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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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Ok, I feel silly asking SO many questions but I have never been on a cruise so I have no idea what to expect.
I was wondering what I should budget for onboard spending. I have fixed expenses like shore excursions, tipping (plus extra for wonderful service) and hotel stay for the night before already planned out. What's a good "ball park" figure for spending on the ship???
We are going on a 4 night with our 13 year old DD. My husband and I are hoping to book the champagne brunch in Palo. We aren't big drinkers, but we do like to have maybe a beer at dinner. Any other expenses that we may have?? What do you budget for just onboard spending?
What's great about a DCL cruise is that pretty much everything is included. There are just a couple of things you'll want to budget for it you decided to use/ buy them:
the Internet
bottles of water
soda from room service (soda if free at meals and on deck 9)
alcohol
Palo dinners or brunches
excursions
photos from Shutters
souvenirs
spa
Coffee and pastries from the coffee shop (forgot the name)
Some juices from room service
How much you spend on the ship really comes down to how much you are willing to spend on some of these "extras". I would estimate what you intend to spend on these "extras" and include a little more.
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Last edited by Disneydiana; 05-12-2010 at 03:26 PM..
At home, believe it or not, I'm not a big drinker either (DH is another story! ), but when we were on the Wonder last year, it seems those "boat drinks" kept calling my name! In fact, as we were leaving CC, I stopped for one last slushie concoction, and they were selling them 2-for-1. And DH doesn't like "girlie" drinks. So there I was walking (yep, still walking) onto the ship w/ one in each hand! (*Sigh*, what a great cruise!)
So my point is, budget a little extra for those adult beverages - they're 'way more tempting on the boat than they are at home. Then if you don't spend it, you can use it on photos or something else.
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Pat (a.k.a., PFlamingo) "We are the people our parents warned us about."
At home, believe it or not, I'm not a big drinker either (DH is another story! ), but when we were on the Wonder last year, it seems those "boat drinks" kept calling my name! In fact, as we were leaving CC, I stopped for one last slushie concoction, and they were selling them 2-for-1. And DH doesn't like "girlie" drinks. So there I was walking (yep, still walking) onto the ship w/ one in each hand! (*Sigh*, what a great cruise!)
So my point is, budget a little extra for those adult beverages - they're 'way more tempting on the boat than they are at home. Then if you don't spend it, you can use it on photos or something else.
LOL!!!!!! I was kinda thinking the same thing. I love "girlie" drinks! How much do those cost??????
The drink of the day is usually about $6 or $7 if I recall right.
Disney is one of the few ships that allows you to bring on your own alcohol (it needs to be in your carry-on bag) so you can save some by bringing on your own beer or wine. That doesn't give you the "girlie-drink" fix, though! lol
The other expense is SPA treatments, sigh....I can't take a cruise without at least one spa service - even if it's just a manicure or pedicure. Prices for any spa things are on the DCL website.
The drink of the day is usually about $6 or $7 if I recall right.
Disney is one of the few ships that allows you to bring on your own alcohol (it needs to be in your carry-on bag) so you can save some by bringing on your own beer or wine. That doesn't give you the "girlie-drink" fix, though! lol
Yeh, we dragged all sorts of stuff w/ us, but b/w the soda station and the "boat drinks" we ended up not consuming much of it. The drinks were pretty cheap, compared to some places I've been. We might've paid $8 for a call-brand martini (DH loves his Bombay Sapphire!). I don't think I'll bother to bring booze w/ us next time, except maybe some champagne.
We also got passes for the Rainforest for the length of the cruise. Last October it was $15 per day. Loved those heated lounge chairs and the showers! Took a couple of great naps on the loungers. That was well worth the money!
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Pat (a.k.a., PFlamingo) "We are the people our parents warned us about."
Souvaniers are going to be a bigger part of your budget than you think they are, too. Same with photos! Especially if it is a first cruise.
Are they charging for pastries at Cove Cafe now? I know they charge for the coffee drinks, but as I recall the pastries were included. At least as of my list cruise.
Be prepared for spending money on pictures at Shutters. On our first cruise I over spent on pictures. They turned out so well, I just couldn't stop buying!
I will be cutting back next time. It all depends on what you want to spend. We don't regret spending a dime on our last cruise, we will just do it differently next time. Have fun!!!
Are they charging for pastries at Cove Cafe now? I know they charge for the coffee drinks, but as I recall the pastries were included. At least as of my list cruise.
Those snacks are always likely to be free in Cove Cafe. I consider them to be the equivalent of peanuts and pretzels at a tavern. You've gotta wash those baked goods down with something.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
If you want to somewhat budget, you can prepay tips, photos and water or beer. I also put money on account before I went so that it wouldn't be such sticker shock at the end of the cruise. I think I ended up charging forty dollars over what I had prepaid. Have fun planning. E
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Great tips everyone! Yes, I think my DD will not be getting charging privileges. I can only imagine the bill between smoothies and the arcade! Is there a way to set a daily limit?? I hate to think of her out with her new cruise friends and they all decide to get a smoothie.....and there's my DD....out in the cold
Has anyone here had any spa treatments on their previous cruise?? What do you recommend?
I think we will probably be buying pictures, as someone stated, this is our first cruise so I can only imagine I'll walk off the ship with a stack! Is it better to purchase the picture package ahead of time or is there really no difference in the price?
Has anyone here had any spa treatments on their previous cruise?? What do you recommend?
I've had mani/pedi, massage, facial, and even the seaweed body wrap. Loved them all!
We are doing a villa treatment on our cruise next month (SO glad to finally be able to say that!).
And love just spending time in the rainforest - heated tile lounge chairs, ahhhhhhhh.
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), but when we were on the Wonder last year, it seems those "boat drinks" kept calling my name! In fact, as we were leaving CC, I stopped for one last slushie concoction, and they were selling them 2-for-1. And DH doesn't like "girlie" drinks. So there I was walking (yep, still walking) onto the ship w/ one in each hand! (*Sigh*, what a great cruise!)
Can't wait!
NYC-Canada Cruise Sept 2012
Is there a way to set a daily limit?? I hate to think of her out with her new cruise friends and they all decide to get a smoothie.....and there's my DD....out in the cold
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