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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I hate packing, it stresses me out even under ideal situations. Having to pack for a cruise when I've never been on one before...not so fun.
1. Are the dining rooms and theaters chilly? I am planning on bringing a caplet sweater and a sweatshirt for being on deck at night, but I don't know if I should bring some other kind of sweater as well.
2. Speaking of temperature, do the cabins have thermostats? I like to have the room cold when I sleep and I am hoping you can adjust the temps.
3. A knee length jean skirt and nice top would be okay to wear on the casual dinner nights, right?
4. I know you can have milk/cookies delivered to your room, can you get hot tea delivered at night? Anyone know about how much this would cost?
5. Laundry at the resorts is $2 a load to wash and $2 a load to dry, correct?
Okay, that's all I can think of at the moment. Still deciding if I am going to try and fit everything in one suitcase and pack a duffle in as well to come home with...or, pack both the suitcase and the duffle about half full to cut down on the weight in each and if I do that maybe I can pack everything and not need to do laundry while I am there.
I can only answer your first question. I found the dining rooms to be a little chilly, but not too bad. However, I definitely need a sweater in the theater.
1. Are the dining rooms and theaters chilly? I am planning on bringing a caplet sweater and a sweatshirt for being on deck at night, but I don't know if I should bring some other kind of sweater as well.
I don't recall being cold anywhere on the ship. But I've kind of been one walking hot-flash for the last couple of years, so I'm not the best judge. I think just a light sweater and sweatshirt would do fine.
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2. Speaking of temperature, do the cabins have thermostats? I like to have the room cold when I sleep and I am hoping you can adjust the temps.
I like it cold for sleeping, too. I think they have thermostats. I know I was comfortable in our stateroom.
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3. A knee length jean skirt and nice top would be okay to wear on the casual dinner nights, right?
Sounds good to me.
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4. I know you can have milk/cookies delivered to your room, can you get hot tea delivered at night? Anyone know about how much this would cost?
Pretty sure hot tea is "free" through room service.
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5. Laundry at the resorts is $2 a load to wash and $2 a load to dry, correct?
Haven't done laundry at the resorts. Did a load on board last year (undies and t-shirts), and I'm pretty sure it was $2/$2 for wash/dry. I liked being able to use the KTTW card for that.
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Pat (a.k.a., PFlamingo) "We are the people our parents warned us about."
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Good to hear that laundry seems to be the same cost on the boat. I am thinking that if I don't have time to do laundry while at ASMo I may take some time to do it that first night.
We bring sweaters that are just enough to keep the chill off nothing overly heavy but something nice. The dining rooms can get chilly but the theaters even more so.
The only thing I remember being charged for was soda from room service but I'm sure since they deliver coffee tea would be available.
Mom and I discussed and we both seem to recall a thermostat being in the room.
I would bring a duffle or pack half in one and half in the other, because i'm sure you will buy some souvinears and having the extra room and weight allowance wiggle room available would benefit from having that extra bag.
We have been on 2 cruises so far, and so far we have had to figure out where we were going to put everything!!! We now know to make sure we leave enough space for our shopping habits!
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PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
If you have (or can borrow) a light-weight shawl it would be handy for after-dinner strolls and the theaters. I did order tea from room service once and don't remember there being a charge for it. You'll be solo on this cruise, right? It's nice to pack light so you don't have a lot to lug around, but solo you should have plenty of storage room! My first cruise was a solo 3-day in the middle of a 2-week WDW trip, so I had a fair amount of gear. I had lots of room to spare in the drawers, bathrooms and closet.
I think I am almost set on packing both bags so that I don't have the added weight of the duffle bag in my suitcase, because it alone is a little heavy. That way I will have wiggle room for purchases. I have 2 liteweight sweaters, one long and one short sleeve and I think I will bring both.
So happy to hear they have tea available, hopefully at no charge, I love a cup at night.
Hot tea is free from room service, we ordered it everyday. It is always a good idea to have a sweater on hand, in the dining rooms and theaters, just in case you get cold. It you will probably know after the 1st night if you need to bring it back to dinner or not.
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I don't have any answers as I've yet to be on a cruise but I wanted to say have a wonderful trip!!!!
Are you going to ASMo before or after the cruise?
Thank you!!
I will be at AsMo the week before my cruise. 10/10 to 10/16 and then the cruise is 10/16 to 10/23. And after this crazy week at work (it's only Monday and I can say this with 100% certainty) I will be more than ready to go. Already I'm telling people...a week from now I will be in this park hopefully doing such and such. Today's was "this time next week I will be in Epcot, strolling around the WS, with a grand marneir slushie in hand." lol.
I will be at AsMo the week before my cruise. 10/10 to 10/16 and then the cruise is 10/16 to 10/23. And after this crazy week at work (it's only Monday and I can say this with 100% certainty) I will be more than ready to go. Already I'm telling people...a week from now I will be in this park hopefully doing such and such. Today's was "this time next week I will be in Epcot, strolling around the WS, with a grand marneir slushie in hand." lol.
I've been doing that for the past couple days also... one week from now we'll be on the plane... one week from now we'll be in the MK, one week from tonight.... we'll be at MNSSHP!!! Yippeee
We'll be down there from 10/9 - 18... if I see you wandering with a slushie I'll say hello LOL
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I've never ordered tea from room service, but I've often picked up a cup of hot water and a tea bag from the drink station on Deck 9. There is a variety of caffeinated and herbal varieties (I think the brand is Twinings but I'm not sure -- it's not the same as the one served in the dining rooms, oddly enough).