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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 currently in the process of planning a somewhat last-minute trip to Disney this May and we are trying to decide where to stay.
We've narrowed our "on-site" choice down to the Caribbean Beach Resort - but we were also looking at three of the non-Disney owned resorts in Disney Springs - the Best Western Lake Buena Vista, the B Resort, and the Double Tree Suites. All of which are either $25-$125 less than Caribbean Beach - enough to make us think twice.
We were wondering if anyone had any experience with the Springs resorts? Are they equivalent to a moderate? Is the transportation as good as Disney's? We're trying to figure out if the savings justify the change.
On our trip last May, my family and I spent our arrival night at the Doubletree. I loved it there, the suites are very spacious and clean, and they have an absolutely fantastic staff. Obviously, since we were there for only one night we didn't have a chance to use the amenities, so can't comment on the pool, transportation, etc. To be honest. even though I thought it was a wonderful hotel, I'll continue to book onsite - if I'm going to be in a hotel room vs. a condo/home, I'd rather be in "the bubble".
Also, just an FYI - The hotel also had a high resort fee, and also a parking fee that was tacked onto the bill. If I remember correctly, it added $30-40 to the bill. I believe all the Disney Springs hotels have that fee, so you'll want to take that into account if you haven't already.
I was also going to comment on the resort fee. It does add considerably to the bill. Also, their transportation to the parks is a scheduled shuttle and so does not come and go all day, as the WDW resorts do.
While I haven't stayed at a DS hotel, I have looked at them a number of times. Ultimately, I always choose to stay onsite. Transportation and resort fees have been the determining factors.
I believe all the Disney Springs hotels have that fee, so you'll want to take that into account if you haven't already.
Only a resort fee unless they're renting a car. That'll still run around $25 a night at least, I'm betting. We last stayed at the DS Hilton in '14 when it was $22 as I recall.
All those hotels charge a resort and a parking fee to prevent people parking at one to hop a Disney bus to the parks, avoiding the Disney parking fee.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
We've stayed at Hilton Lake Buena Vista and Buena Vista Palace. We enjoyed the hotels/ pools and transportation was ok for parks (schedule bus) and both were walking distance to Disney Springs - so it was easy to get there for meals and relaxing time.
In addition to the resort fees, also consider the cost of getting to/from the airport to your resort in your calculations if you'll be flying in. You won't be able to take DME.
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Thanks everyone for your responses - I think we will go with onsite!
The combination of the resort fees + transportation fees to Disney justify the cost of staying onsite.
I think this is the right choice. I have never stayed in the DSR, but the transportation and the Fees are a determining factor for sure. Also I fly in every time and the use of the Magical Express is such a huge plus for me. I just also love to be in the middle of it all. There is something about it. If I am staying at POP which I stay at mostly and want to travel over to Bay Lake Towers to view Wishes from there it isn't an arm and a leg to do so. Same goes foe if I want to go to Poly to see the Electrical Water Pageant. I think onsite is well worth it.
Good choice. Many people do not really check to see what all the expenses will be with staying off site. The just look at the hotel price and see that it is a bit lower. I priced out a stay last year looking off site and on. By the time you add in the cost of rental car/gas/resort fee/ parking at the park/etc. It came out to be more expensive then staying on property.
Not to mention that if you stay at a hotel near DS you pay both a daily resort fee AND a parking fee.
As feonag indicated, all those additional costs can really add up if you aren't careful to check the details and compare costs to a "Disney bubble" stay.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
The Disney Springs Resorts have a great bus system only second to the WDW resort buses. The buses run every 30 minutes which is only 10 minutes more than the WDW buses. A lot of other off property resorts have 3 bus runs in the morning and 3 return buses in the evening. We've stayed at The Doubletree, Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista, and Hilton Buena Vista Palace. The Palace doesn't charge for parking, but all have resort fees. The hotels are upscale , but not the price of WDW deluxe resorts. I love that we can walk to DS.
Disney Resorts= Being in the middle of the Magic and that is the biggest plus for me above all the fees and such with the Disney Springs Resorts. It just feels so specials being a guest at a Disney Resort. I imagine it is not an awful experience at the Disney Spring Resorts, but for me it is just not the same.
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