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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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.
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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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My husband is German, and we would love to take a European cruise with a stop anywhere in Germany. We did a check on the Disney cruise and could only find one that stops in Germany, a 12 night cruise that would run about 12,000 for the four of us. We looked at a couple other cruise lines like Norwegian and another line, the cruises were about half price, but we are not sure if the savings is worth going to another cruise line. We don't drink alcohol, but I guess we have to pay for food on other lines? What would your choice be and why? Disney or another line? Is the 12 night Disney cruise the only one that ports in Germany?
Also, when you go to different countries like that, do they stamp your passport when you get on or off the the ship? We have never left the country so we want passport stamps and as many of them as we can get. ;-)
Thank you!
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Last edited by coupon cache; 06-15-2014 at 02:00 AM..
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I can't help with the question about passport stamps, as we're part of the EU in the UK, so we don't get our passport stamped anywhere we go in the UK.
As far as I know, that is the only Disney cruise that stops in Germany. If you want to explore more of Germany, there are various river cruises that you might want to look into. They're not cheap either, but they will show you more of the country.
With the price difference, food is always included on the cruise lines as far as I know, but the difference is around other things. With Disney, you get the characters and top class entertainment, you also get things like soft drinks included. That hurt when we sailed with another cruise line and had to pay for things like that. It's like a lot of other things Disney are involved with - you will pay more, but in our view, you get superior service and entertainment.
Unfortunately, yes, that is the only Disney cruise that stops in Warnemünde, Germany. If you're looking for an alternative, how about this: Fly to Germany and spend a few days there, then take a rental car to Copenhagen and go on a 7-night Disney cruise from there. Afterwards, you can fly back home from Copenhagen (or wherever your cruise ends).
Oh, and no, you won't get your passport stamped. In fact, in most ports in Europe, you'll be able to leave your passport on the ship when going ashore in a port of call!
When DCL did the Baltics, we booked with DCL, then changed to Princess for a better price. We are Princess and DCL veterans. We even followed the DCL ship to almost the same ports. We loved Princess. We went to Warnemunde (sp) and since we booked at the last minute, all Princess tours to Berlin were booked. We were able to get on a private Jewish Heritage tour with some internet board members. It was wonderful. We only had 12 people on the mini-bus and two tour guides. I would look at other cruise lines too. Of our 26+ cruises, this was our favorite.
We sailed on the Inaugural Disney Baltic cruise in 2010 with a stop in Germany. We spent a long day, traveling to and touring Berlin. The train ride from the port in Warnemunde to Berlin was about 2 1/2 hours. So, for our one day trip to Berlin, we spent about 5 hours on a train. We had a private guide and saw a lot of Berlin, but still, it was just an overview of Berlin. If you really want to explore Germany, I would recommend that you fly there and spend a several days touring the country.
On the Baltic Cruise, only 2 countries stamped our Passports: Sweden and Russia (two stamps, one per day).
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Margaret and I got to see the Cubs play in October. They won!
Yep, Sweden & Russia were the only stamps on the Baltic cruise. We did an excursion closer to Waremunde while in Germany as the trip to/from Berlin seemed to take up too much time. My kids enjoyed swimming in the Baltic in Germany, but man was that water cold!! We've cruised one other line one itme, and found it so lacking compared to Disney that we never did it again.
I do know there are other great lines out there (according to others), but we are just so happy with DCL.
Thank you all for that information! If we did end up on another ship besides Disney, what kind of shock can we be looking at for food and beverages? We don't drink alcohol, so it would be sodas and meals for a family of four. If I am going to spend just as much with meals and drinks on another ship, I might as well do Disney. ;-)
Cruises generally include all your meals. However, specialty restaurants (vs your main dining room) have a surcharge per person. That was not something well advertised when we sailed Norwegian - one of the things that really turned us off. Disney includes free soft drinks at meals, as well as self-serve at the beverage station. You'll pay for soda on DCL if ordered from a bar. Other cruise lines may offer packages for soda, but typically charge.
I've only cruised once, and it was with Disney, so I don't know how other cruises operate, but its an awful lot of money to spend to run the risk of not enjoying yourself as much. Also, I don't think other cruise lines offer the rotational dining, but I don't know that for sure.
If I were you, I would find a less expensive Disney cruise out of Copenhagen and then add a pre or post night stay in Germany. Then you have more freedom to explore Germany on your own, but still get to tour other countries with Disney.
Taking a shorter cruise and spending time pre or post cruise in Germany is a great idea! Thank you guys so much, I think that will be th perfect solution.
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