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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 first read that men had to have a dinner jacket for the dress up night at dinner on a three day cruise and then I read that it wasn't necessary. Which is it? You look at the Disney Advertisements or promo DVD's and everyone is so dressed up for dinner and then when you look at people's actual vacation video's on You Tube and they seem much more casual. What is appropriate attire for the meals? We are a family of 6 and going on a 4 day land 3 day sea trip. Packing clothes for both seems like it could be a nightmare. Help!!!
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No, dinner jackets (whether a sports jacket or a tux) are not required for dinner these days, in the regular dining rooms. You'll find plenty of men wearing an open-collar shirt and nice slacks, and far fewer choosing to wear something more dressy.
However, for dinner in optional, reservation-required, adults-only Palo, a sports jacket is expected.
Note, though, that on dress-up nights the ship's photographers haul out their fancy, formal backdrops. So, if you want to pose for formal photos (no cost or obligation), bring the wardrobe you'd like to be seen in.
If you like the idea of dressing up in classic, Titanic/Queen Mary style, nobody's going to stop you. But if you're more comfy in something a bit more dressed-down, that's quite cool, too. Pretty much the attitude these days is, "It's the passengers' vacation, let 'em be comfy." There are minimum limits, though. Men shouldn't expect to eat dinner in the regular dining rooms in a tank top and shorts; a camo shirt, jeans and a baseball cap, etc. At a minimum, have enough "nice" golf shirts and/or sports shirts and a couple of pair of khakis to get through the cruise.
Women can almost always get by with a light summer dress, or dressier resort casual (nice slacks with a short sleeve top, etc.) Plenty also bring a classic, basic black dress and enough accessories to wear it on more than one occasion (a light shawl or two, etc.)
As for those ads, all the cruise lines promote the romance of cruising, and formal attire is certainly part of that romantic image. If you seek that romance you certainly can take part in it, but if it's not your cup of tea, you're in very good company.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
I am also interested in the 4 land 3 sea package. Did you book through disney or someplace else? Did you book it seperately? I've heard that booking seperate is cheaper. I know this is off your subject but I am going crazy trying to find the best way to plan this vacation. Thanks for any help you can offer.
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You can book Land/Sea direct with DCL, or through a travel agent.
Generally, we recommend against the Land/Sea package. It's not necessarily cheaper to do it separately - that depends in part on your choice of hotel for the land portion. The key thing is, any Verandah stateroom automatically gets a Deluxe resort at WDW, and the non-verandah staterooms get a Moderate. While you can upgrade a Moderate to a Deluxe on the package, you cannot "downgrade" by staying in a Verandah at sea, but a Moderate or Value resort on land (or a non-verandah at sea and a Value on land). To do that, you have to book on your own. Further, booking separately means you can take advantage of possible discounts on the land portion of the stay. Also, only some of Disney's resorts are available on the Land/Sea package. If you'd rather stay at a different resort, again, you have to book separately.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions