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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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As it turns out, we are planning our 1st cruise for January 2012. We are looking at the 4 night Bahama cruise on the Disney Dream. One of the ports is Nassau and I was wondering how many of you participate in the Port Adventures or what other type of activities did you chose while at Nassau??
I am debating on the Atlantis tour but is it worth the money? On the other hand, maybe it would be better to stay on ship to enjoy the activities there with less people who do go into Nassau?
We are planning to enjoy the beach and do water activites at Castaway Cay so if we did do something, I would prefer it to be a different type of activity unless Blue Lagoon is a must see........
I feel we should do something to soak up the sites and culture but just not sure what all out options are and what would be safe. Is there any way to get to the Straw market or some sort of local market which is near by the dock?
Any and all suggestions would be helpful and very much appreciated!!
We are doing the 4 day cruise on the Dream in November and I would also like to read some recomendations for Nassau. We toured Atlantis years ago before DD was born but I don't know if I would do that one again.
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We did the Atlantis tour back in 2006 (basically aquarium). That day it poured rain, and everyone and their mother was in the aquarium! Needless to say, we don't have fond memories of the Atlantis. Next time, we'll stay on the ship!
We were just on the 4 day Bahamian on the Wonder, which stopped in Nassau. We hadn't been there before and decided to go check it out, and we wish we would have stayed on the boat. Unless you are in the market for some VERY expensive jewelry duty free, there really is no reason to get off the boat. It's crowded, not very easy to navigate and we had a terrible experience at Atlantis.
We had never been, so we paid for the cab ride to get there, and were treated SO rudely when we tried to ask questions about the aquariums and water slides, etc. They were incredibly rude and unhelpful and we ended up leaving. It was not a good experience. If you choose to experience Atlantis, please consider doing an excursion that books directly with Disney Cruise Line;I think that might eliminate a lot of potential problems. We were there in November and it was COLD (i'm from Detroit, so I know cold!) So it wasn't worth the arm and a leg they were rudely trying to charge us for the water slides! If there is something SPECIFIC your family would like to experience I would look for an excursion, through DCL that will allow you that opportunity. If not...stay on-board!
I too have to second (and third) what others have posted. I have been off the boat 1 time in Nassau and found it to be not worth the time. I am not much of a shopper (having 2 young sons who are not interested in duty free deals assists with this!). I would much rather see the sights on the boat, which in my opinion ends all too soon no matter how long you cruise.
Good luck with your planning.
I too would choose to stay onboard. We went on a 4 night cruise in Jan and we walked to the straw market. It's an easy walk. It was crowded and vendors were aggressively selling. We didn't end up buying anything there. My mom ended up taking the kids back to the ship. My sister and I went to look at the jewelry but nothing interested us at all. I feel that Nassau was a waste for us.
My sister and her husband and kids ended up going to Atlantis. They said it was pretty and all but unless you do some sort of package it is just not worth it.
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Thanks everyone!! That is what I sort of expected to hear........unfortuanately. I think we will probably just stick to the Dream unless we decided to take a little walk just to get off the ship!!! Seems none of the port adventures interested us much and the one that might costs an arm and a leg!! Consider your advice well taken!!
I've been to Nassau twice. Once we walked around a bit and went to the straw market. It was nice to be able to say that I did it, but not an experience that I feel any need to repeat. On my second cruise we did the dolphin swim at Blue Lagoon and LOVED it! Yes, it was expensive... but it was a once in a lifetime experience, and we thought it was well worth the money. It was sooooo fun, and then we stayed and relaxed at their nice beach all afternoon.
I just read a great article on this site in the Cruise section about Geocaching. Have any of you done this before? Sounds fun and something that we may look into for our Nassau port stop. It would get us on land to see some of the sites but still allow us the flexibility to return to the ship when we want. There is a link to the website in the article and I believe I am going to look into it.......it may become a new hobby!!
We did a walking tour of Nassua on our own (found it in a guidebook I have), and that was OK - got up to a hill/tower and got some great pics of the Magic in port. But as others have said, the straw market has some pretty agressive vendors, and while a lot of that stuff looks great while you're on vacation, when you get home you often wonder why you bought it!
We're doing B2B in August, and do plan on doing Atlantis on the first cruise, but staying on the ship the second time through Nassau. I have points with Choice Hotels, and have heard you can book a room at the Comfort Suites there, and it will give you admission to Atlantis. I have enough points for a free room, so that's what I am hoping to do.
We did a walking tour of Nassua on our own (found it in a guidebook I have), and that was OK - got up to a hill/tower and got some great pics of the Magic in port. But as others have said, the straw market has some pretty agressive vendors, and while a lot of that stuff looks great while you're on vacation, when you get home you often wonder why you bought it!
We're doing B2B in August, and do plan on doing Atlantis on the first cruise, but staying on the ship the second time through Nassau. I have points with Choice Hotels, and have heard you can book a room at the Comfort Suites there, and it will give you admission to Atlantis. I have enough points for a free room, so that's what I am hoping to do.
when in aug were doing aug 12th and 16th
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Stay on ship or visit Blue Lagoon Island in Nassau??
Trying to decide whether we want to get off the ship in Nassau or not and do the Blue Lagoon Island dolphin encounter...anyone have any advice? We are doing the 5 night Bahama Cruise on the DREAM in June......thanks!