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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
I'm just trying to get some things straight in my head for our December trip this year. I like to get the details figured out before I start booking things. We will be staying at POR for 7-8 nights before our cruise on the Fantasy. We are undecided right now on if we will take a red-eye flight or a daytime flight from Seattle, either way it's a long travel day or night.
We are thinking that we will take DME from MCO to the resort then pick up a rental car later in the day or the following day depending on when we arrive. That way we don't have to deal with all our luggage when we arrive. We would use the rental around property and to get us to Port Canaveral for our cruise at which point we would return the vehicle. Make sense so far? Any favorite rental agencies you recommend?
If we fly home the same day we return from the cruise (still up in the air about this depending on available flights) should we just take the DCL transfers which looks to be about $175 one way for our family of 5? Or should we hire a town car service to take us? Which option makes more sense and would be the least stressful?
__________________
My Happy Place
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable." ~ Walt Disney
DME from MCO to WDW resort is a great idea -- however, for your reasons it could backfire depending on arrival time. If you arrive after 10pm, and I think earlier than 7am, there is no luggage service and you would need to collect your bags anyway. But for most arrivals, it works out well.
Which agency -- if you are renting onsite at WDW, that restricts it somewhat. The Car Care Center has Alamo and National; they'll send a shuttle to your resort to pick you up and take you to the Car Care Center to get the car. I think Shades of Green and the Swan/Dolphin also have onsite car rentals, not sure which agencies -- possibly Hertz at one or both. With a one-way rental from WDW to Port Canaveral, you may end up with a one-way or "drop" fee. If you rent from MCO, drive to WDW, then drive to PC for drop-off, first there are more choices of rental agencies and also I know you can get one way rentals between MCO and PC without the additional fee.
Post-cruise -- if you fly a participating airline and use DCL transfers, you can sign-up for the Onboard Airline Check-in program which will take your bags from outside your stateroom and you won't see them again until you land at your home airport. Otherwise, you will need to collect luggage in the terminal and take it with you through Customs. That said, DCL transfers for 5 people is pricey ($35 pp), so you'd have to weigh the convenience vs the cost. There are definitely less expensive options, including another one-way car rental or private car/limo service. Unless you have an early afternoon flight out of MCO, one of the alternative options may suit you better so you don't have to hang out at the airport all day.
Although I have not used them, I believe Quicksilver Transporation has a service that would pick you up at the airport, take you to the resort, then to Port and then back to the airport. It may be a option for your trip.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I agree with lanejudy that picking up a car at the airport would be more convenient and possibly less expensive than getting a car once you are at Walt Disney World. We have rented several times from Budget, which has offices inside the airport and right down the street from the cruise port (with a free shuttle to the port).
Waiting for luggage and picking up a car could even be quicker than taking a Magical Express bus, depending on when the bus leaves and how many stops it makes before reaching your resort.
Renting a car on your return would be the least expensive means of getting to the airport. With 5 people, I think a town car will cost less than the Disney Cruise bus, but I am not sure. With 4 people the costs are close, but 5 will require a bigger vehicle.
If your flight is in early afternoon, the Disney bus would be the easiest way to go. If your flight leaves later, a car would allow you to stop somewhere (we've done Kennedy Space Center or Downtown Disney) before heading to the airport.
This is what we did as a family of 5 and bringing my parents along. Rented Minivan at MCO. Some took DME so we didn't have to deal with luggage. Another drove. Then we returned the minivan after one of us dropped off the kiddos at the port. Then returned minivan. I prefer Avis and budget
About This Page: 
about this depending on available flights) should we just take the DCL transfers which looks to be about $175 one way for our family of 5? Or should we hire a town car service to take us? Which option makes more sense and would be the least stressful?
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Linear Mode
