Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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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.
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11-01-2004, 03:32 PM
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#1
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Community Rank: Day-Tripper
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 13
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Disney Cruise Line and Special Needs
Hi Everyone,
As you may know, I"m one of the co-authors for the new Passporter WDW Your Special Needs book.
Right now I'm working on the Cruise Line section of the book and could use your help.
Anyone who is or who has traveled with someone with a special need, be it diet, mobility, vision, hearing, AtLarge folks, autisim, etc. on the DCL, I'd love to hear about your experiences. Please post here so everyone can benefit, or if you'd rather, I can be emailed at book@allearsnet.com
Thanks,
Deb |
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11-01-2004, 09:12 PM
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#2
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Community Rank: Navigator 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Davidsonville, MD
Posts: 6,563
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Re: Disney Cruise Line and Special Needs
We went in October, 2003 on the Land/Sea Cruise with our then 12 year old daughter with mild autism. We sucessfully cruised with no meltdowns and it was wonderful. Things I did to make it more smooth were:
1. Include her in planning and let her watch the video a bazillion times so she would have an idea of what to expect.
2. Study the Navigator for both adults and kids together to see what the schedule for the day would be. For some autistic kids, schedules and routines keep them calm.
3. She likes her routine and to be familiar with her surroundings, so we brought along a few "small" things from home to make her comfortable.
4. She likes to listen to music, so she brought her CD player and many CDs for down time.
5. She loves going to the movies, so we did on board. She did not go to the kids club too much, as it was a sensory overload for her, but she did go now and then with her younger sister.
6. Read menus before you go so they know what dinner/meal choices there are. And know that you can get those nuggets/fries/cheeseburgers up on the 9th deck if you need to at any time. Although we have progressed past those food groups and now eat real food, it's important for others to know where to get those comfort foods. And order room service. Lots of choices and they think they are royalty.
7. Be prepared for changes. We could not dock at Castaway Cay because of weather, so we just read the new Navigator to see what other choices we could make.
8. Don't be afraid to introduce new things. They might surprise you and like it!
We loved the cruise so much we are going back in June, 2005 and June, 2006. 
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11-02-2004, 07:52 PM
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#3
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Community Rank: Day-Tripper
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 13
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Re: Disney Cruise Line and Special Needs
Thanks for all the tips Joan. When you were at WDW, did you utilize the Guest Assistance Card?
Deb
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11-03-2004, 11:10 AM
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#4
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Community Rank: Navigator
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Davidsonville, MD
Posts: 6,563
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Re: Disney Cruise Line and Special Needs
We did not. We were there in October, so lines were fairly manageable, and her patience is getting better. She surprised us at one point and gave me a "high five" when we walked on ToT with a Fast Pass and she turned and told me "Fast Pass Rules". I about fell down laughing.
We are going again in June, when lines will be longer, so I suspect we'll be bringing her CD player to occupy her while we wait.
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