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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Hey everyone....so I am planning on going on my first cruise in March of 2014. I have never been on a cruise before and I'm bummed it's not the Disney Cruise Line I'm going on Royal Caribbean on the Freedom of the Seas(Balcony cabin). I have Spina Bifida and I use a wheelchair full-time. I have been on over 15 WDW trips and one DL trip so I'm a well experienced traveller but I have NO idea what to expect. Does anyone have any advice, tips etc. for me? I appreciate any insight you all might have!!
First, Congrats! I have never been on a cruise & it is on my "Bucket List"
Have you talked to the cruise people & let them know your needs? That would be my first suggestion. Make sure your room is accessible. Check their web page for any info too.
I bet we have members that have actually been on a cruise & will be more helpful..
Have a wonderful time!
Hi, Tara! I use a small scooter and have cruised with DCL several times. I have no experience with other cruise lines, so things may be different for you. I suggest going to cruisecritic.com if you haven't already, and go to the discussion forum for your ship. There will be people there who can answer specifics for you.
The DCL ships are fully accessible, but they do have challenges. The big one is the small size of the elevators! My scooter is small enough to drive in and turn around, and you can probably do this with your chair as well. The problem is that there are 4 or 5 elevators mid-ship, forward and aft and the doors didn't stay open long enough for me to make it to the far end if that's the one that opened. Combine that with the fact that, as you know, we're often invisible to the human eye, so people would crowd into the elevator ahead of me. It wasn't a huge deal, because I could usually find some nice people who were more than happy to hold the doors for me, but it was irritating to have to deal with this every time I wanted to change decks! The other minor irritation was that not all the doors to the outside decks had push-button openings and the doors were very heavy. I soon learned which doors to head for, but, again, irritating to deal with. I might not even have noticed this if I hadn't been traveling solo and had someone who could open the doors. The other issue is that maneuvering spaces, especially in the dining rooms, are tight. On DCL my servers were wonderful and I had no issues. At the buffet lines there was always a crew member ready to take my tray and find me a seat.
The other thing worth mentioning is the problems you might encounter with finding accessible excursions at the ports-of-call. This is something that the cruisecritic boards can help with. DCL lists which excursions are accessible, but always check if they REALLY mean accessible. They may say accessible if the bus you'll be on has a lift, but when you get to the site there may be a sandy or rocky pathway that is NOT do-able. Also check that your ship will dock right at a wharf. If you have to get on a smaller boat to get to land, you may not be able to go ashore. This is not a big problem, as I LOVE a day on the ship with most everyone ashore-- the meals will continue to be served, and there will still be activities, movies, etc on board. Check with cruisecritics or the cruise line about the accessibility of the pools.
I absolutely love cruising and hope you have a fantastic time! Freedom of the Seas is so large that the issues I've mentioned may turn out to be not issues at all. Please report back and let us know how it goes. I'd love to know how other cruise lines compare. Please ask if there are things you're wondering about that I haven't covered.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
this cruise is being organized by a travel company specializing in people with physical disabilities so they're well aware of my needs as well as the other participants going in the group. My cabin is an accessible balcony cabin so yes it is accessible
this cruise is being organized by a travel company specializing in people with physical disabilities so they're well aware of my needs as well as the other participants going in the group. My cabin is an accessible balcony cabin so yes it is accessible
That's great! I am sure they will have everything all set for you..
thanks Laurie!! I have a manual titanium chair (Tilite) so i'm not too worried about the elevators.....the dining rooms may be a slight issue but i'll have to see when i get on the ship. Cruising is such a foreign concept to me I have NO clue what to expect haha. It blew my mind when I found out room service was included in with my other meals!!! I guess I have a lot to learn haha.
thanks Laurie!! I have a manual titanium chair (Tilite) so i'm not too worried about the elevators.....the dining rooms may be a slight issue but i'll have to see when i get on the ship. Cruising is such a foreign concept to me I have NO clue what to expect haha. It blew my mind when I found out room service was included in with my other meals!!! I guess I have a lot to learn haha.
I hope you'll love it! It never gets old to me that not only is room service "free", but if I feel like a snack-- an ice cream cone, fries, etc-- I can just get it with no charge. And at dinner if you can't decide what to order be careful-- you might just get one of each. And movies are "free", the shows are "free"! A tip: if it works the same on your ship as on DCL, pick up an extra dessert or cookies from the buffet if you're planning on the movie. They have a refreshment stand at the theater, but the things there do cost extra.
We've been on 2 cruises, one DCL and one on QE2 quite a few years back. Our DD Samantha is in a power w/c, but for both of those cruises, we took her manual.
I think the worst part is the carpet! It's THICK. not thick, but THICK!! The public areas are the worst. Other than that, the biggest problem we had was the excursions on our DCL cruise. Let us just say that Adventures by Disney in the Mediterranean does NOT allow w/c, no matter what they tell you on the phone!! Getting out and about on the shore leaves was an issue then, but you should have no problem with it being on a trip organized for people with special needs. Our QE2 trip was trans-Atlantic, so it didn't matter, as there were no ports!
Have a wonderful time, prepare for what you can, and more importantly: pack a giant sense of humor!
We've been on 2 cruises, one DCL and one on QE2 quite a few years back. Our DD Samantha is in a power w/c, but for both of those cruises, we took her manual.
I think the worst part is the carpet! It's THICK. not thick, but THICK!! The public areas are the worst. Other than that, the biggest problem we had was the excursions on our DCL cruise. Let us just say that Adventures by Disney in the Mediterranean does NOT allow w/c, no matter what they tell you on the phone!! Getting out and about on the shore leaves was an issue then, but you should have no problem with it being on a trip organized for people with special needs. Our QE2 trip was trans-Atlantic, so it didn't matter, as there were no ports!
Have a wonderful time, prepare for what you can, and more importantly: pack a giant sense of humor!
Teresa, sorry to hear about the accessibility problems with AbD. They really need to straighten out their policies on this subject and do a better job of communicating them to the public as well as their own people. I booked a trip with them that I was told would be fine with my scooter and then they cancelled it saying they only had one fully-accessible trip (Backstage Magic in California). I took that tour and there were several places where I had to get out my cane, go up a step or two, while others on the tour carried my scooter. NOT accessible.
yikes!! so sorry about both of your experiences!! i know that this group I'll be going with had a few issues on the last cruise but it was only with a restaurant on one of the islands that had a broken stair lift and one of the excursions (i believe it was swimming with dolphins) claimed it was fully accessible but all the wheelchair users had to have help going down a very steep hill. They had a lot of luck with people at their ports with beaches who were more than happy to help participants get onto the beach and in and out of the water if they needed assistance. As far as cabin size....are the accessible rooms fairly large as well as the bathrooms?
As far as cabin size....are the accessible rooms fairly large as well as the bathrooms?
I can only speak for DCL's concierge cabins. Yes, plenty of room. Most cruise lines have their cabin layouts on-line, and some have the dimensions. You might try calling them, giving them the cabin you've been assigned, and asking what the dimensions are.
I know all too well that places often claim to be "wheel-chair" accessible, when what they really mean is one of two things "we installed hand-holds and thought that meant it was handicapped and therefore w/c accessible" or "we hired some people with no experience in w/c accessibility and no idea how to think about what a w/c user might need to do all the work. They put in a ramp, what else do you want?"
We've been told before that a place is w/c accessible only to find that it is - one you get up the 3 steps in the front! Doesn't work well when DD's power chair is 350+ pounds!
oh yes i've run into that situation way too many times. I've run into the few stairs going into a place and also the bathrooms not being accessible with the doors being the size of a closet door. I even had an issue at Disneyland Hotel and unfortunately they couldn't really resolve it. I went to DL in June 2011 for a Spina Bifida conference being held at the DL Hotel (the cruise I'm going on is for young adults with Spina Bifida). I booked my room in Feb. so there was plenty of time and many accessible rooms available. I called at least 10 or more times to double and triple check I would have an accessible room since my friend and her husband who are also in wheelchairs would be rooming with me and I was assured each time that it was. I have run into issues before at other non-Disney hotels where they ran out of accessible rooms and I was never notified until I checked in even though I had requested one. Even up to the night before I arrived I was assured it was accessible. Well I showed up after a long day of traveling and for some reason they could not explain they had run out of accessible rooms and did not hold one for me. I was at DL for the first time so it was hard to be too upset but I was really bummed because the main issue for me is getting in and out of the bathroom. I ended up having to use the desk chair to transfer in and out of the bathroom from my chair to the toilet. The people working at the hotel apologized and offered me a few fast passes but honestly I was hoping they could have done a little more maybe honored the rate for the conference at PPH or at the Grand Californian. Not being able to get in and out of the bathroom/bathtub safely and easily was a major inconvenience for the 6 days I was there.
About This Page: 
I'm going on Royal Caribbean on the Freedom of the Seas(Balcony cabin). I have Spina Bifida and I use a wheelchair full-time. I have been on over 15 WDW trips and one DL trip so I'm a well experienced traveller but I have NO idea what to expect. Does anyone have any advice, tips etc. for me? I appreciate any insight you all might have!!
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Hybrid Mode
