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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Great Smoky Mountain National Park
Thinking about a weekend trip (thanksgiving weekend) to the GSMNP... anyone been there? Any must dos? Must see? Must avoid? Recommendations for places to stay?
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Well, you cna't stay in the park itself unless you're camping. LeConte Lodge closes before Thanksgiving. So, you mainly have the Cherokee area to the south and the Gatlinburg area to the north. If you're driving from FL, I would look for something in the Bryson City area unless you can find a cabin or condo in the Cherokee area. Cherokee itself is not very nice anymore IMO, especially since they opened the Harrah's casino.
Personaly, I would prefer staying on the north side (Gatlinburg, Cosby, Townsend, etc), but if you're driving, that might be out of the way becasue you'd ahve to drive all through the park to get there.
For what to do, there's Clingman's Dome, Newfound Gap, Chimney Tops, Mingus Mill, Cades Cove (if you decide to stay on the north side). I think Cataloochie is where everyone goes to see the elk (haven't been there myself yet).
Wondering if you made the trip? My parents are from a town about 2 hrs west of GSMNP. I love Cade's Cove but it is soooo crowded with traffic that it is not really enjoyable anymore. We did go see the elk by accident. We were returned to my parents summer home after a trip to Asheville and I took a shortcut that ended up there. Unless there is another route into the elk area it is an adventure and I highly recommend it just don't wait until late in the afternoon!
Uh, I'm so jealous! When I was looking into a trip to the South, I was definitely gonna go to the Great Smoky Mnt. NP! I would've planned a stay at Gatlinburg (that's what we'll still do when we're going there - whenever that may be)
Hillbilly golf is so much fun. You take a tram up the side of a mountain and play put put. Ober Gatlinburg is fun. They have an alpine slide the is so much fun. The Brass Lantern is a great restaurant, as well as No Way Jose's Mexican Cantina, oh and The Pancake Pantry. Ripley's Aquarium is excellent. The Apple Barn is a great place too! It's not in Gatlinburg but it's close. They have everything you could imagine. The apple butter is great! The AppleBarn Cider Mill & General Store, Inc.
Bear Creek Grill is also a great restaurant. They have a little river that runs alongside the building and it's really pretty. The Dixie Stampede is fun. North vs. the South will duel to see who wins. I would stay in or close to Gatlinburg not Pigeon Forge.
I would rent a cabin in Gatlinburg for sure. that is the best area in the Smokies if you ask me. Try Hemlock Falls cabin rentals. My friend owns the one called Chipmunk Haven and it is a darling cabin with a gorgeous view! The prices aren't as much as you might think....or at least they weren't a few years back. Have fun!
My wife and I were engaged at Chipmunk Haven in December of 1995! One of our favorite trips ever and we want to return sometime ... didn't know the shape of the property since it's been awhile. We're now in Texas.
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