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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 heard you can get a costco cashback card thing for booking a cruise through Costco is it worth doing or should I just book through disney or elsewhere?
I'm not sure how much Costco offers for their card, but many Disney Travel Agencies offer onboard credits as an incentive to book through them. Might be worth checking out.
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If DCL is offering a deal, then Costco (and any other travel agent) can get you the same deal. I don't think there is any real advantage for booking straight through DCL vs a travel agent. So why not book through Costco, if it means you essentially get money back?
We've booked our last 4 or 5 cruises through Costco. One of those being a Disney cruise. Costco is really great - friendly and easy to work with. We had an issue with our Royal Caribbean cruise in February (they announced in November that our specific cruise would have to be cancelled due to some maintenance). We had booked our cruise over a year in advance, and Costco was great with assisting us with the rebooking process, along with getting us additional onboard credit than RCCL was offering for the inconvenience. ( we had certain things booked that were no longer available)
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MVC Owner - HHI, Myrtle Beach, Branson, Orlando
DVC Owner - VWL
Yearly trips (or more!) to Orlando since 2007
WDW Resorts: BLT, SSR, WL, POR, CBR
8 cruises on Royal Caribbean, 2 on DCL
If DCL is offering a deal, then Costco (and any other travel agent) can get you the same deal. I don't think there is any real advantage for booking straight through DCL vs a travel agent. So why not book through Costco, if it means you essentially get money back?
We've booked our last 4 or 5 cruises through Costco. One of those being a Disney cruise. Costco is really great - friendly and easy to work with. We had an issue with our Royal Caribbean cruise in February (they announced in November that our specific cruise would have to be cancelled due to some maintenance). We had booked our cruise over a year in advance, and Costco was great with assisting us with the rebooking process, along with getting us additional onboard credit than RCCL was offering for the inconvenience. ( we had certain things booked that were no longer available)
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That's good to hear! I appreciate the confirmation. Does costco also do disney dining plan free when its offered by disney?
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~Past Disney Trips~ |2015 Disney Cruise?!|2014 Disney World (Art of Animation)|2011 Disney World (Animal Kingdom Lodge)|2007 Disney Cruise|2005 Disney World|
From what I understand, any special or deal Disney is running, anyone can book it. If you can get the deal through Disney directly, any travel agent can also book it for you. (Because they're essentially just being a middle man for you.... They are contacting Disney directly for you). I don't know if Costco runs any gift card specials with WDW vacations like they do with cruises though.
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__________________
MVC Owner - HHI, Myrtle Beach, Branson, Orlando
DVC Owner - VWL
Yearly trips (or more!) to Orlando since 2007
WDW Resorts: BLT, SSR, WL, POR, CBR
8 cruises on Royal Caribbean, 2 on DCL
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~Past Disney Trips~ |2015 Disney Cruise?!|2014 Disney World (Art of Animation)|2011 Disney World (Animal Kingdom Lodge)|2007 Disney Cruise|2005 Disney World|
Costco gives approximately 8%-9% "back" as a "Cash Card" after you cruise. For the most part, the cash card must be used at Costco or their website, though a few people report being able to exchange the cash card for actual cash. So it can be quite a good deal.
If you book with a TA (such as Costco or other), you will need to make all changes and all payments through that TA. DCL will not speak to you directly about financials or stateroom changes, adding passengers, changing dining times, etc. You can do your own online check-in and advanced reservations for things such as adult dining, spa, excursions, etc. I only point this out because some people feel very strongly about wanting to maintain control of all aspects of their reservation, in which case a TA may not be appropriate.
Hmm... that's interesting. Can't I forward it like I would an expedia resort booking to disney?
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~Past Disney Trips~ |2015 Disney Cruise?!|2014 Disney World (Art of Animation)|2011 Disney World (Animal Kingdom Lodge)|2007 Disney Cruise|2005 Disney World|
Hmm... that's interesting. Can't I forward it like I would an expedia resort booking to disney?
Sorry, I've never booked through Expedia so I'm not sure what you mean by "forward it" to Disney. Costco, like online agencies such as Expedia, AAA and others, are Travel Agents. They make their business by commission. You can request that a TA release your reservation back to DCL (or WDW) but then the TA doesn't get paid a commission and you don't get the "perk" for booking with them -- the Costco Cash Card, onboard credit, gift basket or whatever that TA offers.
Sorry, I've never booked through Expedia so I'm not sure what you mean by "forward it" to Disney. Costco, like online agencies such as Expedia, AAA and others, are Travel Agents. They make their business by commission. You can request that a TA release your reservation back to DCL (or WDW) but then the TA doesn't get paid a commission and you don't get the "perk" for booking with them -- the Costco Cash Card, onboard credit, gift basket or whatever that TA offers.
Enjoy your cruise!
Thanks!
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~Past Disney Trips~ |2015 Disney Cruise?!|2014 Disney World (Art of Animation)|2011 Disney World (Animal Kingdom Lodge)|2007 Disney Cruise|2005 Disney World|
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