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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We are planning to rebook for next February while on our cruise this April. We are concerned that the seas are rougher at that time of year, the water is a bit colder and the weather can be so so. I know that can happen anytime of the year but I am wondering if it is more likely at that time of year. Any personal experiences are greatly appreciated !
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The Faletras
Last edited by Belle*; 03-25-2013 at 09:41 AM..
Reason: newsletter03282013
That can be true for your stop at Castaway Cay, a bit less so for Key West, and the time you spend in the Atlantic (your at sea days on the Eastern, plus the time spent going down/up the Florida coast on both Eastern and Western), but once you're in the Caribbean the temperature swing between summer and winter is 5-7 degrees.
The chance of a North Atlantic winter storm kicking up waves once you're in the Caribbean? Far lower than the chances of a hurricane affecting things in summer. Here's a surf chart that shows wave height by month for 7-Mile Beach on Grand Cayman.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
We just did a Bahamian cruise at the end of Feb/beginning of March. It was very chilly in Nassau and at Castaway Cay. The waters were very choppy on our CC day (I think we were lucky they didn't start picking up until after we had docked), and pretty much all water excursions were cancelled. We still rented bikes and rode around the island, and honestly had a great day, but it was COLD. Now, it didn't keep our boys out of the pools on the ship, but next year we are planning to go in April so we can enjoy some warmer weather.
I was on my 2nd cruise on The Wonder Feb 22-25, 2013.
Miami, Key West, Nassau and CC were in the 80's.
CC was a bit cooler, Our excursion for the stingrays were eventually cancelled for the day. The water temperature at CC was cool at first. But once you got use to it, it was great!. The cruising water was calm the entire trip.
My family has cruised in the Bahamas and Caribbean once in February and four times in January. On only one cruise was it cold enough to cancel excursions ar Castaway Cay, and that was just for a few hours -- by 11 am the weather was fine and the Stingray Adventure was running. We have had no problems at any of the other ports, although we didn't attempt to go swimming anywhere except on the ship and at Castaway Cay.
I will say that it was often colder in Florida than we liked -- at least once we bought sweatshirts when we went to the parks after a cruise. It was still better than being at home in January, though.
I wouldn't hesitate to cruise in January or February again, if the timing otherwise is good.
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