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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Location: South Dakota - not too far from Mt Rushmore!
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St. Maarten help
I could use some opinions. We are on an Eastern Magic cruise next month. From what I can tell, we should be in port from about 8 am to 6:30 PM. We are booked on a beach excursion through Disney from 1:30 to 4:30.
1. Is there anything close to the pier that would be interesting to a 6 year old? Or, anything fairly close that is worth seeing?
2. Is the butterfly farm close? Worth it?? How much would a taxi be and how long to get there??
3. Do we tender or dock at this port?
4. If we do get off and do something prior to the time of the excursion, do we have to get back on the ship or can we meet on the pier?
I may just shop in the morning but dont want to miss anything fun if there are any options for my daughter to see. How is the shopping at the pier?
The beach in Philipsburg is close. You can walk there. Sand, seashells, very gentle surf... perfect for a six-year-old.
There's a small zoo on the outskirts of Philipsburg to which taxi drivers might offer a ride... not very worthwhile.
Butterfly farm is outside of town, about a 15 minute ride to the north if there's no traffic. It's just south of Orient Beach. Taxi fare one way should be in the $18 range. Taxi rates are fixed, and there will be a sign by the taxi stand at the pier with the rates. I think the Butterfly Farm is worthwhile, many others do as well, but only you know your own family. When my son was six, he was scared of butterflies.
You dock. There have been only two ports where DCL routinely tenders - Grand Cayman on the Western itineraries, and Villefranche on the Mediterranean itineraries. Since St. Thomas opened a second cruise ship terminal, tendering is very rare.
The meeting place for excursions is always on board, and they they escort the group off the ship. Since they take attendance, collect waiver forms and hand out ID stickers on board... they'll want you to be at the on board location.
Shopping at the pier is pretty modest compared to downtown Philipsburg. Philipsburg is just a short walk from the pier (5-10 minutes), or you can take the water taxi from the pier, which takes you right to the center of downtown. $5 per day for unlimited trips. I think a regular taxi is a waste of money. Traffic in town moves very slowly. You may wish you walked.
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we will be on the magic april 6,2012. i wish to visit maho beach in st maarten and watch the jets land. any feedback on if its better to do this with a tour group like bernards or joyce prince or just take a taxi there
If you just want to hang out at Maho Beach and nothing but the beach, a taxi ride will be just fine. You should have no problem getting another taxi back. If you don't find one right there, or at the Caravanserai Resort right next door, walk a bit down the road in the other direction and you'll reach the Maho Beach Resort area - restaurants, shopping, casino, lots of taxis.
If you want to see more of the island - Marigot is nowhere near Maho, and Orient Beach is about as far from Maho as you can be on that island, why not take a tour with Bernard or Joyce? You'll probably get more bang for your buck, and they usually take you to Orient Beach for your time at the beach, which, while there's no jet wash to blast sand at your legs, is otherwise a far superior beach in terms of space and available amenities. Maho is just a strip of sand and a very popular beach bar.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Marx
The beach in Philipsburg is close. You can walk there. Sand, seashells, very gentle surf... perfect for a six-year-old.
There's a small zoo on the outskirts of Philipsburg to which taxi drivers might offer a ride... not very worthwhile.
Butterfly farm is outside of town, about a 15 minute ride to the north if there's no traffic. It's just south of Orient Beach. Taxi fare one way should be in the $18 range. Taxi rates are fixed, and there will be a sign by the taxi stand at the pier with the rates. I think the Butterfly Farm is worthwhile, many others do as well, but only you know your own family. When my son was six, he was scared of butterflies.
You dock. There have been only two ports where DCL routinely tenders - Grand Cayman on the Western itineraries, and Villefranche on the Mediterranean itineraries. Since St. Thomas opened a second cruise ship terminal, tendering is very rare.
The meeting place for excursions is always on board, and they they escort the group off the ship. Since they take attendance, collect waiver forms and hand out ID stickers on board... they'll want you to be at the on board location.
Shopping at the pier is pretty modest compared to downtown Philipsburg. Philipsburg is just a short walk from the pier (5-10 minutes), or you can take the water taxi from the pier, which takes you right to the center of downtown. $5 per day for unlimited trips. I think a regular taxi is a waste of money. Traffic in town moves very slowly. You may wish you walked.
Thanks for the info! in your opinion would I be better off doing another Disney excursion in the morning (to the Butterfly farm with a stop in Marigot) or just taking a taxi to and from the farm? About how much time would you think we would need at the farm?
Butterfly Farm is good for about an hour, unless someone in your group is really into butterflies.
I don't know the make-up of your traveling party, so I don't know how the costs will add up. Butterfly Farm doesn't quote rates on its web site, so you have to write to them for that. Figure $36-$40 for transportation just for the trip back and forth to Butterfly Farm, then add in the admission costs. Then, you'll know if the DCL excursion gives you a good value. The fewer of you there are, the better the excursion value will be. When you have three or four, you may do better going on your own - you'll just have to do the math.
One thing to consider is that a tour that includes Butterfly Farm and Marigot is going to do a complete circuit of the main island. You'll see much more of the island than if you just take a cab to Butterfly Farm, and you have that time in Marigot, which I've always liked better than Philipsburg.
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