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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Hi All
Question we booked a GAR room. How far in advance do we know what room we will have. We about 90days from sailing. I have heard we don't find out until a month before we sail. I have also heard it can change and be different when you check in at the port. Any thoughts??
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You will "know" when you get your docs. You may find out about 60 days out if you check your reservation on line. Of course, having said this, none of it will come true. Yes, you could quite possibly have a change right up to about 3 days before departure.
I read this earlier and don't know what a GAR room is either. On our first and upcoming cruise next year, we chose our stateroom when we booked. I even made a request for a room for next year and was able to get it.
A guaranted room is when you book a room in a category, but they don't have any rooms available for assignment in that category. You are guaranteed a room in that category or BETTER. For example if you book a guaranteed category 11 you could get anything from a category 11 on up. They do this to fill the ship. There may be rooms available at higher categories, but they would rather sell them at the higher prices. They don't tell you your room number until soon before you sail. If there are cancellations in the guaranteed category you may only get that category, but if they have availability in higher categories you may get upgraded.
but if they have availability in higher categories you may get upgraded.
But still pay the lower category price, correct? So, we won't get it automatically since we chose our stateroom, but someone else could choose to "gamble" on getting a better one at a lower price (as long as they knew they could live with the lowest one they choose).
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But still pay the lower category price, correct? So, we won't get it automatically since we chose our stateroom, but someone else could choose to "gamble" on getting a better one at a lower price (as long as they knew they could live with the lowest one they choose).
Yes you would still pay the lower price. Everyone has the same chance of being upgraded, whether you have a GTY room or a room assignment right from the start - the "upgrade fairy" doesn't favor one over the other. Also, the only time you can book GTY (with the exception of Cat 12 which always books GTY) is when DCL has reached a certin threshold for rooms in that particular category.
__________________
Lorri
WBTA Repo 9/2010, DL (HoJo's & PP) and EB PC Repo 8/2008, BVP 5/2007, Land(AKL)/Sea(Wonder) 12/2006, POP 4/2004, POR 12/2002, ASMo 12/2001, ASMo 10/1999, Offsite (Honeymoon) 10/1992
And, frequently a GTY is less expensive than a selected room. Mainly because you can select a good room, versus being assigned a c*** room. But if you book an 11 GTY and get a c*** 8, I think you won't complain very long. BUT: NEVER BOOK A CATEGORY LOWER THAN YOU ARE WILLING TO ACCEPT. Hints: The "older" your guarantee booking, the better your chance of being upgraded. The higher your category, the better your chance of being upgraded. For instance, cat 6s are actually a hard sell. But cat 8s do quite well. So if they can take your $999 8 and sell it to someone for $1299 and put you in a cat 6 that just isn't moving, they make money. Top and bottom sell out fastest.
We have a Category 11 GTY for the 5 night Special Cruise on the Magic. Some of the people on that cruise have recently had their room numbers assign. I am not bothered where I am. I would sleep in a life boat if that was the only way to get on that cruise. We tried to book this in November and it was fully booked. At the beginning of May I found out that some space had opened up again. I have to say though that I can't wait to get my room assignment. I can't believe I am really going until I have a number.
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