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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Our family will be going in October and I'm wondering what activities families have done on board with children 3 and under. Our son is old enough for the club, but with limited hours we can use Flounders Reef, I'm would like to know of any hidden gems people have found to do with their toddlers.
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You know, I don't have specific areas on the ship that are hidden gems, but rather the whole ship! Here are some thoughts:
* Your toddler may really enjoy exploring the ship - not just the pool areas, but also the various seating areas
* Be sure to check your Navigator as to when there will be character activities/meets; have your toddler get familiar with the characters before traveling. Our daughter wasn't too into the characters (at 2-1/2) at first, so we would just stand back and watch other children interact. By the 3rd day, she was running up for hugs and dancing.
* Flounders may be a great option if you are feeling like a dinner alone, but don't hesitate to bring your little ones to dinner. The CMs do a terrific job at catering to young children.
* If you child takes naps at home, try to continue the schedule on board. That will help him/her have a good attitude and desire to explore and play.
If your child is old enough for Oceaneer Club (3 years and up), I'm not sure why you're considering Flounder's Reef. Oceaneer Club is much larger, has far more activities, is better suited to your child's age group, takes the kids to dinner at meal times, places no limits on the amount of time your child can spend there, and doesn't require reservations (or a fee).
There isn't a huge amount of toddler-and-parent-specfic activities on the schedule, but many, many family-friendly activities for you to share, organized and unorganized. I suggest a visit to CASTAWAYCLUB.COM to check out the daily Navigators for the itinerary you'll be sailing.
I certainly agree on exploring the ship with your child. The whole experience will be new to him/her, and it'll be hard to know just what excites his/her imagination the most. I happen to like the Deck 4 promenade. It tends to be a quiet area, shady, and with lots of room to run around (it includes a running/walking course that circles the ship). We've even had some great character encounters there. There are always movies showing in the Buena Vista Theatre, and you can even do play time with your child at the Oceaneer Club. Those are just some of the possibilities that extend beyond the listings of family activities on board.
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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 for the tips so far. The big issue is that my DD will be just turning 2 on the curise - too young for the club and I've read or seen that Flounders is limited in the number of hours (8 to 10) that can be booked for one child. So, over 7 days that doesn't leave much time if we're using Flounders for a brunch and dinner. Naps are definitely a given, the pools likely, but I do like the idea of exploring the ship.
When we went last time, my daughter just turned 1 on board. Her older brother was in the club all day so we had to find stuff to keep her busy. Flounders has open play times and we were able to take her there to play with the toys. She loved that! Dinner in the dining rooms were actually a highlight for her and she had a great time with the servers. She loved meeting the characters. She also just really liked being able to walk around and explore the ship (as we followed close behind her). We picked excursions that everyone in the family would enjoy, including her.
We tried to keep her on her normal nap schedule but it just didn't happen! She was too excited to sleep and took 1-2 naps the whole 7 days and usually b/c she just passed out in the stroller later in the day. We did try every day though in our stateroom at her usual time. She was able to watch the tv and see some of her favorite movies while relaxing for atleast a little while.
I have to add that we went on the Western so there were less "at-sea" days to worry about keeping her entertained. We're doing the Eastern in November but she's old enough to go into the clubs herself now.
While Disney puts a cap on your initial reservations for Flounders (so everyone gets a chance), once you're on board you can usually book additional time there. We've yet to have a problem getting Flounders time when we needed it, in the four times (and 26 days) Alexander has been on board DCL vessels.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
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