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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Hi,
I've been on Alaskian Cruise in the third week of August 2008. It was already fall. Weather was a mix bag. Juneau was 70 degrees and sunny (which people that live there said it was very odd for that time of year). Glacier Bay rainy and cold.
As for taking your mother with a wheelchair maybe difficult is come locations.
We went to all the all of the ports the Disney's 7 day cruise will go to. Here is a link what we did on your Alaskian Vacation (trip schedule and picutres) http://tammyandjohn.shutterfly.com/moneyhappy
My DH and I went with my parents and another couple. The other couple have difficulty walking at time (cannot walk long distances) and found some of the trip, to much for them.
Please feel free to contact me with any detailed questions you might have.
We did an Alaska cruise in 2005 in the late summer. The weather was in the 70's and some days it was too windy and cool to swim in the pool for very long. We did use the hot tubs.
We knew that we were going at the tail end of the summer season. When we did the dog sledding expedition (this gets my vote for best shore excursion) we were told that the dogs would be transported off the glacier the very next week due to the end of the summer season and the colder weather moving in.
We like challenging excursions so we didn't encounter anyone in wheelchairs. However I noticed that Disney has posted warnings in great detail on the European excursions as to which are suitable for wheelchairs. I am certain that your parents will find some excursions to suit their activity level. Just seeing the glaciers from the deck of the ship is worth the price of the cruise in my opinion. Our ship spent several hours at the glaciers and sent out a small boat to bring back some large ice chunks that they placed near the pool. My daughter thought that was so cool.
We were on Holland America 7 day cruise from Seattle.
Next time we want to go longer and include one of the add on tours that travel inland either before or after the cruise.
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Margaret and I got to see the Cubs play in October. They won!
Did our honeymoon in 2005 late June early July and it was great warm temps but too cold for the pools. I use a wheelchair and had some problems but they were manageable. Have fun
I was looking to hear from people that has been on an Alaskan cruise in the summer months.
My parents would really like to try it out but my mom is limited because she can't walk long distances and has to use a wheelchair sometimes.
I was just looking for info and opinions such as :
What is the weather like in the summer months?
What is there to do for families with a person in a wheelchair?
Would you go back?
Thanks and I look forward to looking at your answers and opinions
DS works on a cruise ship and his ship went to Alaska last year. Coincidently, he'll be working the Alaskan route again this year. Let me ask him when he docks tomorrow.
We went on one July of 2008. It was somewhat cold and definitely rainy! I wound up buying a jacket in one of the ports as did a lot of people.
My grandmother came and she needed a wheelchair to get on and off the ship because she can't walk long distances either. She did not have any problems.
Yes- I would definitely go back! We had such an amazing time. Alaska is beautiful and there is only so much you can do in a week cruise.
I wouldn't hesitate if I were you! I think you will have a wonderful time!
We've been on 3 Alaska cruises - Royal Caribbean. We got married in Juneau. There are a lot of excursions that a wheelchair bound person could not do, but the cruise is worth it. God''s Museum. The most beautiful contry I've ever seen. Seeing Mt. McKinley backlit at 2:00 in the morning or Hubbard Glacier calving or whales swimming right next to our table during dinner are sights I'll never forget
[QUOTE=donniehoo;3098627]I was looking to hear from people that has been on an Alaskan cruise in the summer months.
My parents would really like to try it out but my mom is limited because she can't walk long distances and has to use a wheelchair sometimes.
I love Alaska! I've been on two cruises: a cruise-tour with my grandchildren and a cruise only with a friend. With the children was in June; my friend and I went in May. I'd go again in a heartbeat. Alaska is awesomely beautiful!
Because of arthritis, I cannot walk far. I have a 3-wheel mobility scooter I take with me. You can probably arrange to rent one and have it delivered to the ship. Everybody was very accommodating. When I went on a gold-panning shore excursion, the bus - actually a large van - did not have storage. The driver simply set my scooter up front. At the site, everybody else was panning in a stream. I had a barrel of water and the driver brought me a container of dirt. I got my gold flakes the same as the others!
It was a bit chilly at sea, but it's nice to soak in the hot tubs. Some ships have the abililty to slide a roof over the pool so it's not outdoors. On the tour part of the first cruise, I was actually sweating inland.
Please tell them to ask for a wheelchair-accessible cabin. And don't forget the charger for the camera.
Mid June to early August are the most expensive times, since that's when everyone wants to go. Early season is a little cooler, but the ice is in spectacular shape and the folks in the ports aren't "burned out" yet. Any time after about late July the weather is very nice and the bergs start to really calve. Orca are kind of hit-or-miss but you're more likely to see them late in the year on more of the route.
Skeeters are a problem, but you'll be on the boat when they come out. Black flies are always an issue, but more so when you get off the ice and on the tundra.
I love them. Way different than anything else.
Plan on packing layers and to save on space, either wear some clothes more than once or spending some time washing clothes.