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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Hello to all. Wow how time has passed. We have had our 4 night cruise booked for over a year now and it's finally only 2 weeks away. Even with over a year to plan, I feel out of it now that its here. I will leading our family group of 9! I have a few questions.
Is there a formal night on the 4 night cruise? I didn't think so but just looked at a recent Navigator and it says Monday night is Formal dress???
I need help making a packing list for my sister and her family.
What time should we arrive at the port? What are the new boarding procedures? I figure we will head for the buffet when we board and then take the kids to the pools. When can the kids got to the kids clubs? I have already booked Palo's and childcare for our 2 year old. Is there anything else I need to do when we board? Can I take a stroller onboard for my 2 year old?
How many swimsuits should we pack? Do we need to pack beach towels? Please someone point me in the right direction so I can pass along the information.
I have really let time get away from me. I almost let them forget to get birth certificates. I know I told them in December but they say I didn't and had to have them rushed and pay $40.00 for each one!! I need to get planning.
My niece has my passporter guide reading all about the cruise.
There is not a formal night on the 4-day. There's a "semi-formal" night, but you'd still be hard pressed to find people in suits, nevermind tuxes (at least on the one we were on)
We arrived at the Port about 10:30. You are given a boarding card for your group after you go thru security and they board the ship in groups of two I believe (we had group 2 and boarded with group 1). We wanted to be on the ship as early as possible to get the most out of the ship (and to explore). We also got the kids' pager and wristbands for the clubs. The kids can visit the club before it set sails (with parents) and you can check them in that night. We had early seating and checked the kids into the club after dinner.
You can bring the stroller for the 2 year old. No problem And we always brought a couple swimsuits, so one was drying while you were wearing another one Didn't bring our towels......there are towels on deck for you to use
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I would not recommend bring towels - its one more thing to keep track of on deck. There are towels on deck and if you take a beach excursion - Disney will supply towels.
It sounds to me like you're pretty much set. The only thing I can think of that you might want to book when you get on board is any spa treatments, which are a really nice treat. I can thoroughly recommend the Tropical Rainforest as well - a very nice way to unwind!
I would pack at least two swimsuits per person if you plan to swim a lot. That way one can be hanging up and drying while you can still swim using the other one. I like my swimming and I took two and that was a really good decision.
Since you are traveling with others - (we were in a group of 8 in 3 staterooms) we found the magnetic dry erase board with a magnetic marker to be a great tool so we could let others in our party know where to find us if needed. (or when we'd be back, etc.)
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And we always brought a couple swimsuits, so one was drying while you were wearing another one 
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