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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
We are looking at cruising on the Dream Nov 2017. We have never been on any cruise at all. I have passporter's cruise line, and am fairly knowledgeable about planning my own trips. I'm trying to decide if we should use a TA. What are your thoughts and opinions?
I recommend using a TA for cruising because a lot of agencies will offer onboard credits for booking with them! It's also much easier on you not having to do a lot of the calling and being on hold etc yourself. You'll also likely have someone with some personal experience that can help you make plans and decisions etc.
There is typically no cost to using a travel agent, and as mentioned, some agents will give you onboard credit or gift cards for booking through them.
The only downside I can think of to using an agent is that any changes to the reservation (for example, changing passengers, rooms, or dates) will need to be done by the agent. You would still be able to book excursions and onboard activities yourself online.
Also, if you book a new cruise while onboard, you will need to either book on your own or use same travel agent that you used for the current cruise -- you would not be able to name a different agent for an onboard booking. If you book on your own you would have a few weeks to transfer the reservation to a different agent, but many travel agencies provide a reduced credit for transferred reservations.
We have used a travel agent for all 9 of our Disney cruises and never regretted it. We particularly appreciated having an agent when we booked cruises on opening day and didn't need to spend hours waiting on the phone. I simply e-mailed our agent as soon as booking dates were announced to tell her which date and cabin category we wanted, and received a confirmation by evening.
I can't say enough about how fun cruising can be. My only experience so far is with NCL. We have never had a bad cruise - stateroom, meal reservations, excursions, ship amenities.
I do recommend you consider getting a patch for motion sickness from your doctor. They last about 3 days and you would need enough to cover the whole cruise, and flights.
We have booked direct and used a TA. Both good experiences. Let us know what you decide...
HI i am so glad we used a TA plus that you get free Spa passes and you get onboard credit i mean how can you go wrong. Plus we have a small business. We had a set back and thought we were not going to get to go. We were on our pay in full date. Disney was absolute against us moving the cruise. Our TA talked to 5 reps before she was able to secure someone who understood our situation and was happy to help and moved our cruise to next year. Then when we got the money together we called our TA and she got us booked this year on the cruise we originally wanted with no issue.
I highly recommend Ashley Mathews Walker from pixie dust and pirate hooks. She went above and beyond and had not been for her we would have lost our $1044 we put down originally to go.
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
There are many questions a TA can answer for you and give you as much or as little assistance as you need along the way. Just find the one that will fit your needs and be clear about your needs and expectations from the beginning so you get matched with the right agent.
You'll be addicted to cruising like the rest of us crazies! Congrats on your first trip!
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