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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 just read the thread Lori started about Washington DC - what a wealth of knowledge there! I wanted to ask two other questions, and I was afraid they might get lost, so I'm asking them in a separate thread.
1) What is the best time to visit DC? We'll have to go in the summer, and I'm wondering if it is more crowded around July 4th.
2) How many days should we plan to spend there? We can't do everything, but we want to get a good sampling in.
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My favorite time of year in DC is spring around the cherry blossoms blooming.... and I love the fall - the trees turning colors and the leaves starting to fall. Cool enough for sweaters - but not so cold you need coats.
I think I could easily fill up 4 days in DC with all the museums and memorials!!!
We've been in the winter before - usually November and December and have loved it, especially when it snows, it's beautiful, but I can't help with information on visiting in the summer. We could easily spend three or four days there, there's so much to do.
Around July 4th you will see a large increase in crowds. Of course it would be super-crowded to see the fireworks etc on the actual day of July 4th. However, the museums and such should still be ok the days before and after, as they are capable of handling a lot of people.
You can see the highlights of DC in about 2-3 days, depending on your pace. But, like Cheryl said, there is so much to do, you could easily spend much more time.
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July 4th will be crowded with all the events going on. We could easily spend 4-5 days down there, between all the museums and other things to see Thankfully my DSIL lives just outside the city, so we pop in for a day or two everytime we go down to see her
It is crazy crowded in DC in the spring and summer. Our senator's office told us we were nuts to come during that time, because we would experience long lines and large crowds everywhere. In late August, the crowds drop.
We spent a week in DC the last week in August two years ago. The crowds weren't bad, and we had no trouble getting tickets. (Tickets are free, and not everything needs a ticket, but you have to pick up tickets the same day, and the lines for tickets can be hours long). But even with the lower crowds, we still didn't get a chance to see everything! You could easily spend one whole day in just one of the museums.
Remember to contact your senator or representative's office ASAP after you have your vacation dates so they can get you tickets for a tour of the Capitol (then you don't have to wait in line for tickets). We were lucky, and they also arranged a tour of the White House for us (although what you get to see is pretty limited).
I live about 5 miles outside DC and I would tell you unless you like lots and lots of people and baking heat dont come in the summer. DC is a wonderful place but come in the Fall or late Winter (before the Cherry trees bloom) the lines will be gone, the locals are more friendly and prices are better. Honestly Fall is my fav time in DC as its a pretty area and there are lots of weekend festivals.
I agree that Spring and Fall are the best times, but if you have to do Summer, I'd avoid July 4 itself. It's crowded. And if you want to see the concert on the Capitol lawn (the one on PBS every year) plan to spend the day camping out. We tried it and bailed at about 2:30 because it was too darn hot (when the park service guys were passing out water by the shrink-wrapped 12 pack, we knew we were in for it).
I have a conference in DC every summer -- usually the week after the 4th, sometimes the week before, and the crowds are noticibly lighter than for the holiday itself.
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Thankfully my DSIL lives just outside the city, so we pop in for a day or two everytime we go down to see her 
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