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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Just curious, since the Magic and Wonder are now "old" ships in the DCL fleet, how long are cruise ships usually in service? The frequent dry-docks keep them spruced up, but there must come a time when the ship has had it, not to mention just being out of date in comparison with newer vessels. I hope they've got a lot more years in them!
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I've read that most ships have a lifespan of about 30 years. However, there are still some ships built in the 50/60's that have been bought and sold and are used still in the European/Middle Eastern markets.
I've read that most ships have a lifespan of about 30 years. However, there are still some ships built in the 50/60's that have been bought and sold and are used still in the European/Middle Eastern markets.
Wow! I had no idea they could go that long. That's great.
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The real question isn't so much how long will they last (a long time), but how long before they become so out of step with consumer expectations for a cruise line that the original cruise line sells it to another line. I think the Magic and Wonder will be good for at least another 10-15 years with DCL, but you never know how the industry will evolve.
It's really a lot like hotels that don't float. For the more competitive hotel chains, the time will come when their older units just can't be brought up to current expectations for the brand. At that point, they're usually re-branded or sold. An example in Disney's case was the old Villas at the Disney Institute. One of the main reasons they were torn down in favor of Saratoga Springs was that the existing units couldn't match the features and style of the DVC resorts and it would have been difficult or impossible to bring them up to current standard (bedroom configurations, bathrooms, kitchens... everything). Most were about 30 years old.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
I had a feeling they'd be out of date long before they're too old to cruise safely. I hope I can get a few more trips in! (I LOVED the little old bungalows at Disney Institute!)
That's very informative! I was wondering the same thing, acutally - how long Disney will keep offering cruises on the Magic and Wonder. Disney will have to keep adding features to those ships and just keep "sprucing them up" continually in order to keep them attractive, IMO. Right now, even with the more interesting itineraries, I'm way more likely to cruise on the Fantasy or Dream...
On a side note, how do they justify the prices they're asking for the Med cruises? I mean, yes, the itineraries are new BUT the ships are old...
How does Disney justify the price for anything? By delivering a product that people want, despite the price, and when it's done, leaving them feeling their expectations were exceeded.
For what it's worth, on a per-day basis, the Med cruises aren't remarkably higher than the Alaska cruises. Considering there are only two Venice and two Athens itineraries, it's hardly surprising the rates are bidding up higher. They're not offering a glut of any particular itinerary, which helps assure there'll be enough demand for each to bid-up the price.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
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