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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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View Poll Results: WDW - Before or After a Cruise?
I voted for before. We just found the cruise very relaxing, and the last thing we wanted to do after that was race around the parks. It was a nice ending to the trip to have it at the end.
I haven't done the WDW/cruise combo, but I HAVE been to WDW and on a cruise, and based on my experience, I would definitely do the cruise last. A cruise can be active or relaxing - however you want it. But even being active on a cruise is not as active as WDW. Sometimes after I get home from WDW, I feel like I need another vacation. And we are NOT the "go all day" type. We take breaks, and we are usually back in the room by 9 PM most nights.
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I voted for after as that's what we're doing in April When I'm on the beautiful cruise ship, I just don't wanna think about the end of the trip yet so it's nice to know we have another portion of the vacation (i.e. WDW) coming up afterwards. Then at WDW we're always so busy I don't have time to think about the end of the vacation - so this works out best for us!
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I've done both and both have their pros and cons....
We did a trip where we stayed for a week at WDW then did the 4 night then came back to Disney for one night and it was a nightmare I didn't want to leave WDW and the hassle of packing unpacking blah blah
Another time we did the Eastern and stayed at WDW for about a week before doing 7 night cruise then we came back and did 6 nights at BCV and that was actually quite relaxing as we had done so much before we got on the cruise that when we came back to WDW we just plain chilled out.
Other times I've done the cruise and arrived stayed one night at the Hyatt at MCO or at the Swolphin and then gone off to the port then stayed at WDW afterwards and that too works out great
The worst thing is when we have stayed at WDW before the cruise then after the cruise because our flight isn't until say 7pm that night we have to hang around so we usually go and have lunch in Celebration or in DTD and that sucks because all I can think of is being at Disney LOL .... now if it was a really cold rainy day I wouldn't mind so much OR if our flights could be at lunchtime that would be even better but all the flights to the UK are usually after 5pm from MCO bleh!
So LOL in an ideal world I would say do it afterwards and then there is still vacation time to look forward to, but hey I'm in the UK and we get a lot more vacation time than some of you guys in the States
Hello, my family and I have done both also going before is more relaxing ... but going after is also great depending on your flight times .... I think the ship lets you off early in the am so if your flight is much later in the day ( depeding on the time ) maybe you van hit one of the parks. We have done this before and disney has helped with the magical express service . Good luck and happy choosing
We did after on our last trip and regretted it. The cruise is so relaxing that it really helps you wind down after the go go go of WDW. Regardless of how much you want to do, try to fit in, get involved in, you'll do less walking and there's less sensory overload. Even if your day is as filled as WDW, you'll feel less stress and/or fatigue.
We did before on our land/sea package and wished we went to WDW afterwards. We took our time at WDW so we would have enough energy for the cruise. It was my first time for both and we should have gone on the cruise first. All I did was kick back, relax and eat. I wanted us to enjoy the cruise, and activities on board - but it didn't happen. I was much too tired and all our plans went down the tubes. I felt so bad for my significant other.
If we ever plan a land/sea vacation again, it would definitely be DCL first WDW second.
I vote doing WDW before the cruise.... WDW is the more tiring of the two portions, and it's kind of counterproductive to come back from vacation totally exhausted! If you do the cruise last, you'll have more time to relax, unwind, SIT as opposed to WALK, etc; so by the end of your vacation you should be, theoretically-somewhat rested!
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We are doing both. We are going to do Disney 7 days before our cruise and then 2 days after our cruise. We are doing the bulk of it, before so we can rest and relax on the cruise and we will be ready for a break.
Well I did both. Going to WDW before was terrible. After I got off the ship, I wanted to continue my vacation. I switch up the next time and it was great! I have been to Disney so many times, I do not run around crazy at the parks! I planed the days. It also depends on when you go. Some times are busier then others. If you go at during non peak times the parks will not be so consuming.
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I voted to go to WDW before the cruise, based on my hubbie!
I know he would prefer to go to WDW first and then do the relaxing on the cruise - after we had been to the parks.
I think if it were just me, I would vote to go before AND after!
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When I'm on the beautiful cruise ship, I just don't wanna think about the end of the trip yet so it's nice to know we have another portion of the vacation (i.e. WDW) coming up afterwards. Then at WDW we're always so busy I don't have time to think about the end of the vacation - so this works out best for us! 
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