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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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What are the water conditions like going up to and through Alaska? We are taking the cruise in August. I have a tendency to get sick, but am able to avert major problems by using the patch or the wrist bands. Are the waters fairly calm once we get to Alaska?
Basically, very calm. For nearly the entire cruise you're in the Inside Passage. From the moment you leave Vancouver you're cruising channels between the coast and the many islands right off the coast, completely protected from ocean waves.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
Don't forget you can always to guest services (the front desk) and get sea sick pills. They have an unlimited supply and they work great! They also sell dramaine and the wrist bands in the gift shop if You need a new set! A cast member also told us on our last cruise that something about green apples helps stabilize your stomach, so munch on those onboard as well!
Happy to hear this as well. I am VERY prone to motion sickness but have discovered that Bonine ( the non-drowsy remedy) works great for me. On our only other cruise, (4 day Bahamas as part of a land and sea vacation), I was pretty bad off the first night, but I was overly tired and had only taken a half dose. Once I got a good night's sleep and took the full dose, I was fine, and stayed that way for the rest of the trip, even on rougher waters.
The wristbands did little or nothing for me, unfortunately. I REALLY wanted them to work. I tried the patch for one fishing trip many years ago, and have never been so sick! My sister also had problems with it, so it's not an option for us. Other things I do that seem to help include lots and lots of ginger - gingerale at mealtimes, gingersnaps to munch one, even candied ginger if I can stand it. And peppermint tea. Those seem to help the most. But the Bonine has really been a life changer for me, since it allows me to actually fly and ride challenging rides comfortably.
Hope you have a wonderful cruise!
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peace,
Diannah
(Myself as the oven and my DD as a spice in MPP's production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, 2010)
Last year was my first cruise and was worried about getting sick. Was talking about it with one of the crew members and he suggested trying to eat something. I thought no way that will make it worse. Well it happened to work for me and my daughter,I was shocked. was fine the rest of the cruise
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"Raindrops taste like tears without the pain"
1186 miles from Home
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I typically take Bonine too. More as a precaution since it works best if you take it before you get seasick.
In Alaska though I didn't need it, nor did my mom who usually gets very seasick. Like Dave mentioned the inside passage is very smooth since you have land on either side of you. At times I didn't even think we were moving.
I've been going through my photos from my Sept. 2010 Alaska cruise (for purposes other than this discussion), and not one shot has a wave in it. Tiny ripples, the ship's wake... that's about it. Most of the time the water was glassy-smooth.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I've cruised to Alaska twice, and neither time did we have anything but the slightest ripples. The water was very, very calm - like glass. The only time we had any movement on the ship was the night we left the Inside Passage heading back to Vancouver - you're in open ocean at that point, so you don't have land on both sides to block the wind. But even then, we barely noticed. But you're on the right track with the bands, patches, and dramamine - I always take it just to be sure.
Have a wonderful time - Alaska is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been (and one day I'll go back - with Disney!)