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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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09-15-2005, 07:05 AM
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#31
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Community Rank: Adventurer 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Massachusettes
Posts: 503
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Re: Our 14 day Cruise on the Magic *Day 4 & 5 added*
Your trip sounds so special. What a memory for your entire family! More Please!
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09-15-2005, 09:30 AM
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#32
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Community Rank: Legend 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Louisville, KY
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 18,767
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Re: Our 14 day Cruise on the Magic *Day 4 & 5 added*
Another excellent two days!!! Love all the pictures!!! More please!!  |
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09-15-2005, 04:12 PM
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#33
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Community Rank: Trekker 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Near Seattle, WA
Posts: 1,183
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Re: Our 14 day Cruise on the Magic *Day 4 & 5 added*
How cool about Matt winning Ducky's sketch of Sorcerer Mickey! Also lovin' all the freebies they're giving away...the only thing we got on the 7 day was a free Pirates bandana.
Hurry back with more!
Tina
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Sponsored links
Check out the many e-books by PassPorter. The e-books are free to download if you have a PassPorter's Club pass.
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09-15-2005, 08:20 PM
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#34
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Community Rank: Trailblazer 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Chicago Illinois
Posts: 5,421
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Re: Our 14 day Cruise on the Magic *Day 8 added*
Day 8, 8/27/05 Saturday
We woke up this morning to another beautiful day at sea. After breakfast at Topsider’s my Mom took the boys to the family craft session at 10am, they made door hangers, & then to the pool. Tim & I went to “Disney’s Behind the Scenes” at 10:30am. Tom McAlpin, the President of Disney Cruise Line, was speaking. He gave us an overview of how Disney got into the cruise line business & gave us a glimpse into the future. The Magic is going into dry dock in Oct. so he updated us on some of the changes. They are going to install a huge movie screen on one of the funnels overlooking deck 9. They will be able to use it for deck parties & will also use it to show “dive in” movies. They are expanding the spa, & adding an activity to the kid’s area that will allow them to simulate docking the ship. They are also in the process of adding a “swim with the stingrays” excursion on Castaway Cay, some lucky trivia winners from our presentation were going to get to try it out.
After the presentation we met up with my Mom & the kids by the pool & spent the afternoon swimming & relaxing. At 2:15 Matt went to the Lab for the Hidden Mickey challenge & Stormin’ the Lab. At 3:30pm Tim, Ryan, & I went to the room for a nap & to get ready for dinner. Before dinner we stopped in the atrium & had our picture with Captain Hook & Mr. Smee.
Dinner tonight was in Parrot Cay. We had their regular rotation dining menu. Chip & Dale made an appearance in their tropical wear, & we all received a maraca as a gift.
Chip & Dale in Parrot Cay
The show tonight in the Walt Disney Theatre was “The Dangerous Comedy of Wilde & Hanes”. They did lots of physical comedy & juggling. They were really funny. After the show Matt headed to the Lab for a busy night. First there was Stormin’ the Lab, then a pool party at the Mickey Pool on deck 9, then a pizza party, then computer madness. Tim, Ryan & went to Studio Sea for “Seafarer’s Saga” a guess who’s telling the truth game with the cruise staff. They were very funny. At about 9:30pm the ship dropped anchor near Balboa Panama to refuel. We were told no one could smoke out on deck for safety issues. We could see the city & there were lots of other ships around. We headed to bed, tomorrow was a big day!
Tonight Derrick made us a towel & blanket animal
UP NEXT: The Panama Canal! |
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09-15-2005, 11:17 PM
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#35
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Community Rank: Legend
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Dreaming of the Future
Concierge Level: 1
Posts: 24,867
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Re: Our 14 day Cruise on the Magic *Day 8 added*
Great Update I wish I had been on that Cruise!
Amy
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09-16-2005, 02:55 AM
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#36
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Dopey's biggest fan!
Join Date: May 2004
Location: China Spring, TX
Concierge Level: 9
Posts: 26,975
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Re: Our 14 day Cruise on the Magic *Day 8 added*
Wow Kathy!!! I am all caught up on your report now . . . . looks like the cruise was amazing so far, and you're only halfway through!!!
Looking forward to more!!!  |
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09-16-2005, 09:05 AM
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#37
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Community Rank: Adventurer
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Massachusettes
Posts: 503
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Re: Our 14 day Cruise on the Magic *Day 8 added*
Nice family picture! A 14 day cruise is certainly sounding more appealing to me each report!
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09-16-2005, 09:37 AM
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#38
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Community Rank: Trekker
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 1,447
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Re: Our 14 day Cruise on the Magic *Day 8 added*
<font color="purple"> This report is great! I so wanted to do the 14 day cruise, it sounds like a blast. Thanks for the great  photo's too
</font>
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09-16-2005, 12:23 PM
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#39
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RED SOX NATION!!
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 9
Posts: 136,854
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Re: Our 14 day Cruise on the Magic *Day 8 added*
Another great update  |
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09-16-2005, 01:14 PM
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#40
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Community Rank: Explorer 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Mesquite, TX
Posts: 9,373
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Re: Our 14 day Cruise on the Magic *Day 8 added*
Great update !  I'm loving your trip report !!! |
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09-16-2005, 03:00 PM
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#41
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Community Rank: Trekker
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Near Seattle, WA
Posts: 1,183
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Re: Our 14 day Cruise on the Magic *Day 8 added*
Wow! 
What a wonderful day...and what a terrific trip you're having.
Can't wait to hear more!
Tina |
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09-17-2005, 02:29 PM
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#42
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Northern NV
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 12,516
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Re: Our 14 day Cruise on the Magic *Day 8 added*
A great start to your report! Can't wait to hear about the rest! |
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09-18-2005, 11:13 AM
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#43
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Community Rank: Trailblazer
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Chicago Illinois
Posts: 5,421
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Re: Our 14 day Cruise on the Magic *Day 9 added*
Day 9, 8/28/05 Sunday
We received a wake up call from Mickey at 5am it was a very exciting day we were scheduled to transit the Panama Canal. We got dressed & went up to Topsider’s for breakfast. We then headed up to deck 10 to stake out a spot to watch the 1st set of locks. We chose a spot on the port side aft. The front of the ship was packed with people & it was a little crazy up there. There were waiters walking around taking drink orders as well as waiters offering us free alcoholic & non-alcoholic drinks.
Passing under the Bridge of the America’s
The 1st set of locks we would enter were the Miraflores Locks, followed shortly by the Pedro Miguel Locks, both of these locks would be taking us up. We would then sail through Gatun Lake, followed by the Gatun Locks which would take us down. A pilot boards the ship & navigates us through the Canal. As you approach the locks, tug boats come along side to guide the ship in. As you approach the actual lock ropes attach the ship to small locomotives on the land on each side. These locomotives then pulled us into the lock.
Heading for the Miraflores Locks
Entering the 1st Miraflores Lock
You go through each lock with another ship & we had a container ship on our port side. It is a really tight fit.
The container ship leaving the 1st lock & entering the 2nd. We are still in 1st lock.
The canal is an amazing experience. They have a narrator who tells you what is happening & bits of history about the canal as you pass through. It is very interesting. We also received a book in our room about the canal & they were passing out pamphlets as we were going through that gave a summary. It was very exciting.
At 12:30 we were through the 1st 2 sets of locks. Matt had been at the Lab all morning. Why watch a once in a life time experience when you can play with other kids? He did say they took his age group out to deck 7 & had them watch a set of locks, so he did get to see it. We headed down to deck 9 for lunch. They had a BBQ & were grilling steak, chicken, & pork chops. They also had salads & of course deserts.
The kids swam in the pool while we sailed through Gatun Lake. We then decided to go to our room & watch the Gatun Locks from our veranda. Our room was on deck 7 starboard side, so we could get a different view. Matt, of course, headed back to the Lab for craft extravaganza, to learn to make towel animals, & to make Flubber.
In the Gatun Locks
We went to dinner in Lumiere’s at 6pm & finished the locks while we were at dinner. Lumiere’s is on deck 3 & we could see the sides of the locks through the portholes while we ate dinner. We had the “West Meets East” menu tonight. After dinner we went to the Walt Disney Theatre. They were showing the movie Valiant. It was cute.
After dinner Tim, Ryan, & I went back to the room. We were really tired from a long exciting day. Matt was off to the Lab again & came back to the room at midnight.
Tonight Derrick made us a blanket animal
Up Next: Another fun day at sea & a new Cinderella story! |
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09-18-2005, 12:54 PM
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#44
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Community Rank: Legend
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Dreaming of the Future
Concierge Level: 1
Posts: 24,867
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Re: Our 14 day Cruise on the Magic *Day 9 added*
Great Update I can't wait to go cruising in April!
Amy
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09-18-2005, 02:10 PM
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#45
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Mesquite, TX
Posts: 9,373
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Re: Our 14 day Cruise on the Magic *Day 9 added*
Great update ! Thanks for the great pics too ! |
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