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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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So I got my weekly e-mail from Travelzoo today and one of the top 20 was the kids sail free on 3 and 4 nt cruises through April. I checked it out and although not as low as advertised (never are) the rates looked good so i called Disney "just to see". I was able to get one of the secret porthole cabins - 5022 completley by luck, I didn't even ask for it - the reservationist did everything but tell me I was crazy not to book. I went ahead and made the deposit. I declined the travel insurance and grand total is 1350. I have until 11/24 to cancel with a full refund.
How is the weather during that time of year? Will it be too cold outside to enjoy the pools? How about Castaway Cay. We went on the same cruise before (nov 08) and the weather was so-so and it really made for a blah cruise. Is this such a great deal that I would be foolish not to go? What do y'all think?
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I ask the question, because others may have different opinions than my own. Personally? I haven't met a Caribbean/Bahamian cruise date that I didn't like. Since average temperatures in the region only swing about 10-15 degrees between summer and winter, in my mind it's a matter of "better or best" rather than good or bad.
Yes, there are occasional "cool snaps" - on one February cruise we had daytime temperatures in the 60s with brisk winds. At the same time, the temperatures in Florida were in the 40s.
The water in the pools is always warm, and under normal conditions wind chill will not be a major issue during the day (evenings will always be on the cool side, of course). Unless it's a cloudy/overcast/rainy day (which is not common), the pools will be just fine.
Castaway Cay water temperature can be cool at that time of year compared to the pools. But even then, we're talking surface water temps of 70 or more. Definitely warmer than ocean water temperatures on Atlantic beaches during the summer.
Everything is relative, of course, but most kids are more than sufficiently motivated to deal with the water temperatures. Parents? I think the older we get, the wussier we become about water temperatures.
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On our last trip in late November it rained terrible in Nassau and was overcast at CC, but fairly tolerable. I know it is all chance on the weather but appreciate your comments and any others. Just trying to get an idea - it's a lot easier to feel like you are in a tropical location if you aren't looking for the hot chocolate cups (complete life saver on our last trip)
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We have cruised once in mid-February and twice in mid-January. On one cruise it was a little chilly in the morning at Castaway Cay, but warmed up nicely by noon. On the other two cruises, it was fine there all day. As Dave said, the pools onboard are heated, and we never felt it was too cold for them during the day.
Of course, it's impossible to predict, but I wouldn't have any qualms about cruising at that time of year. The morning it was cold at Castaway Cay, and on an October cruise when it rained, additional activities were scheduled onboard for those who didn't want to disembark.
Thanks for all of the advice. I have pretty much decided to go.
So I started looking at what to do after the cruise. The obvious seems to be to hit WDW for 3 or 4 days then head back home. I looked at pricing and it is OK, no great deals, basically about 1200 for 4 nights at a value, with tickets and DDP. The cost seems to be high because that runs into President's Day weekend.
Did I mention that I am headed to the world for 14 days in 10 days?!! Well, the cruise is about 4 months from then so I am looking at alternatives because I think we will have seen plenty of the parks in that time and I am already scheming a week trip in early December 2010 to WDW, so again, I don't want to wear out WDW when there are so many other things to do.
So I thought, the Kids sail free promo is in effect before and after the cruise, I could just tack on 3 days to the end with another cruise. NOT! Again President's Day drove up the price and popularity of that so I looked at the 3 nighter before then. Again, I got a secret porthole room 5022 for a pretty good price $1,125.00 - for comparison the only thing I could get on the 3 nt. prez wknd cruise was about $2500
So here are my questions:
Anyone ever done back to back cruises? Are they worth it? Is it too much of a repeat of the same shows, food, etc.? Anything that I should be aware of? Do you just get off, then get back in line?
Even if you haven't done a back to back, would you? Or would you think it better to do something else like Kennedy Space Center or just get a place at Cocoa Beach or Daytona?
At this point I am not really considering WDW. But is there anything in the Orlando area I am missing? I would like to go back to SeaWorld - kids loved it. My son will be 4 and daughter 3 at time of cruise so Universal seems like it is out, but maybe there is more there than I am considering - any thoughts? How about Busch Gardens - is this age appropriate? I am not worried if there are things that appeal to my wife and I - it's all about the kids.
Our table mates on the last cruise did back to back. They loved doing this. They said so they didn't do the same things over and over. They only did one pirate night, and went to a movie instead. Things like this. I figure in today's world save as much $$$ as possible
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KSC is probably too "old" for 3- and 4-year-olds. There will be some fun things for them, but most of the enjoyment is for those of us old enough to be space program geeks. For older kids and adults, KSC would be good for up to two days for space geeks, one day if space travel bores them. If KSC still has the same admission policies, their basic ticket is good for two days, too. Sea World would be a good add-on, too. A vacation home rental would be affordable, and would allow you to do everything - veg-out and relax, and head out to visit a few Central Florida sights.
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