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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We just returned Yesterday from our trip with our 2yo. She had a wonderful time and was nowhere near the trouble we expected. The key for us was to know when she had enough. She would take a nice afternoon nap to be fresh for evening activities. She doesn't really like to sit through long dinners but we had a protable DVD player for her and she would sit at the table, munch her meal and watch Barney, or Ratatouille, (currently her favorite movie). Our servers were also very entertaining with magic tricks and attention to the children. The first night, though, we did not go to the dining room....it was an exhausting day for the kids. Consider room service that first night if your little one needs to just decompress. If you are in a suite you can order off the regular dining room menu and then you won't miss out on the meal. Also, my little one really loved the pizza from Pinochio's. In a pinch you can send someone for a few slices and have in the room.
Our little one had the best time in the pools and on the beach at castaway..the sand toys they sell on Castaway Cay were a big hit. We were careful to reapply sunscreen even in the shade and she still got a little tan.
The shows were the biggest surprise for us. She was amazed at them...clapped, danced, twirled like a princess and sang along. My Husband said watching her at those shows was worth the price of the cruise. It really brought tears to our eyes. Of course, we all enjoyed the shows, they are AMAZING!
We found it helpful to realize before we even left that we would not do everything and in fact, would probably not do much at all since we had her with us. This cruise was for our children and as such we moved at their pace. We would rather miss something than run the kids ragged and have them be miserable. We did miss a few things but not as much as we thougth we would and we had such a wonderful time that it didn't matter.
Hope this helps! Have a wonderful trip!
We cruise with our 18 month old in 6 weeks. 7 night EC. Cannot wait. We booked a couple hours in Flounder's to see how he will like it, but since he is not in daycare at home (I work days, Daddy works nights) I do not think he will stay there without us. Ho will not even stay in the church nursery during weekly services. Oh well! I still think we will have a great time and am a little more at ease reading how well your daughter enjoyed your trip. I cannot wait for ours!
__________________
Love, April
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass;
it's about learning to dance in the rain.
WE BROUGHT OUR 2 YEAR OLD AND 4 YEAR OLD ON A THREE DAY CRUISE IN OCTOBER AND DID NOT HAVE A PROBLEM. THEIR IS SO MUCH FOR THEM TO SEE AND DO. GO FOR IT!
We're waiting until next year when ds will be 4. He can make trips to WDW very trying sometime (despite naps, etc.), so we're waiting to take him on DCL. (Plus I didn't want to pay for Flounders, LOL.)
Our son sailed something like four times before he turned two, for a total of more than a month at sea. He took his first footsteps while the Magic was passing through the locks of the Panama Canal. Sure, vacationing with toddlers has its challenges, but we found it easier than visiting theme parks with him at that age. Since the ship is such a (relatively) small place, it's very easy to head back to the stateroom for a nap/decompression whenever you need to, and if he toddles off, he can't get all that far. As mentioned, childcare at Flounder's Reef is available for those times when you may want it. If you were at Walt Disney World you'd have to hire an in-room sitter, which is much less convenient and more costly.
On the flip side, unlike parents of older children (who can make extensive use of the free kids clubs), parents of smaller toddlers have to be resolved to spending most of their time with their child. But that's true of life in general, isn't it?
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
We just took our 2 yo on a cruise last month. He's not one to leave us easily and we didn't even try to put him in Flounders. We didn't do any adults-only stuff, but that's ok, that's the season of life we are in right now.
We stuck as close to possible to a nap schedule, and just accepted that he wasn't going to eat well. Sometimes he ate at dinner, sometimes it was just a Mickey bar. Oh well, LOL!
We were limited as to the kind of excursions we took, but after some disappointment in the planning stages, we were fine with it. He enjoyed the semi-submersible tour in Grand Cayman and the all inclusive beach excursion we booked on our own in Cozumel. Castaway Cay was a big hit with him! We swapped out for the Stingray Encounter - dh and dd went first, oldest ds and myself were in the next hour. It worked out fine.
Our 2 yo loved the Mickey pool and just cruising around the ship. He liked to sit in the porthole window seats, enjoyed meeting Characters and he liked the shows. We had early dining, so that fit right with his normal schedule. We made sure we had lots of snacks to keep him going on the excursions and during the shows.
We brought along a very lightweight umbrella stroller as well as a Ergo baby carrier. He rode happily on my back in the Ergo in Cozumel and the stroller was good elsewhere. We never used it on the ship.
I think if you're willing to lower your expectation of what you'll be able to see and do you'll be fine. Remember though, that no one can do everything they want to on a cruise. Your experiences will be different, but just as wonderful. My 2 yo still tells us how "Mimmie (Minnie) kiss my nose!" He takes his diecast "mickey cruise" and bus that we bought on board everywhere with him. He may not remember much, but dh and I will.
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