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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I just watch a really cute You Tube video from the All Ears website that gave a preview of the Muppet Enchanted Art Game that will be on the Fantasy! It looks like so much fun and I love the Muppet theme. My DD 10 and I were on the Dream last April and she enjoyed the Enchanted Art Game so much she said it was her favortie part of the cruise! Well anyway I just wanted to share this with you! We are planning a cruise early 2014 so we have a ways to wait but sounds like its worth waiting for!
I can't wait to see it in person! Less than 2 weeks till I get to tour the Fantasy. I really hope they show it to us. I love the Detective Agency on the Dream.
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I can't wait to see it in person! Less than 2 weeks till I get to tour the Fantasy. I really hope they show it to us. I love the Detective Agency on the Dream.
Will be excited to hear your report. I can't believe that has come up so soon! I hope my 2 years goes by as fast lol! Enjoy your tour!!!
I can't wait to see it in person! Less than 2 weeks till I get to tour the Fantasy. I really hope they show it to us. I love the Detective Agency on the Dream.
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Will you PLEASE take tons of pictures?? Especially - if you can manage it - cabins 10662 and 10664. I am so ready to have my booty on that ship, relaxing on my verandah and watching the world sail by...
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Saturday, October 9, 2014 - Kaitlyn and I before the Happy Haunted 5K at ESPN Wide World of Sports
I can't wait for this. Mid-ship detective agency is SO fun and i've heard that the technology on the Fantasy was going to be even better than on the Dream. They were working on facial recognition software in the paintings to make sure that you don't get the same experience over and over again. It will recognize your face and know which art you've seen, etc and will change accordingly.
I love the Muppets and i'm so happy that Jason Segal did a great job with it and it's Disney now! Can't wait to solve some mysteries on the preview cruise! WAHOO!
I can't wait for this. Mid-ship detective agency is SO fun and i've heard that the technology on the Fantasy was going to be even better than on the Dream. They were working on facial recognition software in the paintings to make sure that you don't get the same experience over and over again. It will recognize your face and know which art you've seen, etc and will change accordingly.
I love the Muppets and i'm so happy that Jason Segal did a great job with it and it's Disney now! Can't wait to solve some mysteries on the preview cruise! WAHOO!
What is the preview cruise and when will you be doing that??? Can't wait to hear about it!
What is the preview cruise and when will you be doing that??? Can't wait to hear about it!
I am assuming she is talking about the Earmarked conference cruise. Disney invites a bunch of travel agents on a 3 night preview cruise right before the Madien voyage. So the end of March. The Dream had one that I went on and it was a lot of fun! I would love to go on the Fantasy one but I am pregnant and therefore not allowed But I am very happy I get to tour it and go to the Christening
To all of you who asked- don't worry- I will defintiely be posting pictures lots and lots of pictures
What is the preview cruise and when will you be doing that??? Can't wait to hear about it!
There are several preview and shake down cruises. They need to put the ship through all the phases with guest onboard. Many of the cruises will have WDW and DCL cast members onboard as guest. They will do things like test all the phone lines at once, flush all the toilets at once..etc. They want to make sure everything is working properly for the maiden voyage.
Since the Fantasy will be going to new ports that the Dream never went they will actually sail a 7 night Eastern and Western.
Arrive New York Feb 28th Leave New York March 2nd
Christening to take place in NYC the evening of March 1st 6:00 - 11:30pm
Castaway Cay on March 5th
Arrive Port Canaveral March 6th
There are two pre-inaugural sailings with Cast Members on as guest:
March 8-15 - Western Caribbean
March 16-23 - Eastern Caribbean
Preview cruise March 23 – 26 Preview cruise?
Preview cruise March 23 – 26 Travel agent Conference and other invited guest
Preview cruise March 26 - March 29, 2012 – There was a contest to win a cruise.
March 29th – she will be in port there are tours for Media/travel agents in Port Canaveral
March 30th – The Magic will be in port. Maybe a photo op - not sure what they will do with two ships in port.
March 31st Maiden Voyage
Didn't mean to confuse anyone! Our agency has just been Earmarked (within one year! Yay us!) and I was one of 6 invited to go on the 3 night preview cruise on the Fantasy March 23rd-26th.
I will be blogging like crazy and taking photos and posting like a maniac as soon as I return. If anyone has specific questions they want to know about the Fantasy feel free to send them my way...I'll compile a list and answer when I return.
I'm sure Dave will have a ton of information as well.
The March 23-26 Preview is also being used as a Media Preview. Jennifer, Alexander and I will be aboard, and according to what I've heard so far, there'll be a fair-sized media contingent. As always with major Disney "Media Events," press will be substantially outnumbered by travel industry professionals. Regardless of which hat we wear, Disney is depending on us to become "informed" and spread the word.
And yes, we'll probably start a Questions thread at the top of this forum, as we did for the Dream. Keep your eyes open!
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
The March 23-26 Preview is also being used as a Media Preview. Jennifer, Alexander and I will be aboard, and according to what I've heard so far, there'll be a fair-sized media contingent. As always with major Disney "Media Events," press will be substantially outnumbered by travel industry professionals. Regardless of which hat we wear, Disney is depending on us to become "informed" and spread the word.
And yes, we'll probably start a Questions thread at the top of this forum, as we did for the Dream. Keep your eyes open!