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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Trying to arrange car transportation from port to MCO. Wanted to know the latest Disney will allow passengers on board? I'm not trying to be the last one but don't want car service to give me a time that will leave us waiting outside for a pick-up either.
On the three cruises I took those who had flights before 1:00 PM were to be off by 8:00. Last time listed for others was 9:15. That was before the Dream or Fantasy, so do not know if the larger ships have different timing.
On our recent Dream cruise all passengers had to be off by 9:00 am.
That was our experience on the Dream over Labor Day weekend this year. When we booked our car service they recommended a pick up time of 8:30 and it worked perfectly for us.
What dinner seating do you have? If you have main seating, you'll eat breakfast during the first seating on that last day and will be off the ship pretty early. They expect you to disembark right after breakfast. We were off the ship before 8:30. We had a 9:30 pick up time and we sat around for a long time.
Thanks for the replies everyone. We have late dining (second seating) for dinner. From what I understand we would be scheduled to have breakfast at 8AM. I am traveling with three young children and my elderly mother. So I figured by time we finish breakfast, do our bathroom room runs and clear customs it should put us at 9 o'clock or thereabout. I arranged for the car service to pick us up at 9:15. Do you think that is too late? Is it possible that we can do all of the above and still make it outside for 9AM?
Thanks for the replies everyone. We have late dining (second seating) for dinner. From what I understand we would be scheduled to have breakfast at 8AM. I am traveling with three young children and my elderly mother. So I figured by time we finish breakfast, do our bathroom room runs and clear customs it should put us at 9 o'clock or thereabout. I arranged for the car service to pick us up at 9:15. Do you think that is too late? Is it possible that we can do all of the above and still make it outside for 9AM?
Thanks for any and all input.
I think a 9:15 pick up time would probably be okay. Our car service told us they would text us the night before (you'll probably have your phone off at sea, but be sure to turn it on in the morning). They want you to text them once you are off the ship to tell them the number of the pick up area where you will be waiting. Having said that, our driver did not text us the night before and we had to call the company in the morning but remember we were off earlier than expected and had to wait around. If you are worried, I would move the pick up to 9:30. Remember that you will have to find your bags and collect them and then move thru customs before you can proceed outside.
Thanks for all of your help HollyH. I will take your advice and call them from port in the morning. I'm thinking of doing the onboard airline check-in so we won't have a luggage so I think we will make it by 9:15. Thanks again.
Thanks for all of your help HollyH. I will take your advice and call them from port in the morning. I'm thinking of doing the onboard airline check-in so we won't have a luggage so I think we will make it by 9:15. Thanks again.
If you don't have to find the luggage, then you should make 9:15 no problem
Thanks for all of your help HollyH. I will take your advice and call them from port in the morning. I'm thinking of doing the onboard airline check-in so we won't have a luggage so I think we will make it by 9:15. Thanks again.
I'm confused...I thought you had to take DCL transfers in order to use the onboard airline check-in? Can you check luggage but use private car service? That would be great for a later departure!