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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 think I have a good grasp (well, as good as it's going to get) regarding how tipping works on the ships (i.e. your room steward, dining room staff, in Palo/Remy, room service, etc). Who else might I need to tip in cash? We're driving down and parking at the port, so no shuttle or taxi drivers. What about the luggage handlers at the port? Anyone else? Thanks for any info!
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Walt Disney World has become a touchstone for me, a constant in a world where everything changes. Again and again I have come back to this place, grounding myself, communing with all the people I've been.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
IMHO, I think that anyone who does you a service should be tipped. I've just read a book and was a tell all about cruises. It's amazing the hard and long hours these people work. They do depend on their tips.
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~Joby/Lil~Me stealing Capt. Jack Sparrow's treasure!
Walt Disney World has become a touchstone for me, a constant in a world where everything changes. Again and again I have come back to this place, grounding myself, communing with all the people I've been.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
Yes, anyone handling your bags would be tipped (except those you do not see!--your bags will probably arrive outside your cabin door without your seeing who delivers them), any bus or taxi drivers on excursions at the ports, spa staff if you do a treatment there and prefer to tip in cash rather than your key card. You also tip the bar tenders/ baristas if you get drinks at the Cove Cafe or any of the bars, but those would be on your key card, not cash.
From our experience, the folks we tip (outside of the those who are tipped based on cruise line guidance, such as room steward, dining team) would be luggage handlers/porters at the port (both before and after the cruise), cab drivers in ports visited, port excursion guides, and room service delivery (if you order something which is an additional charge, the tip can be added to your bill...otherwise items ordered that are not an additional charge will require a cash tip). The bar staff on the ship have a 15% gratuity automatically added to the bill when you order; we sometimes tip additional if service warrants it...the bar staff tips would be put on your room card though.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
Many thanks, ladies! I'm guessing $2 per bag to the handlers at the port? I also didn't think about tipping the excursion staff at Castaway Cay, so I'll be sure to have some cash on hand for them.
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Walt Disney World has become a touchstone for me, a constant in a world where everything changes. Again and again I have come back to this place, grounding myself, communing with all the people I've been.
$2/bag is typically our guide for the luggage handlers. Of course for service above and beyond we tip a bit more. i.e. After our cruise this past May the porter inside the terminal loaded up our bags and we figured he would wait with me at the curb while the car was being brought to us. Nope, he walked with us to the parking lot, third level, all the way to the car, and loaded the luggage up. I believe we had six or seven bags. We tipped him I believe $30.
I was going to mention the excursion guides. I have to be honest, I was quite shocked at how few people seemed to tip some of our guides on our DCL Alaskan cruise and we had some excellent ones. As we're British, we're not used to the tipping culture (it doesn't happen nearly as much over here and it's at a far lower level) and we were amazed that so many people got off buses and boats, without bothering to tip the guides who'd provided the commentary etc. for them.
I was going to mention the excursion guides. I have to be honest, I was quite shocked at how few people seemed to tip some of our guides on our DCL Alaskan cruise and we had some excellent ones. As we're British, we're not used to the tipping culture (it doesn't happen nearly as much over here and it's at a far lower level) and we were amazed that so many people got off buses and boats, without bothering to tip the guides who'd provided the commentary etc. for them.
I'm amazed that people don't think to tip these positions as well. The guides and drivers do such a great job. On the White Pass Railway excursion in Skagway they actually made an announcement that the narrator would be passing through the cars to answer questions and told us that it's a tippable position! They did it in a nice way, and I'm sure people wouldn't have tipped him without the reminder.
Good question! I guess it depends on how much time they spend with you and/or the group, what they do, and how they do it. I'm thinking we'll tip our parasailing crew $5 or $10 per person. If we keep our waverunner excursion, I'll probably do along the same lines.
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Walt Disney World has become a touchstone for me, a constant in a world where everything changes. Again and again I have come back to this place, grounding myself, communing with all the people I've been.
Winston...I just noticed you are taking the cruise just before ours. You will be leaving the ship just as we are getting on. So bummed we will miss each other!
We tended to go for $5 or $10 - it depended on how long they were with us (some were with us for the whole excursion, while others only did parts) and also how good we thought they were. If we felt they'd really worked hard and given us lots of information, they got more, but the ones who were "just going through the motions" (and we sadly have had a couple of those before) got less.
Winston...I just noticed you are taking the cruise just before ours. You will be leaving the ship just as we are getting on. So bummed we will miss each other!
I noticed that too, Cindy! There are some folks from the DIS Boards on our trip, but only one Passporter that I know of, and she's not very active on here. I picked the 9/30 sailing since it's my mom's birthday. I know you'll have a blast, and I'll get the ship all warmed up for you!
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Walt Disney World has become a touchstone for me, a constant in a world where everything changes. Again and again I have come back to this place, grounding myself, communing with all the people I've been.
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