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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 am a first time cruiser, and I need Passporter help! A *must* for me is to have a verandah. I am so excited to take in the view, I can't even tell you. So I have a hold on cabin #7132, which is category 6A and has a solid white verandah -on deck 7. But now I am second-guessing myself on that decision. Should I upgrade to a cat 5C for a verandah that isn't a solid wall? The issue with that is that all room assignments on my cruise are sold out, so I wouldn't get to chose deck or area for our cabin. Is the difference in verandah and view great? Is it worth it to upgrade, or should I stay where I am at? Thank you for your help!
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Saturday, October 9, 2014 - Kaitlyn and I before the Happy Haunted 5K at ESPN Wide World of Sports
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Since you couldn't guarantee where you'd be, I'd stick with a white verandah and the knowledge/satisfaction of where you are. I rather have the white and be mid-ship than have a view and be somewhere inconvenient.
The clear walls are nice, because you can sit and still see out, however, most of the time I was standing on the verandah looking out, so white or clear didn't matter....
I'll go against the grain. I like the clear verandahs. I like to sit down and watch the sites go by, which I at least can't do on a solid verandah (I'm short). If you could snag one of those, that would be my choice!
I would have to agree with Marnie. It was great to sit out on the verandah each day having my morning cup of coffee from room service, while the rest of my roommates slept in. I could just sit and watch the waves go by, or the ship being docked!
All of your opinions were very important in making my decision. First - I don't sleep very much, so I like the idea of being able to sit on the verandah at 5am, watching the ocean and reading a book while my daughter sleeps. And because I plan on lots of that time, I don't want to stand.
Also, the cabin I was assigned - 7132 - is far aft. I was nervous about my DD becoming sea sick. I upgraded to the verandah I wanted, in a cabin in the middle of the ship. Hopefully that will prevent sea sickness for her.
Thanks, guys. You really helped me make up my mind!
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Saturday, October 9, 2014 - Kaitlyn and I before the Happy Haunted 5K at ESPN Wide World of Sports
Love, Love, Love the clear verandas! You're going to love it. One of my fav. One of my favorite memories was sitting outside drinking my coffee on the veranda as we pulled into CC! DH was sleeping in so I was out there relaxing and enjoying the view
We prefer clear verandahs over the white wall verandahs. Location though we like Midship but we would take Aft as long as it still had the clear plexiglass.
Congrats on the upgrade!
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Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust! Studying Hard to Make a Difference!
Well, I paid for the 'upgrade', so I don't know if I can really call it an upgrade , but it doesn't matter. I am so thrilled! I am mid-ship, deck 6 with a clear plexi-glass verandah. I paid the balance in full today. I AM SO EXCITED!!!!
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Saturday, October 9, 2014 - Kaitlyn and I before the Happy Haunted 5K at ESPN Wide World of Sports
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Ok we went thru the same thing....we did the upgrade. After looking at the photos of both we did the upgrade...the biggest thing for us was if we were sitting inside we wanted to be able to look out and see the view. With the wall you would miss it. Also not knowing if the kids will be able to see over it. We think it would be safer for us to upgrade. Go for it.
All of your opinions were very important in making my decision. First - I don't sleep very much, so I like the idea of being able to sit on the verandah at 5am, watching the ocean and reading a book while my daughter sleeps. And because I plan on lots of that time, I don't want to stand.
Also, the cabin I was assigned - 7132 - is far aft. I was nervous about my DD becoming sea sick. I upgraded to the verandah I wanted, in a cabin in the middle of the ship. Hopefully that will prevent sea sickness for her.
Thanks, guys. You really helped me make up my mind!
With the info you've filled in, I think you made the right choice! I would rather be in a clear than white, but mid-ship rather than aft (or forward). So, the fact that you could move from aft to mid AND from white to clear....well, good choice!