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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Been away from the boards for a loooong time, so I know there's lots of new stuff here, and I'm probably asking questions covered elsewhere, but I know this is a friendly and forgiving lot, so here goes...
We (Signif Other and I) have been to WDW many times, but we've never even thought about a cruise til now. I know I'll need to get my Passporter Cruise Guide, but I like to hear opinions from others who've been-there, done-that. We're on a semi-tight budget (why we haven't been to WDW in a while), but I think we have enough to swing this and do what we want. We're two adults, no kids.
Cabins - What are the opinions on Inside Stateroom (leaves more $$ for wine w/ dinner) vs. Balcony Stateroom (ahh, the breeze in our thinning hair)? We're not the types to hang around the room a lot, but the balcony in the evening seems romantically appealing (but is it worth the extra $$).
Bringing your own stuff - Which of the following can/should we bring: wine, liquor (beer, vodka), bottled water, pre-packaged snacks? (I know coolers are a no-no - we're fine with that)
Land/Sea vs Separate trips - We're thinking of doing the Food & Wine Fest this year, and wondered about combining the two. We'd do the 4 day land/3 day cruise option. Anyone know how the pricing works out? Also, are Oct & Nov good times for a cruise? (I grew up in Florida and recall really warm Autumns. And I'm not even entertaining the idea of hurricane season.)
Ground Transport - We'll be driving to Orlando (or Port Canaveral, depending). If we drive to PC, what parking arrangements does DCL have? If we do the Land/Sea pkg, do we leave our car at WDW and use the DCL bus? Is that included in Land/Sea?
Dining - Is *everything* included except alcoholic beverages and Palo? We'd probably want to have dinner at Palo one night. Is it worth the extra $?
Booking - Has anyone used any of the discount cruise websites? Good or bad idea? (Some seem to have great deals, but I'm always cautious of the "if it looks to good to be true..." axiom.)
Spa Treatments - Any place to get prices on these? I'm thinking massage...
Excursions - What are they and how much extra are they? Is Castaway Cay included or extra?
Okay, that's all I can think of at the moment. Not quite 1001 questions, but it feels like it. Thanks for any help and advice!
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Pat (a.k.a., PFlamingo) "We are the people our parents warned us about."
Last edited by pflamingo; 04-19-2008 at 03:07 PM..
Cabins - What are the opinions on Inside Stateroom (leaves more $$ for wine w/ dinner) vs. Balcony Stateroom (ahh, the breeze in our thinning hair)? We're not the types to hang around the room a lot, but the balcony in the evening seems romantically appealing (but is it worth the extra $$).
Personally, I like the compromise - a Cat 9 that gives me some sunlight and a view but still leaves $$ in the budget for the spa.
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Bringing your own stuff - Which of the following can/should we bring: wine, liquor (beer, vodka), bottled water, pre-packaged snacks? (I know coolers are a no-no - we're fine with that)
All of the above are fine. But there is no need for the snacks unless you are super picky or have food allergies - there is TONS to snack on!!
Quote:
Land/Sea vs Separate trips - We're thinking of doing the Food & Wine Fest this year, and wondered about combining the two. We'd do the 4 day land/3 day cruise option. Anyone know how the pricing works out? Also, are Oct & Nov good times for a cruise? (I grew up in Florida and recall really warm Autumns. And I'm not even entertaining the idea of hurricane season.)
Oct and Nov are still Hurricane season so that's out. Although they can be great times to cruise as they are less expensive and with the modern technology, the ships can avoid the storms.
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Ground Transport - We'll be driving to Orlando (or Port Canaveral, depending). If we drive to PC, what parking arrangements does DCL have? If we do the Land/Sea pkg, do we leave our car at WDW and use the DCL bus? Is that included in Land/Sea?
There is a parking lot at the Port. Parking is $15/day.
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Dining - Is *everything* included except alcoholic beverages and Palo? We'd probably want to have dinner at Palo one night. Is it worth the extra $?
Yes. Everything except alcohol, Palo and food eaten in all ports except Castaway Cay. And yes!!! It is definitely worth the price and then some!!!
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Booking - Has anyone used any of the discount cruise websites? Good or bad idea? (Some seem to have great deals, but I'm always cautious of the "if it looks to good to be true..." axiom.)
I'm a TA so I'm not exactly objective on this one but some of them can have good deals. Just be sure you are comparing apples to apples - many web sites do not include taxes and port charges in their quotes.
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Spa Treatments - Any place to get prices on these? I'm thinking massage...
Check out CASTAWAYCLUB.COM for descriptions and I think prices...
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Excursions - What are they and how much extra are they? Is Castaway Cay included or extra?
This will all be covered in depth in your PassPorter DCL cruise guide but the visit to Castaway Cay is included, shore excursions such as kayak tours, bike rentals, float rentals, etc are not.
Oct and Nov are still Hurricane season so that's out. Although they can be great times to cruise as they are less expensive and with the modern technology, the ships can avoid the storms.
Oh, wait, sorry -- I gave the wrong impression with my comment. I meant, "Haha, I laugh at hurricanes!! No hurricane would dare try to ruin my trip!!"
Thanks for the info! I sooo want to do this!
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Pat (a.k.a., PFlamingo) "We are the people our parents warned us about."
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Land/Sea vs Separate trips - We're thinking of doing the Food & Wine Fest this year, and wondered about combining the two. We'd do the 4 day land/3 day cruise option. Anyone know how the pricing works out?
It's worth looking at both the cost of the package and the cost of booking the Land and Sea portions separately. If you do a package, the category of your stateroom dictates the resorts you can stay at. Booking separately, you can stay wherever you want, and you can take advantage of any specials on room rates. Both times we did a 3-night cruise following a resort stay, we saved money by booking separately, but there may well be situations when the package is better.
Cabins - What are the opinions on Inside Stateroom (leaves more $$ for wine w/ dinner) vs. Balcony Stateroom (ahh, the breeze in our thinning hair)? We're not the types to hang around the room a lot, but the balcony in the evening seems romantically appealing (but is it worth the extra $$).
If you can swing it, my vote is for the verandah room. You can book a cat 7 (Navigator's Verandah) which is a little less costly then a cat 6 (full verandah) and still gives you that romantic tropical breeze!
Quote:
Land/Sea vs Separate trips - We're thinking of doing the Food & Wine Fest this year, and wondered about combining the two. We'd do the 4 day land/3 day cruise option. Anyone know how the pricing works out? Also, are Oct & Nov good times for a cruise? (I grew up in Florida and recall really warm Autumns. And I'm not even entertaining the idea of hurricane season.)
We cruised in May, and on our last night, cruised smack through Tropical Depression Andrea. A little strange, as the lightning was quite intense, but I felt safe knowing that Disney (or any cruise line for that matter) would not take their guests (and their ships ) through dangerous conditions.
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Ground Transport - We'll be driving to Orlando (or Port Canaveral, depending). If we drive to PC, what parking arrangements does DCL have? If we do the Land/Sea pkg, do we leave our car at WDW and use the DCL bus? Is that included in Land/Sea?
Another option is to spend the night before at the port and take advantage of one of the Port Canaveral hotel's cruise and park packages. We are staying at the Radisson for two nights before our September cruise and leaving our car there. We will take the Radisson shuttle to and from the hotel, and we got a pretty good price on our package that included our four day parking!
You will LOVE cruising! We are taking our fourth one in September, and looking ahead to an Alaska cruise in the future!
I'm glad to see your questions (and all of the answers). DH and I cruised with RCCL for our honeymoon, and I cruised when I was 17, but we will be taking our first DCL cruise in November 2009. In addition, we will have 11 first time cruisers with us! I ordered my Passporter's Guide to the Disney Cruise Line, and it shipped on Monday. Since I am only about 35 miles away from Dave and Jennifer's warehouse, give or take, I am hoping it will be here this Monday (I was hoping to have it by now)! I know that will answer a lot of my questions, but I am sure I will have lots more!
Just to give my opinion on the inside vs. outside stateroom question. We had this issue for our Med cruise last summer and opted for an inside stateroom, so we had more money to spend on shore excursions and it wasn't a decision we regretted once. If it's a choice between being able to enjoy the excursions or not, I'd go for the inside stateroom in a heartbeat.
Bringing your own stuff - Which of the following can/should we bring: wine, liquor (beer, vodka), bottled water, pre-packaged snacks? (I know coolers are a no-no - we're fine with that)
.......regarding the "bring your own" (booze)....it's fine to do so...but make sure you drink it all when on the ship...since you cannot bring opened containers of ANYTHING off the ship when you return. (makes me cringe!!...at the thought of having to leave 12 yr old scotch behind!!)
.....oh...almost forgot......regarding the verandah room....if you CAN swing it....do it!! We were on the Wonder last Nov. (my first cruise ever) and had a verandah room....and I've now adopted a personal "law" that I will not ever cruise again...if I do not have a verandah!! The morning air....sunrise.....an "adult beverage"....(or...if I must...coffee)...all while sitting in boxer shorts....is wonderful!! (oooops...was that?...Oversharing? )
Loved our Cat 9 room! The Cabana massages at Castaway Cay are wonderful, you can hear the ocean.
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KELLY
Mom TO J.J.-24 BRADY-22 & HUNTER The Dog-9 Lost my sweet Hunter April 16th, 2013 New puppy, Pie (he's rust colored, white paws/chest and a white Pie shape on the back of his neck)
Wife To Jeff
We did the land and sea package last christmas and loved it. We had a covered veranda and stayed at the AKL . I loved every minute of it. We brought on bottled drinks to have in our room but we didn't anything else. Even though we had a child I would love to go back without any children. Hope that helps.
Thanks for all the info!! I knew you all would be able to help.
Now I'm going "hmmm, can I find anything (relatively) cheap for, say, June?" I soooo can't wait to do this. That $600 "stimulus" we're all supposed to be getting is burning a hole in my pocket. Tho' I should probably save it for other little luxuries like, maybe, gas to get to work, and food on the table.
__________________
Pat (a.k.a., PFlamingo) "We are the people our parents warned us about."
June might be tough Pat as Disney does Early Booking Savings - the closer you are to a sailing date, the more it costs. And unlike other cruise lines that may have rooms available at the last minute for a discount, this is rarely the case with DCL. They normally sail at or near capacity. You may be better off planning in advance, taking advantage of early booking discounts and saving for those spa appointments!
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But there is no need for the snacks unless you are super picky or have food allergies - there is TONS to snack on!! 
It's nice to see you again!
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New puppy, Pie (he's rust colored, white paws/chest and a white Pie shape on the back of his neck)
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