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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 guess this would apply for cruise and land, but given all the activities and excitement, what happens to your child's sleeping schedule for the duration of the trip? Do you adjust it in any way? Naps too?
We're still stuck with second seating (fingers are still crossed) and DD just turning 3. What can I do to minimize the meltdowns and make the transition smoother?
What might help everybody is a scheduled mid-afternoon break just to relax and nap if needed. If anyone else wants to be up and around, it is very easy to find something to do onboard, or at your resort there should a pool and arcade available nearby. We did mid-day breaks and so everyone could stay up a little later -- our youngest was 8.
My kids are 2 1/2 and 3 1/2...so, still young enough that my experiences with them may be greatly different than kids who are older.
We're big on schedules/routine at home. Not down to the minute, but we follow the same flow almost everyday. I try my hardest to keep naptimes & bedtimes as close to normal as possible. We do the same bath/reading a book routine right before bed, bring things from home, etc...just trying to keep some things normal to them amidst the sensory overload that is a week at Disney.
Last year, we picked one day and didn't return for naps. The kids napped in the strollers and were fine. Naptimes were difficult at the beginning of the week because they were so excited, but by mid-week, they had no problem crashing for a few hours in the afternoon.
My best advice, every child is different and until you're amidst it, you have no idea exactly what will be right for them. I'm sure my kids at almost 2 and 3 will be different on our next trip at 2 1/2 and 3 1/2, so we'll just play it by ear. If you keep your kids well rested with happy tummy's, I think a lot of potential problems can be avoided. Just know that sometimes you might have to make sacrifices on what you want to do/see for the greater good.
DD does keep a regular routine too but you're right, sacrifices will have to be made. That mid-day break/nap will end up being longer I guess. Would you recommend skipping shore excursions completely when docked at Bahamas? Thanks!
DD does keep a regular routine too but you're right, sacrifices will have to be made. That mid-day break/nap will end up being longer I guess. Would you recommend skipping shore excursions completely when docked at Bahamas? Thanks!
I would unless the excursion is either before or after her nap. We LOVE routines
and when we travel we stick to them but that's our choice. Good luck!
I would unless the excursion is either before or after her nap. We LOVE routines
and when we travel we stick to them but that's our choice. Good luck!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MickeyWatch
The stop in the Bahamas is a great day to spend on board the ship. You will have the pools to yourself pretty much and can take a late afternoon nap.
Nope it would take place between ~ 11 - 3, Discover Atlantis. Thought it would be nice for DD to check out the fishes, etc. and for us to take a look at the complex. Has anyone been? Should I just save it for another cruise--yep, already thinking about another one--or skip entirely.
I like the idea of lounging aboard ship that first full day and exploring the ship itself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EeyoreNeedsLoveToo
also make sure to check when you get on board -- we were on second seating and couldn't get it switched beforehand, but did it easily once on board.
I will definitely do that. Been checking my reservation daily online and no change so far. During the planning process, had decided to not do Palo since I would have to coordinate care at the nursery and wasn't sure how DD would take to it.
Now I'm thinking I should have reserved when I had the chance!
We got off the ship in Nassau with dd3 on our last cruise. Next time we go to nassau, we're just staying on the ship. I'd just make it a nice fun relaxing day! And like I keep telling my DH for our upcoming trip (12 days and counting!)...we don't both have to be chained to the room for rest time. He can rest with dd1 one afternoon while dd5 and I go do something, vice versa, grandparents can take nap duty one day, etc. You two could do the same!
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We got off the ship in Nassau with dd3 on our last cruise. Next time we go to nassau, we're just staying on the ship. I'd just make it a nice fun relaxing day! And like I keep telling my DH for our upcoming trip (12 days and counting!)...we don't both have to be chained to the room for rest time. He can rest with dd1 one afternoon while dd5 and I go do something, vice versa, grandparents can take nap duty one day, etc. You two could do the same!
DH agreed, we'll spend the day on the ship instead. Hmmm... maybe I'll use that shore excursion $$ for the Cricut promotion I just read on another post.
My girls are a bit older. So they no longer nap and actually did fine with staying up later. But what I did make them do is have a "rest period" each afternoon. We just hung out in the cabin and watched TV or a movie. Sometimes they closed their eyes for a little bit. I needed the break too! This gave them more steam for later!
I have never been to Nassau with children. I was really interested in taking them to Atlantis. I think they would just love it there. Hope I can get the excursion before it is sold out.