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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Read how some folks make those reservations. But if you have no idea exactly when your luggage will arrive, how can you be CERTAIN you can get dressed up in time for dinner at 6??
1) Your stateroom would certainly be ready before 6pm, and you could carry on a garment bag with a formal set of clothes to change into prior to dinner.
2) You could also make a later reservation (e.g. 8pm) at Palo or Remy, catch the early show, and have time to head back to your room (where your luggage would surely be by then) to change clothes.
3) Are you in a Concierge stateroom? If so, you'd have the option to be among the first passengers to board the ship (and thus so would your luggage), and you get priority luggage delivery to your stateroom, so it's a very good bet that your bags would be available to you in time.
We are eating at Remy on the first night of our upcoming cruise, but our reservation isn't until 7:30pm, and we're in a Royal Suite, so I'm not worried about our having access to luggage by dinner.
Any other ideas, fellow PPers?
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Walt Disney World has become a touchstone for me, a constant in a world where everything changes. Again and again I have come back to this place, grounding myself, communing with all the people I've been.
I agree with the suggestion about carrying on what you would need to wear to dinner the first night. . . just in case.
Another idea is to rent formal wear from cruiselineformalwear.com (I think that is the site) and have your dress clothes waiting for you in your stateroom. While they do rent clothing for both men and women, the last time I looked, only the men's tuxedos and suits were available for Disney ships.
Good luck!
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They are pretty expedient with the luggage but you could always put clothes in a day bag to be extra safe.
The only problem with eating at Palo/Remy the first night is you won't want to go to any of the other restaurants!
They are pretty expedient with the luggage but you could always put clothes in a day bag to be extra safe.
The only problem with eating at Palo/Remy the first night is you won't want to go to any of the other restaurants!
I agree with that sentiment! Going back to MDRs after one or both of the adult restaurants may not be easy. However, I always wind up in a "food coma" by the end of any cruise, even shorter ones, so I like the idea of having my heavier, finer meals on the front end rather than toward the end.
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Walt Disney World has become a touchstone for me, a constant in a world where everything changes. Again and again I have come back to this place, grounding myself, communing with all the people I've been.
Generally, luggage arrives before the safety drill. The only time I can recall my bags arriving later than that was when I'd forgotten to remove a Leatherman tool from my bag after a non-cruise journey. As a banned item (both knife and hand tool), the bag failed x-ray inspection and was sent off for hand-inspection. All the rest of our luggage showed up at a normal time, just that one bag was delayed. Moral of that story? Check the current list of banned items on the DCL web site, and if something falls into a gray area, take it in your carry-on so if you do have to surrender it, it won't delay your luggage.
Of course, there was that time when my bag went to Lisbon and we went to Barcelona. In that case, it was days before the bag finally caught up with the ship.
The best way to defend against this sort of thing isn't to avoid Remy/Palo. Stuff happens (but not very often). Divide your clothing between two bags, so that, even if your most formal items happen to be delayed, you're still likely to have something decent to wear. If your jacket doesn't make it aboard in time, Remy does have some sports jackets to loan out - just be sure you have a nice shirt and slacks in the other bag. And any decent dress would be acceptable, not just the most formal.
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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 ARE in Concierge, so I feel better about the luggage. We'll be "carrying on" enough as it is w/o adding a jacket, dress, etc. I had planned to wear just a sportcoat and slacks--probably as formal as I'm willing to get!!!
And by 8 or so, we're usually ready for bed, so eating late really isn't an option. 6 is actually a bit late for us
So the question: Do we want to do Remy or Palo that first night??? Will have to give it some serious consideration...
And another question: If you do Remy and Palo, do you have to tell someone that you won't be eating at your assigned restaurant that night? So the servers, etc won't be expecting you???
Some folks never consider Palo/Remy on the first night - they want to meet their regular serving team at the start of the cruise, or just want to feel settled in on the ship before doing a special meal. Practically? That can mean a first-night reservation is easier to get. If you don't get to meet your assigned dining room serving team the first night, they'll do all the introductions when you do show up.
No, you don't have to notify your regular dining room. Your seats in the regular dining room are waiting for you every night, regardless of whether you show up. If they needed to, they can easily check whether you're at Palo or Remy - everyone has your stateroom number, after all. But practically speaking? They don't sweat it. I've been on cruises where some of my table mates never came to dinner (they should give a special rate to cruisers who only eat pizza, burgers, and hot dogs ).
Sometimes the servers check the Palo/Remy reservation system just so they know to ask, "How was Remy last night?" vs. "We missed you last night, was everything OK?"
Also, note that you have the same serving team every night in the assigned dining rooms, regardless of which room it is. They will get to know you, and vice verse.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
Dave: Thanks for the information!!
If we do Palo and remy--or rather WHEN we do--we'll make reservations as early as the Concierge business will allow. You might be right tho--maybe that first night would be better just getting in the swing of things and meeting the serving team.
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