Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
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09-28-2007, 08:54 AM
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#1
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PassPorter Guide
 Community Rank: Globetrotter 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,041
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How I Convinced Prince Charming to Take Our Family on a Disney Cruise (And More Importantly - Enjoy it!)
by Rebecca Oberg, PassPorter Contributor to PassPorter's Disneyland Resort and Southern California Attractions guidebook
It all started out in the usual way -- we had some extra money, enough to take the kind of trip I'd dreamed of since I was a little girl. I ran it by my loving husband (during some sort of sporting event on TV, for maximum understanding). I got the nod and smile I needed. We were going on our first Disney Cruise! I was extremely excited and began planning right away. Two PassPorters were ordered, one for the land and one for the sea portion of the vacation. Every second of extra time was spent poring over message boards and web sites. I had important decisions to make - did we want to swim with dolphins? Eat dinner at Palo? Have a luxurious massage at the spa?
(My husband's thought process will be quoted and inserted throughout the article.)
"I think she said something about Disney again. Did she say cruise? Wait. Cruises are expensive. We've got a front yard to put in, a house to paint, and three kids to put through college someday. We can't afford a cruise. What's the score?"
The planning continued and payments were made (and days added to the land portion). It was time to do some shopping! Everyone needed new clothes, swimsuits, and other vacation items. This was another fun part of preparing for the cruise. We'd have the opportunity to wear fancy clothes and swimsuit cover-ups. Sounds like a dream come true to me!
"I'm going to have to dress up to eat dinner? I thought this was a vacation. Why do we need all this stuff? Isn't this vacation expensive enough already? Am I really going to enjoy this? What am I going to do on the ship while you're doing "Disney Stuff?"
The travel and the Walt Disney World portion of the trip went off without a hitch and before we knew it, we were being whisked off to Port Canaveral in our luxurious Disney bus. I couldn't believe how seamless this trip was. No luggage worries, no arguing over a map of a completely strange city, and no worries about entertaining the kids. How relaxing, and we're not even on the ship yet!
"Walt Disney World was fun, but I'm ready to go home. So far so good, though. No schlepping suitcases, no driving or navigation responsibilities, no whining kids. This ain't so bad!"
Within minutes of embarking on our voyage, we were fed and relaxing with frosty drink in hand. The kids were busy doing things that made them happy, and the husband and I were left to our own devices. There were lovely long dinners, chats at the ship's rail overlooking the vast ocean, and some beautiful sunsets. There were movies with no interruptions, and even a couple's spa treatment. We really reconnected on this family vacation.
"My wife is so relaxed and happy, and we can spend time doing what we want to do. We ate ice cream in bed and watched movies that weren't animated or rated "G." I've been in a golf chipping contest and hung out in a sports bar. I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want. Surprisingly, I liked the spa as much as my wife did. Oh, yeah, and the kids are having a good time, too."
In addition to the very romantic aspects of this vacation, we had some wonderful family moments as well. We built an extraordinary sandcastle, hunted for treasure on a tropical island, and indulged in lots of giggling and adventure-sharing each evening before drifting off to the gentle rocking of the ship. All too soon the journey was coming to an end. We'd be heading back to reality, but not before having the time of our lives together. I hope we can someday embark on a Disney Cruise again. The service was superb from the moment we stepped on board to receiving our airline boarding passes and being relieved of our luggage when disembarking the vessel. It was the perfect vacation for each person in our family and for all of us together.
"We'll definitely be saving up for another Disney Cruise. It's the best vacation I've ever been on. My family and I were treated like royalty. Every detail was taken care of so we could truly relax. Next time we're staying longer, though. It was the perfect vacation for each person in our family and for all of us together."
So if you have a doubting Thomas (or Rob or Sally or whomever) in your family who thinks a Disney Cruise is too expensive, too fancy, or just not their idea of fun, try to get them to think again. And most importantly, get them on the ship! The patented Disney Magic (or Wonder) will do the rest.
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