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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 able to book my excursions and Palo reservations today. I booted up the computer at 6 a.m. and there were only 3 reservations left for Palo and they were on the night of arrival and the 2nd night of our cruise. ALL the other options were full. How can that be . Also, not even a chance at brunch or high tea. Is there any chance I can get to eat at Palo now that it is fully booked
Terri
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When you board - go to where they are taking Palo reservations and see if you can get a seating (you may need to be flexible) - or get on the cancellation notification list in case of cancellations.
Palo bookings can be booked at different points depending on many factors:
1. Have you Cruised on DCL before if so then you can book 90 days before the Cruise
2. Did you book a Suite? If you did then you can book 105 days before the cruise
3. If you are a first time Cruiser then its 75 days before the cruise.
Palo is very popular and they do limit # of bookings online so if you aren't able to book before hand then the 1st day of your cruise when you first get on board check your navigator they will have a place for you to make reservations and you shouldn't have a problem finding something then!
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PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Online bookings begin at midnight on the day they open and many people do stay up late to book. So by 6 am many slots may be gone. However, not all time slots are available to book online, they do reserve some for people to reserve the day of boarding. The key is to be among the first in line at Wavebands (where they usually do the Palo ressies) so get there early! If they are starting reservations at 1:00, be in line NO LATER THAN 12:45. We got there at 12:55 and were too late.
I know how you feel - I went online at midnight (right after the Giants kicked Patriot butt ) As you said except for first day or last day nothing else opened up. Neither has the Brunch or Tea. We will just hope to get something on the ship when we board.
For our cruise last month, we were able to book Palo at 90 days, but by the time my mother-in-law's booking window opened up (because she hadn't cruised before) there were no Palo slots left and we weren't even able to change our reservation from 2 to 3 people. She decided she didn't want to be added to our reservation anyhow, so we didn't try. Then, when we dined at Palo, we had a table for 4 anyhow.
So, not all seats are available online. I would definitely try to book Palo as soon as booking opens onboard.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I'll soon be able to book on-line for my upcoming cruise and have never done this before. I've done one cruise, so am a Castaway Club member, but will the on-line system recognize that when I try to book? Is there someplace you have to first enter your CC member number?
Your Castaway Club status should be part of your reservation info - they don't ask for a member number when you book excursions, etc. online. I suggest that you do make sure it's already in the system before your booking window opens - otherwise it won't open when you expect it to. Sometimes they don't realize that you are the same person that cruised previously. Have your original cruise date handy, and call your travel agent if you have one or DCL directly if you don't.
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PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I thought I heard somewhere that if you go to the "Bar" at Palo maybe someone won't show up and you could get in that way. Anyone else hear that? If I can't get in I will cry!!!
So, I now know that you can start doing reservations at midnight of your designated "day." Does anyone know if that is midnight eastern time? I, too, want to make sure that my DH and I get to experience Palo. It is our first cruise and I want to give myself the best chance that I can. This board has been so helpful with every other aspect of my cruise, I am sure I can get an answer regarding this issue too. Thank you.
I thought I heard somewhere that if you go to the "Bar" at Palo maybe someone won't show up and you could get in that way. Anyone else hear that? If I can't get in I will cry!!!
Yes, you can. Also, the staff will place you on a waiting list if you wish so you can be notified if something opens up because of a cancellation.
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Originally Posted by loveGoofy
So, I now know that you can start doing reservations at midnight of your designated "day." Does anyone know if that is midnight eastern time? I, too, want to make sure that my DH and I get to experience Palo. It is our first cruise and I want to give myself the best chance that I can. This board has been so helpful with every other aspect of my cruise, I am sure I can get an answer regarding this issue too. Thank you.
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shut out of Palo
. Also, not even a chance at brunch or high tea. Is there any chance I can get to eat at Palo now that it is fully booked
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Pixie Dust
However, not all time slots are available to book online, they do reserve some for people to reserve the day of boarding. The key is to be among the first in line at Wavebands (where they usually do the Palo ressies) so get there early! If they are starting reservations at 1:00, be in line NO LATER THAN 12:45. We got there at 12:55 and were too late. 
) As you said except for first day or last day nothing else opened up. 
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