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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Does anyone that's back from the West Coast cruise have a report about checking in and boarding?? FIL booked this family trip with AAA for the cruise portion only, so we're on our own for the hotel stay the night before and getting to the port via the hotel shuttle. So any pointers on how to make this go smoothly without DCL's balm would be appreciated! Our first cruise was last summer and we did AAA but all through DCL, so it was a breeze! I'm just fearful that this could potentially be less so....
Thanks!
I am not sure I have the answer but we are taking super shuttle from LAX to the Doubletree at San Pedro. Then staying the night there and taking their free shuttle to the port the next day..
Does anyone that's back from the West Coast cruise have a report about checking in and boarding?? FIL booked this family trip with AAA for the cruise portion only, so we're on our own for the hotel stay the night before and getting to the port via the hotel shuttle. So any pointers on how to make this go smoothly without DCL's balm would be appreciated! Our first cruise was last summer and we did AAA but all through DCL, so it was a breeze! I'm just fearful that this could potentially be less so....
Thanks!
We just sailed on the June 8 sailing. Can you give me more specifics on what info you want if my explanation below doesn't cover it? Where are you staying the night before? I know where doubletree and holiday inn are in relation to the port.
We stayed at Crowne Plaza before cruise. Getting to port was a breeze! We boarded a shuttle about 10:00 and it took us the few blocks to the port. (Night before they told us first shuttle wasn't until 10:30, no reservations, first come first serve. I got to lobby about 9:45 with instructions to DH and kids to arrive at 10:00. At about 9:50, the bell service guy told us the first shuttle arriving from port would arrive about 10:00 and we could take that. So we did!)
Once at the port, they collect your checked bags outside the building. I had DH do this (make sure you have the disney tags on) while I went inside to get in line (just went up an esculator). We were repeat cruisers, so I got in CC line. Other line was near it. Then we checked in and went around a corner to another part of the building. We were in boarding group 4. On other threads, I read they called 1-3 together, but for our sailing they called each number seperately. Before number 4 was called, I waited in line to check my son into Ocean Quest. At 10:30, a band started playing. It was a little loud for me but sure festive!
Group 4 was called at 11:40. I believe number one was called about 11:30. We pretty much walked right on, got our name called and went to get a spa reservation that couldn't be booked online. Then we went to eat at Parrot Cay and checked out Ocean Quest and The Stack, the clubs our kids would be in. We got a pager from Ocean Quest (although DS age 12 NEVER paged us once, ha!) We got into our rooms about 1:45. We tried at 1:30, but weren't allowed into that area yet (there's a rope type thing blocking access to rooms). Some of our bags were already there, so I sent DH and kids away to explore so I could unpack in peace. Our other bags arrived shortly. They just leave them outside your room.
Let me know if you have any other questions about this or anything else!
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Our first cruise was last summer and we did AAA but all through DCL, so it was a breeze! I'm just fearful that this could potentially be less so....
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Pixie Dust
Our other bags arrived shortly. They just leave them outside your room.
Michelle
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