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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We are in the early stage of planning our WDW vacation for the Fall of2015. For the last two years we have stayed at The Grand Floridian (outer building/garden view). This year we would like to have a room with a Theme Park view. We want to stay on the monorail: The Grand Floridian; The Contemporary; or The Polynesian. We have ruled out The Polynesian because of the construction that is taking place. We will not be staying CL at either resort.
I have been told (I have not seen either view myself) that the view of MK is much better from The Contemporary. My daughter is sensitive to loud noise, but would like to see the fireworks at MK. Would you please give me your opinion regarding the view from either resort, comparing the two if possible.
No help here, my vote is for the Poly. The majority of the construction should be done by a Fall 2015 visit. According to Tikiman, there are more changes coming we don't know about yet and We don't know how that will alter any timeline for completion. The Volcano pool changes should be completed by Spring, DVC bungalow should be done. Trader Sam's will almost certainly be open. The changes to the quiet pool would hopefully be done by then too. We waited an extra year to return and are booked for July 2015. I sure hope most is done by then! Sorry I was no help in your decision, just didn't want you to rule out the Poly too quickly!
I have no experience with the Contemporary but I do with GF. My parents had a Theme Park View (Conch Key) on our trip last November. My son is noise sensitive and in all our trips we had never been able to stay for any fireworks. He LOVED watching them from the balcony. On the first night he stood just inside the sliders and watched. After that, he was out on the balcony with a smile on his face. Have no idea what the view is like from CR but from Conch Key it was awesome.
We had a Tower room, MK view, in the CR ten years ago. The fireworks were spectacular but so close that they were extremely loud. The ones that go BOOM! made me jump more than once.
Our room was about 1/3 of the way in from the MK end if that gives you some perspective. The noise was somewhat less watching from inside our room (and view consequently not as good) with the sliding door tightly closed but still loud enough at times to startle.
We had a honeymoon room in the GF main building last fall, MK view, and could see the fireworks wonderfully well from our balcony which wasn't far from the entrance to Gasparilla Grille. The noise was significantly less than at the CR with a very clear view of the aerial show and now and then bits of the music.
Perhaps this info will help you determine which would work better.
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Last edited by Her Dotness; 10-22-2014 at 03:58 PM..
No help here, my vote is for the Poly. The majority of the construction should be done by a Fall 2015 visit. According to Tikiman, there are more changes coming we don't know about yet and We don't know how that will alter any timeline for completion. The Volcano pool changes should be completed by Spring, DVC bungalow should be done. Trader Sam's will almost certainly be open. The changes to the quiet pool would hopefully be done by then too. We waited an extra year to return and are booked for July 2015. I sure hope most is done by then! Sorry I was no help in your decision, just didn't want you to rule out the Poly too quickly!
We decided to wait to stay at Poly too until next Aug 2015 when most construction will be done. We switched to GF last August 2014 and had a lagoon view facing Poly. We also took the boat over a few times to check out the re-opened Capt Cooks, and then when Aloha Isle opened. We walked around a practically empty resort. I think we weren't the only ones who abandoned ship, lol.
GF was wonderful for fireworks viewing. We liked the terrace in front of Gaspys.
I've never stsyed at CR, mainly because the theming just doesn't appeal to me. But I've watched Wishes from Cali Grill, and 4th floor viewing deck. The thing I didn't like was that the fireworks were a sideways view, not centered over the castle.
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We watched from the GF terrace, too. It was early November, and a little chilly, but we just grabbed some hot chocolate and a table and enjoyed the show. We loved it--great view and very relaxing!
I am completely envious. We looooove the GF but simply couldn't afford it two years in a row.
Still trying to convince ourselves that really it won't hurt us to try a different resort for a change. But, I know I will miss going to the lobby to listen to the live music. It's such fun doing that as dinner at 1900 PF is closing when the Wicked Stepsisters come out to dance with kids in the lobby. They're just a riot!
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I am completely envious. We looooove the GF but simply couldn't afford it two years in a row.
Still trying to convince ourselves that really it won't hurt us to try a different resort for a change. But, I know I will miss going to the lobby to listen to the live music. It's such fun doing that as dinner at 1900 PF is closing when the Wicked Stepsisters come out to dance with kids in the lobby. They're just a riot!
I agree. I was trying to get my wife and daughter to try The Beach or Yacht Club, but they don't want to go off the monorail. That was the reason for my question. So back to GF for the third year in a row.
I was trying to get my wife and daughter to try The Beach or Yacht Club, but they don't want to go off the monorail.
Although I think your family may really like the Beach Club (we love both the GF and BC ), Disney just announced a major renovation for the BC that they expect to last for close to 2 years. You're probably better off at the GF for next fall.
Although I think your family may really like the Beach Club (we love both the GF and BC ), Disney just announced a major renovation for the BC that they expect to last for close to 2 years. You're probably better off at the GF for next fall.
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), Disney just announced a major renovation for the BC that they expect to last for close to 2 years. You're probably better off at the GF for next fall.
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