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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I think I have decided that I'll try this tour this summer. I know some of you have taken it, and told me lots about it, is there anything else I need to know? (I'm taking it solo)
i've only heard good things about it, but it almost seems a waste for only 3 1/2 hours when you can just go to discovery cove for a 'little' more money, spend 90 minutes actually swimming with the dolphins and spend the rest of the day snorkeling in the coral reefs and whatnot.
for an educational program, it seems pretty costly. just my ignorant $.02.
We did Dolphins in Depth 2 years ago and while Discovery Cove might be a better value for the $$$ (I definitely want to go there someday!), I can highly recommend Dolphins in Depth, even though it is somewhat pricey. We had a great time on this tour - it was one of the highlights of our trip. I wouldn't spend the money to do it again since we have already done it once, but it was definitely worth it for the one-time experience. You get to see behind the scenes places at The Living Seas that you would never get to see otherwise. If you want to do this tour, I can give you a hearty and say go for it!
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i've only heard good things about it, but it almost seems a waste for only 3 1/2 hours when you can just go to discovery cove for a 'little' more money, spend 90 minutes actually swimming with the dolphins and spend the rest of the day snorkeling in the coral reefs and whatnot.
I've never done the tour, but Discovery Cove is a very cool experience if can swing the $$
for an educational program, it seems pretty costly. just my ignorant $.02.
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And just so you know, if you are under 18 a parent needs to go on the tour with you.
Maybe I'll look into Dolphins In Depth.
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I thought I had also read that there was a minimum age regardless of adult presence? We were looking at Discovery Cove in Nov. for my DD's birthday, but the cost for 4 is very close to $1000! While it does look wonderful, I really did not want to "waste" (not the right word!!) an entire day of our vacation on this. We are really only interested in the dolphins experience.
Anyone know if there is a minimum age on Dolphins in Depth?
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i've only heard good things about it, but it almost seems a waste for only 3 1/2 hours when you can just go to discovery cove for a 'little' more money, spend 90 minutes actually swimming with the dolphins and spend the rest of the day snorkeling in the coral reefs and whatnot.
for an educational program, it seems pretty costly. just my ignorant $.02.
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I can't comment on the Discovery cove experience because I've never participated in it but I suspect that you're mostly just allowed to swim where the dolphins are and I don't know how much actual dolphin interaction occurs. However, I can comment on Dolphins in Depth as I have done this before and loved every minute of it. First off, the cost issue: it does cost about $150 but that includes a Dolphins in Depth t-shirt, a photo of you "holding" a dolphin, an informational package and some snacks and beverages. Although the cost is definitely not cheap, what I was thrilled to learn was that every cent of the profits from Dolphins in Depth goes to dolphin rescue and rehab - Disney doesn't keep a penny of it.
I think what makes Dolphins in Depth unique is that you actually learn a lot about dolphins. You spend some time in a classroom first learning all about dolphin anatomy (mostly so you'll know where and where not to touch them), dolphin behaviours and the research projects Disney is doing with Dolphins. Then you learn some of the basic hand signals and watch a training session up close and personal. Then it's time to don your wet suit and get into the tank with the dolphins. I would estimate that we spent about a half an hour with these amazing creatures but it's mostly real quality time as Disney keeps the groups very small (eight people in ours) and then splits them into two with one dolphin and one trainer for each group. Here's where you get to apply what you've learned by using the hand signals. And of course, my favorite part, quite a bit of time spent just petting and handling the dolphins themselves. Words can't describe how moving it is to have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interact with these amazing animals. I heartily recommend this experience to anyone.
Birnbaum's guidebook has a coupon in the back for 15% off Dolphins in Depth and also 15% off for Epcot Dive Quest. If you aren't interested in buying the book, I would be glad to mail you the coupon(s). They are good until 12-31-05. Just PM me if you want one or both.
Discovery Cove is a blast! Guests are separated into 6 groups, 8 per group, for each available time. You arrive and get your dolphin swim time. At the specified time, you meet in the assigned cabana hut to watch a very short video on dolphins. Then, you go out to the water where you will meet your dolphin and learn about their anatomy. You will be able to pet, feed, and kiss the dolphin several times. They also put you in a circle and have the dolphin swim around very close to your circle. You will be allowed to choose from a shallow water dolphin swim or a deep water swim. They are both the same length, but if you are not comfortable treading water in the deep, I suggest you go for the shallow. You hold the dorsal fin and the pectoral fin (top and side) and the dolphin pulls you through the water. It is amazing. They are so powerful, but you won't fall off by losing your grip. Then, they will teach you commands and you will help the trainers give the dolphins tricks to do. Finally, all the dolphins will group up and do jumps and tricks together.
The video is expensive, but I highly recommend buying it. The experience is amazing, but goes by so fast. The swim time in the water is about 20-30 minutes, I think. Watching it once in awhile is so nice, especially when you are so caught up in the moment that you seem to forget what happened.
I haven't been able to do Dolphins in Depth yet, but I hope to soon. I think if you only have a few hours, Dolphins in Depth would be very nice. If you can devote a full day, Discovery Cove is an amazing and very personal experience you will never forget.
I have been fortunate to work with dolphins in the wild. Anyone who has an opportunity to get up close and personal with these animals should go for it. Especially when it can raise our awareness and benefit the animals as a species. So many of them are in trouble these days what with fishing methods and pollution and sonar... The more we learn about them, the more we can help!
I will most likely go and meet the dolphins at Epcot in December and make my $150.00 donation to the cause!
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