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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Now that Matt and I are back from Washington DC (trip report to follow when I've finished by WDW TR) my thoughts have turned to our next US city break. We love the States and try to do one city each year. So far, we have been to:
New York
Boston
Washington DC
San Francisco
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Chicago
Miami
Orlando.
I've been thinking of possibly Houston or Seattle. I can fly direct from Manchester to Atlanta or Philly. Are either worth a long weekend? Otherwise, can you please suggest a great city for a long weekend break.? Distance is no object. We're pros at dealing with jet lag
Any suggestions gratefully received. We'd like plenty to see and do, good food and decent shops.
I was going to suggest San Diego as well - it's a beautiful city, but if you haven't been to Philadelphia yet, you must do that first, especially if you can get a direct flight. It is packed full of history and was where America really started. If you enjoyed Boston, you'll love Philly. I've been twice now and would love to go back for a third time.
I also would suggest San Antonio, Philly or Seattle. Now, I've never been to San Antonio, but I'm planning a trip there soon, and everyone who I know who has been loves it. I can personally speak for the other two - you'd have lots of fun. I'm with Cheryl - if you're looking for a Boston-esque American history type experience, Philly is great. I've heard Houston is fun too, but I've never been.
Atlanta has a lot of neat stuff - you can tour the Coca-Cola museum, CNN headquarters, etc. And of course, it's home to my team, the Atlanta Braves. I really have enjoyed all my visits there. If you like American metropolises, it's a big 'un and can be lots of fun. However, if you're looking for a "Southern" experience - which you may not be - I wouldn't suggest Atlanta - it's not a very "Southern" city by the most traditional definitions of the word, and since most of the old stuff burned in the Civil War, there's not as much of that kinda history as there are in the other, older Southern cities. Charleston and Savannah are great for that (as well as being beautiful) but would probably take more than a long weekend to cover both, which I would suggest doing since you're traveling so far and they are fairly close to each other (also you probably can't fly into them directly - although they aren't too far from major airports).
You really can't go wrong all around, though. Happy planning!
Although not a city, I think Rhode Island makes a great weekend trip. Providence is a lovely small city and the area east of downtown, with Brown University and Rhode Island School of DEsign, is a great place to walk and look at the buildings, many of which were built arounf the time of the revolution. RISD has a wonderful museum.
The Italian section of Providence, Federal Hill, has some wonderful places to eat and the renovated downtown area is lovely. They have a seasonal "WaterFire" shows and a great local theater Trinity Square.
I would say San Diego, but I honestly think that you would like a bit more time there than just a long weekend. I could easily spend a month there just doing all of the touristy/artsy/fun stuff, myself . . . and I grew up there!
I think, especially since you could go non-stop, that Philly would be a great short trip! The Franklin Institute and the Please Touch Museum were fun stops for us . . . as well as the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. And you HAVE to get an authentic Philly Cheese Steak sandwich there! AND . . . you could meet Crystal for lunch while you were there.
What about Newport Rhode Island? I love it there. Of course, since I live in Philadelphia, I'm rather partial to it. Why not check out New Orleans or Baltimore?
I liked someone else's suggestion of the southern cities Charleston, SC or Savannah, GA. Both are beautiful, graceful cities and have lots to do and see. I particularly like Charleston with the old slave market (lots of beautiful hand crafted items) and the Antebellum houses and tours. The low country is beautiful. There is also a modern nightlife scene downtown and some really good restaurants. There are plantation tours up river too.
I've also heard great things about SanAntonio, Texas. I've never been there but hear that it is a beaurtiful city and that their River Walk section is lovely.
Have fun choosing a place.! I can't believe you can do these trips over a long weekend. I get bone tired if I do a long weekend Disney trip (and it's only a 2 hour flight each way!)
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As for Texas cities....I would go with San Antonio over Houston (MHO) because there is much more to do there and most stuff is centrly located. Also depending on when you are going, Houston is more humid than Dallas or even Austin.
Atlanta has some wonderful long weekend sites as does Charleston, SC.
Philly is great and Baltimore is also. I haven't been to Seattle yet, but really want to go.
I want to second KJ's recommendation of San Antonio over Houston. DS1 graduated from Rice University and stayed on in Houston because his GF had not yet graduated. He enjoys his friends, but does not particularly like the city. He really finds the weather unappealling.
He does like San Antonio, where his GF will be going to medical school, better, and is getting accustomed to the idea of living in Austin, where he will be in law school, which everyone tells him is a great city.
Great suggestions thus far. I have to put my 2 cents in for Philadelphia. It's the first major vacation I took Kylor on. I went when he was 1 with my parents. It was so fun! We also took a little side trip to Atlantic City. If I remember correctly, it was about a one hour drive. We also went another year and went to Sesame Place. Philadelphia itself is amazing. So historical. There's nothing standing right where our forefathers stood.
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Picking up our Brasilian exchange student at the a/p
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I've heard Houston is fun too, but I've never been.
I really have enjoyed all my visits there. If you like American metropolises, it's a big 'un and can be lots of fun. However, if you're looking for a "Southern" experience - which you may not be - I wouldn't suggest Atlanta - it's not a very "Southern" city by the most traditional definitions of the word, and since most of the old stuff burned in the Civil War, there's not as much of that kinda history as there are in the other, older Southern cities. Charleston and Savannah are great for that (as well as being beautiful) but would probably take more than a long weekend to cover both, which I would suggest doing since you're traveling so far and they are fairly close to each other (also you probably can't fly into them directly - although they aren't too far from major airports). 
AND . . . you could meet Crystal for lunch while you were there. 
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