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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Nope. But when you do on-line check-in it may still ask you to pick one. Pick the earliest one available to you.
Enjoy the Hyatt! And, have a great cruise!
I thought I had read on a previous post that someone who stayed at the hyatt and used DCL transportation had left the airport at 9:30 on DCL bus and were to port by 10:30. (You fill out your boarding pass at the airport and don't have to do it at the port, so I wonder why I have to pick a check in time online?)
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 thought I had read on a previous post that someone who stayed at the hyatt and used DCL transportation had left the airport at 9:30 on DCL bus and were to port by 10:30. (You fill out your boarding pass at the airport and don't have to do it at the port, so I wonder why I have to pick a check in time online?)
It's just part of the on-line check-in format. We did the same as you in July, but still had to pick a port arrival time when we did the on-line check-in for the cruise. The arrival time didn't matter as we were arriving by DCL transport from MCO after staying over at the Hyatt. I think it's just a "thing" with the DCL web-site. Maybe they have fixed it since we used it, but don't be surprised when the site still needs you to pick an arrival time.
Thanks so much. I just realized your report was the one I read and is why we decided to try the Hyatt. We think this will be our last DCL adventure being one son is too old for kids clubs and other son is 16, so we thought we'd make our last trip easy vs. renting a car for trip to port and back and having to deal with shuttles, etc. It's a splurge for us, I'm usually much more frugal before our trip starts. We're celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary and me turning 50 which is even better reasons to splurge!
Thanks so much. I just realized your report was the one I read and is why we decided to try the Hyatt. We think this will be our last DCL adventure being one son is too old for kids clubs and other son is 16, so we thought we'd make our last trip easy vs. renting a car for trip to port and back and having to deal with shuttles, etc. It's a splurge for us, I'm usually much more frugal before our trip starts. We're celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary and me turning 50 which is even better reasons to splurge!
Lots of reasons to celebrate! And, you never know. . . adults can sail on Disney, too! Have a great cruise!
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.
Sorry to hyjack this thread, but:
We're staying at the Hyatt MCO too. If we get to the port at 10:30, what time does the ship start boarding? Would we just have to wait around the terminal for an hour or so to board? I think I'd rather wait in a nice hotel room.... Are there later departures from MCO & is there an advantage over earlier/later arrival time?
It's our first cruise, so lots of questions.
Thanks!
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Last edited by gretchenohar; 06-02-2012 at 04:18 PM..
Sorry to hyjack this thread, but:
We're staying at the Hyatt MCO too. If we get to the port at 10:30, what time does the ship start boarding? Would we just have to wait around the terminal for an hour or so to board? I think I'd rather wait in a nice hotel room.... Are there later departures from MCO & is there an advantage over earlier/later arrival time?
It's our first cruise, so lots of questions.
Thanks!
Busses leave for the port from the airport throughout the morning and early afternoon, so you can leave later if you want to. Typically the ship begins boarding between 11:30 and noon, with staterooms available at 1:30 pm. The ship boards in groups and each party is assigned a boarding number. The lower the number, the earlier you can board the ship. We were on the ship by 11:45 and enjoyed our afternoon--pool, aquaduck, midship detective agency, etc. all while guests are still boarding. One of the best ways to get the most out of your cruise dollar is to get the most out of your first day on board. As to what to do while you wait, Disney characters can often be found the cruise terminal has some interesting things to look out. There's also a layer of security to go through at the port and that can take a few minutes.
Is your boarding number assigned by when you get on the DCL transport bus?
If you are checking in at the airport to take the DCL transport to the port, then yes, your boarding number would be assigned there. If you are driving to the port, taking a car service, or a bus from a Disney resort, you will be giving your boarding number when checking in at the port.
Even if you arrived later in the day, there will most likely be a wait in the port terminal before boarding the ship. We just like the convenience of the Hyatt, ease of luggage handling, and early access to the port and ship.
Nope. But when you do on-line check-in it may still ask you to pick one. Pick the earliest one available to you.
Enjoy the Hyatt! And, have a great cruise!
When taking the DCL transfers, the port arrival time you select during online check-in is irrelevant. Therefore, it's recommended that you select the LATER port arrival times during your online check-in since it won't matter. This allows guests who are driving or using other transportation to the port, to actually select an appropriate early arrival time that fits their needs. If you're on the first bus from MCO, you will have an early boarding number assigned from MCO check-in regardless of the port arrival time you select.
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We think this will be our last DCL adventure 
being one son is too old for kids clubs and other son is 16, so we thought we'd make our last trip easy vs. renting a car for trip to port and back and having to deal with shuttles, etc. It's a splurge for us, I'm usually much more frugal before our trip starts. We're celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary and me turning 50 which is even better reasons to splurge!
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