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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Not for sure if this question has been asked before. But does anyone know what the perks are for Castaway Club Members, besides the ability to make reservations at the 90 day mark?
You can go to the section on the DCL website for CC members, it has a couple of things there, but it's not updated much. The next time you sail you will get a gift in your stateroom. I think one of the posts here has a picture of the current gift. I also believe you get advance notice of any special itineraries, but I may be mistaken about that. There is a special check-in line for CC members, though there are so many CC members, it really isn't any faster. There is the CC get-together on the ship that is fun and sometimes you might get a little hint of something, or win a prize. And of course, the all-important 90-day window for excursions and Palo ressies. Did I forget anything?
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I have question about the gift. My son is a castaway club member and in a room with other non-castaway club members, will he get the gift in his room?
There's one gift per stateroom. I'm not sure if he has to be the primary name on the reservation. If he is, I'm sure he'll get it. If the reservation is in someone else's name, he probably won't. Make sure his reservation info includes his club membership number. Of course, he will have to wrestle with everyone else to keep the gift.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I am a teensy bit confused about what the Castaway Club is and how one becomes a member. I was under the impression that it was like the DVC, only for the Cruise Line, and that it entails some sort of financial commitment.
On Disney's website, it says that once you make a Disney Cruise, you are automatically a Castaway Club member.
However, I read on a different thread (it was talking about making reservations) that the reservation period for CC members is 90 days, and then returning cruisers is sometime after that, then new cruisers would be the longest. But, if you are automatically a CC member, wouldn't returning cruisers and CC members be the same thing?
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"I'm doing this because I want to do it better" -Walter Elias Disney, on creating Walt Disney World
I think you may have misread the info (or the person was incorrect). You are automatically a CC member once you complete your first cruise. We went on a Dec 6 cruise and got our CC cards mailed Dec 24 (at least, the letter was dated Dec 24).
There are 3 different time-frames for making ressies:
- Concierge level (pay extra for the service or certain stateroom levels) - I'm not certain on # of days ahead...
- Castaway Club - 90 days
- 1st time cruisers - 75 days
You can go to the section on the DCL website for CC members, it has a couple of things there, but it's not updated much. The next time you sail you will get a gift in your stateroom. ... There is a special check-in line for CC members, though there are so many CC members, it really isn't any faster. There is the CC get-together on the ship that is fun and sometimes you might get a little hint of something, or win a prize. And of course, the all-important 90-day window for excursions and Palo ressies. Did I forget anything?
Also, a few months after your cruise you may get a small surprise in the mail (we received a CD a year or two ago and a jigsaw puzzle this year).
I think you may have misread the info (or the person was incorrect). You are automatically a CC member once you complete your first cruise. We went on a Dec 6 cruise and got our CC cards mailed Dec 24 (at least, the letter was dated Dec 24).
There are 3 different time-frames for making ressies:
- Concierge level (pay extra for the service or certain stateroom levels) - I'm not certain on # of days ahead...
- Castaway Club - 90 days
- 1st time cruisers - 75 days
Concierge, REAS, Vow Renewal and Weddings can all make their ressies at the 105 day mark regardless of whether or not they have cruised before.
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Lorri
WBTA Repo 9/2010, DL (HoJo's & PP) and EB PC Repo 8/2008, BVP 5/2007, Land(AKL)/Sea(Wonder) 12/2006, POP 4/2004, POR 12/2002, ASMo 12/2001, ASMo 10/1999, Offsite (Honeymoon) 10/1992
Our first Disney cruise was the Panama WB Repo and we received our Castaway Club info and membership cards in the mail yesterday. Included in the package was a CD that has Caribbean music and the first track is the ship's horn. The CD says it has pictures and a screen saver on it but I can't find it yet. It's pretty nifty though and a good surprise.
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I am a teensy bit confused about what the Castaway Club is and how one becomes a member. I was under the impression that it was like the DVC, only for the Cruise Line, and that it entails some sort of financial commitment.
the only "finaincial" bit is the cost of another cruise if you take one! It is in no way like DVC. It just means you have cruised with Disney at least once.
Our first Disney cruise was the Panama WB Repo and we received our Castaway Club info and membership cards in the mail yesterday. Included in the package was a CD that has Caribbean music and the first track is the ship's horn. The CD says it has pictures and a screen saver on it but I can't find it yet. It's pretty nifty though and a good surprise.
We just got our CC stuff in the mail yesterday! Our cruise was the 4 day double-dip on May 25th. I love the cd! It gives me something to watch and listen to while counting down to the next cruise!
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"I'm doing this because I want to do it better" -Walter Elias Disney, on creating Walt Disney World
Included in the package was a CD that has Caribbean music and the first track is the ship's horn. 
The CD says it has pictures and a screen saver on it but I can't find it yet. It's pretty nifty though and a good surprise.
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