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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Can anyone help me with the best driving route? Mapquest has me taking I-65 to AL-113 south to Pensacola and across. This seems to go pretty far out of the way. I'm looking at US-331 south from Montgomery, but if it is two lane and really slow maybe it will take longer?? If anyone has made this trip, help please!
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I played around on Yahoo Maps. You could do Montgomery to Troy, Al and then head to Destin. Mileage-wise, it is shorter by about 30 miles. However, the estimated time is actually 30 mintues more.
I will say that on that stretch of I-65, there's not much to look at (I've driven it twice on my way to Gulfport, MS), so plan your bathroom breaks accordingly!
Thanks for the suggestion Lisa. Someone over on Tripadvisor suggested taking 65 south to AL 106 to US 31, then several highway changes until I get to FL 85. Quite a few people concurred that this is the best route, so unless I hear a better one, this is probably the route we'll take. If anyone is interested in the entire route, let me know and I'll type it out.
We live in Shalimar (close to Destin and sometimes I work that area) and travel that way frequently.
I used to go U. S. 331 in Alabama to Florida State Road 85, which is mostly 2 lane roads and takes about 3.5 hours depending on time of day and traffic.
We have since started using a different route which takes about 3 hours, sometimes less.
Coming south out of Montgomery, stay on I-65.
Exit 114 (I think) is Alabama 106.
Take it to U. S. 31 south.
Get on Alabama 55 south
Get on U. S. 84 to Andalusia
Get on U. S. 29 south in Andalusia
Turn left on Alabama 137
In Florida it turns into Florida 189
Go to U. S. 90 and turn left towards Crestview
We use a complicated shortcut, but you can take U. S. 90 to Florida State Road 85 south
Turn left on State Road 20
Turn right on State Road 293 (Called Mid-Bay bridge road) It's a toll bridge ($2.50)
When you come off the south end of the bridge, you're in Destin
Some of the roads are 2-lane, but there's some good runs with 4-lanes, unlike using U. S. 331...
Thanks Bill, that is the same exact route that someone on Tripadvisor gave me. I checked it out on the map and it looks easy enough.
Now if only the weather down there will warm up before the first of April! But, seeing as it is only 14 degrees here right now anything would be better!
Thanks Bill, that is the same exact route that someone on Tripadvisor gave me. I checked it out on the map and it looks easy enough.
Now if only the weather down there will warm up before the first of April! But, seeing as it is only 14 degrees here right now anything would be better!
The weather will warm up, believe me...
It's been in the low 70's this week, and forecasted to climb up into the mid to upper 70's the rest of the week and weekend.
The water is warming up also, and the spring break crowds are starting to arrive...
Location: Phenix City, Alabama/War Eagle...Go Tigers
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I can't offer any directions, as we are are on the AL/GA line about 85 miles north of Montgomery, but I just wanted to add my two cents about hte Mid Bay Bridge. The view is absolutely breathtaking going both directions. We went to Destin last summer and are going again in May and I am really looking forward to the ride across the bridge (I know it sound corny, but wait until you see it). The whole Destin/Ft Walton Beach area was quite incredible.
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