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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Has anyone had the opportunity to rent a cabana at Aquatica? I was thinking about renting one for our August trip, but they price seems a bit steep. Is is worth an extra $175.00 for the day?
I think they're nuts. I have a room at The Hard Rock for $207. So $175 seems a bit crazy just for day use of a cabana. That's more than alot of hotels. So, no, I really don't think it's worth it.
We live in a resort community here and the folks who are renting across the street from us who have been here for a week (and still have a week to go) told me a few nights ago that Aquatica was their favorite water park thus far (I think they went to that and TL, BB)- and that they plunked down the $$ for the cabana. The husband wasn't sure if it was worth the $$ but I can tell you his wife said it was worth every penny, especially since the park closed due to capacity shortly after they arrived. She mentioned there being a fridge with all kinds of drinks and stuff in it but didn't tell me much more than that.
Personally, I'm not sure I could do it but then again, that kind of privacy among the masses would be quite nice.
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We rented one in March and I recall it being only $150. We also rented one at Adventure Island in Tampa. Pricey, yes, worth it, yes. At both parks they're located near the wave pools off on their own so they're a little private. They have canvas sides which can be opened or left closed. You can fully enclose it to change in. Check the website for the complete of amenities but as I remember we had a couple of lounges and low pool chairs, there was a fan, a fridge w/bottled water and sodas (12 total I think), a towels, Panama Jack sunscreen samples, and access to a locker. You can order lunch from a menu and it's delivered to you in a cute picnic basket (order early, it takes a while), you can get your lunch from one of the restaurants and bring it back to your cabana, buy beers and keep them cold in the fridge. If you think you're interested book it on line as you might arrive to find them all sold. Adventure Island just put them in, 4 total, and each day we went, we got one upon arrival but all 4 were sold by mid morning. Aquatica has twice as many so you might have better luck taking your chances upon arrival if you're not sure about it. There's someone monitoring the area by the cabana so only cabanas folks can come into the area which is nice. At Adventure Island you're given a wristband for entry into the area. I can't remember that being done at Aquatica but the park had just opened and they might do it now. We'll be going to one if not both of these parks again next year and will get cabanas again.