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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Well we are paid in full and making final arrangements for our cruise and have 2 questions: First family is very excited about cruise May 23 to 27, 2010) they want to get there as early as possible but not ridiculously early so what time would you recommend getting there, we will be parking at port. Second question is would we be better off pulling up front and dropping off luggage or I heard you can park and than they pick up or you drop off your luggage at a tent or something, anyone know which is more efficient/ faster thanks for the info this is our first cruise and it is a big combination celebration Here we go : my Daughters sweet 16,( bringing 1 friend) my son becoming a teenager 13,
(yikes we have 2 of them and they are very scary), me and my Bride's 21st wedding anniversary and finally my pending retirement (summer 2011)from the New York City Police Department thanks for your assistance Powder
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I would get there by 10:15-10:30 AM. Last time we had a car, DH dropped us off with the luggage, and then he went to park the car, but that was before security increases. They now check your name and check your passport before you go inside the terminal to security (at least they did in August) so you might want to have them wait for you there (not sure if you all have to go in together or not).
If you decide to park at the cruise terminal then you may as well give the luggage to the folks in the parking lot. It'll be slightly more efficient than dropping everyone/everything off before parking.
If you decide to park at the hotel, you have two choices - someone can drive the family to the cruise terminal with all luggage and drop them off, then drive the car back to the hotel to park and take the shuttle back alone. The advantage here is that it's easier to find space on the shuttle for one person and no luggage.
Or, you can get the whole family to the terminal via the shuttle. With that many people and baggage, you may have to wait for the shuttle's next trip (maybe 20 minutes).
I'm not a huge fan of arriving first thing (10:15-10:30). You end up spending about 90 minutes waiting around inside the terminal before you can board. If you show up at 11:00 you'll probably board the ship (when boarding begins) about 5-10 minutes or so after the folks who arrived first-thing will board.
Have a nice, leisurely breakfast over at the Residence Inn, and don't push yourself to be there too soon. It's more stress than anyone needs. Compared to the folks who are arriving by plane that same morning (now, that's stress), you're already way ahead of the game.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
We just took our first cruise in February. We got to the port at about 10:00 and drove straight to the parking lot. There were not many people there so the parking was great. Since we drove past the entrance to the check in area we knew where to park to have the closest walk. It took us about 3 or 4 minutes to walk from our car with our bags to the luggage drop area and then enter the terminal.
When we got inside we went over to the check in lines and had a seat, chatting with the other cruisers in line. The check-in process started at about 10:20. Once we checked in and got our son checked in for the kids club we sat in the terminal for around 25 or 30 minutes and boarded with the second group called. While we were waiting we chatted with other folks who were waiting. Characters showed up with DCL photographers and a line formed for portraits. It was fun.
I don't know the answer to your question about drop off. I just wanted to say thanks for all you do in your job and good luck in your retirement. ~mrskay9
When we checked in our cruise last year we got there about 1030ish:
1. showed our ID (passports) to the greeters which checked us against the passenger manifest
2. moved up and checked in our luggage in at the curb, and the rest of the family went in through security to start the check in process, but I drove the car to the parking lot, keeping my own passport.
3. I walked in from the parking lot using my passport to get through security and met my family who was already checking in and finished the process.
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