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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I am trying to plan a cruise for next summer and have NO clue what I am doing. Here are some of my questions. I would appreciate any info. you guys can give. We are a family of 5...the kids will be 13, 9, and 5 at time of travel.
1. Where/how do I get the "cheapest" rate? I imagine not through DCL....
2. If I book a WDW vacation separate from my cruise, how to I get to port/airport?
3. Is there a good site for helping 1st time cruisers plan?
4. Do I need a passport for the Bahamas cruise?
5. If we can't swing the DCL due to financial constraints, which other cruise line for families would you recommend?
6. I get a weeee bit motion sick...will I be okay on a cruise ship.....what deck/area is best for preventing motion sickness?
TIA!
My biggest suggestion (of course) is to get a copy of Passporter's Disney Cruise Line and Its Ports of Call. It is priceless when planning a cruise - especially your first one.
1. You can use a travel agent to get "onboard credit", which is basically money to spend on the cruise. I would stick with one you know and trust. We have many great agents on the boards who could help you. You may find it cheaper to go with two cabins, instead of one that sleeps five.
2. You can purchase DCL transfers for $35 per person one way, or $69 round trip. You could also use a car service like Quicksilver, or rent a car. There are car rental agencies located near the port where you could drop off the car and get a shuttle.
3. See Passporter. . .the book, the website. . .
4. At this time, "closed loop cruises" (return to the same port they left from) only require a birth certificate, plus photo ID for adults. Keep in mind that if you don't have passports and you need to fly home from a foreign port, it can make things very difficult.
5. We have sailed Royal Caribbean and love them. Probably more family friendly than some lines. And Carnival (mostly on short cruises) can be a little TOO friendly. Think lots of drinking and parties.
6. Try to stay in the middle of the ship. Some people say to stay on a lower deck, however, a balcony is a great help if you can swing it. If you feel sick, get out of enclosed spaces. Get fresh air, and try to look at the horizon. Bonine (meclizine) is a big help. If you forget to bring it, you can get it on the ship.
Any more questions, ask away - that's what we are here for!!
You may need a passport or passport card for Adults unless your state's DL meets new 'enhanced' requirements. You might want to read this first Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
I would go ahead and invest (it's good for 10 years for adults) in a Passport.
I found the closed loop cruise documentation for you:
Quote:
U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same port in the U.S.) will be able to enter or depart the country with proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID. A U.S. citizen under the age of 16 will be able to present either an original or a copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by DOS, or a Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Just idle curiosity here....it states "A U.S. citizen under the age of 16 will be able to present either an original or a copy of his or her birth certificate." What about a 16 year old who hasn't gotten their driver's license? I suppose that they could go get an ID, but I just noticed that since my neighbor doesn't have her license and her parents don't plan on letting her get one until she's 17. That regulation is assuming a lot about when kids get licenses, IMO....
Heather - I think in that case, maybe the child should get a state ID card. It looks like a license, and is accepted the same as a license would be. I know this because I used to be "in charge" of the liquor counter at the pharmacy I worked at.
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