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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Can anyone tell me where is the best plase to have a room on the Fantasy. I am hearing that the ends may not be the best plase to be as far as feeling the motion. Is it worth it to upgrade to a room towards the middle. Thanks for all your help. Happy sailing. :-)
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Here is my story: on the last night of our Fantasy Eastern in November, the sea got a little rough on the last night. We were on deck 7, between the mid and act elevators. We heard some plastic-y squeaking noises, but it didn't interrupt my sleep. A girl in my Facebook group later posted that she woke up her husband, in tears, at 1:00 am, thinking they were going to die. She was on deck 9, four cabins from the very front.
I do think location matters, if you're prone to seasickness, but I must also tell you I was in that girl's room (but starboard, where she was port) on a previous Dream cruise, and the weather was great, and the room was fabulous.
We've sailed 6 times and have been aft, mid, and forward and on decks 5, 7 and 8. When the seas are rough, there will be movement. Personally, I don't mind as it can be lulling to get rocked to sleep at sea.
Have a great cruise!
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.
One thing I discovered during our first cruise, on the night that had very rough seas (knock the human down in the gift shop rough... I do not suggest grabbing for the display as you fall if you can avoid it, though if it is filled with stuffed critters it is not so bad when they come down on top of you :-) ).....
The bed in our stateroom ran in line with the sip. Turning my body so I was on an angle to the bed or "perpendicular" on the bed made a difference (either positive or negative) on how I felt in terms of motion sickness. I had to play around a bit to get the right angle, and some angles were downright unpleasant, but once I found the right one it was pretty good !!
Of course, it was only me sleeping in the bed, which made it much easier -- queen bed to one human :-) But it could be done with two people sharing the bed as long as both are willing to sleep at the same angle.
I've sailed on the Wonder to Alaska (forward) and the Fantasy to the Caribbean (midship). We had calm seas both times and I did not notice any real difference in feeling the ship's movement between staterooms.
I mostly felt the ship's movement when I was far forward (the theater) or all the way aft (Animator's on the Wonder in particular). If you have rough seas, I've heard that mid-ship on a low deck will feel the least movement but I don't have any first-hand experience of that.
From past experience the higher up you are the more you can feel motion, as well as the more forward or aft. The middle of the ship on a floor closer to the water line is the best for not feeling the motion. I also agree about what way you're sleeping. I've been on a cruise where we were on the outer edge of a hurricane and I slept side to side (head starboard, feet port) and slept better due to the rocking vs sleeping forward to aft and feeling more jostled on calmer seas
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Self-proclaimed Disney Planning Addict - I might not get there often but I know what I'm going to do when I do!
It really is all abut preference. Personally the lower decks are death for me. I remember being on like deck 2 meeting with someone and I thought I was going to be ill, right there in the office. Our room on deck 7 or 8, wherever it was, I don't remember was much better for me. We are usually pretty much midship but we prefer aft to the forward if we can't be precisely in the middle. Just personal opinion, if the seas are rough youre going to feel it no matter where you are. During our hawaii cruise the seas were so rough even the crew was sick and my husband fell out of bed. At one point I actually felt like the ship must be turning upside down because it was rocking so badly. A lot of people skipped the shows because being on deck 3 was too rocky for them...so it really is all about what your body adjusts to more readily. Do keep in mind you really are basically just sleeping in your room, the activities onboard the ship are spread out so don't feel like you'll be exiled to your stateroom, there are plenty of places to be throughout the day and night so find comfort in that fact!
I have had really good luck on Deck 2, midship. I get wicked motion sickness and I notice the ships movement much more when I am really forward (like the spa) or aft (Animators Palate). Deck height doesn't seem to make much of a difference.
The physics of ships change little from one ship to the next. You'll feel up-and-down motion ("pitch") most towards the bow (forward), less in the stern (aft), least midship. You'll feel side-to-side motion ("roll") most on high decks, least on low decks.
The cruise lines almost universally charge more for midship staterooms than fore or aft - that can be a worthwhile investment if you're sensitive to motion. I'm not particularly sensitive, so I'm perfectly happy anywhere. That said, if I have a choice of forward or aft at the same price, I'm going to go for aft.
The cruise lines also almost universally charge more for rooms on higher decks that lower. Higher is never a worthwhile investment if your concern is motion sickness. If being close to the pool deck is important to you, then by all means, pay for a higher deck! Me? It's more important to be close to the main dining rooms and theaters. ;-)
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I think room location is a personal preference. On our first cruise on the Magic we were almost all the way forward. On our next cruise on the Fantasy we were almost all the way AFT. We much preferred the AFT location over the forward location. We felt more moment forward than we did AFT. For our next cruise we booked an AFT room again.