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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Never encountered any bugs on either of our cruises!
WOW!! That's amazing!!! If it is true, I will be a very happy cruiser!! I have read, on another site, discussion regarding sea lice and some sort of sand bug. Are these real and is it something to be aware of??
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Sea lice and bugs in the sand? They exist. It's the natural world, after all. The question is not whether they're there, but whether they'll be a significant annoyance or hazard.
Sea lice are actually baby jellyfish. Some jellyfish stings can be very painful, especially if you already have a known allergy to stings and bites. So, if you encounter a swarm of baby jellies, it could be pretty uncomfy. The good news is that it is not common to encounter swarms of jellyfish (baby or grownup) at Castaway Cay, and when there's a known problem, like at most beaches, you'll be warned.
In all my years using beaches in the Bahamas and Caribbean, jellyfish/sea lice haven't been a serious problem. Still, there are remedies out there for those who believe in that ounce of prevention. The main product for sea lice is called SafeSea, which is a lotion you apply before swimming.
Sand flies/sand fleas/no-see-'ems are the principal bug to worry about on the beach. Again, they're not a particular problem at Castaway Cay. I'd like to say that DCL does its best to keep them away. Like mosquitos, their eggs are laid in stagnant water, and the public areas at Castaway are designed and maintained to not collect water, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if Disney also sprayed areas they'd be likely to breed - that's what they do at WDW. They don't fly very far from their birthplace, so that would help explain why they're hard to find in the inhabited areas of the island. I have encountered them in quantity on the "wild" side of the island, during one of the shore excursions. Can't keep 'em out of the mangrove swamps. If you plan to do one of those excursions, bring insect repellent with plenty of DEET in it.
It doesn't mean you won't get some stray bites, because it's impossible to keep the world bug-free. These bugs are most active in the early morning and late afternoon/evening, so most folks aren't even on the island when the bugs are most active.
When they are a major problem, there will be swarms of them, not just a few isolated bugs, and I've never heard of that kind of swarm/attack at Castaway Cay. Still, if you're particularly worried, include your favorite insect repellant in your beach bag along with your sunscreen.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
Thanks Dave!! I knew that the Bahamas wouldn't be bug free and what you said makes a bit more sense than what I read elsewhere!! I feel better about it and will be prepared if need be.............Our DD does have pretty bad reactions to bug bites.
We were told to wear misquito spray as a preventative on all islands even though Dengue Fever is not a high risk there and those misquitos do only come out at night, it isn't worth to take the risk. This is advice we got from our public health travel nurse. So, it won't hurt us to wear it and I am abit/alot of a preventative person.
Up to you, but I am putting it on all the members of my family
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Bugs???
We just want to be prepared!!
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Pixie Dust
Are these real and is it something to be aware of??
I feel better about it and will be prepared if need be.............Our DD does have pretty bad reactions to bug bites.
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