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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We are going on the 12 night Med cruise in 2013 and DCL is teaming up with ABD to do a shore excursion package. The ADB needs to be booked through DCL and cost $2,989 per adult . There are only 7 ports. That is crazy I can get private tours for less money then what ABD (On average a private full-day tour cost 500 euros per car). Also, for DVCers cost of the ABD package cost 427 points for per person.
I contact ABD to see what they would way about the price of the tour and here is what they said; "We truly appreciate your comments about the cost of the Adventures by Disney Mediterranean Magic experiences offered in conjunction with a Disney Cruise Line vacation. Please know that our prices are based on
the overall entertainment, facilities, and services available. We
frequently survey our guests and they indicate that our friendly staff,
attention to detail, and dedication to family entertainment are the key
reasons they select Adventures by Disney and Disney Cruise Line as their
vacation destinations. We sincerely believe that these intangibles, as
well as the entertainment, recreation and dining opportunities provide
our guests the best possible value. However, policies regarding
pricing, for all aspects of our Adventures by Disney and Disney Cruise
Line vacations, are among the most important decisions our company
makes. These policies are regularly reviewed, and you may be assured
your comments have been shared with the appropriate managers."
Am I nuts for thinking the ABD shore excursions are way over priced?
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That does seem pricey, but I guess it depends what you get with it - often they do exclusives that you can't get anywhere else. Maybe that's how they justify it?
We are doing the same cruise and had the email from ABD too. My DH nearly flipped when he saw the cost (as we have only 4px cruising he thought it would be a 'cheaper' holiday...)
ABD also had two nights in Barcelona prior to the cruise for some crazy price too - what sort of hotel do I get for that cost?
Really I thought there was an error and contacted a TA who said it was legit.
No, you're not nuts. What it comes down to is that not every experience Disney offers is meant for the average vacationer on an average budget, and ABD is in that category.
While it's not a complete explanation, the ABD experience is an escorted tour, not just a collection of shore excursions. There are exclusive on-board events as well, throughout the cruise, and the team of two ABD tour escorts functions as social directors as well as guides. Effectively, it's $300 per day per adult. Some of the shore excursions are worth well more than $300, though the on-board activities certainly are worth less than $300/day.
While the company of your fellow tour group members isn't something you should have to pay for, one of the experiences you get with any multi-day escorted tour is the social bonding with your fellow group members, and that sense of traveling in a protected bubble. For folks looking for the companionship and senses of familiarity and safety a moderately-sized group can offer (maximum group size is something like 35 or 40), there's that "value" to be had as well.
Otherwise? ABD is a First Class tour organization. The shore experiences are on the deluxe end, and are "plussed" beyond anything offered to the ship's other passengers - all sorts of special/unique experiences (although there are always private tour organizations offering just as much, or even more). A former high school classmate of mine is a retired university art history professor who offers special escorted tours of Paris and other cultural capitals - hardly cheap, but he offers the kind of experience you can't get at a more "affordable" price. ABD doesn't aim to be popular with the masses - it aims to be a concierge-level experience, and as with any concierge-level experience, it's not made for the cost-sensitive, it's made for those who want and can afford a special experience - more personal attention, a feeling of exclusivity, a reduced need to plan and make decisions, fewer details to attend to, etc., and the best experience available (best suite, best restaurant, best tour...). Without getting too political about it, the current distribution of wealth in this society means that, those who can afford it can really afford it.
While ABD is an experience I want to have someday, it's hardly an experience I need. I'm very comfortable traveling and exploring solo, and while group travel can be very enjoyable, I find the ship and its passengers to be enough "group" for my social needs, even if the first time we meet happens to be on a shore excursion. After the excursion, there are that many more familiar faces on board with whom I've shared a common experience and can feel comfortable striking up a conversation.
When it comes down to it, ABD has been at it for a while now, and their pricing has not moderated, nor has the nature of the experiences offered been "trimmed" to make the tours more affordable. While it's not for the masses (or even marketed to the masses), it seems this particular approach is working for Disney - they only need to find 35-40 passengers out of around 2,000 on board. That's less than the number of guests occupying the ship's suites.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
Thanks Dave for the information. We did private tours on our last Med cruise and the experiences were great. We went wherever we wanted and got to skip long lines (i.e. Colosseum in Rome) and the cost was less the DCL shore excursion. I guess I was thinking ABD would have been closer to the private tour cost not thousands more. But I do not mind doing the research and booking all my own shore excursions.
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. There are only 7 ports. That is crazy I can get private tours for less money then what ABD (On average a private full-day tour cost 500 euros per car). Also, for DVCers cost of the ABD package cost 427 points for per person.
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Pixie Dust
PassPorter Guide Author
We did private tours on our last Med cruise and the experiences were great. We went wherever we wanted and got to skip long lines (i.e. Colosseum in Rome) and the cost was less the DCL shore excursion. I guess I was thinking ABD would have been closer to the private tour cost not thousands more. But I do not mind doing the research and booking all my own shore excursions.
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