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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 am taking my first cruise is September. So very excited. I am planning to fly to MCO on Wed, the day before. I'm debating between taking the Southwest flight that arrives at 8:15 pm at MCO or the one that arrives at 11pm. I am trying to take a flight later in the day as DD#2 may be coming with me and she will class in the morning. trying to miss as few classes possible. Plus I can get at least a half day of work in, anyway. I am debating about where to stay when i arrive.
The Hyatt at the airport is the most convenient but i have absolutely no desire to pay $180 for the hotel room that i will use for 8 hrs or less. My travel agent suggested just staying in value resort for the night since the ME is free and will get me there and then i can catch the DCL bus to the port. But if i arrive at 11pm that puts me at the resort at what midnight? Does ME even run that late?
What time does the first shuttle leave the airport for the port in the morning? I have thoght about just crashing at the airport. I will probably not sleep much that night anyway since i will be so excited. And it would not be the the first time i have crashed in an airport.
So suggestion on where I should stay the night before that are inexpensive and make getting to the port really easy. Or should I just suck it up and pay for the Hyatt???
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DME does run that late, however, for flights arriving after 10pm, you have to retrieve your own luggage, and put it on the bus. Personally, I would stay at an All Star. Even if you don't sleep, you can relax a little better, without having to be vigilant about all your stuff.
We always arrive the day before and we stay at the Hampton Inn by the airport. The shuttle to and from the airport are free and it is a 5 minute drive. It's also cheaper than the Hyatt...lots cheaper with free breakfast
Disney transports from the airport to the port begin around 9:00 or 9:30 am. If you stay at a Walt Disney World Resort, the buses to the port begin picking up later in the morning or early afternoon.
We have stayed at the Hyatt before all of our cruises from Port Canaveral (4 and will do it again). Combine the early access to the port/ship and luggage handling (just tag your bags and leave them in your room as the Hyatt will give you special paperwork when you check-in and tell them you are cruising with Disney), and ease of getting to the Hyatt--just grab your luggage and go upstairs, you may find the fee worth it.
Also, your travel agent may be able to get you a better rate as there are better rates available. Our TA was able to get us a rate around the $140 mark that included a free breakfast. Also check Priceline.
We also stay at the Hyatt. It is a nice hotel and they do take care of your luggage for you so all you have to do is go down to the bus. As was said, you get to the port earlier then if you stayed at a WDW resort. We are usually one of the first to board the ship and it is nice walking around an almost empty ship. The price is a bit high but I figured I just spent $5000 for a week on the Fantasy what is $200 more.
There are SO many hotels by the port so if you aren't doing WDW there is no reason to stay at the airport. We prefer to suck it up and do a little more traveling after our flight to get closer to the port (about an hour) instead of having to drive an extra hour in the morning because we prefer to be at the port early. Some of the hotels offer free breakfast and most have really inexpensive shuttle service to the port.
You may find it more economical to book your own transportation through a private company such as Happy Limo or one of the other vendors that Passporter recommends.
We too travel down to the port after our flight. Like Michelle said, there are plenty of hotels (many with breakfast included), that are minutes from the port. This time we landed and had our bags by about 5, and were at Port Canaveral a little after 6. We ate dinner, checked into our hotel, and called it a night!
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Looking forward to another Christmas with The Mouse!!
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I have stayed at the Radisson at the Port, they had a nice breakfast and the property was pretty but I wasn't overly impressed with the rooms and they only have elevators in the "suites".
We like the Four Points Shearaton in Coco Beach and have stayed there several times but we use our Starwood Points so it's cheap, it might not be that cheap on "regular" rates.
I know that Happy Limo is doing a transportation/hotel package where you can get a room at the Country Inns and Suites by the Port for $95 a night and a $5 per person shuttle ride to the port in the morning, I think they start around 11am.
We've stayed both at the Hilton near the port as well as the Sheraton at MCO. Both experiences were good, nice hotels and good $.
I'd choose Sheraton if arriving late (I'd not like to drive at night after a long flight).
At Sheraton near MCO you can rest and get back to MCO in order to get transpo to the port
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