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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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How is the parking at the subway stations and rail stations?Is that feasible? I could use the car to get to the stations and pay the 5 to 7 dollars a day for parking. The wonderland station is closest to our hotel.
Boston Public Gardens (make sure you visit the Make Way for Duckling statues)
Boston Common
Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall
Copley Square
Hancock Tower (view is amazing)
Union Oyster House
Hard Rock Cafe' (they have a Boston music section)
How could I forget the Hancock Tower? That's a definite must-do.
Did anybody mention the Science Museum? It is very cool. I grew up in MA and now live in TX. One of the things I miss most raising kids elsewhere is the Science Museum, the Aquarium, and the Childrens Museum. We've been to others but they just don't compare. If you go to the Tea Party Museum the Childrens museum is within a block. What we do is buy the Austin Children's Museum Membership and it had a reciprocal program that gets you into the Boston Science Museum & Childrens Museum for free. Saves a bundle. Maybe the Houston has the same program. That way you don't worry about getting your moneys worth when you visit. It is usually the more expensive membership so you would have to use it at home too but we base daytrips and short trips on places we can get in free too.
I have heard the Fenway tour is FANTASTIC. I have never been on it myself. They only do the tours on non-game days (for obvious reasons).
The Fenway tour is fantastic, but this information is incorrect. Fenway tours are given every day from 9am-4pm, every hour on the hour, or until 3 hours prior to game time. Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. (Adults - $12, Children - $10, Children under 3 are free) The tour lasts approximately 50 minutes. I had a lengthy conversation with a tour guide at 2 post-season games in 2007 and he told me that they are told each day where they can visit in the park. If you go on a game day, there may be more limitations as to what you may see depending on how close it is to gametime.
If you decide to go to a game, it may be worth purchasing a Red Sox Nation or Kid Nation membership. You will be allowed into the park 2.5 hours prior to gametime (instead of 2) and allowed access to the Green Monster for the Red Sox batting practice if they are having one, otherwise you can go up there and get some fabulous photos! After the game (weather permitting), Red Sox Nation members are allowed to take a 'stroll' around the warning track. Your hotel might be able to help you get tickets at a reasonable cost, if you aren't able to locate any.
I also recommend a Charlie Card, if you plan on using the T. Life on the T became much easier once they implemented this system nearly 2 years ago.
There are a lot of different tours of Boston, but one of the favorites (especially kids) is the Boston Duck Tours. These are also the ducks that were used for the Red Sox and Patriots victory parades, in recent years.
Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market area is a lot of fun. My DS has always enjoyed the street performers - there tend to be more on weekends, but there is always something going on there. The New England Aquarium is within walking distance, as are all of the fabulous Italian restaurants in the North End. (Not to forget, Mike's Pastry for the best cannolis on Earth! ) The Freedom Trail will actually take you through portions of the North End. The aquarium is also next to an IMAX theatre.
The Boston Children's Museum is also a lot of fun. My son and nephew always enjoyed themselves there and I have many fond memories of going there with my family, when I was a kid.
The Boston Museum of Science is also very popular among folks. Exhibits are always changing, as well as the favorite permanent ones. There is also an IMAX theatre located there.
Boston also has a nice theatre district. Blue Man Group is an awesome show! We've been very lucky using the 'half-price ticket booth'
As others have mentioned, renting a car for Salem and Plymouth are your best bets. I'm sure you'll be glad you decided to do that. There is lots to do at both locations. Fun and educational! Plimouth Plantation is also another big hit for adults and children. And, don't forget to see Plymouth Rock!
There is so much to see and do in Boston! Lots of history - there are still many cobblestone streets that 'take you back.' Boston is one of my favorite places and I could write forever about it! Stopping now because I'm feeling a desire to go there!
Wonderland does have parking as it's a big commuter stop for people from the North Shore. Definately get a car if you want to do Plymouth and Salem, but DO NOT try and drive it into the city. The T is so easy to navigate and parking in downtown is just crazy!
Dyan gave you some AWESOME info so I won't bog you down with more!!
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How is the parking at the subway stations and rail stations?Is that feasible? I could use the car to get to the stations and pay the 5 to 7 dollars a day for parking. The wonderland station is closest to our hotel.
Just noticed this post...
I'm not familiar with that particular station, but some tend to reach capacity - especially during the work week or if the Red Sox are scheduled to play (or the Celtics if they are still in it, at that point). I checked the MTBA website and it looks like Wonderland has 1,257 parking spaces. It says average weekday availability is <1%, which doesn't look too good. I'm thinking if you got there first thing in the morning, you should be okay, but I really don't know. Is the station within walking distance from your hotel or does the hotel have a free shuttle you could use to get there?
Dyan gave you great advice and tips. I just wanted to stress what she said about the difficulty of parking at the commuter-rail parking lots. I wouldn't count on getting a parking space there on a week-day. I think my sister has stayed at the hotel you're thinking about booking and they do have a shuttle to the train.
(Not to forget, Mike's Pastry for the best cannolis on Earth! ) !
OMG! You have to go to Mike's Pastry. I cannot go to Boston without taking a trip to Mike's. You have gotten a lot of good advice on what to see and do. I will emphasize to go to a Sox game if you can manage tickets. The Museum of Science, New England Aquarium, and the Prudential Center are among our favorites.
We have done the tour at Fenway Park - LOVED IT! We actually got to go out on the field and touch the green monster!
At Faneuil Hall is the best Holocoust Memorial I have ever seen. Absolutely amazing! I think it was pretty close by, seemed we walked over to it. We saw it at night and it was very moving.
Definitely go to the North End to eat Italian!
We loved the Duck Tour! That was the first one we ever did and it is so cool! Your son will love it! (We've done them in Pittsburgh and DC too)
We went to Gloucester for a Whale Watching tour in August. It was so amazing! We saw at least 3 different types of whales and dolphins too. If you are going to be there at the right time, definitely go! I bet your son will love it.
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Donning my Wellies to cut Peat in Scotland
Melissa
I think at this point we are going to stay at the Courtyard Marriott in Revere. It was more along our price range. I decided on getting a rental car for the trip becuase it is possible I could be pregnant( 1st or 2nd trimester) and really don't want to put myself in a situation without immediate transportation if needed being in a strange city.
What are the "musts" in boston? The guide that they sent me isn't very detailed.
I know I want to do the Freedom Trail. On the map it looks like is veryyyyyy long. How managable will that be in a day?
I am a history lover. But, I need a little something or everyone. I think my husband would like to go to Fenway Park and take the tour. Is it worth it?"
How about my son? He will be 9 by the time we go.
I hope you have a great time. There is so much to do in Boston and Massachusetts/New England in general. Nothing is very far away.
A trip up to the mountains or one of the notche(s) would be nice.
Going to Salem you could also squeeze in Gloucester,Ipswich & Cape Ann as some one had mentioned .
Plymouth ( area where I live now ) is cute and you'll definetely need a car. Plymouth can also be easily combined with Cape Cod for a day trip but I'd suggest only Mon-Thursday - weekends are a lot of traffic getting on and off Cape.
Do you plan to go to the beach at all ? We have lot of beaches and they are all very different from one another. The further away from the city for a beach the better IMO - since i grew up in the city near the beach.
I am concerned about the subway/bus lines from our hotel. According to their website the subway is 4 miles south and bus is 11 miles southeast. How can this be worked around?
Sorry I just have to giggle everytime I read this.
The train goes underground or in this case the harbor, that is why the mileage is less to the same point train vs bus.
But now I have read what you are talking about on the marriot revere website and I think I can explain it better - because they are telling you about 2 different locations in 2 different cities - that is why you are confused.
The BIG bus station is at South Station in Boston which is 11 miles from your hotel in Revere.
The Wonderland "T "in Revere ( MBTA train ) stop is 4 miles from your hotel which is also in Revere.
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Last edited by graysbeach; 08-19-2009 at 02:50 PM..
What are some other unique places to visit outside of Boston besides Salem, Quincy, and Plymouth?. I am looking for activities that we can't do here in Texas. We will be there probably 9 to 10 days now.
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That's a definite must-do. 
) The 
Stopping now because I'm feeling a desire to go there! 
Lois! Looks like I was researching as you were posting! 
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