list used special needs equipment. I was looking at Convaids but we settled on a Maclaren Major for DD, but she simply needs a "ride" when too tired and not as much of a retreat.
Insurance MAY cover part of the cost, but if you don't need it at home you'd have to get a therapist or doctor to write a creative reason for medical necessity. However, if you plan to make future WDW trips, it could pay for itself over time.
Trotter Mobility Chair size 3 would see him through 170 pounds. While it's a chunk of change (just at $900 for a basic model, extra for accessories like sun shade), it may be covered, at least in part, by insurance. We got insurance to pay for both a manual and an electric w/c for DD because doing so allowed her the freedom to interact with our family. Since he needs it for social situations, and for long walks, and not having it would inhibit his ability to interact with the family during long trips, it may not be such a stretch.
Or, you may be able to find a place to rent one from. Good luck with your search.
I lucked out...Walker Mobility has a smaller child sized wheelchair that goes up to 150 pounds... it is much more in line with his size.
While he still won't be able to nap...and we will still have the melt downs...the mobility portion of it will be taken care of.
Thanks for all the suggestions...but purchasing one is out of the question. We would never use it at home, and since we drive to Disney, we have to have plenty of room for our 'stuff'. His insurance will not cover it... right after the accident, he was still unable to walk (partially paralyzed). Once he left the hospital he was no longer covered for a wheelchair...since he was expected to be able to walk within a year...
I lucked out...Walker Mobility has a smaller child sized wheelchair that goes up to 150 pounds... it is much more in line with his size.
While he still won't be able to nap...and we will still have the melt downs...the mobility portion of it will be taken care of.
Thanks for all the suggestions...but purchasing one is out of the question. We would never use it at home, and since we drive to Disney, we have to have plenty of room for our 'stuff'. His insurance will not cover it... right after the accident, he was still unable to walk (partially paralyzed). Once he left the hospital he was no longer covered for a wheelchair...since he was expected to be able to walk within a year...
(love state run insurance!)
Nini
Glad that it's working out for the mobility.
On the napping front - the First Aid stations have always been very good about allowing us to go there for breaks when DD needed one. A 30 minute nap was usually all she needed. I don't know if they'll work for you, but it's always an option.
See if you can rent a sun shade for the wheelchair which might give him a sense of privacy.
I second the suggestion to try the First Aid stations for a short rest. I took my son, who has autism, into the one at MK when he was 13. They were happy to give me a room to clean and change him; it had a bed and a restroom was available as well. I also popped into the Baby Center and gave him a clean-up. They didn't seem to be put off by his size and age.
We also like the Companion Restrooms in all the parks (and DTD), not just for the usual, but because you can take 5 minutes in privacy to cool off and regroup if that's all you need.
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