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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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My daughter graduates in June of 2011 from highschool and she has asked that her present be a family cruise. It is just me and three girls and none of us have ever been on a cruise. Disney Cruise is a dream for us but it is quite costly although I am sure that it is well worth it.
Should I just book a cheaper cruise such as Carnival for our first cruise ever or should I really try hard to make the Disney Cruise happen?
If so, what is the cheapest time to go, but will not put me in the middle of a hurricane?
I would work on budgeting for the Disney Cruise. I belive that the summer rates are somewhat cheaper. Why don't you try for a cruise in June right after graduation? You should work with one of the wonderful travel agents on these boards. They will find you a reasonably priced DCL cruise.
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Margaret and I got to see the Cubs play in October. They won!
For a family cruise, Disney is by far the best choice. That's why rates are as high as they are. Carnival doesn't provide dedicated programming or space for kids over the age of about 15 (and it's not that great for those under 15) - Disney has dedicated space for pre-teens, tweens, teens, and adults. Carnival also doesn't have the wide choice of free entertainment suitable for kids, tweens, and teens such as the movie theater, the live stage shows, and a wide selection of in-room free movies that Disney provides. Carnival charges extra for many things Disney includes at no charge, so even the low-ball price is something of an illusion. On our family cruise with Carnival, the teens congregated every night in the lounge just outside the casino (the arcade was right next to the casino). Overall, Carnival is not one of the better choices for a family trip.
The cheapest time to go to the Caribbean is after school starts in the fall. That coincides in part with hurricane season, but you'll also find that cruise rates during the summer are higher, despite the fact that it is also hurricane season. This will be true on just about any cruise line, not just Disney. Cruise rates also vary week-by-week, depending on demand. If you're shopping for a cruise that won't take the kids out of school, you'll pay more. If you're willing to take the kids out of school, you can save some money.
Fact is, hurricanes are nearly a non-issue. The cruise lines are constantly monitoring weather, and re-route ships/modify itineraries whenever major storms would be an issue. They do not send billion-dollar ships with thousands of passengers and crew into the jaws of a hurricane. That's a basic advantage of being on a "moving resort." There have been a couple of times when my ship has had to dash to avoid a storm, re-arrange the sequence of ports of call (or even skip a port), or even skirt around the edges of a storm, but there's never been an issue of safety. Now, it's helpful to embrace this reality: that despite the itinerary you selected, you can't be 100% sure that's the itinerary you'll get, but I consider that part of the adventure of travel. Just rest assured that the cruise lines will not intentionally put you in harm's way.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
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Thank you very much for the info. It is extremely helpful and gives me a lot to think about. Never being on a cruise, I don't really know what is typically included. I will definitely look into it. Do you know if I can make payments if I purchase the tickets through the Disney website, the way we can for vacation?
Yes you can make payments along the way and once your paid in full you could even make an extra payment or two to provide yourself with a credit to use onboard to pay for tips, or other charges you may make while onboard.
We love DCL and its a splurge but the service and the experience are worth it, but we want to try other lines but from what I have read and heard from others who have sailed Carnival isn't going to be for us. We may try RCL for a non Disney cruise but I have a feeling we will probably miss DCL far to much to veer off the line too often!
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Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust! Studying Hard to Make a Difference!
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We took our first cruise this summer on DCL. While it is expensive, we felt Disney was the way to go with our kids. My 3 boys (10, 13 and 15) all had a blast. They loved the kids activities. We booked another one for next summer and plan on paying off as we can before the due date.
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