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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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If you want a nice beach, take the extra hour or two and drive to the gulf side. We love Siesta Key and it's about 2hrs from Disney. Clearwater Beach is also an option and about 90 mins away. Cocoa Beach is NOT nice compared to what is available to you in Florida!
We love St. Pete Beach on the Gulf Coast. If I couldn't go there, I'd go to Clearwater on the Gulf Coast. White sandy beaches, warmer water temps than the east coast, shells along the beach. There's a few different indoor options in Tampa if you get a rainy day too which I always found a plus. If you're familiar with the story of Winter the dolphin, you can see her at the Clearwater Aquarium. On SPB check out the Don CeSar or the Tradewinds Resorts. We do Cocoa Beach before our cruise that leave from Port C. and it just doesn't compare to the gulf coast IMHO. The Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater area is just an 1 1/2 hours from Orlando.
We usually go to Disney's Vero Beach Resort for a few days when we're in Florida. It is a bit remote, which is a nice change of pace compared to the hustle and bustle in Orlando!
We usually go to Disney's Vero Beach Resort for a few days when we're in Florida. It is a bit remote, which is a nice change of pace compared to the hustle and bustle in Orlando!
I'm researching this very thing for our next trip. My boys and DH would like to head to Busch Gardens Tampa so we're actually spending a bit of time there and exploring the Gulf side of FL.
Check out Passe a Grill Beach for a quieter experience or the ever popular St. Pete Beach for the more traveled route. Right now our top contender is taking a ferry over to Egmont Key and having a picnic, but there are dolphin excursions and sunset sails available as well.
Coincidentally, we're also headed back to Vero Beach this year as well. The surf is at times rough. DH did some boogie boarding and wound up getting a nasty scratch from the shells that are moved into piles near the shore. We did encounter calmer days, but our first few intimidated our boys to stick to the pool.
We did the beach near Port Canaveral where the cruise ships head out and found it to be dirty. There was a fair amount of trash on the beach and washing up in the surf.
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While I admit I'm probably biased since I grew up in Clearwater, I agree with the others who have said to go to the Gulf side and not the Atlantic. The beaches are SO much nicer, as is the water. The one exception I would say is St. Augustine, which is a really cool town, but I wouldn't go there specifically for the beach anyway.
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MNSSHP 2015: DH (Bane), Me (Batgirl), Genie, and our friends
I like the Gulf side and the Atlantic side of Florida. They both have pro's and con's. St. Augustine is a beautiful town and has the Fountain of Youth! We went because it was a stop on the way down to Orlando we wanted to make. My friend said her family goes to St. Augustine every time they drive to Orlando. I will definitely go back. I've heard Treasure Island is a pretty town too! Anybody been there?
I've heard Treasure Island is a pretty town too! Anybody been there?
I have. It is a cute town and has nice beaches. They are pretty typical of the beaches you will find all over the Gulf side of FL. It doesn't really stick out to me as THE beach to hit on that side...but it would not be a mistake to go there. (for the record, my FAVORITE beach in FL is Sanibel Island...but it's a bit further from Orlando than the St. Pete/Clearwater area.)
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MNSSHP 2015: DH (Bane), Me (Batgirl), Genie, and our friends
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We went because it was a stop on the way down to Orlando we wanted to make. My friend said her family goes to St. Augustine every time they drive to Orlando. I will definitely go back. I've heard Treasure Island is a pretty town too! Anybody been there?
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