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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I was wondering if anyone here has sent a package to the ship prior to your cruise.
I was making some goodie bags for some children of cruisers I met here and on the disboards. I would love to not have them in my luggage. My questions are: How soon before cruise can you send them and will they be available before we sail? We have a meet and greet at 3:15 in the Promanade Lounge (by the way if you are coming on the Magic May 5th, you are invited) and I would love to have the box by then.
Karen
Hmmmm - I'm not sure about this! If you can do this, I'm not sure I would count on them being there in time for your meet and greet. I'm assuming it would be treated as luggage and delivered with your checked bags. Hopefully someone who has done this will be able to answer your question!
I've never heard of this being done, but I called DCL to ask.
Yes, it is possible, but there are some restrictions:
Packages must be labeled with the Guest name, Sail Date, Ship, and Stateroom #
Packages must be accompanied by a packing slip detailing the contents (presumably, affixed to the outside of the carton).
You can't send luggage, food products, wine, liquor, chemicals, water, and similar items (this is in addition to DCL's long list of items that are not allowed on board, including knives, tools, hard-sided coolers, etc.). In other words, you can't ship things ahead to get around DCL's regular luggage limits, or to "provision" your stateroom.
The package must arrive by 5:00pm the day before cruise (I presume that would be by 5:00pm on the last business day before the cruise for Sunday sailings or sailings following a holiday).
Mailing address:
IDS
9001 Marlin St.
Cape Canaveral, FL 32920
Call 321-799-9100 if you have further questions.
However, with a 3:15pm start time, I'm not sure parcel delivery will be practical in your case. If the parcel is treated as luggage, than there's an excellent chance it wouldn't arrive at your room in time for your meet.
Another alternative is more costly, but it's worth a mention. The Perfect Gift in Port Canaveral is authorized to make deliveries to the ship (they're a florist and gift basket shop). You'd have to pay a handling fee of some sort, but you may be able to ship your items to them and arrange to have a gift basket waiting for you when you board. You can call them at Perfect Gift at 800 950 4559 to see what's possible.
Groups and travel agencies often arrange with DCL to deliver customized gift baskets to staterooms containing group/agency-supplied items. This may be the most costly option of all, since DCL would probably insist on making individual gift baskets, rather than serve as a simple shipping agent. It never hurts to ask, though - 800 601 8455.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions