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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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06-12-2014, 06:10 PM
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#1
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PassPorter Guide
 Community Rank: Globetrotter 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,041
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Feature Article: Castaway Cay Bike Rental - A Disney Cruise Line Port Adventure Review
Castaway Cay Bike Rental - A Disney Cruise Line Port Adventure Review
by Angela Jenkins
During our first cruise on the Disney Dream last fall, we thought about inexpensive shore excursions to try.
Not many of the shore excursions appealed to us, for various reasons, mostly because we really just wanted to enjoy being on the ship, but also because of our budget. We had never cruised before and it seemed like a good idea to just relax this time. While reading <i> PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line<i> guidebook, the excursions on Castaway Cay seemed pretty reasonable and I ended up highlighting one in particular: the bicycle rental. Renting a bike for an hour sounded fun and I knew our family would enjoy it. We didn't make a reservation, just in case we had other plans. It was only $6 per hour at the time, well within our budget.
On the morning we docked at Castaway Cay, we were actually looking forward to getting out on the bike trail. We had been eating very well and even though the boys were having the time of their lives, the thought of fresh air and stretching our legs a bit sounded great. We debarked a little after 9:00 am - we wanted to start the day with a little exercise and then relax for the rest of the day. We also wanted to get on the bike path before it got too warm or crowded. Our 11-year-old wanted to hang out with some new buddies, so it was just my husband, myself, and our 9-year-old. We found the bike rental place after walking by the family beach. By the time we got there, the folks who had been doing the Castaway Cay 5K were finishing up.
After paying for the rentals (charged to our stateroom), we spent a few minutes picking out the perfect bikes. There were plenty of cruiser-type bikes to choose from; adult women's and men's bikes, and kid's bikes, some with training wheels. Child seats were also available. The main difference turned out to be the difference in air pressure in the tires. All of the bikes seemed well maintained and oiled. We also picked out a helmet for our son. The crew member had shown us the bike path on the map. If you are worried about getting lost, don't be! There are signs everywhere and the path is wide and clearly marked. The path takes you along a very nice, clean nature trail with some interesting photo ops along the way. There are also ice water coolers along the way which were very nice, even though the path had some shade during the morning. The first part of the path takes you on a sort of circular route that leads you to the observation tower. Be sure to bring your camera, as we got beautiful photos of the island and the Dream beyond. The second part of the path starts when you take a right out of the trail onto the tram road (old runway). You can ride your bike down to the adult beach, Serenity Bay. From there you can go all the way to the end of the trail that runs parallel to the beach, to get a beautiful view of the ocean and Serenity Bay. There are tables there to rest, and more ice cold water. This part of the trail is behind the cabanas and it has some nice shade.
On our way back we noticed that the tram road was a little more crowded with trams and people, so if you have little ones, I would keep that in mind. When we turned in our bikes the crew members didn't even seem to notice. I really don't think they were keeping track of our one-hour time limit - I'm sure we could have had the bikes longer if we wanted to.
We really enjoyed our little inexpensive excursion. The paths were smooth, the bikes were comfortable, and there were water stations along the way. I believe that it was only a mile to the end. I was so glad I brought my camera with me, as we took many pictures on the trail, at the observation tower, and at the end of the trail. We got some exercise and had some relaxing fun together. The bikes are on our must-do list for next time!
Added to PassPorter's Article Collection on 06-03-2014 10:06 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.
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