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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We booked a fall break cruise on the Wonder, which is sailing out of San Diego. I have a million questions, but here are a few:
When was the Wonder last in dry dock? I keep reading about refurbishments and upgrades to the Magic, but it seems the Wonder has been left alone?
What recommendations do you have for a pre-cruise hotel in the San Diego area? We are considering using our DVCpoints to stay at the Del, just not sure that it's a worthy use of points.
Finally, anyone have any info on the latest Gold CC gift?
Thanks in advance for the help I know I'll get here!!!!
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We booked a fall break cruise on the Wonder, which is sailing out of San Diego. I have a million questions, but here are a few:
When was the Wonder last in dry dock? I keep reading about refurbishments and upgrades to the Magic, but it seems the Wonder has been left alone?
What recommendations do you have for a pre-cruise hotel in the San Diego area? We are considering using our DVCpoints to stay at the Del, just not sure that it's a worthy use of points.
Finally, anyone have any info on the latest Gold CC gift?
Thanks in advance for the help I know I'll get here!!!!
We were told earlier this month that the next dry dock for the Wonder is after the 2nd Panama Canal crossing of 2016 (so all PC trips after that will be in the new canal, not the historic one).
Current gold CC club gift is a really nice backpack (the asymmetrical kind that only goes over one shoulder -cross-body style), and a CC umbrella.
The last dry dock for the Wonder was in January 2014. As noted above, the next one is expected to be in September 2016 (when there is a break in the schedule), but I am not sure if it has been officially announced.
The dry dock last year included the required check-up and some minor maintenance work. Speculation is that the Wonder did not undergo the extensive rehab that the Magic did because of the delay to the upgrades at the Panama Canal. Some of the changes to the Magic extended the size of the ship such that it will not fit through the current canal, but will fit once the canal is upgraded. So, in order for the Wonder to continue doing Alaskan and Pacific Coast cruises in the summer and Caribbean cruises in the winter, it won't have major work done until the Panama Canal changes are done (or until Disney Cruise Line is sure they will be done before the next summer season).
I sailed on the Magic a few months before its last dry dock, and the only way I knew it needed repairs is that the ship was full of people taking measurements in various areas. I'm sure the Wonder will be in fine shape this fall.
Use of DVC points is always a personal decision. There are many hotels in the San Diego area. I've only stayed at a few near the Zoo. If you won't want to use your points elsewhere (such as the Grand Californian) then the Coronado sounds like a fun choice.