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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I wanted to share with all of you my wonderful Jamaican trip I took this past summer, July 31- Aug. 4, 2016. What an amazing time it was with some amazing old and new friends.
This was a work trip….yep! Poor me! But before you all think…Gosh all she ever does is travel for work….that is not true…and I work very hard to get to do these trips. And the week leading up and the week after I come home are just chaotic!
This trip was sponsored by Sandals and Beaches and it involved touring several resorts and rooms as well as experiencing different dining options and other things the Sandals brands offer.
I no longer remember when I actually first started planning this trip, but I was invited to participate and I spread the word to a few other agents who in turn applied for this opportunity as well. At one time there were 4 of us going from my workplace; Ellen, Lenora, and Brook…but Brook ended up backing out as her family then planned a trip to Europe that overlapped the dates.
We all booked our flights and searched for a facebook group and found one. We met a few people in the group prior to going, but it was not a very active group. My flight had me flying into Baltimore and then on to Montego Bay. Lenora and I were discussing flights and when we realized I was coming in there and that is where she was flying out of, she changed her flight so that we would be on the same one. Lenora was fairly new to my agency but we have been friends online for several years now…meeting on the Disboards. We have something in common…..not many people have this in common, so it instantly bonded us! We are both wives of Dairy Farmers. She can understand things that no one else can even possibly start to understand. I was excited to finally meet her in person.
Ellen was flying from NYC I believe and she had met a gal, Marianne, in our facebook group that was flying on her same flight and they got to know each other a bit before traveling. Marianne ended up being a new great friend to all of us and we did everything together. We all bonded with her fast and we kept forgetting she was not really part of our agency. LOL.
All the preliminaries were done…flights booked; waivers and behavior contracts all signed….and we all booked the Club Mobay for our arrival in Montego Bay!
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I had an early flight…and I MEAN early!!!!! 5:25 AM to be exact! Yuck! But I didn’t want to come in a day early and this one would get me to Jamaica with plenty of time to spare before the evening’s events started.
Originally I booked a hotel near the Detroit airport for the night before. I had researched and researched and the emails I had gotten from Southwest said to arrive at the airport 3 hours early for my international flight…..which mean 2:30 AM! I asked friends and looked on message boards and asked if this early time was really necessary since I was flying to BWI first. Basically everyone said better to be safe than sorry and yes the airport can be busy at this time.
After talking to my Mom, she volunteered to take me to the airport that night, which worked out better. I would have to spend 100+ dollars on a hotel room that I would only be using for a few hours….and let’s face it…I probably wasn’t going to be able to fall asleep. Claire said she wanted to come along as well to drop me off.
So the evening of the 30th, I made sure I had everything needed and packed and just basically waited on the couch till it was time for Mom to pick us up. I think I may have dozed, but not for long.
Mom arrived and we packed up the car and headed to the airport, which is a little over an hour away, depending on traffic…and at 1:30 AM there is none….so we arrived right on time. I grabbed my bags and hugged and kissed Claire good bye and went in…..to see that the SW counter was not open. I saw others sitting around, so I grabbed a seat near the check in line and waited. I talked to a few people who said they were told the SW line would not open till 3:30. UGH! Wish I had known that! Now I had an hour to waste.
As it got closer to 3:30, some of us got in line to be ready to check in….unfortunately a huge group of “gun” guys beat most of us to the line.
Finally I got checked in and my bag was taken and I headed to security. I had just gotten global entry and was excited to use it for the first time…..except that line is not open this early in the AM. However, there was no line to speak of and they told us that those that had TSA pre-check did not have to take out anything and could follow those procedures rather than the normal ones. Good!
I headed to my gate and waited. I think I got a snack at some point and then finally boarded and was ready for my adventure to start.
I think I may have dozed a bit on this flight, but it was pretty short and before I knew it we were landing in BWI. I messaged Lenora who was just coming in through security and said she was going to get some Starbucks before meeting up.
Once I got off the plane, I decided to get something to eat as well. I didn’t take a picture and I don’t remember what it was, but it hit the spot. Lenora said the Starbucks line was super long and she would meet me at the gate. After a bit she found me and we hugged! It was nice to finally meet in person! We chatted and soon boarding was called. I had an earlier boarding position than her so I promised to save her a seat. While in line we saw Libby, who we recognized from our facebook group and said hello. She told us another gal was supposed to be on this flight too.
I found a seat and soon Lenora was on and she sat next to me….then Libby boarded and she sat in our row as well. We all chatted and got to know each other.
In my excitement many people started taking pictures. LOL. I think some of them had no clue but figured if someone was freaking out over it they better take a picture.
If nothing else good happened this trip….that was fine….this was already a huge highlight for me.
When we got off the plane we had people waiting for us with our names on a card to take us through customs. This was part of the Club Mobay experience. They get you through much faster. Now it really depends on the time of day…and your luck. A week before we had heard of people waiting an hour to get through….today most everyone was breezing through, but with our escorts we were some of the first to get through and it was really nice.
Once we got through we were told we could head to Club Mobay while we waited for our shuttle, but also being a Sandals client, we could wait in the Sandals lounge as well. It was a bit chaotic as we were handing off our luggage to be taken to the shuttle, trying to check out both lounges, using bathrooms and also most of us were starving and trying to get something quick from one of the lounges.
I think this was the only picture I got of the Sandals Lounge….I failed miserably.
I think I ended up running back to the Sandals Lounge to use the restroom and then we were being called to board the shuttle and as I walked out I grabbed something small to eat. Because of the rush, there wasn’t much left, but it kept me from starving. Some of the other ladies were smarter and grabbed several things to take on the bus with them.
We loaded the shuttle bus and I didn’t want my carryon to get put in the pile of luggage as it had my nice camera in it. They told me I had to sit at the back so that I could keep it in the back and out of the way…which was fine. But then they kept trying to take it away from me. What was so hard to understand? I want my bag with me! LOL.
We then took off towards Negril, which is where we would be staying for the first 2 nights.
Honestly this was a bit disorganized and after talking to others who have done these type of trips before they commented as well that it was disorganized and the worst they have ever seen it.
We had time before our rooms were going to be ready so we got some quick lunch before the buffet closed. I failed to take pictures because we inhaled it!
Our new friend Margaret asked us where we were eating tonight? Um…I don’t know…how do we find out? Oh her check in lady told her to be sure to sign up on a sheet and they offered several options for the next 2 nights. Great…no one told either Lenora or I. We went to the lobby and looked at the options and message Ellen, who had now landed, and she told us to just choose and also to include Marianne when we made them.
I think we went with French for tonight and Italian for tomorrow.
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Oh my goodness, how neat you got to see Castaway Cay! Wow...
Shame your arrival wasn't the greatest. I was intrigued by the sights you saw on the way, as I'd heard the resorts are very different from the rest of the island and that's shown by your photos.
By the way, we'd be doing a one day visit to Jamaica if our plans work out... on the Fantasy... but nothing's 100% decided yet on that.
I was intrigued by the sights you saw on the way, as I'd heard the resorts are very different from the rest of the island and that's shown by your photos.
By the way, we'd be doing a one day visit to Jamaica if our plans work out... on the Fantasy... but nothing's 100% decided yet on that.
I have gone to Jamaica a few times now. The longest was 11 days with my college tropical marine biology class and the shortest was a port of call on a Carnival cruise.
There is a very different feel bw the areas surrounding and the resorts. So much so it can be a culture shock. We did a lot of non tourist things with my class including church 2x, flea market/farmer market, grocery shopping, local dance club/bar. As well as tourist items. It was a wonderful experience and the people we met were amazing. They are a very poor economic society but very rich in culture and hospitality. I hope you get the chance to visit. I think you would enjoy your experience.
I have gone to Jamaica a few times now. The longest was 11 days with my college tropical marine biology class and the shortest was a port of call on a Carnival cruise.
There is a very different feel bw the areas surrounding and the resorts. So much so it can be a culture shock. We did a lot of non tourist things with my class including church 2x, flea market/farmer market, grocery shopping, local dance club/bar. As well as tourist items. It was a wonderful experience and the people we met were amazing. They are a very poor economic society but very rich in culture and hospitality. I hope you get the chance to visit. I think you would enjoy your experience.
Awesome pictures from the plane. Love that you recognized Castaway Cay. Looking forward to hearing more. Way back when we had won a honeymoon trip to Jamaica and then a major hurricane hit and we had to change our plans.
Don't think I'd be too impressed with that level of disorganisation
Yeah it was a little annoying, but we had heard that the team that was working with us (The Business Development managers) were switch out or asked last minute...sounded like whoever was originally supposed to come couldn't make it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Oh my goodness, how neat you got to see Castaway Cay! Wow...
Shame your arrival wasn't the greatest. I was intrigued by the sights you saw on the way, as I'd heard the resorts are very different from the rest of the island and that's shown by your photos.
By the way, we'd be doing a one day visit to Jamaica if our plans work out... on the Fantasy... but nothing's 100% decided yet on that.
it was so exciting to see CC from the sky. I had never expected that.
Yes, very poor on the outskirts...but a lot of those islands are like that. The resorts are just beautiful though.
Well that would be fun! I think the cruise port is between Montego Bay and Ocho Rios if I remember right from things I have read.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
So very cool to see Castaway Cay from the air! Bummer about the disorganization at the start, but the resort looks beautiful!
It really was so cool to see it...and be able to recognize it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by patclairesmom
Awesome pictures from the plane. Love that you recognized Castaway Cay. Looking forward to hearing more. Way back when we had won a honeymoon trip to Jamaica and then a major hurricane hit and we had to change our plans.
Oh man...that sucks! There was actually a hurricane while I was there and predicted to hit...but it died or turned or something. Honestly I heard more about it from people at home and the locals really didn't seem worried at all.
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I'm looking forward to reading all about this, as we're hoping to take our first trip to Jamaica next year. 
Wow... 
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