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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Sorry to beat ya to death with so many questions. I try to utilize the searc function as much as possible, to cut down on reptetive questions, but sometimes I cannot find exactly what I want.
1- Room Size. I was reading somewhere that the Cat 10-12 Staterooms are somewhere in the 184 Square feet range. Is this right? I cannot even fathom it. My room, including closet, is like 172 square feet. And, I have seen pictures of the staterooms, and while they do not look huge, they still look a decent bit bigger than my bedroom.
2- Beds. This is somewhat related. There will be four of us (all adults) sharing a room. Mom and Dad will obviously take the bed. I am not sure about the fold down bed. Has anyone used it? What I am wondering is about bringing a blow-up bed. By the photos, if we move everything out of the way, I cannot tell if there would be room for a blow-up bed between the couch and dresser or not. Getting it there, especially if we fly would be an entirely different ball game. Would Disney allow it on board, do you think?
3- Smoking. This is not meant to offend smokers in any way. I read that there are smoking "areas." But I also saw that smoking is allowed on open decks. Are there any parts of the ship I should avoid if I do not want to encounter huge gusts of smoke?
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"I'm doing this because I want to do it better" -Walter Elias Disney, on creating Walt Disney World
I read that there are smoking "areas." But I also saw that smoking is allowed on open decks. Are there any parts of the ship I should avoid if I do not want to encounter huge gusts of smoke?
Aside from the smoking areas, I don't recall being offended by smoke as I wandered (though with 2 kids, we rarely just sat in areas that might encourage smokers to light up). I'm pretty sensitive to knowing when smoke is around me, though growing up in Vegas - I'm used to walking through it...as long as I don't have to sit with it. So, I may be desensitised to the casual smoke as I'm walking....
We had a cat. 6 room on our last cruise and unless you moved the table out onto the balcony, I don't think there'd be room for a blow up bed. Maybe a twin one but I think it's going to very tight. Especially if someone needs to get up during the night. The pull down bed has a weight limit to it but I'm not sure what it is. For a smaller adult who meets the weight requirement, I think it might work. It'd be like being in the top bunk of a bunk bed.
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It's actually rather comfortable but tricky to navigate the ladder after a late night at Wave Bands!
There isn't any place to move the table to so I feel a blow-up bed would be impractical (and next call to DCL I'll ask if it's even permitted).
Part of the luxury of any cruise is that your stateroom attendents come in and make the beds (and put the pull-down berth back up into the ceiling each morning). Each time you come back to your cabin, the beds are made and it looks nice and tidy. I can't imagine what you'd do with an inflatable mattress each day!
For smoking: it is only permitted on private verandahs and starboard-side, open-air decks. It's very easy to avoid it - walk on the port side! (left side when facing the bow/front of the ship)
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Lynn
Yes, I am a Disney Addict... and I'd rather be cruising!.
And, I am glad there is a ladder, as I am not too keen on trying to climb up there using the coffee table. It still does not look all that comfy, but I shall trust you guys.
And I am still very intrigued by the square footage. I have a twin bed, and I cannot even imagine trying to fit a couch, and a bathroom in my room. Crazy!
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"I'm doing this because I want to do it better" -Walter Elias Disney, on creating Walt Disney World