To Alaska and Beyond! Updated 4/28 x 3 and it's COMPLETE!! - Page 2 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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United and Air Canada are partners so any plane changes should be seamless. They are both good airlines and I think you will like Air Canada.
What great luck you had with the room and hotels and all!
Mo, I feel so late to the party, but I'm so excited for you! We did an Alaskan cruise on Princess in 2007 that round-tripped out of San Francisco and Zack talks about it as his absolute favorite vacation. We had layovers in Skagway, Juneau, Sitka, and Victoria, so I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about ports that might overlap. I'm assuming you're also cruising Glacier Bay? THAT is absolutely spectacular.
Since you're looking in on Cruise Critic (love that board for cruise planning,) you've probably already seen this suggestion, but we booked a car with Rent-A-Wreck for our day in Juneau. We had the best time, got to see all of the things that were on any of the excursions, and saw some things that very few others got to see. The north side of the island had some amazing wildlife viewing and the Shrine of St. Therese was really worth a visit. I'd also recommend a visit to the brewery in Juneau (the name is escaping my mind right now.) The employees there are a hoot, and they are very, very generous with their free pours! My sister and I also did a day hike in Skagway that was beautiful, peaceful, and felt like a true Alaskan experience.
I'm so thrilled for all of you!
__________________
Karen, aka Zack's Mom - Lover of all Things Disney and the San Francisco Giants!
Pre Trip Part 3: (Jeesh, this takes awhile.. stick with me!)
I completed the online check in process on the website and I am afraid this is one area to Royal Caribbean outdoes Disney- at least in my opinion. The information was essentially the same as I entered into DCL’s website- but what I ended up printing 1- count it- 1 page. No lengthy cruise contracts, separate forms for onboard accounts, traveler info. It was all stored and I printed out a Set to Sail Pass. I present this form with my signature in 3 spots along with our Passports at the terminal, and that’s it. I’ll also add here I love the reservation portal at RCCL.com. Has so many useful tools that has made our planning lots of fun. There’s a calendar in our profile that loaded all the excursions, dining plans and reservations- and if we tried to book something that overlapped, it would alert us with the calendar. Good stuff.
I made sure I joined the Crown and Anchor club (loyalty program) after sailing with RCCL the first time. It won’t get me much here- I think a coupon book- because it’s only my 2nd cruise. I’ve read recently that they have cut the benefits for higher levels, which is sad. Repeat cruisers are the cruisers you need to take care of the most. I’m not thinking anything is going to beat Castaway Club- but that remains to be seen.
We are doing a bit of clothes shopping, relying on packing lists readily available on the Internet and using our guidebooks. One thing that really makes me wonder is how the tenor and tone of the cruise is going to be different from that of a Caribbean cruise. Am I going to hear loud bits of reggae and be offered Bahama Mamas as we leave port in Vancouver? Me thinks not, but then again what do I know? Interesting.
This is the biggest vacation we have ever taken. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that I wish we had put Emily on this trip with us- she’s a smart, well traveled little gal but as I have reminded her a few times when she’s complained - she had her cruise of choice already. (You can read details of that adventure in the DCL forum ) I am going to miss her tons.
I am also not even going to think about what it’s going to be like to say goodbye to my precious 1 year old- Connor. But he needs to bond with his Nana and usually if I am around- he wants not a whole lot to do with her- so it will be good for him. But I am going to shed quite a few tears about leaving he and all of the remaining brood behind. However, they are in good hands and Nana has some exciting plans to keep them entertained.
I am going to add a brand new feature to my trip reports. I do hope you will enjoy it because it’s been a running joke between Kevan and I for years- and has brought us lots of laughs. Ever notice how corny brochure pictures are? You know, those ridiculously staged photographs of people doing stuff that are supposed to come off as candid? Kevan and I have laughed about that for as long as we have been married- so this time I am going to actually sprinkle this report with brochure pictures for your laughing pleasure. We’ll call this first one “for a successful vacation, planning is essential.” Keep in mind Matt and I were goofing around with this idea at 1:00 AM and it shows. But you get the idea. DH thinks I'm crazy though for putting this idea out there for the world to see.
Another note about photos in the trip report. In them, you might notice from time to time, a small, oddly stuffed yet personable penguin. This would be Fumble. Matthew bought him on a field trip to an aquarium back in 2006. And since then, they have been inseparable. I’m a little worried that Matthew has not sent Fumble to the memory box as of yet but there are so many bigger things to worry about, that I’ll give it some more time. And he’s really no trouble at all. Fumble is kind of like a family pet in a way- since we can’t have animals. We all are attached to him, honestly. He’s made appearances in TR’s before I think- a Disney one or two. So now you know the fifth member of the traveling group. He’s well traveled much like a Flat Stanley, but I think he’s cuter.
Here he is in front of Journey to Atlantis at Sea World:
And at a Florida State football game:
So what are we going to do exactly? The itinerary is jam packed and up next!
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My sister and I also did a day hike in Skagway that was beautiful, peaceful, and felt like a true Alaskan experience. 
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