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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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This is the staircase that leads down to the nightclub area.
Claire posed for me.
A peek into Keys.
They were getting ready for an event in there. They had some food set up on the table and it was listed as a private event.
We stopped off at the bathrooms, which did not change in look at all either.
Back out down the small hallway.
The carpet looked so fresh and new.
This shop is where they sell duty free alcohol and cigarettes.
A look inside O’Gills.
They sometimes have food out to snack on in here.
It was now close to 1:30 and our stateroom would be opening up so we headed that way.
This was the new Castaway Club gift. I liked this bag. I think it is cute. I have heard they have improved it a bit since I last sailed as the handle would unravel. I haven’t used mine enough to see that happen.
Claire was checking out the room.
Selfie
I really do love the split bathrooms and bathtubs on DCL. So much roomier than other lines.
They still have the horrid hair dryer….I ALWAYS bring my own.
Skip was supposed to meet us in the room…..and he had not shown up and Claire was getting antsy.
We went out to the balcony to take pictures and I forgot to change camera settings.
Major over exposure….I quickly fixed that.
This is one issue I wanted to point out. The balconies really needed to be repainted. This is a pipe out there….it’s all rusty looking. Also the railing and floor could’ve used some freshening up as well.
See the drain in the corner? Rusty looking as well.
A look down.
To the right.
To the left…in case you hadn’t figured it out, we were towards the aft on deck 6.
Our Castaway Club bag for silver is slightly different. I will have a picture of it in my TR maybe later this week.
Did you know there is a regular hair dryer in the desk drawer in the room.? I always bring my own so I didn't need it, but it is there to use with the vanity mirror.
The room looks great but EEK at that pipe on the deck!
Yes...it needed some sprucing up and paint!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
I like the Castaway Club bag, very nice but I am so with you about those darned hairdryers!
I liked the new bag too. Those hair dryers are crazy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Our Castaway Club bag for silver is slightly different. I will have a picture of it in my TR maybe later this week.
Did you know there is a regular hair dryer in the desk drawer in the room.? I always bring my own so I didn't need it, but it is there to use with the vanity mirror.
Your balcony definitely needed some work. Yuck!
I think I did find the one in the drawyer at one point....but they are so weak I never like them either. I know I tried the one on the Dream and I think I could've had Claire blow with her mouth and get it dry faster. LOL.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
Skip never showed up, so Claire changed into her swim suit and we went back up top to find him and to let her swim….She had this vision of swimming with her dad and he was ruining it.
We found him and he said he didn’t need to go to the room and figured we would find him eventually. UGH! He took Claire to the pool and found a chair to watch her.
In case you wondered…there is a smoking section between the adult and family pools…and it extends into the adult pool area…on the starboard side.
I went out to find them and Claire was having some fun in the pool.
This next picture cracks me up. It looks like this girl is going to smack Claire. I asked Claire what was going on and she said the girl had been splashing someone she knew and then accidently splashed Claire and was apologizing here.
Skip said he would keep an eye on Claire and I decided to walk around and take some pictures.
First stop, the Vibe….which is the teen club. I never got a chance to check it out last time I sailed the Magic.
A look back as I came up the stairs.
This is a beverage counter. I am not sure, but they might serve snacks too.
It looks like a nice place to “hang”.
I then headed back outside.
Another ship in port.
A look down at the adult pool.
I must’ve cut through here for some reason.
Sports deck
A look out at the tugs.
I wanted to head to the Spa. It had a new name and a little bit of sprucing up since I last sailed the Magic.