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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.
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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.
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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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We are considering doing an Illuminations or Wishes Cruise, but I have a few questions....
* Where do you board the boats for the cruises? Do you have to have park admission? (We are considering doing the cruise after a day at AK, but are trying not to park hop, so if we have to add park hoppers, that might nix the cruise.)
* Do you book the cruise 180 days out or 90 days out?
* Is your credit card charged when you book the cruise or when you actually do the cruise?
* How bad is the smoke during Illuminations? (DH and DD have asthma, so this is a big consideration.)
* Do they supply life jackets for kids? (DS will just be one when we are there, so we aren't sure if it would be safe for him on a boat.)
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Where do you board the boats for the cruises?
for illuminations, at the yacht club marina. for wishes, any of the seven seas resorts.
Do you have to have park admission?
no.
Do you book the cruise 180 days out or 90 days out?
90
Is your credit card charged when you book the cruise or when you actually do the cruise?
the night of. you will leave one on file as security when booking which is charged in full in the event of a noshow.
How bad is the smoke during Illuminations?
haven't had this misfortune but if it's that much of a concern, maybe you ought to not consider the illuminations cruise
Do they supply life jackets for kids?
they should be available. not positive on infants though.
IllumiNations is definitely more 'smokey' than Wishes. On a breezy night, it can really bother my allergies.
Personally, the view of Wishes is a lot better than IllumiNations. For IllumiNations, there are only 4 boats available and they tie up under the International Gateway Bridge which has a slightly limited vantage point. You must call promptly at 90 days out for any chance of booking an IllumiNations boat. A credit card is required to secure the booking but you can pay by any method that night. We also include a tip for our boat driver as they're always full of wonderful stories and comments as you tour around the lake before the fireworks.
There are more boats available for Wishes, which make them easier to book, and you can board from your choice of marinas at the Seven Seas lagoon resorts. We usually combine a Wishes cruise with dinner either at 1900 Park Fare (Grand Floridian) or Whispering Canyon (Wilderness Lodge) and leave from there.
Life jackets are available, even small ones for toddlers. Children under 12 are required to wear one while on board. Have a wonderful time! We love watching the fireworks from the water - it's such a special treat!
__________________
Lynn
Yes, I am a Disney Addict... and I'd rather be cruising!.
Last edited by OffKilter_Lynn; 12-28-2007 at 10:18 AM..
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I think a lot of your questions have already been answered here.
* Where do you board the boats for the cruises? Do you have to have park admission? (We are considering doing the cruise after a day at AK, but are trying not to park hop, so if we have to add park hoppers, that might nix the cruise.)
You don't need park admission for the Illuminations cruise, it's from the marina at the Yacht Club, while we caught our Wishes cruise from the Contemporary.
* Do you book the cruise 180 days out or 90 days out?
It's 90 days out and boy do you need to be quick - they all go at 7am EST.
* Is your credit card charged when you book the cruise or when you actually do the cruise?
When you do the cruise, although you need a card to secure it at the time of booking.
* How bad is the smoke during Illuminations? (DH and DD have asthma, so this is a big consideration.)
It can be bad - it depends which way the wind is blowing. You need to keep an eye on it during the day. The pain is more the bits from the fireworks that can land on you. That's happened to us a couple of times before.
* Do they supply life jackets for kids? (DS will just be one when we are there, so we aren't sure if it would be safe for him on a boat.)
They do indeed and they have to wear them.
Thank you for this information...I have another question....
If you do the Wishes cruise, do you also get to see the Electric Water Pageant? Or is this in a completely different space? Would you be getting out of the boat in an area where you could see the Electric Water Pageant?
Just read some things about this and think it would be cool to see if we were in the area.
Thank you for this information...I have another question....
If you do the Wishes cruise, do you also get to see the Electric Water Pageant? Or is this in a completely different space? Would you be getting out of the boat in an area where you could see the Electric Water Pageant?
Just read some things about this and think it would be cool to see if we were in the area.
We did the Wishes cruise a couple of years ago....boarded at the Poly, no issue with smoke, got an up close view of the Electrical Pageant. I assume life jackets were available, but we didn't wear them. I believe it was booked 90 days out - left CC for guarantee, paid at the marina. Also, since you board well before the fireworks start, we got an extensive tour of of the Seven Seas Lagoon, even traveling over to Wilderness Lodge and the former River Country site before the show began.
Both times we did Wishes cruise we got to watch the EWP. And though we did get a lot of smoke on the Illuminations cruise, I think I liked it better because the Wishes cruise just seemed to far away.. I like the view from Main Street better.
__________________
DVC Members since 2005!
------------------------------------------- Mike
I have done both the IllumiNations and Wishes cruises. We really enjoyed the IllumiNatiions one and had no problem whatsoever with the smoke issue. On the other hand, I thought the Wishes cruise was a waste of money. The view is very much from afar and our boat was not equipped with sound so we couldn't even hear the Wishes accompanying soundtrack. Plus we did not get to see the Electrical Water Pageant from our boat either. I would do the IllumiNations cruise again in a heartbeat but I wouldn't bother with the Wishes one again as you can get an even better view of it from inside the park for free.
Joy
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1968 - Disneyland
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Nope... sorry.... :-( The only items allowed on board are what's initially provided (soda, snacks) or what you set up with private dining.
I was a lifeguard at the Yacht and Beach Club back in the day, and there were some nights with the wind where we would have a ton of smoke at Stormalong Bay
__________________
Been to WDW a million times... was even a Cast Member! Next Trip: March '12
Still thinking of going to the F&W Festival again....
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Well, crud - I just went to the link listed above and the only boat you can get for more than 10 people is the Grand I (at $400 an hour!!) and we have 11 people in our group. Thought it might be a fun thing to do as a big group since we will be separating into a two or three groups during the day and meeting up for dinners.
There are three families so it would have been about $92 per family and that's not bad, but $133 per just for a boat ride is more than any of us will probably want to spend.
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Jennifer / Eeyore is my favorite!! OMG - He's sooooo grown up!!!! And an EAGLE SCOUT!! I can still remember my cute little Tiger Cub! 2016 Reading Goal - 75 books
Well, crud - I just went to the link listed above and the only boat you can get for more than 10 people is the Grand I (at $400 an hour!!) and we have 11 people in our group. Thought it might be a fun thing to do as a big group since we will be separating into a two or three groups during the day and meeting up for dinners.
There are three families so it would have been about $92 per family and that's not bad, but $133 per just for a boat ride is more than any of us will probably want to spend.
If any in your party are children (and you have 11 people) you might be OK. I have seen information that the pontoon boats have a capacity that is also based on total weight (i Think). It may be worth a call to find out, if it is that close for you.
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