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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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My family is taking the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage during our stay in June. Can anyone share their experiences with this "voyage"? Is it fun for all? Children ages are 5 (girl) and 12 (boy). Most importantly, should we tip our pirate? Thanks in advance.
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It is so fun!!!!! We did this last May, it was myself, DH, 12 and 13 yr old boys! I was a little sick that day so that wasn't fun but the voyage itself was great!!! You meet at the Contemporay and then are given your team and your bandana's. They open a room that has different snacks and drinks and then do a photo op with Captain Hook and Mr. Smee. You are then escorted to your ship, then the whole trip they do trivia with everyone. They hand out "loot" to the winners but the questions are geared towards the kids which is nice. We were able to stop and watch the electric water pagaent (I had never even heard of this! lol) it was nice and then out further to watch Wishes. All the fireworks were wonderful. Afterwards you head back to be met by Peter Pan to do another set of photos with him! It is wonderful and is fun for all!!!!!!! I was not aware of tipping anyone and if I recall correctly you are not allowed nor are they allowed to accept tips! : In WDW you may tip the waitstaff and mousekeeping and that is it. Even mousekeeping it must be in mousekeeping envelope or marked clearly for them or they have to turn it in as something left in the room.
Have a blast on your voyage, we did!!!!!
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Tessa Tilli
Last edited by tessatilli; 04-04-2011 at 10:27 AM..
We did this during our trip in June. Personally, I miss the ability to book a boat from the GF and go out with a guide and listen to the music while watching the fireworks all by yourself. With that being said, I think Disney did a nice job. I can't add any more details but it was a nice way to spend the evening. One warning though: it is an interactive cruise which means your pirate guide is constantly engaging everyone on the boat with song and stories, etc. The boys may or may not groove to that.
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We did this during our trip in June. Personally, I miss the ability to book a boat from the GF and go out with a guide and listen to the music while watching the fireworks all by yourself. With that being said, I think Disney did a nice job. I can't add any more details but it was a nice way to spend the evening. One warning though: it is an interactive cruise which means your pirate guide is constantly engaging everyone on the boat with song and stories, etc. The boys may or may not groove to that.
My boys loved the interaction1 It was nice not just sitting on a boat watching fireworks and doing nothing else. Disney is all about interaction and they did a great job with this "voyage". My family also loved meeting the new people who accompained us on the same boat and getting invovled with everyone! they samg happy birthday to me and everyone else who's bday was soon. They recongized our 5 yr anniversary etc. I think it was wonderful!!!! I am not sure why any kid wouldn't enjoy it especially since the trivia and stuff is geared more towards them. The idea of being rewarded for answering disney trivia had my boys (teenagers at that) very excited.
We did this back in 2006 when it was a grand gathering event. We did it on our last night. By that point everybody was tired and cranky and we even considered skipping it. We didn't though and it turned out to be one of the best highlights of the entire trip. The pirate host was hysterical and the trivia was fun. Plus being able to see both the EWP and Wishes (music included) from the water was amazing. There wasn't a dry eye in our group at the end of it. Then the m&g with Peter Pan on the return was a nice bonus. One tip. Bring a sweater or lightweight jacket. Even in the summer it can get a bit cool on the lake at night.
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: In WDW you may tip the waitstaff and mousekeeping and that is it. Even mousekeeping it must be in mousekeeping envelope or marked clearly for them or they have to turn it in as something left in the room.
Deb
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