Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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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.
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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.
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02-25-2003, 11:24 PM
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#1
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Community Rank: Adventurer 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Pampa, Texas
Posts: 534
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Anyone who has stayed at the AKL
I've seen the wonderful adds for the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and it shows giraffes right outside your window. Is this just another case of wishful advertising, or can I really open my window in the morning and see wildlife? If I can, then that is awesome and it makes it worth the extra bucks, but I have no plans of standing by the window all day in hopes of seeing something when I can just ride the safari and then move on with my life. Should I look into this resort?
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02-25-2003, 11:28 PM
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#2
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Community Rank: Adventurer
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Florida
Posts: 539
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Re: Anyone who has stayed at the AKL
YES YES YES!!!
The animals are outside your balcony. Just the width of a dirt road separates you from the animal action. I recommend a second floor room to see eye to eye with the giraffes. Third floor is also very good.
And you MUST have a Savannah view room.
DO IT! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
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02-26-2003, 08:34 AM
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#3
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Whitefield, NH
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 13,599
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Re: Anyone who has stayed at the AKL
DEFINITELY worth the money, if you are an animal lover! We stayed upstairs on the 5th floor (family of five - the deluxe rooms are only on 5th and 6th floors) My daughter's first words upon walking into the room were "Mommy, I see a canteloupe!" There were always animals right outside our room - usually zebra, eland and wildebeests - the giraffes stayed further down the horseshoe near the trees - we could see them, but they weren't right near our window.
If you would like to see some animal pictures - read my report - Saints on Safari, in the trip report section.
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02-26-2003, 09:34 AM
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#4
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Community Rank: Scout 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: SE Texas!
Posts: 4,882
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Re: Anyone who has stayed at the AKL
AKL is amazing! The animals, Boma, the atmosphere, the gift shop, the mystique of it all... Absolutely lovely. If $ were no issue, my DH and I would stay here again and again and again... [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
And yes, those animals are right there. Great photo opportunities. And nothing says "good morning" the way seeing a zebra graze outside your balcony does!
Michelle
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02-26-2003, 10:31 AM
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#5
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Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Chapel Hill, NC USA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 36,592
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Re: Anyone who has stayed at the AKL
We had a view of the Uzima savannah and had 4 very lovely giraffes as well as birds and several hooved animals outside. We could see them being fed, running around, and taking drinks from their watering hole. We could have conversations with the keepers down on the savannah (they came to search for a missing bird one day...they said she hides quite often). Its very nice. -HiddenMickey
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02-26-2003, 10:33 AM
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#6
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Community Rank: Wayfarer 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Brooklyn,NY
Posts: 165
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Re: Anyone who has stayed at the AKL
AKL is definitely worth the money--for at least asay or two if yo can. It was hard for us to leave the room to go to a park. There are animalsoutside your room all day. In the middle of the night, I leaned over the edge of the bed and lifted the curtains...there were giraffs!! We all got up and watched giraffs and antelopes in the dark. [there is some special lighting that makes it easier to see].
The whole resort is themed beautifully and the pool is great. I was in the pool and my DD was looking over the fence and saide" I see flamingos". When I got out to look, there were flamingos 4 feet from the fence!!!
We split our stay between ASMu and AKL. Do the Value resort first and then AKL otherwise you will hate the ASMu! [img]graemlins/dizzy.gif[/img]
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02-26-2003, 11:37 AM
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#7
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Community Rank: Adventurer
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Maryland
Posts: 574
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Re: Anyone who has stayed at the AKL
Animal Kingdom Lodge is amazing! One of the best resorts in the World. I know the pictures you are referring to, and no, they don't come that close. It simply would not be safe for the animals to be in that kind of proximity to the public. There is a constant fear of the animals being fed the wrong thing by guests attempting to hand-feed, so there is actually an invisible barrier between them and the fences. And smile, you are on video survallence at all times [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] .
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02-26-2003, 02:59 PM
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#8
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Community Rank: Scout
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 4,613
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Re: Anyone who has stayed at the AKL
We stayed in savannah room. I loved the lodge, but I don't think it's necessary to have a savannah room. There are so many opportunities to see the animals. We were hardly in the room, so I'm not sure it was worth the extra money. If you can afford to pay the extra money and you think it would be worth it to you, do so. If the cost of the savannah room means not being able to stay at AKL, go for the standard. This is a wonderful resort to experience! Be sure to leave a whole day to explore it. My kids didn't want to leave the resort to go to the parks!
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02-26-2003, 05:41 PM
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#9
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Community Rank: Traveler 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Posts: 482
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Re: Anyone who has stayed at the AKL
We absolutely loved AKL. We booked standard room but were upgraded to 5th floor Kudu Trail (without making a request). We went during Jan. (value season) so I believe they put you in whatever room is available.
Helen [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
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*
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02-26-2003, 09:33 PM
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#10
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Community Rank: Sightseer 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Washington State
Posts: 76
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Re: Anyone who has stayed at the AKL
As DAD said, they aren't as close as some of the concept art made it seem, but you definitely can see animals from your balcony--as close or even closer than you can see them in many zoos.
When we stayed at AKL, the highlight of the whole trip was watching the animals in the middle of the night from our balcony. They were so active! We could hear the sounds of the zebra snorting and some of the antelopes made a clicking sound when they walked. It was so Magical!
One more point, all of the animals are taken inside at some point during the day. So noon isn't a good time to see them (but you'll be in the Parks then, yes?). This is so the keepers can clean the savannah and so they can get an upclose look to make sure the animals are all healthy. Also, they take them in every day so that if they needed to (in the event of, say, a hurricane) the animals would be trained to go into the barn. I found out all of this by talking with one of the Animal Care cast members who was soo happy to be talking about her charges and her job!
MIssB [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
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02-27-2003, 12:08 AM
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#11
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Community Rank: Explorer 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: MinneSOta
Posts: 7,036
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Re: Anyone who has stayed at the AKL
Hi DreamFinderLives,
Another vote for AKL. I loved the resort. There were always animals out in the savana. I don't recall any time when there weren't any. I am staying there again this September, only192 days til I'm there. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Loving AKL, Bobºoº
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02-27-2003, 12:19 AM
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#12
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Community Rank: Adventurer
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Pampa, Texas
Posts: 534
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Re: Anyone who has stayed at the AKL
Thank you all for your cheerful reviews! It sounds simply amazing. I am adding it to the list of possibilities. If only money weren't an object [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] !!! Oh well, since you all say that it's this wonderful, then I will move the AKL to the top of my "Wish List."
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03-01-2003, 10:50 AM
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#13
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Community Rank: Legend 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,365
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Re: Anyone who has stayed at the AKL
Hey there - fun to see all the AKL lovers out there besides me - I truly think this is Disney's most spectacular all around resort and I really stand behind going for the Savannah view - this is what this resort is all about! As others have mentioned, it's so cool just to relax on your balcony with nature - bring your breakfast up from Mara, have drinks during "happy hour", or just pray and meditation. It's so spectacular - and the resort brings so much more than just the animals - the pool, the shopping, restuarants, museum quality artwork - you name it, this resort gives it to you. Enjoy your time there and I'm sure you'll find it to be on the of your list too!
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03-02-2003, 05:08 PM
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#14
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Community Rank: Sightseer
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Tunkhannock, Pa
Posts: 86
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Re: Anyone who has stayed at the AKL
Well I just had to jump in and agree with all the others. AKL is the best [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
We stayed on the 4th floor with a savana view and it was marvelous. The animals are really fascinating to watch at the different times of day as some are more active in the morning and others at night. We sat out on our balcony at night and watched the prong horned antalope play and just to hear their clacking of the horns was something. There is no better place to take your morning cup of coffee before the start of the hectic day and a great place to unwind at the end.
Kathe
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