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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Sorry you had such a tough time on a different website. I am going on the repositioning cruise in May and will be looking into doing excursions on my own. It will depend on the money it costs and the ease of getting around. But I did find some information out about the excursions you were looking into and you have to do what makes you feel comfortable and have it be affordable.
Right now a Peso is about .09 Dollars it would be about $7.73 one way for the Ferry to Playa Del Carmen so for 3 people it would be $22 one way. Then the ferry back from Playa Del Carmen is another $22. The Bus from Playa Del Carmen is a set time of either 9:30 am or 10:20am to go to Xcaret and then the return time is either 3:15pm and 8:45pm. It costs $5 USD roundtrip per person but your set in the times you come and go. You could taxi it for roughly $15 according to the website but make sure you work out the cost before leaving so there aren't any surprises.
So I would look at that website take the numbers add it up also factor in a lunch for all 3 of you and see if the difference in price between doing it with Disney vs. Doing it on your own is that big .
For example:
Doing it on your own for 3 people:
Ferry from/to Playa Del Carmen roundtrip= $44
Taxi roundtrip from/to Xcaret= $30
Lunch for 3 people = (lets say$10 pp) =$30
Xcaret tickets= $69 (basic) = $207
Swim with/Dolphin= $417
Total on your own= $728 for 3 people
That is a rough figure it could be less or more depending on how the USD is worth compared to the Peso when you go, it also could be more or less depending on whether you take a bus, taxi to the Xcaret site.
Hope that helps I know for myself it helps to work out the numbers and go by that I'm a numbers person. The decision is yours and it has to be what feels right to you but this at least gives you something to go by when looking at what it will cost with disney vs. on your own.
Have a magical sailing! I love cruising!
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Last edited by iamgrumpy; 11-24-2007 at 01:16 PM..
Reason: to correct grammer and re word a few things
Wow, Amy, that is some seriously comprehensive information! You rock!!!
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One additional factor (Disney or non-disney cruises).
If you get delayed on your return... they hold ships for ship arranged tours. Independently arranged tours that are late returning take their chance on a ship leaving without them
One additional factor (Disney or non-disney cruises).
If you get delayed on your return... they hold ships for ship arranged tours. Independently arranged tours that are late returning take their chance on a ship leaving without them
They will hold the boat as long as they can but if a tour is toooo late then they would try and arrange for those who miss the boat to meet at the next port if possible. But they do try and hold the boat for those on arranged tours through disney as long as possible.
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Thanks Amy.
yeah, i was looking at the site and working the numbers myself. They actually have a deal where you get a discount and it was $530 for admission with the dolphin swim.
so broken down, it's only a $50 savings.
We just hate the idea of having to leave at 3pm :-(
-- especially if the all aboard turns out to be 1am
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Please note that the ferry to PdC runs about 25 to 35 minutes and can be rough at times. I'd check on times, I think it runs at 1/2 hour intervals, subject to Mexican whenever time.
The ships run on a pretty tight schedule. They can typically wait no more than about 45 minutes. So I never plan on them "holding the ship".
I can't give advice about booking on your own as opposed to booking through DCL, but I can tell you how nice Xcaret is! My DH and I visited while on a cruise with "Another Cruise Line" and found it to be a beautiful park with lots of activities. You must do the underground river snorkel. It was quite an experience, although some VERY dark tunnels may be creepy for young children. We also tried Snuba - a cross between snorkel and scuba for those who are not certified divers. That was lots of fun - we swam with (and touched!) sea turtles just like those from Nemo and saw some Barracuda as well.
We took the Disney excursion to XCARET. While we thought XCARET was great, we hardly had any time to see it. Most of the time was spent travelling to and from XCARET.
My kids are teens, and the river swim was the highlight of the day.
We went to Xcaret in 2003 while on our first cruise. We loved it. Very nice exhibits. Nothing spectacular (like Animal Kingdom), but very attractive and informative. The "ruins" weren't much. The underground river was very nice. The water temp was around 75F, so it might be a little cool for some. But the day we were there the temps hit over 40C (105F for you gringos).
The restaurants are just a little on the pricey side, kind of like WDW. Note that they serve real Mexican, not what "we" call Mexican (at least around here we distinguish between Tex-Mex and what I can get over on the east side of I35). Actually, it's more Yucatan.
I'm just not certain if it would be worth the ferry ride.
I'm planning to do the same trip in February. I will be booking through Disney. It's seems like a pretty good trip from what everyones saying. I hope it's worth it.
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