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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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DH and I will be celebrating our 20th anniversary in Sept. Even though money is tight these days we want to do something special. We are DVC members and were thinking of going down in Oct for the Food & Wine fest. Then I went on the DCL website, and saw there is a New England/Canada cruise that leaves from NYC and we could celebrate our anniversary on board! We could take the train to NYC, so no plane tickets to buy. I don't think it will cost much more than flying to FL, buying park passes (AP expire in July) and buying food. Another cruise!!! Without the kids!! I don't care where it sails to! I am pretty close to talking DH into it, and my folks are willing to babysit... SO. EXCITED.
That sounds great. Just don't forget to budget for gratuities, shore excursions, etc. We've used our points for cruises many times.
I know to budget for the tips. I doubt we'll do any shore excursions, we want to relax and not spend much. Plus, we live in Boston and were in Canada last year, so there's less incentive to get off the boat.
Well, I put the deposit down today. We're booked in an inside cabin on deck 6. We noted our anniversary , so maybe we'll get an upgrade or something. But even if we don't, just being able to get away with DH for 5 nights on DCL without the kids will be like a little slice of heaven!!!
I hope this works out for you! It sounds like a lot of fun.
We haven't even taken our first Disney cruise yet (that's in April) and last night Hubby said he'd like to take one without DS for our 5 yr anniversary in 2014. I guess my excitement has rubbed off on him.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
If you can swing it, do it. But don't go in debt. We like to come home knowing that we've paid for everything except the pictures, spa treatments, tips, wine, expensive coffee, spa treatments, Palo, spa treatments, etc.
Folks used to visiting Walt Disney World often hope that special celebrations may result in a stateroom upgrade. Unfortunately, on the cruise line, that's nearly unheard of.
At WDW, specific room numbers are not assigned until close to check-in, and guests won't know the actual room number until they get their keys. So, as long as folks have yet to check in, "their" room can be reassigned at will by the front desk.
On the cruise lines, in all but a few cases, stateroom numbers are assigned at the time of reservation - guests can actually choose their room number in most cases. So, "magical" upgrades are very hard to do - everyone is locked-in. When upgrades do occur, it's because the cruise line has excess vacancies in higher categories, and high demand for the lower categories. When a guest is moved up, the criteria for upgrade tend to focus on when they made their booking - far too many guests have some sort of celebration to make that particular kind of magic practical.
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Another cruise?
I am pretty close to talking DH into it, and my folks are willing to babysit... SO. EXCITED. 
NYC-Canada Cruise Sept 2012
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Hope it works out for you! 
, so maybe we'll get an upgrade or something. But even if we don't, just being able to get away with DH for 5 nights on DCL without the kids will be like a little slice of heaven!!! 
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