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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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It's that time of year when I plan a little quality time with my boy. Matt has never been to Washington DC (though Steve and I have) and I thought it would be a cool treat. We leave on the 13th April and just do 3 nights. We're staying at the Renaissance Mayflower.
So, obviously I'll take Matt to the Smithsonian and around all the major sights, but I'm wondering if anyone has any cool ideas as to how to spend some fun time in DC with a 14 year old. I'm particularly interesed in any good restaurant recommendations.
I 2nd the Spy Meu that is a all time Fav thing for folks to do. Try the Udvar Hazy annex to the Air and Space, its fantastic and not as crowded. The National Zoo is nice (and FREE).
Places to eat there are a couple down on the water front in Georgetown that are not too over priced and laid back. Dupont Cir. has nice comfy outside patio eating places.
Air and Space musuem, If you want to visit the major monuments you can use the tourmobile to get around to them. Also if your son likes sports (baseball) you may want to see if Washington's baseball team, the Nationals, will be in town. They play at RFK stadium which is a short walk from a subway stop off the Orange Line of the metro(subway).
Mary
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Mary
DVC Member since 1999
Many trips, many more memories!
How cool! We loved the National Zoo and don't miss the Air and Space Museum part that's at Dulles - that is so cool! As for good places to eat, I know Joan can help you with that, she found us a great restaurant when we were there. In fact she did mention something about coming over to see us and that was more than a year ago now....
If you do end up going to the spy museum, try to walk a few blocks farther and go to the house where Lincoln died (a free and quick but interesting walk-through) then across the street to Ford's Theater. There's a fantastic "museum" on the lower level which our kids thought was so interesting!
You're also within a few blocks of China Town and the MCI Center - there are a couple of good restaurants around there including La Tasca. It is a tapas restaurant which would be great for lunch if you're in that area!
just be aware the museum at ford's theatre may be off limits if there are any productions going on (it is a live theatre) - if there are no productions, you may even be able to enter the theatre itself: Ford's Theatre , but it is really neat.
i did a huge DC trip a few years ago which included spending the night at the zoo. did the washington monument (do yourself a massive favor and buy tickets in advance at nps.gov), the old post office building, went monument hopping (you don't really need a tour thing except for a few of them) - i did do the monuments by moonlight tour which was just awesome. WWII, Lincoln, FDR, Albert Einstein are some that shouldn't be missed. did a special capitol building tour arranged by my senator (which includes riding the underground tram from the senate building to the capitol), international spy museum, science museum, arlington cemetary (tomb of the unknown soldier - saw the changing of the guard, various special burials including JFK and RFK, the bureau of engraving & printing, the national holocaust museum, the national aquarium (the oldest one in the united states - the one buried under the commerce building), the white house welcome center, national archives, several smithsonian museums, etc.
probably even more i can't remember off the top of my head.
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We loved the National Zoo and don't miss the Air and Space Museum part that's at Dulles - that is so cool! 
As for good places to eat, I know Joan can help you with that, she found us a great restaurant when we were there. In fact she did mention something about coming over to see us and that was more than a year ago now.... 
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Lisa 
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