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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 am traveling with a party of 14. 7 of them are kids ranging from 6 to 15. I know the kids clubs are arranged by age but what is the likelihood that I could get 3 of the kids (boys 7, 7 & 8) in the same kids club? 2 of them are cousins and they are all best friends. The 2 7 year olds are half a year younger than the 8 year old. Do you think they could move the 8 year old down?
Disney is pretty flexible as far as keeping kids together. We went in January of this year. My daughter was 12 and my son was 9. He really wasn't comfortable going to some things by himself, so they let my daughter go with him. He was also able to go to one of her functions in her age category. They were understanding. It worked out for us. I am sure they will do it for you. Your kids ages are a lot closer than mine. We are going back in February of 2011! Have Fun!!!!!!
It is not guaranteed that you could get the kids together, but it is certainly possible so it's worth explaining your situation and asking. I think it's more likely that they would move the 7-year-olds up to the Oceaneers Lab than that they'd move the 8-year-old down to the Oceaneers Club, but if you prefer the other way just let the staff know. We sailed when my son was 7 1/2 and in 3rd grade, and he was able to go to the Lab -- we didn't even ask, but they offered because they could tell he seemed mature for his age.
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On our October 2009 4 night cruise, they allowed my niece (age 6 1/2) to join my daughter (age 8 1/2) in the Oceaneer Lab when ordinarily she would have had to have gone to the Oceaneer Club. So, I think you have a very good chance.
Are you sailing on the Wonder or Magic? A lot of folks booked on the Wonder are reporting getting a letter informing them of changes to the kids programs starting in December, where kids will be free to select the activities they want to do, regardless of the current age requirements. So if a younger kid in the Club wants to do an activity in the Lab, they'd be able to go do it. (At least that's what it sounds like - I haven't been home to check the mail today to see if we got the letter too for our upcoming January cruise) It sounds like this would be most beneficial with kids who cross age groups from their friends and relatives and want to do things together.
This is all good news to me, too. We booked our first cruise for next Aug. My boys will be 15, 13 and 10. I know the 10 and 13 will want to spend a lot of time together, so I am glad this should not be an issue. Thanks!
Oh yeah! My DH just got the letter yesterday! We are so happy to hear that our kids can stay together. It will make for an excellent cruise!! Great timing Disney!!