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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Absolutely you can bring your own snorkel equipment. In fact, DS prefers his as it fits his face perfectly. He's got a set that fits into a mesh bag / backpack-type carrier complete with flippers.
You will be required to wear a floation vest though, and may need to rent it for a small fee @$6.
Floats are best rented at Gil's while on Castaway Cay. Have a wonderful time and enjoy your cruise!!
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Lynn
Yes, I am a Disney Addict... and I'd rather be cruising!.
Wear a vest??? That's horrible! I'm a free diver. A vest would just get in the way of things. Would they really come over and yank me out of the water if I wasn't wearing one?
I'm a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor and regularly free dive to 45 feet while fishing. I actually consider a vest to be a danger to me since it upsets my buoyancy control and can cause uncontrolled ascents.
this seems to be a question. you have to wear the vest, but it's inflatable. at least one person i've read insists you don't have to inflate the vest. as you're surrounded by lifeguards, i honestly can't imagine they'd let you get away with it, but he was confident in his answer.
as far as bringing your own, it's been established you can, but ultimately there's no reason to unless you already have gear and want to pack it. definitely no incentive to buy equipment just for the snorkeling at castaway cay.
the only personal equipment you may want to consider buying is a mask with corrective lenses if you need one.
You do need to wear the vest but it does not need to be inflated. DH brought his own snorkel gear on our previous cruise (not our most recent one) and was given the vest free of charge.
DH and I snorkeled all day at the Adult beach and we rented snorkel gear on the island - they did not give us any vest or tell us we needed to wear one - we did not as we are both certified divers and good swimmers. This was Sept 27 - Oct3. maybe they are talking about the main beach? Snorkeling was fun off the adult beach.
They usually have a cast member stationed at the mouth of the snorkel area at the family beach and yes, they you have to wear the vest (although you don't have to inflate it as others have mentioned). I do not know what they do at the adult beach as we have never gone over there to snorkel.
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Vest are mandatory in the snorkel lagoon. Just roll it up tightly with the valve open. Then there will be little to no air in the vest. We bring our own gear, the kids like thier own gear and the fit is better. Additionally if you look at the price of snorkel gear rental, you can most likely purchase a good quality set at home for about the same.
DH and I snorkeled all day at the Adult beach and we rented snorkel gear on the island - they did not give us any vest or tell us we needed to wear one - we did not as we are both certified divers and good swimmers. This was Sept 27 - Oct3. maybe they are talking about the main beach? Snorkeling was fun off the adult beach.
The vest rule is enforced in the snorkel area at the family beach, which is watched over by a team of water safety personnel. The adult beach does not have the same level of supervision. I've never rented at the adult beach (I brought equipment I rented at the family beach over to the adult beach), so I can't say whether your experience was typical of rentals made at the adult beach.
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DH brought his own snorkel gear on our previous cruise (not our most recent one) and was given the vest free of charge.
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