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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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.
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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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OK so we are back from our Wonderfully Magic vacation ....time to plan next summer! Since we are due to transfer in early 2010 we wanted to take advantage of our geographic location of less than 6 hours from the Big Apple. We have NEVER been to NYC. PLEASE HELP! Here are the details to date:
When: Last week of July 09 ( approx 24-2ndAug) Who: Me, DH and two DD's 13 and 7. Very laid back go with the flow family. Nothing too fancy LOL How: Drive What:so far... Statue of Liberty, empire state, times square. toys r us. Build a bear, ground zero, central park, natural history museum, Grand Central Station I am researching places to stay and am clueless as to what would be better. Stay in the city or outside? Being military we may be able to stay on base somewhere, so that is an option. If we do this is it easy to ride the transit system? We are familiar with the Metro in DC and LOVE it so hopefully that will help. Where to eat? Other sites to see? Would taking any tours be beneficial for first timers? Any information, tips advice, web sites will be greatly appreciated TIA!
NYC is a lot of fun. If you can stay in military housing that would be your best choice because unfortuneatly the city is very expensive to stay in. Your line-up sounds good but i think you have to add WOD NYC, it's on 5th & 55th. Watch the places to eat, they are more expensive than usual. There is a good pizzeria uno around the block from the museum(across from the teddy roosevelt garden).
It might be worth it to do a bus tour, do the red opentop buses, or the cruise but the buses you can get on and off as you please at different locations.
Good luck and have fun with your planning, we live on Long Island and go to the city a few times a year but I'm not familiar with the subways because we usually walk everywhere.
We def. plan WOD!!!,just forgot to include it on my list as I was typing LOL. Thank you for your info. Since you walk does that mean you drive yourselves into the city and park or do you take the train in? If you do drive where do you park? Thanks again!
I thought I just read that Disney was not renewing the lease on the NYC WOD store.....
I read that too - but I can't remember when it's closing, sometime in 2009 is all I recall.
I agree that if you can stay in military housing, I'd look at that, as hotels are pricey in New York.
On our list of things to do for October, we've got the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island (I have very fond memories of that from a trip I took to the city on my own in the 1990s and wanted to share it with DH), Ground Zero, Central Park and Top of the Rock at the Rockefeller Center. We've only gone for that, as we've done the Empire State Building before - that is a must-do for any first time visitor.
also times square i know you said toys r us but there is m& m store , espn cafe , hershey store , and if you want keep me in mind i'm only a train ride from the city if you like to have a little meet too . also if you guys like baseball the mets or yankee game in there new stadium. there are alot of meuseaums , ooh madem tooso wax meuseum also . good luck on planning hope to catch up with you guys one day .
jeff (disney)
OK so in doing my research today i found we can stay at the navy Lodge on Staten Island and it looks like there is a ferry from there to the city. Will we have to pay for parking at the ferry terminal or should we leave the car at the lodge and take a taxi to the ferry? Thank you to everyone with all your info thus far! Can anyone recommend a good tour company for our first day?
If you can leave your car, definitly do so. We ususally take the RR in from the island. WOD's lease is up in 2010, we were just there and I asked a cast member and that was his response. I'm not sure what the name of the bus tour is but they are all over the streets trying to sell you tickets to go on the big red bus.
Have fun!
I would leave your car at the hotel.. and just take the ferry.. We just went to the museum of natural history and were happy to learn that military go in free.. Both my kids loved it and they are also 13 and 7. We also went to american girl and my daughter loved that. Seeing a play is always nice and if u go get the tickets the day of u can get half off.. it is over by 42nd street where u can get the tickets. but u have to go early. AS for restaurants.. great hispanic restuarant 3 blocks from the museum and it is cheap. The zoo and aquarium in central park is cheap and lots of fun...
I would also go to the bronx zoo and the broklin aquraum
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I'm not sure what the name of the bus tour is but they are all over the streets trying to sell you tickets to go on the big red bus.
Have fun!
I can't rember their name either. We used them on our honeymoon and found them to be great, although it was winter and the buses were a bit on the cold side!
I thought I just read that Disney was not renewing the lease on the NYC WOD store.....
Good thing we're going to visit in a couple weeks. Wait till I tell hubby this - then he'll agree that we just have to go when we're in the city next month.
There's probably bus transport from the Navy lodge to the Staten Island ferry. That's definitely better than driving to the ferry - parking will not be cheap.
There are a lot of great attractions in Lower Manhattan, within walking distance (or short bus/cab ride) from the ferry. That's true for the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, the Financial District, City Hall, and the South Street Seaport, among other places. I strongly recommend South St. Seaport. The commercial portions were developed by the same people responsible for Baltimore's Harbor Place, and it also has a seaport museum with a bunch of historic ships to visit. Great place to eat, and great views of the Brooklyn Bridge from there, too.
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