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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Even tho I am 17 days away from my WDW trip, my mind is thinking ahead to 2012 when I would like to take a Disney Cruise. Only thing is I have never cruised--Disney or otherwise! I am nervous about making a mistake! I don't know why I feel this way--I plan vacations all the time. Just not a cruise. All the cruise talk is foreign to me (catagories, transfers, etc)! I did get the Passporter DCL book and that was helpful. I am afraid I am going to get myself and my wallet in way over our heads. I want to start with a 4 day cruise and I know I want a verandah. I don't fly so I'd be coming by train and will probably have to stay at a hotel before and after the trip. So, now that I've verbally unloaded on all of you I guess I need reassurance that I CAN do this!!
Of course you can! Planning a cruise isn't so different from any other trip, so you already know more than you give yourself credit for. You're also surrounded by fellow planners here, with more experience and help than you can possibly need. Got a question? Ask away!
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
Of course you can! Planning a cruise isn't so different from any other trip, so you already know more than you give yourself credit for. You're also surrounded by fellow planners here, with more experience and help than you can possibly need. Got a question? Ask away!
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You will be fine!!! I too was like you but thankfully I use one of the GREAT TA's that I found on here. So not only do I have this forum to unload on but I have her!!
I like to plan my days and am finding it rather hard to do with a cruise. The closer we get to our cruises the more brain picking of others I will be doing!!
Get a travel agent. We are going on our first cruise in April and i am from a differnt country so you can imagine my concerns about that too. I didn't know alot til I came to these boards either and I still feel that until I actually get on the ship and experience it, that I won't totally "get it".
Ask alot of questions here on the board and that will help you ALOT!!!
Have fun....
We took our first ever cruise on the Disney Wonder this summer and loved it! We started with a 4 night, too, and got rooms with verandahs (there were 6 of us so we had adjoining rooms). We loved everything about the cruise! The Passporter book and this forum helped me to feel comfortable and knowledgeable. We didn't use a Travel Agent - booked through DVC - so you can definitely do this. You'll love it and be planning your next cruise, I know we are!!
Plan it and have fun. When I decided we needed to do a cruise and chose DCL, I registered for these boards and posted away. I also got the Passporter book and read it cover to cover twice. I also looked at other general on line cruise planning sites. On those I found more general cruise info. as well as more port info. I read as many trip reports as I could, looked at folks photos and wow! by the time we set sail, I felt pretty prepared. It was a lot of fun. Good luck!
Relax and enjoy the planning: you will have a great time. Its good you are starting with an "easy" 4 day cruise; you don't have to worry about too many shore excursions to choose from. You've already made a great choice with a veranda cabin, so you are on your way to a great vacation!!
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Margaret and I got to see the Cubs play in October. They won!
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You can definitely do it! Planning a cruise is a lot of fun and you can always ask as many questions as you would like. I think it's great that you will are starting with a 4 day cruise. It's a great way to get your feet wet but it's no so short that you feel like you barely unpacked before having to pack again like the 3 night cruises.
You might not need the hotel for the night after the cruise since you will be off the ship bright and early.
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You're also surrounded by fellow planners here, with more experience and help than you can possibly need. Got a question? Ask away! 
NYC-Canada Cruise Sept 2012
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