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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Absolutely! All it takes is one time of needing something and either not having it or having to pay a ridiculous price and you'll come up with your own must-haves.
For us; pain relief; motion sickness meds; antidiarrheal; Tums/gas relief; benadryl; anti-itch cream and sunburn relief gel make the short list. Some other things that are included are an eyeglass repair kit, eye drops, emergency dental filling (yup! used it, too!) and pack-flat duct tape.
There hasn't been a cruise (or vacation in general) when I haven't used something from the 'blue bag'. I use a lot of small refillable containers and travel size items so it doesn't take up much space. I always have bandaids/neosporin in my carryon bag as my DD is notorious for getting cut or scraped in an airport. (Neosporin makes a great travel case that fits a couple of bandaids in with the tube - it's great for travel!)
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Lynn
Yes, I am a Disney Addict... and I'd rather be cruising!.
We pack a first aid too.
Band Aids
Migraine tablets ( a abosolete must)
General pain relief tablets.
Aftersun cream.
Antispetic cream
Antispetic wipes
Indigestion tablets
I have to say after taking a tumble at OKW and being given a dry towel to get the grit out of my grazes. I'm so glad that I had the wipes and band aids. I got more fluff in the wound then getting the grit out.
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The first aid kit on a cruise is the most important part of our packing. It has grown over the years as things have happened. My wife lost a filling on one ship and now we always have the emergency dental repair kit. It isn't like you can run out to the drug store if someone gets sick.
I can't say I pack a "kit," but there's a list of items I regularly pack. For the most part, it's things I'd bring anywhere. One thing I've found I need more frequently on cruises is an indigestion remedy - all that "free" food tends to encourage over-eating. We've got our sea legs, so we don't bother with motion sickness meds, but your mileage may vary.
While the shops on board do carry a small selection of over the counter remedies, it's best to not count on them having exactly what you want (and it's not like you can run out to another store if they don't have it ). So, pack a kit based on your typical home needs.
In the case of sunburn, the best remedy is good prevention - definitely come well-equipped with your tried-and-true sun screen, hats, cover-ups, etc. A lot of folks forget that anti-inflammatories (like aspirin, ibuprophen, etc.) are excellent for sunburn, too - not just for the pain, but for the redness, too.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
After our last cruise, DD who was 3 at the time got a good case of the sniffles. She had a runny nose, cough, and temperature. I ended up hitting up a drug store at a port of call, and I'm just glad I was lucky and her sickness began while at port. Otherwise I would have been down at medical paying an arm and a leg. Now I always make sure I have fever reducer and benedryl just in case one of the kids needs it. Not to mention Benedryl is a must in allergic reactions and with little ones, you don't know what they're allergic to until they've come in contact with it and on a vacation, kids are around/eating all kinds of new stuff.
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Future Fairy Godmother-A girls gotta dream!
Por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas!!
**do you know how long it took us to learn that?? and then they put it on a t-shirt!! **
I always throw in a travel-sized first aid kit - never can find a Band-Aid when you need one! Sunscreen is also a must-carry, and is whatever we usually take for a headache.
Absolutely Always! along with it goes some kids and adult motrin, dramamine, and anything else I might think I need. It doesn't take up much room and it is comforting to know it's there ifyou need it!
Thank you all for your suggestions. There were a couple of items I completely forgot about that are now on my list. Speaking of which, a temporary dental kit; where do you find something like that?
I usually keep a few OTC meds in an old Rx bottle as needed. Is that okay for travel regulations or do I have to keep all OTC in original (100ct +) bottles?
Granted I am out of luck with the children's OTC liquid medications... wish they had a travel size for that!
Also at home, I've got one of those weekly pill box cases with vitamins, etc. Okay to bring along or better to leave at home?
Normally I don't think about indigestion and allergic reactions. But just in case, any preferences and is it safe for a 3 year old?
We always take a first aid kit with us, which includes things like antiseptic cream and wipes, pain relief tablets, sinus relief tablets and hayfever tablets for me, Band-Aids, indigestion tablets, diarrhoea tablets and motion sickness tablets.
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Thank you all for your suggestions. There were a couple of items I completely forgot about that are now on my list. Speaking of which, a temporary dental kit; where do you find something like that?
They sell them at places like Target and Walgreens. Our dentist has recommended them if something happens out of town. They're good for a couple of weeks and beats taking pain killers and/or trying to eat out of one side of the mouth while on vacation.
We never worried about a first aid kit (until now....didn't think about being onboard and them not having something!). But we've always travelled with our medicine cabinet/pharmacy, which includes:
ibuprofin
fever reducer for kids (Tylenol and Motrin)
allergy meds (Singulair for DS and Claritin for DD, me)
thermometer
inhaler
vitamins
Now that I've read this, I'm going to have to expand it to be a true medicine cabinet with the bandaids and cleaners and all that stuff. Oh, my DH just loves packing now that I've been on the PP boards! Each trip, I discover something new that we just have to add to our packing list!