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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 booked at ASMo for our trip at the end of November. As I posted previously, the Pop Warner superbowl is being held 12/5 and as I've heard in the past, they will more than likely converge on the All Star Resorts. If the game is on 12/5, I would assume all these groups would start arriving before then. We check out 12/4. I REALLY don't have the patience to deal with all the horror stories I've heard from people who have stayed at the All Stars when groups like this were there. Because of this, and hoping to get an AP rate, I'm thinking of moving us over to Wilderness Lodge instead. We have never stayed there but really want to. What do you guys think? If I know I don't have the patience to deal with the groups of kids and the noise at the All Stars, do you think we would be happier at WL?
Well, the fact that you would be going to a Deluxe resort from a Value resort I think that would be a great improvement. We are staying at WL in Nov. I've stayed at ASmu before but only visited WL. Needless to say look at your options. More trasnporation options, A very nice and fun restaurant, theming is incredible, and not to mention convience ( no trekking across a big resort just to get to the bus.) I'd go for WL if you can get a good rate!!!!
<font color="purple">I agree with Valerie, if you can afford it, go for it! My suggestion is make your budget expecting to pay full price for WL(it is one of the least expensive deluxes, if not the least). That way you aren't thrown for a loop, if AP rates don't come out, although they've been coming out regularly. In any case, in whichever you decide. </font>
I'd go with WL, but then again it's my favorite resort!
We stayed there last year (pretty much the same time of Thanksgiving thru Dec. 6) and snagged a FANTASTIC rate for a courtyard view room with bunk beds for $146 a night - including tax! The rack rate is $250 PLUS tax so we were more than pleased.
We purposely avoided the value resorts at that time of year specifically because of the Pop Warner convention.
I say go for it! We stayed at WL last year and loved it. We had a hard time choosing resorts this year because we loved WL so much, but finally decided to try two new ones. You can be sure we'll be visiting WL to see their holiday decorations though.
I would do it as well, especially if you can afford it! I have stayed at the All Stars before and have never had that problem, but I have read other people's stories of these groups coming in and it really would bother me, too.
The Pop Warner Super Bowl is a young kids football league National Championship Game. The Pop Warner league is a huge nationwide league for kids ages 8-14 and they are having their Super Bowl game and National Cheerleading Championships the week of 12/5-12/11. Over 60 football teams and 300 cheerleading squads!! They usually stay at the All Star resorts so that is why I'm thinking of switching resorts for our stay.
Thanks everyone for the supportive replies. After thinking it over and talking to DH, I think we are definitely going to switch resorts. We'll try out ASMo another time.
I would agree with others that if you can afford to switch to WL, then I'd go for it. There are so many more amenities, and you're that much closer to MK
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Re: Thinking of changing resorts
I say that if you've got the $$ to change - GO FOR IT!!! The WL is a fantastic resort - I know you will love it!! not to mention you are a couple of minutes away from MK by boat!!!
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