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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
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Going on our 1st Disney cruise 4/18 on the Fantasy. Planning on getting either matching shirts of just cute outfits for the kids for when we get there and board, planning on doing fish extenders but any other fun things we can do for the family? Anybody like to share any fun ideas or traditions to help a disney newbie cruiser
We pack swimsuits in our carry on bag and after lunch at Cabanas take advantage of the pools and slides.
We also decorate our stateroom door with magnetic decorations.
Our other traditions includes floats and bikes on Castaway Cay, buying the photo CD, and rebooking our next cruise while on-board. Knowing that we are going to return makes it a bit easier to leave.
Our traditions include having fun with door decorations, lunch at Parrot Cay at embarkation, room service warm chocolate chip cookies & milk in the afternoon, and always having dinner as a family ((we tend to go our own ways during the day on sea days). Also, dressing up for formal night and getting a nice family photo, tracking down Pluto as many times as possible (my DD's favorite character), and having something signed by as many characters as possible. We've done pillow cases, tote bags, and one of our favorites - a photo mat to then use for a family picture we frame and hang at home in our 'Disney trip gallery'.
We've only cruised once but we did the sail away party from our verandah and plan to again this year. Dressing up for pirates night will be a must as well!
We decorate our door with magnets.
We also have almost the exact same picture from each cruise-on the staircase with almost the same pose. We didn't even do it on purpose, we just happened to buy the same type photo both cruises. Now we plan on taking/buying this same picture every time. Should be cool to see the progression (adding kids etc) throughout the years.
Unfortunately, our only cruise tradition is forgetting something sort of important (anything from a toothbrush to appropriate shoes to glasses & contact case...sigh).
Apparently having a better check off list before leaving the house would be good!
I suppose after two sailings on the Disney Fantasy, we are developing traditions. My DH, DD, and I sail with my Mom & Dad, my sister & BIL. Our traditions start early... I schedule our character calls; the first for about 2 months prior to our cruise and the second call we "get" at breakfast on the morning of embarkation. Once we are all aboard, and we have had a delicious lunch in Cabanas, we all meet in my parents stateroom for champagne & cheese & fruit tray. All three families decorate our stateroom doors with magnets that I made for everyone before our first cruise. We added to them this past cruise. We take a family picture on Formal night and we go all out for Pirate night! My DH buys my DD & me drinks that are served in the pirate Mickey cups with flashing lights while we watch the fireworks. We use them throughout the year to recall our awesome vacation or to impress friends with our cool flashing cups! We leave something at Guest Services for all the characters to sign for our DD. The first year, it was a pillowcase (purchased from etsy with her name embroidered on it with the DCL logo & cruise dates) and last year, a photo mat. We also book our next cruise while on-board!! Wow! That is quite a list, but definitely all traditions we intend to keep alive in April 2016 on the Disney Magic!
I suppose after two sailings on the Disney Fantasy, we are developing traditions. My DH, DD, and I sail with my Mom & Dad, my sister & BIL. Our traditions start early... I schedule our character calls; the first for about 2 months prior to our cruise and the second call we "get" at breakfast on the morning of embarkation. Once we are all aboard, and we have had a delicious lunch in Cabanas, we all meet in my parents stateroom for champagne & cheese & fruit tray. All three families decorate our stateroom doors with magnets that I made for everyone before our first cruise. We added to them this past cruise. We take a family picture on Formal night and we go all out for Pirate night! My DH buys my DD & me drinks that are served in the pirate Mickey cups with flashing lights while we watch the fireworks. We use them throughout the year to recall our awesome vacation or to impress friends with our cool flashing cups! We leave something at Guest Services for all the characters to sign for our DD. The first year, it was a pillowcase (purchased from etsy with her name embroidered on it with the DCL logo & cruise dates) and last year, a photo mat. We also book our next cruise while on-board!! Wow! That is quite a list, but definitely all traditions we intend to keep alive in April 2016 on the Disney Magic!
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