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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 looked it up on trip reports and the only comment was that it was far forward, but they did not feel the motion of the sea despite rough weather first night out.
What is the 8th deck like? What is it like being more forward? What will I be close to?
Hold the presses! Have I been upgraded??? We booked a cat 6 with a guarantee, but when I look around online, it seems that the 8th deck is only cat 1-4. Is this true? We are on the Magic. If I am upgraded that much, I am one happy camper! lol
Category 1
Two bedrooms w/queen-size beds, two and a half baths, whirlpool tub, living area with convertible sofa walk-in closets, wet bar, VCR, private verandah, Concierge service. Sleeps 7.
Category 2
Two bedrooms with queen-size beds, two and a half bathrooms, whirlpool tub, living area with convertible sofa, walk-in closets, wet bar, VCR, private verandah, Concierge service. Sleeps 7. 945 sq. ft.
Category 3
Queen-size bed, living area with double convertible sofa, wall pull-down bed, two bathrooms, walk-in closet, wet bar, VCR, verandah, Concierge service. Sleeps 4, some sleep 5. 614 sq. ft.
Category 4
Queen-size bed or two twin beds, single convertible sofa, and wall pull-down bed, privacy divider, split bath, private verandah. Sleeps 5. 304 sq. ft.
Well, you've got a Cat 4. Congrats! As you've already seen, you're on the suite deck. Hallways on that deck generally are wider than on other stateroom decks, which may make a difference if you're headed towards the midship or aft elevators/stairs.
You're one flight of stairs from "adult country" on Deck 9 - Quiet Cove Pool, Cove Cafe, and the spa. Since you've got some help from gravity, you'll find it easy to walk downstairs to the Walt Disney Theatre and shops on Deck 4 forward.
You'll have easy access to the forward elevators. They tend to be busy right before/after shows, but will be great at other times. That also gives you easy access to the tender lobby on Deck 1 for days in port.
There'll be little foot traffic past your door, which is nice, and with the adults only areas above you (also quiet), that's good, too. The "motion of the ocean" is not all that bad as far as I'm concerned. On large ships like this, forward, aft, and midship work out to be good, better, best (rather than bad, better, best). Unless you know someone in your party is particularly motion-sensitive, don't worry about it.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
Yes, that is a category 4 stateroom! We were in 8066 in August (near the back) but we loved Deck 8 and the bigger rooms! We found the deck to be very quiet, since there are only staterooms up there, and it was a quick trip up the stairs to Deck 9 and the pools, Topsiders, drink station, etc.! Congrats on the upgrade!
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Is my room port or starboard? I am trying to figure out if I will see the ports when I leave or go out, or if I will be able to view sunrises or sunsets? We are doing W. Caribbean with two stops at Castaway Cay.
Susu
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Is my room port or starboard? I am trying to figure out if I will see the ports when I leave or go out, or if I will be able to view sunrises or sunsets? We are doing W. Caribbean with two stops at Castaway Cay.
Susu
To make it more complicated, sometimes the ships dock with port facing the port, other times with the starboard side facing the port. Sometimes it's pointless, because you're alongside another large ship. Sunrise or sunset? You'll get a mixture of both, regardless of which side you're on. Even then, since weather can affect whether you see sunrise or sunset... let it go, and just enjoy the unexpected surprises rather than try to nail down every possibility. After more than 15 cruises I've yet to come up with a reason to prefer port or starboard.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
Thank you, I know I need to chill. This is my first cruise and I am so excited. I read little snippets here and there about what to expect from this or that situation, and then I start going into planning overdrive!
I am going to try to just sit back and enjoy my vacation. Thanks for all the encouragement!
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After more than 15 cruises I've yet to come up with a reason to prefer port or starboard.
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