Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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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.
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07-10-2004, 04:37 PM
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#1
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Magic Happens!
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: E. Stroudsburg, PA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 29,184
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Need Help with a Boston 4th of July Vacation!!
DH and I would like to go to Boston, MA for the 4th of July next year. We would like to see that awesome fireworks show, and to see the Boston Pops perform their yearly Independence Day concert. But we have no idea where to start!! So I am asking any MA Passporters for some help!!
Do you need tickets to see either the concert or the fireworks? If so, where can they be obtained and when would they be available? Is the concert first come/first seated, or is there assigned seating? Can you bring lawn chairs, bottled water, etc in? The hotel we are looking at is the Boston Harbor Hotel (DVC). Is it close to where the concert is (I cannot remember the name now  Must be my age!) as in walking/bus or taxi distance?
I know I will have more questions, but any help will be greatly appreciated. TIA!!  |
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07-10-2004, 06:02 PM
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#2
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Community Rank: Adventurer 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
Posts: 589
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Re: Need Help with a Boston 4th of July Vacation!!
Sue, I got this info off of the BSO website:
"Boston’s Fourth of July began in 1974 and is the most popular 4th of July celebration in the United States. It is free to the public and hosts hundreds of thousands of spectators each year.
To view the Boston Pops Orchestra close up you need to be located in the Oval. The Oval, which is filled on a first come, first served basis, opens at 9AM (depending on the size of the crowd) through three access gates and is usually filled (approximately 8,000 people) by mid-morning. Those located in the Oval do not have the best view of the fireworks as they are partially blocked by trees surrounding it. The fireworks are best viewed from either the Cambridge side of the Charles River or on the Boston side between Exeter and Fairfield Streets."
The hotel you mentioned is quite a walk to the Esplanade, but you could always take the subway to the station nearest the park and walk from there.
I'm not from Boston but have been there several times. Feel free to ask me any questions and I'm sure other Passporters will know way more than me!
Good luck planning, it sounds like a great trip!
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07-10-2004, 06:11 PM
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#3
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Community Rank: Globetrotter 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Virginia
Posts: 3,498
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Re: Need Help with a Boston 4th of July Vacation!!
My daughter is studying at Harvard this summer (yes, I'm proud of her, she's still in High School), okay, bragging over...She got to see the Boston Pops this year! She and some friends from the dorm went at about 10 pm and got right in and got right up front! My daughter isn't the pushy type, so I know that she didn't make any enemies by doing so! 
I don't know if it would be a good idea to show up as late as she did, though. But I will say that she thoroughly enjoyed it. She was THRILLED to be there!
My daughter has taken the subway many times now and it seems to be a breeze. The website is http://www.mbta.com
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07-11-2004, 12:22 AM
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#4
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Community Rank: Traveler 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: NH
Posts: 313
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Re: Need Help with a Boston 4th of July Vacation!!
We did this last year and really enjoyed ourselves. We spent the day on a tall ship following the USS Constitution on its turnaround cruise ( www.libertyfleet.com), ate dinner with a friend on Newbury Street (brownstones, shopping and lots of restaurants) and finished up at our hotel. We stayed at the Hilton Back Bay and requested a room with a fireworks view. We were able to see the fireworks from our balcony quite nicely. I'd really recommend the possibility of doing something like this, unless you don't mind the crowds.
Have fun planning! |
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07-14-2004, 12:18 PM
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#5
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Community Rank: Legend 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: East Bridgewater, MA
Posts: 16,143
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Re: Need Help with a Boston 4th of July Vacation!!
Boston is certainly a great place to celebrate the 4th!
No tickets necessary for the Pops or the fireworks - it is first come first serve on the esplanade. People used to camp out overnight to get up the front but I don't think they allow this since 9/11. They do get there EARLY in the morning though.
Yes, bring water, a blanket, food, sunblock, and get ready to spend the day! My sister and BIL did this several years ago a few years in a row and had a great time
The Boston Harbor Hotel is not really within walking distance (unless you like to walk) but the subway will get you close (I think it's probably the Charles St. stop on the red line).
There are other places around Boston that you can see the fireworks (like the USS Constitution, the Mass Ave bridge) if you're not up for that kind of crowd and spending the day "waiting".
There is a website ( www.july4th.org) about this year's celebration that maybe will give you some general info. |
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