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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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This will be our first time on DCL, and b/c I've come to love it here on the PPer boards, I've become a little obsessed with planning! Go figure, I know! So I was wondering, what do you do that first day after you board the ship?
eat?
swim?
hang out and do nothing??
I know that there's the bon voyage "party", but what else do you do that first day??
TIA
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Looking forward to another Christmas with The Mouse!!
We were some of the first onboard. We ate at Parrot Cay. Then up to the Mickey pool for a swim. Then to our stateroom for a quick nap before the lifeboat drill (I took the kids to visit the Oceaneer Club). After the drill, we went up on deck to watch us leave the port/channel. Then it was time for dinner (1st seating). After dinner, we checked the kids into the Club and went to see some show in Studio Sea (we didn't see the show at the theater that night - some musician). Then walked around, picked the kids up, and went to bed
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On two of our cruises, we've gone on a ship tour that is a good orientation if it's your first time onboard. (The second time, I didn't really need the tour but wanted to occupy the kids while my husband unpacked.)
We fixed our time at Palo (took about 5 min.), cancelled a shore excursion (another few), then lunch at Parrot Cay. We hung out by the pool after that playing ping pong, soaking up the sun with still very few people on board. Made a hair-braiding appt. for the girls. When rooms opened up at 1:30, we unpacked and settled in a bit, had a talk with the kids about their rules, etc. Life Boat Drill, Sail Away Party, Dinner, show. The kids all ditched us after dinner and went about their business. It was a great day! All three cruises have been about the same, except for the first one which was before online ressies were available, and we spent a lot of time making reservations/registering for things.
Let's see...got on board around noon-ish, had lunch at Topsider's, went to the pool, hung out around the ship, back to the room, unpacked, drill, kids went to the clubs (Stack and OQ), Sail Away party, dressed for dinner and finished unpacking, dinner (last seating), snooze!
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First trip DW--Nov. 1975; Senior Class Trip DW--Oct. 1979; First trip w/kids--Oct. 1995; Halloween at DW--Oct. 2002; Spring Break at DW--April 2004; Christmas/Pop Warner Nationals-POR--Dec. 2005;Cruisin'--April 2008; Mom/Son trip-POP--March 2010;Taggin' along w/DD on DH's conference-BWI--Oct. 2011; 50th birthday with the Gartner Geeks--Adults only!--BWI--Oct. 2012; The Trip That Almost Wasn't--BWI--Oct. 2013; We climbed The Summit (National Cheer Competition)--ASMovies--May 2014
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What time did you arrive for check-in? I know that some people say don't arrive TOO early, but we want to get on board asap.
We got there at 10:30.
For some reason I thought that kids' club didn't officially start that first night, does it??
They open about 7 p.m.
Here's what we did:
-Before we ate, we went right away so I could get myself a spa appointment for ginger and lime salt glow exfoliation/massage for that first day. (I think that's what it was called-don't have my notes here.) You get a discounted price for embarkation day.
-Eat lunch
-photos around the ship before it gets so crowded
-Take photos of the cabin before it gets messy
-Unpack
-Visit the kids clubs, get photos because my kids don't want me in there after open house
-Boat Drill
-Sail Away Party
-My spa appointment, to get all exfoliated and smooth so I can get some sun tan and the massage afterwards is a great way to release that pretrip packing/planning tension. DH took the kids to grab a bite before they checked into the clubs.
-Late seating dinner, just DH and I tonight...
-Drop into bed exhausted but SO happy that I'm finally on the ship and months of preparation is paying off!
About This Page: 
So I was wondering, what do you do that first day after you board the ship? 
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Pixie Dust
PassPorter Guide Author
Michelle
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