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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Okay - I'm hooked on cruising now. Wish I had thought to save some deposit money for another cruise so I could have booked while on board!!
My hubby and I want to cruise on the Fantasy in May 2013. Since it will just be the 2 of us I am thinking of booking the concierge deluxe oceanview family stateroom with verandah.
Can anyone tell me how "worth it" it is to upgrade to concierge level?
I wish I could. I've seen the Concierge rooms on the Dream (I should get more photos up online), but have not lived the life. Overall, the Concierge version of the Deluxe Oceanview Family Stateroom with Verandah is decorated in a more opulent manner (different wood finishes, etc.), but the basic features of the rooms are little different. You'll have access to the Concierge Lounge and the private concierge sun deck (a frosted glass-enclosed area on the big deck 13 fwd sun deck). Concierge check-in and boarding lounge in Port Canaveral (another frosted glass-enclosed area). On the Dream and Fantasy, the concierge decks are gated, with card key access (not so on the Magic and Wonder, where it's just plain ol' deck 8). 120 day advanced booking privileges, concierge staff to attend to your needs...
Concierge benefits in general seem over-priced from my perspective. Part of the cost-benefit is restricted access - not something I need, but certainly an issue for some VIPs. On a ship, there's already so much "free" food that the in-stateroom fruit baskets and food in the lounge are just a small convenience - I can call room service and have a fair amount of goodies in a regular room, too, at no extra charge. I'm Platinum Castaway, so I already have the 120-day booking window.
But I've certainly enjoyed my times in hotel concierge levels. The clubby atmosphere, the staff attention, the convenient food and drink... it all contributes a relaxing, luxurious feeling. I sure wouldn't mind doing it from time to time as a treat, but not as a regular thing. Maybe I'd feel differently if I had more disposable income. Like they say, "If you have to ask, you can't afford it."
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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 stayed in concierge once (on the Magic) when we upgraded at the port, and loved it! Would I book it though upfront? Probably not. The extra attention we received was certainly nice, and we enjoyed the private party (that is given on the Magic and Wonder since they do not have the lounge), but we cannot justify the cost to book upfront. We would certainly check again to see if it's available at check-in and if the price is right we would jump on it again, but if it's not there would be no disappointment from us.
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