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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Looking at sample Navigators on castaway.com, it looks like it might be smarter to NOT pre-book spa treatments but instead wait and see what the "specials" are each day. Any advice?
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That depends on what you want... specialty items like cabana massages tend to book quickly so if you'd like one of them, I would pre-book. The less expensive option for the Villas books quickly, too. The other (longer and more expensive) packages can only be booked while on board.
The 'Relax and Pamper' specials listed in the navigator are more like appetizers... they're a nice little treat but not a whole lotta 'meat'. A 20-minute massage will fly by in no time so while it's nice, it's just not enough for me. The longer treatments do cost more but you'll have lots of time to relax and totally unwind.
However, I will add a couple of the 'lite' treatments if I need something extra (I have a bad foot that tenses up so sometimes a quick 20-minute massage is just the thing) but I won't do them in place of my favorite must-do treatment - the hot stone massage... ahhh!
The specials tend to be offered during port days as an effort to boost bookings. If it's a popular port that many guests leave the ship to visit, then the spa is going to be slooow. How to tempt those that stay on board? Make them an offer (they can't refuse! Sorry - too much Sopranos!) You've got to be available with not too much notice for the specials (the night before or the day of) and your schedule needs to be flexible as times may be limited.
If it's something you would have booked, then great! Do you have plans that day (or plans you can change?) then a special may be just the thing. My luck is that they always offer the cellulite treatment as a special whenever I have "free time" which isn't something I personally would have booked.
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Lynn
Yes, I am a Disney Addict... and I'd rather be cruising!.
The spa specials tend to be Port Days and Embarkation Day. My suggestion would be to book what you want, and then if there are any specials that apply you can always asking about modifying your reservation. One tip I'll give you is to schedule a Frangipani scalp massage once you get onboard. It's technically a salon offering, so you can't book it in advance, but it's inexpensive and fantastic! Basically they massage your scalp with frangipani oil (which smells divine & conditions your hair) and then massage your shoulders with a muscle relaxing lotion. It's like the world's best chair massage. Takes about 30-40 minutes, if I remember correctly, and was under $40.
I'm playing the game both ways. I've got a cabana massage booked for my 3-nighter in july. But if they have a ladies' morning special on our Nassau day, then I'll cancel the cabana and schedule the special. I'll be outside of the 24-hour window on the cabana massage, so should be able to do it with no problems.
I know this is a family board, but curious as to whether anyone here has done the Exotic Rasul. DH and I would like to do this and I wondered how hard it would be to book 75 days prior.
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I don't know why it'd be a problem on a family board. Jennifer and I did the Exotic Rasul many years ago. It was definitely enjoyable, although probably not for everyone. I can hear it now... "Ewwww... getting smeared with mud??? I bet my DH would just love the chance to do that to me!"
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Sorry - too much Sopranos!) You've got to be available with not too much notice for the specials (the night before or the day of) and your schedule needs to be flexible as times may be limited.
I've got a cabana massage booked for my 3-nighter in july. But if they have a ladies' morning special on our Nassau day, then I'll cancel the cabana and schedule the special. I'll be outside of the 24-hour window on the cabana massage, so should be able to do it with no problems.
DH and I would like to do this and I wondered how hard it would be to book 75 days prior.
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