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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 am asking for some feedback from seasoned cruisers... this will be our first cruise, Magic, 11/2, 7 night i was reviewing port adventures today (and have been for a while) but shortening the list as I can book shortly. our ports are Key West, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Castaway. Heres what I am thinking:
-Key West, book nothing, can you rent bikes? I saw the bike tour, but you must be 10, and my son is only 9, but can you rent bikes anywhere? if not we will probably just walk around and enjoy the sights
-Grand Cayman was thinking booking the Sting Ray City tour, I believe this is the one people told me great things about, feedback?
-Cozumel, the dolphin swim at dolphinaris. I swam with the dolphins once and it was an amazing experience.
-Castaway, rent a family cabana, thoughts? i realize its pricey, but i rarely do things for myself, so was thinking this was a good idea. does anyone know what it includes? Can you snorkel anywhere? Also, my daughter wants to parasail there, not a must do, but she would like to. Has anyone brought your own snorkel gear with you? on castaway is there an area for snorkeling? is it paid admission?
I feel so out of the loop planning, Disney trips are so easy to plan!
Can I ship items (cases of water) to the ship? I think i remember reading that in PP, but wanted to check here.
Sorry for the lengthy post, but i am learning a lot from you all!
BTW.....anyone else doing the Magic 11/2/14?
So I am asking for some feedback from seasoned cruisers... this will be our first cruise, Magic, 11/2, 7 night i was reviewing port adventures today (and have been for a while) but shortening the list as I can book shortly. our ports are Key West, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Castaway. Heres what I am thinking:
-Key West, book nothing, can you rent bikes? I saw the bike tour, but you must be 10, and my son is only 9, but can you rent bikes anywhere? if not we will probably just walk around and enjoy the sights
-Grand Cayman was thinking booking the Sting Ray City tour, I believe this is the one people told me great things about, feedback?
-Cozumel, the dolphin swim at dolphinaris. I swam with the dolphins once and it was an amazing experience.
-Castaway, rent a family cabana, thoughts? i realize its pricey, but i rarely do things for myself, so was thinking this was a good idea. does anyone know what it includes? Can you snorkel anywhere? Also, my daughter wants to parasail there, not a must do, but she would like to. Has anyone brought your own snorkel gear with you? on castaway is there an area for snorkeling? is it paid admission?
I feel so out of the loop planning, Disney trips are so easy to plan!
Can I ship items (cases of water) to the ship? I think i remember reading that in PP, but wanted to check here.
Sorry for the lengthy post, but i am learning a lot from you all!
BTW.....anyone else doing the Magic 11/2/14?
We did a Western Caribbean Cruise last summer on the Fantasy. Here's what I can tell you:
Key West -sorry, we didn't stop here.
Grand Cayman -we did not do Sting Ray City, sorry
Cozumel -we did do Dolphinaris and it was an amazing experience. Be forewarned that the photo packages cost a good deal of money. Be sure to budget for that. You will not be able to take your own photos unless you have someone in your party who will not be swimming, and that person won't be that close to your party in the pool but will have to remain on the observation deck.
Castaway Cay -snorkling -you can rent the equipment on CC fairly inexpensively. There is a snorkling trail (no charge). I have not rented a cabana, but we did go parasailing. It was AMAZING!!!! I would highly recommend this, but also be prepared that it can be cancelled due to conditions.
You can carry beverages onto the ship, but YOU must carry them (as in with you to board, the whole time). I believe you can pre-order water from the cruise line but not sure on the cost.
Key west is very walkable and I highly recommend the butterfly conservatory which is down by the southernmost point. And parasailing at CC was wonderful. Bring a waterproof camera!
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Key West also has a little trolley bus train thing ( not the official name ) that will take you around, and you can get tickets once there.
We always bring our own snorkel gear, as I am a bit creeped out over putting used snorkels in my mouth (rationally, I know they are well cleaned and sanitized between users, but it's just a thing for me). Plus, I have snorkels that lock off to not let water down the tubes when you go under water. I like them. Definitely do the underwater snorkel trail on Castaway Cay - try finding the hidden Mickey.
I personally don't see the attraction for the cabanas, and can think of many other things I'd do with that amount of money. Palo brunch and dinner, for starters.
We've signed up to parasail on CC but the last two trips were cancelled due to wind.
We did parasailing on castaway in March and it was breath taking! We were so glad we did it, it was amazing to be so high up in the air and hear nothing, not even the boat pulling us.
We didn't do a private cabana, it didn't appeal to us. But we did spring for a couples cabana massage, and that was divine! It cost a lot less than the private cabana too. ;-)
I look forward to hearing the responses though, we are doing the western cruise in March. We were looking at the sea turtle sanctuary.
Not to be a spoil-sport, but I wouldn't get your heart set on a cabana at CC -- they are usually booked by concierge before midnight 120 days prior to sailing. As a new cruiser, you won't find one available at your online check-in date. If you really want one, check back frequently and you may catch one someone releases because they've changed their plans a few weeks before sail date. There are lots of umbrellas available on the family beach -- I suggest going down further to the 2nd family beach near Pelican Plunge as it's much less crowded.
You cannot ship water or food, but you can order a case of water online to be delivered to your stateroom. However, unless you have a specific desire for a favorite brand of bottled water, the stuff on the ship is better than typical tap water. It's filtered by reverse osmosis or something. All water -- MDRs, drink stations, your stateroom bathroom. We bring reusable water bottles to fill at the drink station. If you choose to bring your own case of water, you will need to carry it on (as opposed to checking it).
So we are at concierge level, so Im not worried about booking a cabana
I was worried about the water on the ship, but its not a problem drinking?
is there a map available of CC?
So we are at concierge level, so Im not worried about booking a cabana
I was worried about the water on the ship, but its not a problem drinking?
is there a map available of CC?
thanks for all the feedback
The water on the ship is very safe and is pretty much the same as good bottled water.
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