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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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.
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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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What are the best shore excursions for a family of 4 with DD (7) and DD (4) to take well on our Eastern Cruise in May of 2009? If me and DH want to take one with out the kids are they able to stay on the ship or do we have to take them with us?
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If you want to do an excursion without the kids, you can leave them on the ship (and the kids' programs are so engaging, they may not even notice you've gone). You will have a pager, but it probably won't work onshore. Just let the Oceaneer's Club staff know you'll be off the ship.
I did an Eastern Caribbean cruise this past January with my husband, my daughter (almost 5), my son (9), and my mother-in-law. Our favorite excursion was Coral World by Land and Sea in St. Thomas. First we had an hour or two to spend at Coral World, which is like a smaller version of Sea World with marine life exhibits including an underwater view of an actual coral reef. Then we boarded a semi-submersible boat that cruised around for 20-30 minutes giving us a great view of life under the sea.
My daughter, mother-in-law, and I did the Butterfly Farm Tour and Island Drive in St. Martin. The butterfly farm was neat, and the drive was somewhat interesting. (I was next to a cracked window through which everything looked blurry, which impaired my enjoyment a bit.)
At Castaway Cay, my husband and son did the Stingray Adventure, which they really enjoyed. I think the minimum age on that is 6 or 7, so your younger daughter couldn't do it, but she may be happy just playing in the sand along the beach, or with the kids' programming.
At Castaway Cay, my husband and son did the Stingray Adventure, which they really enjoyed. I think the minimum age on that is 6 or 7, so your younger daughter couldn't do it, but she may be happy just playing in the sand along the beach, or with the kids' programming.
How did you feel about leaving your child with the Kids program with the ocean being so close??? I was talking with DH and he didn't think it would be suck a good ideal to leave DD (4) by herself. I wanted to take DD (7) snorkeling but our concern is like I stated above leaving her with the ocean being so close and worrying about her getting away for the group of kids and going straight for the water? Can you explain to me how the kids program at Castaway Cay works? Are they watch? Are they taken by the water? Thanks for your Help
The kids' programming area at Castaway Cay is not on the beach. It is on the other side of the road that runs through the island, in a fenced area with a castmember stationed by the entrance/exit. The kids do activities in that area, digging in sand, playing games with sprays of water, and other stuff, but do not go in or near the ocean. Kids who are there at lunchtime go through the line at Cookie's BBQ (which is also on the other side of the road from the ocean) before it opens, when there are not a lot of people around and it would be easy to spot someone wandering away. In the unlikely event a child does make a break for the beach, there are lifeguards along the family beach who will apprehend him or her.
So I would have no qualms at all about leaving a child in kids' programming on the island so you can enjoy excursions or the adult beach.
I recently heard that the "Banana Boat" ride was recently stopped.
That made me sad......... because it was such a fun and cheap excursion.
I hope they replace it with something simliar.
When did they stop the Bananna Boat ride? My DS did it last month and had a blast!
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First trip DW--Nov. 1975; Senior Class Trip DW--Oct. 1979; First trip w/kids--Oct. 1995; Halloween at DW--Oct. 2002; Spring Break at DW--April 2004; Christmas/Pop Warner Nationals-POR--Dec. 2005;Cruisin'--April 2008; Mom/Son trip-POP--March 2010;Taggin' along w/DD on DH's conference-BWI--Oct. 2011; 50th birthday with the Gartner Geeks--Adults only!--BWI--Oct. 2012; The Trip That Almost Wasn't--BWI--Oct. 2013; We climbed The Summit (National Cheer Competition)--ASMovies--May 2014
How did you feel about leaving your child with the Kids program with the ocean being so close??? I was talking with DH and he didn't think it would be suck a good ideal to leave DD (4) by herself. I wanted to take DD (7) snorkeling but our concern is like I stated above leaving her with the ocean being so close and worrying about her getting away for the group of kids and going straight for the water? Can you explain to me how the kids program at Castaway Cay works? Are they watch? Are they taken by the water? Thanks for your Help
Our kids were very small and I didn't feel comfortable leaving them on the ship or at castaway without us on board. I just didn't think I could leave the ship and them not be able to reach us should something happen. It is a parent choice and you have to be comfortable with it. I was fine leaving them in the care of the crew as long as we were on the ship!
As you are probably already aware many of the shore excursions are not available for the Under 5 set and many of the ones left are the beach excursions. We will be doing the Eastern for the first time with our almost 4 year old daughter and our 6 1/2 year old son this December. I don't feel comfortable leaving them on the ship while we get off but I know many people have done this without any problems.
My kids love the beach so we have decided to mostly do beach excursions on our own. We will be going to Orient Beach in St. Maarten (they say there is nudity at this beach but one end is supposedly less 'nude' than the other). DCL has an excursion for this for 'all ages' if you are not comfortable going on your own. My kids are small enough I don't think they will even think twice about it...they will be too busy playing in the sand/water.
On St. Thomas we are thinking about going to Sapphire Beach. A friend of mine from work thought it was the best beach she had ever been too. The pictures are beautiful and they have a marina there if we want to rent a boat or we can try snorkeling, etc.. We are also thinking about taking the paradise point tram to get some good pictures of the island and of the Magic.
On CC we just love the family beach. My son wants to do the stingray encounter and since my husband is freaked out by them I will be doing that with him. I am also considering the parasailing for just me.
The kids club at CC is very safe. My kids want to play in the water and my daughter was not old enough for the Club on our last cruise so we did not use it much. I think my son was there for about an hour last time. He liked it but he would rather be out in the water. There is no way for the kids to access the beach/water from the Club so you can feel safe leaving your younger daughter in the club while you go snorkeling with your older daughter.
I heard that people on upcoming cruises got phone calls (from DCL) that the company that ran the BB is no longer available.....so it is canceled untill futher notice.
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Wishing my life away on my next Disney Cruise...WHAT A WAY TO GO!!!
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Need help with shore excursions!
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.... because it was such a fun and cheap excursion.
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