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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We are planning a road trip next summer to the East Coast. Our plan is to drive to and visit :
A> Hershey Park
B> Philadelphia
C> Jersey Shore
D> Sandusky Ohio
The Sandusky part is easy, as is the Hershey Park. What I am looking for is
any ideas on where to visit in Philly, and the Jersey Shore. We would probably
only have 1 - 2 days at each with (1) night stay over, starting with driving straight through to Philly, then Jersey, then double back to Hershey, and Sandusky before returning home.
Philly, of course, has the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.... these are not to be missed. There is also the Franklin (used to be called the Franklin Institute) a large wonderful museum and Betsy Ross' house.
The Jersey shore has Atlantic City if you are looking for a casino outing. My preference is Wildwood, with its large beach and expansive (over 2 mile) boardwalk. Stay in Wildwood crest though for nicer beaches and accomodations.
Hersheypark is great and of course all those roller coasters at Cedar Point!
We love Ocean City, NJ, it has a great boardwalk and is very family friendly. It is also close to Atlantic City.
We also love Hershey, don't to visit the Zoo they have there too.
Philadelphia Museum of Art ("Rocky" steps)
Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Liberty Bell
Independence Hall
National Constitution Center
Betsy Ross House
Christ Church
Philadelphia Zoo (America's first zoo)
The Italian Market
AS for the Jersey Shore, I have three recommendations:
Atlantic City - walk the boardwalk, look at all the casinos. Not much of a beach to speak about.
Ocean City - nice beach, family-friendly boardwalk, mild amusement rides. (beach tag required)
Wildwood - Huge beach - 1/4 mile wide from boardwalk to ocean, enormous boardwalk (2 miles long), a few thrill rides and a bunch of mild amusement rides.
Sandusky - definitely stay in one of Cedar Point's resort - we liked the Breakers - very close to the parks.
We drove from Sandusky to PA, but we didn't go as far east as Philadelphia. Wanted to, but time didn't permit as we were going down to DC. On the way you might consider visiting the Lancaster PA area.
My best advice for Philadelphia is to visit the Visitor's Center on Market Street between 5th and 6th Streets first. From here you can plan your visit.
Also, I am providing a link that will give you an itinerary for a visit to Philadelphia with children since I noticed the girls in your signature.
If you like Beaches and Cream you will love Franklin Fountain. It is an old fashioned soda fountain shop with great ice cream sundaes. It is at 116 Market Street, near the corner of 2nd Street.
If your daughters like grisly and gruesome I absolutely love the Mutter museum that contains all sorts of medical oddities. However, that strikes me as more of a boy and oddball adult site than for young girls.
I noticed you got a recommendation for Christ Church. If you go in the summer, remember it doesn't have any air conditioning. I've sung there twice in the sweltering summer heat and humidity. Aaaah! Memories!
As far as the Jersey shore goes, everyone has their own personal favorite beaches. I grew up in South Jersey. I recommend Cape May. It is very family friendly with lots of old victorian homes. If you don't want to travel that far (it's at the very bottom of the tip of New Jersey), then I would recommend Long Beach Island. Children probably would most enjoy Beach Haven. Personally, I would avoid Atlantic City like the plague, especially with children. It's rather yucky. It's only appeal is the night time adult entertainment. I would also not recommend Wildwood. It's rather tacky and crowded. The ocean is a long walk from the boardwalk. Wildwood is loads of fun for teenagers and the college crowd, but for everyone else it is a lot of a mess to be honest.
Gee, after reading my post it seems I'm awfully opinionated. If you would like more opinions, let me know.
Have fun in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection!
When we went two years ago we got a citypass (citypass.com) through a package with AAA. Citypass gets you discounted admission to many attractions.
We visited the Frankin Institute because we want to see the 'King Tut' and friends exhibit. We visited the Liberty Bell and the visitor's center, Independence Hall, and took the bus to the Franklin. We also took a horse-drawn carridge ride and looked around the area with the old homes. We also rode a SEPTA train...
I would love to explore the market and the Mutter Museum next time!
My advice for the Jersey shore would be to stay in Wildwood Crest. We like Seapointe Village to stay. You can rent condos by the week. It's a nice location to explore Cape May and Wildwood but you are in a nice quiet area.
A trip to Philly isn't a trip to Philly without having a cheesesteak! My preference is Pat's, but others like Geno's. Both can be found in South Philly.
If your family watches Iron Chef, there's Morimoto in Center City (downtown). It's been a few years since I've been there (right when it opened), but I really enjoyed the food there, and Chef Morimoto was there himself and came by to our table to chat for a moment!
If you like farmer's markets, but with a twist, try Reading Terminal (also in Center City).
For a nice sit down meal, Bookbinder's is great. They have 2 locations in Center City.
As for New Jersey, I was going to suggest Cape May too as a quaint town to enjoy, but it is a bit of a drive to South Jersey. Atlantic City won't be much fun for your kids, I don't believe. It's pretty run down and not as exciting as the pictures or Monopoly make it out to be!
However, if you do make it to Atlantic City, make sure to pick up some taffy!
Since you're driving from Ohio to Philly, you will no doubt be taking the Pennsy Turnpike; if any of your party likes to shop, stop off at the King of Prussia Mall in Conshohocken (it's right where 76, 476 and 276 come together) -- it's I believe the largest mall on the East Coast and 2nd largest in the country.
at the King of Prussia Mall in Conshohocken (it's right where 76, 476 and 276 come together) -- it's I believe the largest mall on the East Coast and 2nd largest in the country.
I don't know how I missed this thread! As a born and bred PA native, I've been to Hershey Park, Atlantic City, Wildwood, and Cape May. I'd pass on Hershey Park in favor of Knoebels without a second thought - better rides, better food, more historical, and WAY CHEAPER!!! Like easily 75% cheaper than a day at Hershey for a family of 6!!! The park is shaded everywhere you walk so there's little to no chance of sunburn, and lines are super short. Most rides are walk-ons or a few minute wait. The park is known for its food (peanut butter and jelly milkshakes anyone?), its rides, and its history. They rescue rides from other parks and refurbish them. You may even get to ride the Flying Turns bobsled coaster if it opens in time! They recently purchased the Golden Nugget Mine Ride from Hunt's Pier in Wildwood.
As to the Jersey shore, I'd skip Atlantic City altogether, do a day trip to Cape May, and spend a few days in Wildwood. Maybe even drop a day at Wildwood and take the spare day to come back northeast a bit and hit either Great Adventure or Dorney Park. Neither will save you money, but the coasters!...they're worth the price of admission!
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