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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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On the cruise last year we initially thought we'd stay on the ship, but once we got in port, had a leisurely breakfast and did a few things we planned on the ship, we still had several hours to kill so we went into Nassau. Our logic was "when will we get another chance to see the place?" (Little did we know we'd book again for next year). We were in a similar situation - none of the shore excursions that we thought were affordable interested us.
From the Cruise ship you can walk thru the entry port and then down several tourist focused shopping districts ending up at the Straw Market. I found some very reasonably priced items and bought some trinkets for the kids. That area of Nassau is about what I'd expect from a tourist island -you're going to get hassled by the locals but it was actually cleaner and felt much safer than I anticipated from the experiences of some people I've read here (let them wander around Jamaica before they judge Nassau). We even found a Starbucks. Everyone we encountered was friendly and welcoming.
This year I've booked the Comfort Suites for $175 and plan on taking advantage of the attractions of Atlantis. While $175 may seem pricey to hang out at a water park for 6 hours or so, its a bargain for anything related to Atlantis and besides, how many chances are you going to get to do something like that? We're certainly more comfortable with the idea of doing something on our own than we were last year so that helps too.
The Passporter book was really valuable in helping us decide what made sense for us. Last year my children weren't strong swimmers so anything water focused other than a beach just didn't appeal to us. Glass bottom boats and other tours either had some bad reviews or sounded like they were for an older demographic, so the Altantis attractions - at a price that seems reasonable is the option for us.
If money is an issue, I think you can enjoy yourself just doing a walking tour and seeing some of the shops, maybe take in the straw market (be prepared to say no and haggle for anything you buy). Don't stray too far from the boat and you can drop back for lunch or a late afternoon snack.
I also noticed, the locals are more aggressive when the mass of people come off the boat in the morning but they die down once everyone is dispersed.
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I would love to do the off road Segway but what's the guarantee the helmets are clean and sanitized? Nassau is not the cleanest of cities and one never knows who wore the helmets last.
As soon as we took them off our heads she sprayed them (and the knee and elbow pads) with lysol and some other sanitizer......but we wore baseball caps underneath of them, just to be on the safe side.
I figure sometimes I just have to stop worrying about things I can't control and go for it!
Has anyone done the new Sea Lion Encounter excursion on Nassau? We are going on the 4 night Wonder cruise in late Feb 2010 and this is the excursion that appeals the most to us. I am a little nervous that it is so new and I can't find much on any of the boards about it.
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VWL July 2010
DCL 4 night (Wonder) +TL,DD Feb 2010
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Our first cruise next month takes us to Nassau also. I felt the same way, if we should bother with the shore excurisons or just trek out on our own. We really can't afford the excursions, but I don't want to miss out on what will probably be my one and only visit to the Bahamas. I found this website helpful as we familiarize ourselves with the area. The Pirate Museum sounds right up our alley. Nassau/Paradise Island - Nassau Paradise Island | The Bahamas
We left the ship during a stop in Nassau. We don't plan on doing so again in May. Don't get me wrong -- some of the excursions may be worthwhile and our trip to Atlantis was pleasant. I think having tried it the other way, I will prefer the ship (relatively) to myself.
We've been to Nassau twice, both times we just walked around on our own, exploring. We climbed "up the hill" where we found a cannon outside of the Royal Bank of Canada (I think that was the name of it anyway). We bypassed the straw market but did end up talking to a gentleman selling conch shells off of a dinghy on the ocean side of the market. (He let the kids try blowing on one that had the end sawed off.) We didn't buy one as we weren't sure if it going to be allowed back into the states. Anyway, the whole point of this long ramble is that we were very comfortable walking about by ourselves, everyone was friendly, the streets were relatively clean, and after a "no thank you" the vendors backed off. Good luck with what you decide to do and enjoy yourselves!
When this link opens up click on each of the pictures. This will enlarge the photo and give you additional information concerning the photo of the Bahamas.
Why only one link? Time? Yes TIME!!!
This link claims 152,000 photos.
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Last edited by Papa Mouse; 10-15-2009 at 07:44 PM..
I enjoyed walking around Nassau went we went in '06. Very comfortable setting. The people are friendly and we really didn't find anyone that pushy to sell things to us.
We did notice the jewelry stores had nice pieces of jewelry but knew we could get a better deal in the states. Strolled around Atlantis without going to the beach or aquarium. Stopped and had coffee at Starbucks, sat outside and enjoyed the sights. Couldn't believe the difference between Nassau and Atlantis.
In between the 2 cities you have a neighborhood all of it's own. If you take a taxi they may drive you through the neigborhood on your way back to Nassau. It's unbelieveable the neighborhoods you see within minutes of each other.
we have been there X2 and at this point have no plans to get off on our next sailing. I myself like the quiet setting when everyone is off to port. If we do get off it maybe a short trip to the straw market.
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We're certainly more comfortable with the idea of doing something on our own than we were last year so that helps too.
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I would love to do the off road Segway but what's the guarantee the helmets are clean and sanitized? Nassau is not the cleanest of cities and one never knows who wore the helmets last. 
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