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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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'm considering doing a visit to Chankanaab while we're in Cozumel. I think we would do it on our own since we're not really interested in swimming with the dolphins or doing Discover Mexico. Anyone done this? Can you tell me more about it? Here are my questions/concerns:
-Would it be appropriate for a beginner snorkeler (9 years old) -- I've read that the beach doesn't go directly into the water, but that there's a small cliff. Does this present problems at all?
-What ages is the kids' area for?
-Are there other places to swim other than the snorkeling area?
Thanks!
P.S. The other excursion that I would consider instead is the Discover Snorkel excursion at Playa Corona. Any arguments either way?
__________________
Julie
My pirate guys
Last edited by jdutch; 06-20-2008 at 03:59 PM..
Reason: added more info.
Not sure how much help I can be with your specific questions but we did Chankanaab on our own - took a taxi - and grabbed some lounge chairs and did a bit of swimming in the lagoon there. Can't answer any questions about snorkeling. Then we walked through the Park, saw iguanas, ate a home-made tortilla freshly made for us, and hung out in the thatched hut bar for Margaritas while enjoying the gorgeous view of the ocean. Ahhh.... I wanna go back.
My husband and I went here on our own on a Carnival Cruise about 5 years ago. It was the highlight of the ENTIRE trip, as we hated the Carnival cruise!! It has been 5 years and we have just decided to try cruising one more time, with Disney, since we love all things Disney...but anyway... The park is great, lots of wild iguanas, birds, etc. There is a lagoon type spot where young ones can swim, although later in the day the sand gets stirred up and it can get cloudy. There were big fish rubbing the sides of legs as they swam by.
The best part though was the snorkel tour we took with a little guy that works there at the park. We rented our snorkel equip. from the park, and the nicest little man named Manuel offered to take my husband and I out on a snorkel tour along with one other person from the trip, so 3 people and the guide. There were not 1000 people in the water all trying to see the same 3 fish, if you know what I mean. I am not a great swimmer and he basically towed me the entire time It was great we saw lots of the beautiful reef, fish, and even a small shark. He even dove underneath us and took our photos with my underwater camera. Like I said it was the best part of the entire trip! The biggest surprise was there was not a set price for it. He told us before we left we could pay him what we thought it was worth after we were finished. If we were not happy, we did not have to pay. Needless to say, he was paid well!!!
As far as the cliff. I don't really remember that. I do know there is a small lagoon area and then down a short ways is a set of wood steps that took you down into deeper water. I think a 9 year old would do just fine there. I am looking forward to taking my 7 year old snorkeling for the first time on our Disney cruise in September. Hope this helps some!