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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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After debating about bringing a scooter from home, I have decided to rent a scooter from an Orlando scooter company. For those of you who have used a scooter at WDW, what are the pros and cons of a 3 wheel scooter and a 4 wheel scooter? Right now I have a 3 wheel scooter reserved, but wonder if I have made the right choice.
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Could you link us to a photo of the model youre renting?
Itd be much easier to answer, IMO, if we know exactly what it looks like.
Reason I say this is that DH has a powerchair with four wheels. It turns on a dime and is very easy to maneuver in tight spaces.
The kind with a foot platform between the chair and steering assembly which usually has a single wheel below the handlebar are generally harder to manage in crowds and tight aisles in restaurants.
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People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day. Winnie-the-Pooh
I've used both a 4 wheel and 3 wheel ECV rented from off-property dealers. I found the 3 wheel one quite maneuverable and easy to handle. I also found it to be narrower than the 4 wheel which made getting through the tighter lines easier.
Power chairs have 4 wheels and a different maneuvering and turning ability. For scooters, as has been stated, the 3-wheel versions are much easier to maneuver and have a smaller turning radius than the 4-wheel ones. The 4-wheelers, though, are much more stable. The 3-wheel ones can be tippy if you turn too fast or are on uneven surfaces. If you have enough core body strength to adjust your body for balance you'll be okay with a 3-wheel.
Power chairs have 4 wheels and a different maneuvering and turning ability. For scooters, as has been stated, the 3-wheel versions are much easier to maneuver and have a smaller turning radius than the 4-wheel ones. The 4-wheelers, though, are much more stable. The 3-wheel ones can be tippy if you turn too fast or are on uneven surfaces. If you have enough core body strength to adjust your body for balance you'll be okay with a 3-wheel.
This sums it up pretty well. Sometimes the 4 wheel ones are set to a lower speed as well but in a crowded park, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
My husband always rented three wheels on our trips, but when we bought him one of his own he opted for four wheels to increase stability. An important thing to consider is the size of the person. Don't rent something really large if you are a smaller person - or too small if you are a larger person. Fitting the scooter to the rider helps maintain good stability and maneuvering ability.
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We are back from WDW and I just wanted to let you know what scooter I chose. I decided to go with the 3 wheel Pride Victory Scooter. It was great! Whenever I was able to stay on the scooter in ques it turned great on every curve along the way. Sometimes I went slightly sideways on ramps and things and it never flipped or tilted. I was very happy with my ECV!
Thanks for the update. Can you please explain about the slightly sideways on ramps?
I think they mean traversing the slope - going from left to right, rather than up or down. Not sliding or anything.
Picture it this way: a wide, wiiiiide stairway. Instead of climbing or ascending, you walk from the left-hand railing directly to the right-hand railing, always on the same step.
Now replace "stairs" with "ramp", and I think that's what they meant.
It was fine, Sandy. I was just traveling on a sidewalk that had the little slant to go down to the parking lot. No major hill. Never even close to losing balance or tilting on any occasion.