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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Might I suggest you get a Milepost. It's a great publication for any kind of road trips in Alaska. Wait to get the 2010 one (it may already be out) to be sure that you get the most current info - things change quickly out on the highways!
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Jennifer / Eeyore is my favorite!! OMG - He's sooooo grown up!!!! And an EAGLE SCOUT!! I can still remember my cute little Tiger Cub! 2016 Reading Goal - 75 books
Might I suggest you get a Milepost. It's a great publication for any kind of road trips in Alaska. Wait to get the 2010 one (it may already be out) to be sure that you get the most current info - things change quickly out on the highways!
Lodging Finalized! : FIL came through and reserved the cabin is Seward! We are officially spending nights 4 and 5 at the Andersen Evergreen Cabin - see link below.
Outdoor Adventures: I've done tons of reading (online and in the 3 travel guides currently in my possession) and found some great day hikes and mountains to climb. Denali area:
Since Mt. McKinley isn't a viable option I found the Mt. Healy Overlook Trail. It's a 5 mile round trip hike/climb, and the guide books say it takes anywhere from 5 hours to all day. The first mile is a moderately steep trail through the forest, and the last 1.5 miles provide a steep and rocky trek through the tundra. The view from the top is supposed to be wonderful.
We also plan to do a few shorter hikes in the National Park. Seward:
Exit Glacier seems to be a great place to hike and see a glacier up close. We'll probably try to see the Kenai Fjords as well. Skagway:
We're planing to take the shore excursion to the zip lines and adventure park, but I'm sure we'll hike around a bit as well. I'm still looking into this. Juneau:
Plan A - There is a tram that takes visitors part of the way up Mt. Roberts. I think we will climb up from town to the summit, hike down to the tram station for a bite to eat, then take the tram down.
Plan B - We'll catch the Blue Bus to Mendenhall Glacier, hike around, return to town, and take the tram up and down Mt. Roberts. It doesn't seem there will be time to climb Mt. Roberts AND visit Mendenhall Glacier. We will have seen many glaciers by this point in the trip, so Mt. Roberts may be the way to go. Ketchikan:
The Deer Mountain Trail looks interesting! Trails.com says "Deer Mountain Trail climbs a 3,001-foot peak above Ketchikan with a panoramic view of mountain peaks, forests, islands, and ocean."
The plans are all tentative, but I think the trip is really taking shape!
This is going to be a really interesting trip to follow - I'm betting it will be a real bonding experience for your family. There should be some fab photo's coming out of this holiday as well.
Obviously there will be other expenses associated with the trip, but it feels great to have the two biggies out of the way.
What else will you be doing?? And do you want to know the kind of pricing we have up here?? I would be happy to give you some clue as to prices on "tourist crap" (as I like to call it) on up to the really nice stuff like gold nugget jewelry or costs of food in restaurants and other tours.
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Jennifer / Eeyore is my favorite!! OMG - He's sooooo grown up!!!! And an EAGLE SCOUT!! I can still remember my cute little Tiger Cub! 2016 Reading Goal - 75 books
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What else will you be doing?? And do you want to know the kind of pricing we have up here?? I would be happy to give you some clue as to prices on "tourist crap" (as I like to call it) on up to the really nice stuff like gold nugget jewelry or costs of food in restaurants and other tours.
We don't have a city sales tax (in Anchorage) or state sales tax, however it should be noted that some of the smaller cities do have a minimal sales tax (around 2 to 3 percent)
* I purchased t-shirt/hat sets to send to a friend for around $15
* Post cards are around 4/$1 or so
* AK wild berry gift packs (some with salmon etc) start at around $20 and go up from there depending on the size
* Gift packs of hand made chocolates made with AK berries and produce start at around $15 and go up from there
* Gold nugget jewelry starts at around $50 for a very simple piece to $1000 for the real intricate pieces - a lot are hand made here - but you want to watch for the Made in Alaska sticker just to be sure
* Restaurants are pretty typical - Dennys style - meal for one - $8 or so on up depending on what you get (breakfasts typically cheaper than dinners of course). * Nice dress up (as much as people dress up here ) can start at $35-40 dollars a plate for surf and turf. Prime Rib at fancier place will be at least $25.
* Alcoholic drinks typically run around $6.50 for a basic mixed drink.
* Fishing charters - $150 per person per day (usually 4-6 hours long) - fish not guaranteed
* Rail trips out of Anchorage - start at $125 go up to $400 - depending on where you go
* Flight seeing tours (usually 1-2 hours) - $175 on up
Any other questions?? Think I covered the biggies.
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Jennifer / Eeyore is my favorite!! OMG - He's sooooo grown up!!!! And an EAGLE SCOUT!! I can still remember my cute little Tiger Cub! 2016 Reading Goal - 75 books
Thanks for all of the info!
We are mostly hiking, climbing smaller mountains, going to Denali National Park, visiting family...
What about the price of gas? (I know, hard to predict...)
The price of a one way car rental from Fairbanks? FIL told us he would pick us up at the airport in Fairbanks, and split the cost of the rental car. Now it seems that we will rent our own car in Fairbanks, drive it for 5 days, and return it in Anchorage. He isn't big on keeping promises that involve $, but that's a story for another time. Who cares! We're going to Alaska!
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I found the Mt. Healy Overlook Trail. It's a 5 mile round trip hike/climb, and the guide books say it takes anywhere from 5 hours to all day. The first mile is a moderately steep trail through the forest, and the last 1.5 miles provide a steep and rocky trek through the tundra. The view from the top is supposed to be wonderful. 
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