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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We loved our verandah! It was one of the highlights of our trip. DH and I agree that we'd rather save the extra $ to upgrade for a veranda. I think Disneybine said it best:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Disneybine
I think we've been spoiled and probably won't ever cruise without a verandah For us, it is pure luxury to be sitting outside in the privacy of our own verandah, sipping coffee or soda, and watch the ship pull into port or just watch the wide ocean.
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We loved our veranda. For me it was a nessecsity. I am claustraphobic. all of us loved to sit out on it and watch the water.
Once the curtains are drawn it blocks out the sun.
I would not cruise without one.
The smoking thing was a non issue. DH smokes and he is pretty courtious about it. We've been training him . Myself and DD7 have asthma. Other then him I saw smoking but did'nt smell any nearby except for his.
You can hear every word between verandas so that is always something to keep in mind.
It was pretty breezy in Jan so we could'nt leave the door open except for when we were docked.
As a one time cruiser only I will chime in here. Our first and only cruise was the eastern repo last August. It was 15 days. We had a veranda. I would NEVER cruise again without one. We didn't leave the door open because for the most part it was very humid. But, the ability to go out and just enjoy the air, watch the dolpins and birds (when they were around), and just relax was one of the best parts of our trip. I confess I used it more than DH but he explored the ship more than I did. I have some motion issues and having a place to go where it was quiet was great for me. The drapes are double, one heavy, one light so we had not problem with making it as dark as we needed. We had no problem with smokers or noise from our neighbors either.
Best wishes as you decide and hope your cruise is a great one!!
I appreciate all of this feedback. I think Disney would sell out if they had some smoke-free cruises through the year! My son has asthma and the smoking is a concern as we consider which type of room to get. Mostly your posts compared inside rooms to rooms with verandahs. What about the rooms that are oceanview with just portholes -- any feedback on those?
To book an oceanview cabin or a verandah cabin depends on your personal choice and budget. We only book verandah cabins because I have claustrophobia and cannot feel boxed in, even with a window.
The oceanview cabins on the Disney Wonder and Disney Magic have a large round window which looks to be roughly three feet in diameter (and I repeat roughly). I have walked by these staterooms and the window looks large.
A quick comparison between oceanview in category 8 and verandah in category 6 for example would be the square footage, one having a verandah and the other not, and location on the ships. The layouts are very similar, in that they have a sitting area which converts into a sleeping area and then in the other area, a queen sized bed or two twin beds. They both also have the split bath which consists of two small rooms one with a tub and a sink and the second room with a sink and a toilet.
As far as smoking and the issues on the verandah, there can be some. My advice would be to book a cabin near the front (forward/bow) because as the ship travels the wind will bring the smoke towards the back. We experienced this problem and just had to deal with it. It was difficult enjoying the night air because our fellow cruiser also seemed to enjoy his cigar during the same times. We just left it alone.
I hope this helped a little. PassPorter has a informative book on the cruises offered by Disney and they go into GREAT detail.
Happy cruising, whatever you decide,
Jackie
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Wilderness Lodge August 20-25, 2011
Disney Dream Stateroom 10098 August 25- September 1, 2011
Wilderness Lodge September 1-4, 2011
An oceanview stateroom is nice for those who daylight - a common "complaint" about the inside staterooms is never knowing if it's daytime or nighttime. Having a window also gives the appearance of a larger room, even though there's really no difference.
A verandah actually is bigger, by having a balcony to step out onto. It also allows fresh air to circulate in the room, though you are encouraged to keep the door closed.
I've sailed with a porthole and a verandah and will not do anything other than a verandah now. But that's because my motion sickness is frequently due to being inside, so with a verandah, I can get fresh air. I also love watching the water and watching the ship dock in the mornings. We won't price anything else anymore, preferring to save for a verandah than take a cheaper room sooner (that way we won't be lamenting what we "could have done").
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I was merely referring to removing towels from the spa for the pool on CC day, because they took all the pool towels for the beach! 
I mean, seriously, we're all just thinking happy thoughts when we're at Disney!
Oceanview Cabins vs. Verandah Staterooms
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