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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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I have not been on this section of the boards before and was wondering, are there some good ways or good places to go to beat the costs of fare for the Disney Cruises? I am pretty good at finding a great price for the theme parks and have good success in finding much lower costs on other cruise lines but disney's is so much more than others (making it a bit too costly for my family sometimes) and i would like to find the best possible prices. I am not doubting it is worth it, but would like to save some money. any advice would be helpful. Also does anyone recommend the land/sea cruise, the cruise only, or what. we are a family of four and sometimes six(don't ask) and hope to go in the next year or two.
thanks guys
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The best price can usually be found by booking as soon as rates are released, especially for summer or holiday sailings. The rates will only go up after that. There are times of the year that they may offer "Magical Sailing Rates" that can be lower than initially published in order to increase bookings. These rates are usually for last-minute sailings or for slower times of the year (like September which can be hurricane season or January - February when the weather isn't as spectacular).
Disney cruises are very popular and they only have two ships. There isn't much of a reason for them to discount prices in order to fill a ship (versus say, Carnival, which has a huge fleet and thousands more staterooms to try and fill).
The land/sea versus cruise-only can depend on your situation and the type of vacation you're looking for. If you haven't done WDW then the land/sea is a great way to experience both. Experienced 'park hoppers' can skip the WDW part and focus on the new experience of a cruise. Either way, for first-time cruisers I recommend a 4-night cruise to 'get your feet wet'. A 7-night can be overwhelming to new cruisers and the 3-night goes so fast.
So for best savings, book ahead! A $200 per person deposit (on a 3 or 4 night / $250 for 7 night) will lock-in the price when first released and you will have more than a year to make payments. The rates you may be looking at now may have already increased.
Yes, it isn't cheap - although their pricing is comparable to RCL or NCL for the type and level of service that DCL offers. Staterooms are spacious and beautiful, food is good and the service excellent. Their children's programs are the best (as reported by my children!) and Castaway Cay can't be beat. Another DCL extra is the beverage station on deck for unlimited sodas - other cruise lines charge for sodas (or beverage packages).
There really is a 'Disney difference' on the cruise! What Disney does so well on land translates beautifully to the sea.
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Lynn
Yes, I am a Disney Addict... and I'd rather be cruising!.
Another way to try to save money on Disney Cruises is that some Travel Agencies have group rates on certain sailings. This allows them to offer you the group price based on when they started the group. This can sometimes save you a lot of money. However- even with group rates you must book ahead because group rates can only be held so long by the travel agencies.
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If you do decide on a combination parks/cruise vacation, keep in mind that you don't need to book it as a Land/Sea package. You can arrange the land portion separately, which can save money if you're savvy at finding deals at Walt Disney World.
That has several advantages beyond pure dollars -- you can book at any resort regardless of your stateroom category (and regardless of which resorts are even options on the package); you can stay for as many or as few days as you want; and you can purchase the dining plan, which, last I heard, wasn't possible with a Land/Sea package.
If you have AAA you should see what rate they can give you. Both cruises I took I was able to save $$ by booking through AAA. I also got a stateroom credit from AAA in addition to saving off the price. You can also get a stateroom credit if you book with a Disney Visa.
A further note about shopping among travel agents for group rates. Generally, these rates are no better than the rates that prevailed for the public *at the time the agency made the group booking.* This gives you a chance to roll back the clock, if you will, by not having to book quite as early, yet still take advantage of early booking rates. You just have to hunt around to find the best deal, because different agencies book groups at different times and at different rates. No one agency has an inside track on better rates, but the bigger agencies can afford to put down the necessary deposits with Disney far more frequently.
If you're a Costco member, check Costco Travel. They're reputed to have some good rates. I'm not sure what technique they use to get those rates, but they're certainly big enough to book group space on every sailing if they wanted to.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
We aren't planning on cruising until 2010 but it can't hurt to start thinking of ways to get the best price!
You are SO right, Christine. AS you have noticed from the posts - you really can't paln too early. Get an idea in mind of what cruise/cruise dates you may be interested in and when DCL releases those dates; pounce!
This may be funny, but do you already have a DCL Passporter? That is a great way to help you plan (and spend time waiting for rates/dates).
You are SO right, Christine. AS you have noticed from the posts - you really can't paln too early. Get an idea in mind of what cruise/cruise dates you may be interested in and when DCL releases those dates; pounce!
This may be funny, but do you already have a DCL Passporter? That is a great way to help you plan (and spend time waiting for rates/dates).
I'm trying to pace myself. We are traveling to WDW in December for our first "big" family vacation (in the past we've stayed w/ MIL) and I am following up w/ a mom and me trip for dd in July of 2008. After I come back from that trip... then I am going to let myself start planning the cruise!
Dh and I have been on four cruises (Celebrity and then three on Carnival) and dd was on the the last three. We were married while on our Celebrity cruise. 2010 will be our 10th anniversary so we are going to take a family cruise on DCL to celebrate. Dd will be 9yo and ds will be 4yo... we don't want to cruise until ds can partake of the kid's clubs, etc.
I am with you on the long term planning. My family always thought I was crazy to have a plan in place for vacations one and two years ahead (before even going on the next one). Thankfully, I gave my sister the traveling bug and now we have another planner in the family.
Find a good TA. Talk about dates, itineraries and stateroom categories. Get him/her cued in on your needs and wants. Then, when the rates come out, you're first one on the boat. Of course, as the time gets close, there will always be rumors about special ITNs, so watch out for that, too. "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition"!
I've booked our next cruise through Costco. They have the same fare but gives you a Costco gift card when you come back form the cruise and their vacation insurance was cheaper than Disney's. For our 4 nighter I'm getting a $125 card. Then when you are on the ship, book onboard to get the discount!
Good luck!
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