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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Hey, we just returned from a WDW trip and are already planning a DCL trip in 2009. Am I correct in thinking that we will need passports for all of us (including our DS who will be 12 when we go)?? Just thought of this as I was reading another post.
Jennifer
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Jennifer / Eeyore is my favorite!!
OMG - He's sooooo grown up!!!! And an EAGLE SCOUT!! I can still remember my cute little Tiger Cub! 2016 Reading Goal - 75 books
Good question. I just read this today in the newspaper New passport rules are about to get even stricter - USATODAY.com which says by January 31, 2008, anyone entering by small boat or land will need one, but cruiseline passengers are exempt. Not sure what it's going to be for 2009 since it seems to change every other month
I think to be safe I would get them Adults are good for 10 years and not sure about 12 years old but it would be at least 5 years. I know its quite an expense but eventually they will get it set up and rather then rush to get them later take the time now and if they take a while to get to you then it isn't a huge concern.
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Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust! Studying Hard to Make a Difference!
I think to be safe I would get them Adults are good for 10 years and not sure about 12 years old but it would be at least 5 years. I know its quite an expense but eventually they will get it set up and rather then rush to get them later take the time now and if they take a while to get to you then it isn't a huge concern.
I second that motion!
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Sharon - Kitty and me
2013 Scrapbook pages count: 631 / 350
2014 Scrapbook pages count: 60 / 250
12 year olds have the same requirements for Passports as adults. Marnie is correct that they keep changing the rules, however I recommend getting Passports to all my clients. Think of it as an insurance policy. Should someone get sick while on an island or an emergency happen at home you can NOT FLY home with out a passport. Just something to keep in mind.
Last I heard the requirement would kick in "sometime in 2008." So I think it's safe to join in recommending you all get passports. They will be needed eventually, and sooner is better than later, IMO.
You sure don't want to wait until the eleventh hour when there's a rush. Remember what happened earlier this year? It took months to get passports.
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We are going on a cruise on Feb 2 and we were told we had to have a passport for the trip by Disney.
We applied on Nov 26 and got them on Dec 7. It was less than 2 weeks...but I do not think that is the norm. We did not expidite either.
Tara
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February 2008 4-night Disney Wonder Cruise
February 2006 WDW-Pop Century
July 2004 WDW-All-Star Movies
November 1994 Epcot Thanksgiving
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I've heard that passports for travel by sea will be required by summer 2008. We booked a (non-DCL) cruise for October of that year and this was confirmed to me.
Interestingly, I have not heard whether or not this means passports will be stamped. Think about it: when leaving from a US port, (I believe) non-US passports are held. My assumption is, further assuming that this requirement kicks in, it would be easier for the cruise line to collect ALL passports, and then stamp them, or not stamp them. But I was told today that this one cruise line will just scan them and not hold them.
Things may change in the next year, of course, and I'm awaiting confirmation from the cruise line whether or not they'll stamp my passport. I'll plan on asking the purser anyway, or finding the customs office at the ports I go to.
BTW, for those booked on DCL cruises which include Tortola, there is an office there that will stamp passports for US citizens.
Oh, and while they may seem expensive - adult is $97 - let's put it this way. It breaks down to $10 a year for 10 years. What does it cost to renew a driver's license yearly? One can pay for a passport by giving up buying a pizza pie once a year for ten years....
Not aimed at anyone here. I'm just get fed up when I see people complain about the price of a passport. It's a small cost compared to the price of one's trip - unless one is taking one of the ferries to Bahamas - and I'm sure there have been souvenir and bar bills much more than the cost of a passport. Don't want to pay, then don't go on vacation.
Passports are "10 years" for anyone over 16, "5 years" for anyone under 16, as of the day of application.
Note the quotes. Most countries require that passports be valid for at least 6 months from the date of arrival.
Yes, passports will be required for all travelers by mid 2008. Yes, the lead time has been reduced dramatically, yes, there is something called the PASS card that will be valid for travel in N. American and the Caribbean. No, the plans for it have not been released.
Most cruise lines have been "recommending" to "strongly recommending" passports for about a year, now.