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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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It depends on a couple of things. Are you more interested in sea days or shore days? Eastern has more sea days. Since it looks like you hit WDW frequently, you could combine a WDW visit with a cruise if, like many Europeans do, you take extended US visits.
The Eastern ports tend to be less visited, which we consider a plus. Depending on when you go, hurricanes can be an issue for either, but the Gulf of Mexico tends to be more protected by storm induced rough seas until a hurricane "visits", but they tend to be rougher once they hurricane gets there. But the cruise lines plan for this and can make alternate itineraries.
We went on our first Eastern last month (on the Liberty of the Seas) and will probably go again next fall.
Cozumel, Jamaica and Grand Cayman are the three most visited ports in the world, it that makes any difference to you.
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We've done both a Western and an Eastern, and are doing another Western this December, and they each have a different feel to them. I consider them fairly interchangeable as the each have pluses and minuses and we've chosen one versus the other based on cost, timing and alternating them.
As mentioned above, Eastern has three sea days, which we loved! On the Western, DCL treats the Key West day as somewhat of a sea day, since they hold brunch and character breakfasts in the morning, which are normally held on sea days.
I'm not a fan of the Key West stop on the traditional Western, and have always wanted to do the double-dip Western cruise instead that makes 2 stops at Castaway Cay but the timing just hasn't worked for us. We enjoyed St. Maarten on the Eastern, but St. Thomas seemed almost too "american" for us. Maybe because we had to sit in a traffic jam just like at home.
Though we did each cruise the first week of December, the weather was definitely warmer on the Western than on the Eastern. I don't know if that's typical or unusual, or just really depends on the weather at the time.
Well, I think everyone has put some good information up there...But I will put in my two cents anyway I have gone on two Disney Eastern cruises and felt, too, that the ports are smaller and less traveled. However, St. Thomas is crowded. Visit St. John instead. That said, I have traveled the Western on another cruise line () and felt that they were very touristy. You really have to travel out of your way to get to historical sites or places that are more than glorified malls.
There...my two cents...
Thank you everyone so far. I'm going on my first Disney cruise on the 22nd of november. We are already thinking about ideas for next year. When we'll found out if cruising is something for us we are planning to take the 7 day trip. It will be probably the eastern because you have more days at sea. And we are planning to take a category 5 or 6 stateroom because of all the verandah's.
So I'll keep you guys posted.
We took our first cruise June 2009 to W. Carr. LOVED IT! So much to do and see. Swam with the dolphins in Grand Caymans, rented dune buggies in Cozumel, snorkeled, toured the island, enjoyed an authentic mexican lunch, and a gorgeous oceanview while eating our lunch.
Was disappointed with Castaway Cay. I know what you're thinking so let me explain. Snorkeling is right next to the swimmers so visability is ZERO. Ask for directions to our nature walk/kayaking adventure and was sent clear across the island to snorkeling rental. Since when do you need snorkel equipment on a kayak? (no snorkeling allowed on this part of the island) Very few umbrellas to protect you from the intense sun. On a positive note, we did enjoy the kayaking tour, seeing the sealife, and the BBQ was excellent.
We are returning to the Magic June 2010 for the European cruise. Very excited.
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It depends on a couple of things. Are you more interested in sea days or shore days? Eastern has more sea days. Since it looks like you hit WDW frequently, you could combine a WDW visit with a cruise if, like many Europeans do, you take extended US visits.
) and felt that they were very touristy. You really have to travel out of your way to get to historical sites or places that are more than glorified malls.
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