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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I can't help with train travel, but if you're going to Naples, be sure to add Pompeii and Herculaneum into your plans. They both deserve at least half a day. If you can, do the Amalfi coast as well and Sorrento as well - both absolutely stunning. You may be able to get guided tours for some of those, but if you are able to, and you have someone in your party who's prepared to drive and can handle a manual (stick shift), then the Amalfi coast drive is quite something to do yourselves...
Thanks Cheryl. My Dd and I can both drive a standard shift. How is the driving in Italy. I have driven in Mexico and Canada (which I don't really consider a foreign country). I hope that by the time we go I will have brushed up my Italian enough to be fairly fluent and I am always better at reading than speaking but I manage to get lost in Disney. My sign following skills are not great.
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I can't help with train travel, but if you're going to Naples, be sure to add Pompeii and Herculaneum into your plans.
Pompeii was one of my favorite places in Italy. We only spent one day there, but I could have stayed for a week. It was amazing.
I also loved Venice. It is quite possibly the most unique city I've ever been to. Just breathtaking. I'm not sure when in the spring you are thinking about going, but I would plan on later spring if possible. I was in Italy in March one year and it was still VERY cold (well, to me, but by that I mean highs of around 50 in Venice) and often quite drizzly.
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MNSSHP 2015: DH (Bane), Me (Batgirl), Genie, and our friends
I've toured Italy quite a bit, but I don't like to give too much advice because it's been so many years. The nice thing about the trains in Italy is that the stations are usually right in the center of things, so you don't usually have far to travel to get to your hotel. I, personally, much prefer Florence to Venice. I'd like to spend a year in Florence. Cheryl is right about the Amalfi Coast. Just amazing, but something to do by car, not train.
We are looking into the last week ofApril in to May. I could also do late June. We are from the northern US and are fine in the cold. it is the heat that gets to me. as far as driving goes, I will have to see how much Italian I have recovered. I am also concerned i do not like driving on mountain edges (could not drive in Utah although I am fine in the NH/VT mountains).
I am thinking ten days may be too little but it only means another trip is needed.
I, personally, much prefer Florence to Venice. I'd like to spend a year in Florence.
I really enjoyed Florence too, I just love that Venice is set up like basically no other city in the world and I LOVE the no cars idea.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Huntermom
Ashli,
We are looking into the last week ofApril in to May. I could also do late June. We are from the northern US and are fine in the cold. it is the heat that gets to me.
I think you should be ok then. I've heard it doesn't get really warm in most parts of Italy until late July/August.
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MNSSHP 2015: DH (Bane), Me (Batgirl), Genie, and our friends
Thanks Cheryl. My Dd and I can both drive a standard shift. How is the driving in Italy. I have driven in Mexico and Canada (which I don't really consider a foreign country). I hope that by the time we go I will have brushed up my Italian enough to be fairly fluent and I am always better at reading than speaking but I manage to get lost in Disney. My sign following skills are not great.
I don't think it's that bad, although Mark is the one who does the driving, so it's a bit unfair of me to comment really!
I don't think you need much Italian for driving - it only helped us for messages about accidents/fog etc. on our recent trip.
I just spoke with someone who has family in Italy and she suggested I not drive. I worry about crazy drivers as well as not knowing where I am going. I might consider renting a car for a day or so but rely primarily on trains and buses.
I think my biggest problem may be arrowing it down-too many places to see, too little time. And too much food to eat. I was also told if you use public transportation you can rationalize the daily gelato by balancing it with walkig.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I just spoke with someone who has family in Italy and she suggested I not drive. I worry about crazy drivers as well as not knowing where I am going. I might consider renting a car for a day or so but rely primarily on trains and buses.
I think my biggest problem may be arrowing it down-too many places to see, too little time. And too much food to eat. I was also told if you use public transportation you can rationalize the daily gelato by balancing it with walkig.
I agree, if you're nervous at all about driving in a new place, just don't do it. That alone will help to narrow down the number of places you go to. The Amalfi Coast is probably not do-able without a car, although you can hire a driver easily for the day if you aren't seeing enough of the countryside by train.. Shouldn't be too costly, and you can set your own route. This is what I did in South Africa, and it was fantastic. I thought it would be ridiculously expensive but it wasn't that much more than taking a tour on a bus, and with two of you will be even more cost-effective.
Thanks again. Cheryl. I am diabetic and have other health issues, so I will need to limit my self to one gelato a day. I am also planning on lots of other good food and looking forward to indulging in tons of seafood.
Laurie, I am thinking of asking my son and daughter in law to join us if Amy can get the time off from work. Or else they will come on a later trip. I wish I could work out more time but even ten days out of the office will be tough.
The more I talk to people about this trip, the more I can't wait to go.
Is there any place in Italy one should not go? I was warned that Rome is indeed a big city but I have been to major cities in the US with the usual urban problems so I know how to be safe.
Driving in Italy isn't as bad as all that. I just wouldn't drive into the bigger cities like Rome or Florence.
I've been to Italy a few times and here are my top picks:
1. Rome - Ok so I haven't been there yet but done quite a bit of research because it's a port of call on our Disney cruise next year I've wanted to see Rome forever and I can't wait!
2. Venice - Such a stunning city! It is just magical with all the canals, not to be missed
3. Florence - The Duomo and the art there - 'nuff said!
4. Pisa - Gotta get your cheesy pic holding up the tower
5. Tuscany in general - Take a few days off the sightseeing and just enjoy the beautiful landscape here.
Thanks Sabine. I don't have much interest in Pisa and only 10 days so I think I will skip that.
A regular visitor suggested flying into Germany and taking the train down to save money. Just looking at fares, it seems to be a difference of around $500.
I have driven in lots of US cities-LA, NYC and Houston to name a few. I have enver had a problem but also don't want an accident overseas. I actually had the worse time driving in Utah. The switcbacks scared the daylights out of me.
A regular visitor suggested flying into Germany and taking the train down to save money. Just looking at fares, it seems to be a difference of around $500.
Honestly? Even if it is that much cheaper, I still wouldn't do it. It is just too much of a hassle if you only have 10 days in Italy and want to make the best of it.
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You may be able to get guided tours for some of those, but if you are able to, and you have someone in your party who's prepared to drive and can handle a manual (stick shift), then the Amalfi coast drive is quite something to do yourselves...
Pompeii was one of my favorite places in Italy. We only spent one day there, but I could have stayed for a week. It was amazing.
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