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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Less than two weeks out from my trip and I now have THREE Hotel Reservations lol
How it happens is basically I let one of my best friends take care of the hotel room (as she was the first to know that she was going to actually be going on this trip). By the time we got to really looking at the hotels a lot of the hotels that we wanted had been booked up by travel groups and the like so we started out with a reservation at Country Inns & Suites By Carlson
That was good, but we were worried about transportation as we aren't renting a car.
That was great as it was 10 dollars cheaper and closer and so we were saving money all the way around.
Our third person jumped ship around that time and so we went looking for a replacement, and found one that was coming in later in the week for the major events (US Figure Skating National Championship! If you live around St. Paul come out and support the sport! It'll be awesome, especially the Men's event) so we're back to three goofy girls in a room.
Then last night my friend IMs me with info that we might be able to stay at the official hotel - which would then have access to buses that the event hosts provide for a fee (I think it's $30 for the bus pass). It's 10 bucks more a night, but we were originally paying that with the first choice anyway. It's also a room with a king sized bed but it has a sleeper sofa so that doesn't bother us too much either. We're just waiting for our third to get back with us and figure out which is which.
the third hotel is the Best Western Kelly Inn.
The first one is pretty much out, so it's really La Quinta vs Best Western
which would you choose (sorry I don't have a link for the Best Western)
Isn't the Best Western Kelly out in Plymouth? If so, it's probably about the same distance as your first ressie (but in a totally different direction).
Personlly, I'd go with the "official" hotel even if the rate is a little higher. The access to the official transportation is worth something. Having been to conventions both at the offical hotel and on my own, I prefer to be where the action is. I like the informal conversations with other like-minded folks that can start up in the elevator, over breakfast, etc. And $10 a nite isn't a big differential --like you said it's right back where you started.
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here's the info on the Kelly Inn that I got from the event website SO unhelpful!
Quote:
The Best Western St. Paul Kelly Inn provides lodging accommodations near the Xcel Energy Center and RiverCentre Convention Center.
The Best Western Kelly Inn is only 13 miles from Mall of America and 8 miles from the airport. For your convenience, we offer a guest laundry and excellent dining in the Sweetwater Bar and Grill located just off the lobby. Relax year-round in our indoor heated pool and spa, sauna and children's pool.
The hotel has been awarded a Three Diamond Rating for upgraded amenities and facilities after recent inspection by the Automobile Association of America.
Definitely go with the Best Western Kelly Inn. It's just up the hill from the Xcel Center but opposite side of I-94. Not sure how walkable it is, but they probably have a shuttle or even a cab would be cheap (probably 1/2 mile) The La Quinta is probably 5 miles east of the Xcel Center and not nearly as central to downtown activities.
we're hoping for the Kelly in at this point we will be on the official shuttle route and for 30 bucks we can ride the shuttle for the 9 days were there...
thanks for the info everyone! keep it coming!!!! *bounces*
now to figure out how to get there from the airport, and pray they let me check in at 6am instead of 3pm lol
also, looking at the website, it looks like they don't offer internet (I find it odd but whatever) if that is true and they don't have wireless or high speed or what not... are there any good places I can plug in my laptop around there to check email and upload photos and what not?
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Musical Hotels - St. Paul, MN Style
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we will be on the official shuttle route and for 30 bucks we can ride the shuttle for the 9 days were there...
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