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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Are the AAA discounts on room only or can you get a discount on the MYW package with dining through AAA? I've already booked through Disney, but DH and I were thinking that we may be able to get a better deal through AAA. I am still far enough out that we can cancel with Disney and not loose any money so I'm thinking about it. The only real reason we booked a package (the first time for us...we always book everything separate) is because I really felt like we would save a lot of money with the dining plan. So should we try with AAA?
I just switched my room only reservation to a AAA package with dining and saved $300.00 compared to the Disney travel package I was quoted. It is worth it! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
I found that I saved quite a bit on my AAA package with dining. It was worth it to me. Also, if you get a good agent they will watch out for codes and apply them to your rate. The last time I went I saved over 1500 with them.
That was before MYW and when there seemed to be more discounts though.
You do have to book a package. It may be possible to get just a AAA rate though as well. They also have a little extra's in their packages and a discount card good on discounts in the parks and DTD.
Just keep in mind if you go through AAA - the prices they give you do not include the travel insurance - which Disney gives you automatically unless you tell them not to. I know this for a fact as I recently called AAA for some directions and as I got to talking to the girl, she told me that I could get discounts for Disney. I told her what I had for ressies and she quoted me about 350 less than Disney. When she called Disney to get me the rate, Disney said I had insurance - which they didn't tell me about on the phone - and that I would have to call to change the ressies myself. So I called Disney and I said point blank that I did not ask for the insurance (which is non refundable by the way) but yet I had it anyway and the CM told me "Unless we are told upon making reservations that no insurance is wanted we automatically give it to everyone." Because of what the insurance covers and the various special needs of my family, I decided to keep the insurance. I called back the same girl at AAA and told her that I did not cancel the insurance and her response was "Keeping the insurance changes the cost of the trip. Instead of saving 350, the price difference now is only 60 less." So just be forwarned, you should get exact quotes for everything you want from both Disney and AAA before you decide. The savings may not be as much as you think they might be. Mine were only 60 in the end - not enough difference for me to cancel the ressies that it took almost 1 hour worth of phone conversations with Disney to get right. Good luck with whatever you do however.
Val call Disney back and ask about the AAA price. They can tell you exactly what is available with the AAA discount. It usually saves you 10-20%. It worth a phone call.