Forums Closed
|
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
|
|
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
|
 |
04-14-2016, 09:40 PM
|
#1
|
PassPorter Guide
 Community Rank: Globetrotter 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,041
|
Feature Article: Freezing the Night Away on the Disney Wonder - A Disney Cruise Line Review
Freezing the Night Away on the Disney Wonder - A Disney Cruise Line Review
by Amy Wear
A Frozen-themed event called Freezing the Night Away debuted on select Disney Magic and Disney Wonder sailings in 2015.
We were among the lucky ones who got to experience the event on the Disney Wonder. Since our sailing was also a Very Merrytime cruise, the event fit in well with the theming. In addition to the Freezing the Night Away event, guests who remembered to get free special event tickets on embarkation day, also had the opportunity to meet the Frozen characters for photos and autographs. In sharp contrast to the famous two hour waits at Walt Disney World, we got to see Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf at our appointed time with less than ten minutes of waiting.
Spoiler alert: My 6 year old daughter didn’t think I should write this article because it would ruin the surprises. If your family likes surprises and is going to get to enjoy this event, you may want to stop reading!
A warm-up to the event, Anna’s Chocolate Chase, began on our first night of the cruise. Anna left a note in our cabin, inviting the kids (and grown-ups) to participate in a scavenger hunt around the ship. Our girls enjoyed spending much of their first day at sea finding all of the clues around the ship. Though it wasn’t chocolate, they were giddy to find four Frozen rice krispie treats in our cabin the next night, their reward for finding all of the clues. On night three, we returned from a picturesque day in Cozumel to find four light-up snowflake necklaces waiting for us in our cabin. We weren’t entirely sure what we were supposed to do with them, but our girls enthusiastically wore them to dinner. These made for great entertainment for the four little girls at our table that night.
The Frozen themed events began with a specially themed dinner in Parrot Cay. The servers were in character, wearing blue vests with large snowflakes. Our head server was dressed as Kristoff. Kids and adults got their own special Frozen menus. As with every night, the kids’ menus came with crayons and games relating to the theme to entertain kids through dinner. This particular one included a maze game to help Kristoff and Sven find their sled and a Frozen themed word search.
Appetizer options for adults that night included Arendelle Gravlax and Elsa’s Coronation Scallops. For the main course, we had selections such as Anna’s Honey-Mustard Marinated Salmon and Kristoff’s Rosemary Marinated Striploin. Kids could choose from Arendelle’s Appetizers, Kristoff’s Main Event, and Elsa’s Sweet Finish.
After dinner, we headed to deck 9 to scope out good spots for the Freezing the Night Away deck party. True to Disney character, the deck 9 stage and surrounding area had been transformed into Arendelle.
We loved that the ship cast members reserve a kids viewing area for every deck party. The middle section covering the goofy pool was always roped off just for the kids. It was monitored by cast members and parents could stand just outside the ropes. As the kids sat waiting for the show to begin, most of them were wearing the light-up snowflake necklaces we had received for the event in our cabins. Some of the little girls were dressed for the occasion in Anna and Elsa dresses.
Some citizens of Arendelle got the party started, selecting a few of the kids to play instruments while Kristoff cut through the ice, just like the opening scene from the movie. Soon Anna joined the gang on stage and Sven appeared on the large screen. We were led in singing and dancing to the Fixer Upper song. Next, Olaf came on-screen and appropriately led us in a sing-a-long of In Summer.
Of course, no Frozen event is complete without the Queen of Arendelle. Elsa invited all of the kids to, “use your snowflake medallions to open up your hearts and use your imagination to find the strength within yourselves to create magic.” Much like the Frozen Sing-a-long at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, cue the music for the most overplayed song in 2014. While Elsa’s performance didn’t quite live up to the quality we’ve come to expect from Disney theatrical productions, who can resist “letting it go” and singing along?
Or was that “let it snow”? Only the magic of Disney can make it snow on a ship in the Caribbean. Even we Canadians, who get more than our fair share of snow each winter, were excited to see the magical snow falling all over the ship during the grand finale. Kids all around us were cheering and screaming with excitement. With the majority of the ship’s passengers hailing from Texas, I’m sure it was the first time many of the kids had ever seen snow. It was the perfect ending to yet another Wonder-filled day.
Added to PassPorter's Article Collection on 04-11-2016 07:04 AM
What do you think? Please add your own comments, experiences, or news related to this article in this thread! Reader feedback is welcomed and encouraged.
|
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
|
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Linear Mode
