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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Hi Guys,
We are renting a condo at the beach and we have never done that before. We usually just stay in hotels. My questions is what kind of things should I pack for the condo? It does provide towels and sheets and the kitchen is stocked w/ pots and pans. So excited-we luv HH!
Thanks,
ngaill
I was there last September!!! If you plan on doing a lot of cooking, you might think aobut taking a few kitchen things. Definitley take a few Glad-type storage containers for the fridge. They come in real handy for leftovers and such! They provided all linens, but we took out own beach towels to sue at the pool and beach (I think they said something about not taking theirs outside the unit).
Where are you staying? We were at Brigantine Quarters in Shipyard. It was great! Small complex, less than a 5 minute walk through a private gate to the beach. If I wasn't doing home improvements right now, I'd be going back again this September. The weather was great, water was still warm enough for swimming, no big crowds. Be sure to rent bikes if you're not bringing your own! We rented through AAA Flying Tigers. They drop them off at your unit and pick them up. Last year, if you booked at least 2 weeks ahead of time on their website, you got a 20% discount. Our place was a 5 minute ride to Coligny Circle.
We are staying at Hilton Head Beach and Tennis Resort-can't wait! I was wondering about beach chairs-I need to ask the guy were are renting from if he provides them. I know you can rent them from the beach but I think it like $20 a day or something crazy like that.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
That's on the other end of the island from where we were. I remember seeing the entrance. I think the Nature Center is near there if memory serves. There was also this place that is supposed to have great cheeseburgers. It was closed the day we went, though. It's this hole in the wall place. I read about it on the HH forums on tripadvisor.com.
Staying where you are, you'll have to use your car to get to places around the island. So be prepared to drive to restaurants and outings.
The beach is very nice on your part of the island. I think there is a miniature golf place within walking distance.
We usually bring foil, ziplocs, chip clips, paper goods, and some groceries so we don't have to hit the store right away. If I know I'm going to be cooking, I will sometimes bring my own large fry pan (usually these places don't have a big one) and maybe a pasta pot.
We also bring our own beach towels because even if they have some there, you can never have too many. And sometimes the condo doesn't provide beach towels. We bring sand toys. I'd suggest a small cooler for drinks if you want to stay on the beach for a while and not have to go in if you get thirsty.
Have fun. Sept is a nice time of year to visit HHI. It's so crowded in the summer months and you'll miss all that awful traffic and lines at restaurants.
We were in Hilton Head in June and stayed close to where you are staying... the condo were were in had everything we needed and this was great because we had flown in and didn't have a lot of extra room in our suitcases. Instead of renting beach chairs we found a deal on some fold up chairs at Walmart and then didn't hate leaving them behind. Also most fun we had was the bike rental. If you don't normally do this when at the beach really recommend it! Was awesome to ride around on the island and on the beach. Saw more of the beach than I would have otherwise.
__________________
Lezlee Disney Vacation Club Member
Disney Dreams June 2011
Disneyland June 2010
Disneyland Aug 2009
First Time Cruise Jan 2009
Disney World First trip 80's First Family Trip Jan 2008 lezlee.berry@sbcglobal.net
Don't forget to pack bug spray... we were there in late September 2005 and lovebugs were everywhere! I have heard this is the norm, but with some bug spray (bring enough for you AND your chair) you'll be absolutely fine. We love Hilton Head!