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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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For those of you that have experienced both, what do you prefer?
We are going to WDW for the first time in September (and have never cruised either). I am just pre-thinking future plans and am wondering if I should plan a cruise next (versus WDW again).
Also what ages are better for a cruise .... will my two youngest boys be too young to enjoy a cruise and prefer going back to WDW (I am thinking on the next trip when they will be 6 and 8).
We've been to WDW 7 times, or is it 8? We've cruised twice. Both have their plusses! We thoroughly enjoy the cruises. They are very relaxing (go longer than 3 days). If you're doing WDW this time, I'd go with a cruise for next time. Our kids were 4 and 7 on our first cruise, 7 and 10 on our second one, and they loved both of them!
Where is the both button? I have been to WDW too many times to count and we are going on our second cruise in March on the Dream. So the answer is both.
funny--on our first (only) trip, i compared disney world to a cruise. it is the same kind of vacation--designed for fun, safe, contained, relaxing, great for families and singles alike, lots to do without having to do crazy planning. we did a cruise for our honeymoon--alaska out of vancouver--and it was the best trip we've ever taken. but i didn't immediately come home and start researching a second cruise. i looked up disney packages from the orlando airport on the way home! you really can't go wrong either way. what about a combo disney/disney cruise trip?
I agree where is the both option. We love both WDW and DCL. You can;t go wrong either way. If you want the more relaxed vacation go for the cruise, and yes I agree you must do at least a 4 day to get a good feel for a cruise.
I have done Disney World 11 times and the Cruise only once. The cruise is awesome-my husband has to go to the Hard Rock Hotel when we go to Florida so we usually do 5 nights Disney and 3 nights Hard Rock. I am trying to figure out now if I can come up with enough money to do the 3 day cruise along with out other 8 days. I want to go on the new Dream. It was terrible when we did the cruise in 2008 we are going across the bridge to go to Port and there is the Disney Ship and of course I get right on the phone with my husband who didn't get to go and I am crying-he thought something was wrong-I was just so excited they were tears of joy-it was totally too awesome.
I think it's very hard to pick between the two, as they're both wonderful ways to vacation, but very different from each other. If you've never cruised, then I'd give that a go.
Another vote for both! Ryan was 4 on our first cruise and absolutely loved it. In fact, when asked which he would rather do, he said the cruise! Now this may have to do with the fact that Ryan is a child foodie and he loved the variety and quantity of the food on the cruise but the fact is we all loved the combination of family time and alone time the cruise gave us.
I'd wait since you haven't been to WDW yet, I'd wait until after your WDW trip to decide which you want to do next.
Really, with just 1 trip to WDW you won't have seen everything. WDW is very big. Don't know how long your WDW trips is. But we've had multiple trips and still there are things we haven't done yet.
I haven't been on the Disney Cruise, although I have been on 2 cruises. They are fun. Lots of things to consider. I'd like to go on a WDW cruise, but haven't been able to tear myself out of the parks yet
Do WDW first. Next trip do a cruise. The kids are the perfect age to enjoy the cruise. If they've been in pre-school then they will know the drill and have a fabulous time.
One day I would love to do a WDW combo. However it would have to be at the minimum 4 days WDW and a 4 night cruise. We did the 4 night for our 1st and only cruise so far and it went so quick. We are doing a 7 night in 2012. Yay!
I love this question !!! we have been to WDW and Disneyland with our boys (8 & 10) numerous times and we rode the Wonder as an adult only trip. This summer its the madness of a land/sea/air trip to WDW and the Dream for us. If you haven't been to WDW do it first alone the reactions from the kids alone will be well worth it. Remember to plan like crazy, but after you leave the house you are on vacation and enjoy the kids.
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