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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 have been looking at hotels in washington d.c. and found Marriott Fairfield Inns and Suites Downtown on 500 H Street NW for 2500.0 for 8 nights. Metro stop GalleryPlace/chinatown is 2 blocks away. Is this good? I don't want to be in an unsafe location.
I can't speak for that specific hotel/location.... but we chose to stay outside of downtown for cost purposes and we enjoyed it and felt safe! And we were still within 10 minutes of the National Mall. As to your other question about what to do after the museums close.... most of the monuments are available to see at night and as another poster mentioned a night monument tour is beautiful. The Washington Monument is really the only one you have to get up early for unless you get your tickets in advance. The tickets were sold out when we went so we had to get there early.... I don't think there is anything else you would need to get up super early for.... With your dh not being interested in going to the beach; I think DC really is a great choice!
Of coarse Marnies suggestion for Alaska is great also; we went this past May and my youngest had just turned 5 the month before and he still did really great with it! "Seeing" Alaska is not expensive in itself but we found between the transportation costs to get there and the excursion prices it was a very pricey vacation for us and we had to plan it out 18 months in advance to pull it off.... With said; it was an amazing trip and I hope to go back sooner than later becasue there is so much to see and we didn't even put a dent in it! I hope to go back in the winter so we can see the northern lights
If you do plan on DC and ask for a White House tour -- get your son (and daughter if you're taking her on the tour) a photo ID well before the trip.
We were told everyone had to have one for the tour, and my husband said they did check my DD's passport. She was only 10.
How is the food prices in d.c? I am trying to find out how much I would need to budget for food. We will probably be there 8 days. It looks like we would stay at Sofitel Washington D.C which sits on the McPherson Square with a metro rail 2 blocks away. Also do you know if these are huge blocks or normal blocks?
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One of the places our hotel shuttle dropped off at daily there was a mall with a food court upstairs from the transportation- we ate there a few times and it was comparable to food prices here- about $5 for a fast food meal combo and I ordered from a chineese place that was less than $10 with drink... We ordered a lg pizza once and it was about $15. Near the National Mall we stopped for individual slices of pizza that were huge and about $5 each with soft drinks going for close to $3 (bottled drinks). We didn't have a car; so we were limited in where we could go w/out taking a cab....
I think like all big cities, independent restaurants can get quite pricey, although I am not sure I'd do many of them with a 3 year old. We have eaten in the museums many times and I don't remember feeling they were outrageously expensive. If you'll have a car, there are the usual chains.
We stayed in Bethesda because that's where we had family and so long as you don't go during rush hour, it is an easy commute into the city. It has been a few years, but we always paid under $100./night at the Marriott suites. If you aren't too fussy, you can get a 3 star+ on Priceline for a decent price.
The problem with Rachael Ray is that her places aren't always close -- the one in Cleveland, if you ate at those three places you'd spend the day travelling between them and not seeing anything.
In my opinion, food in DC is a bit on the high side. But the museums are free, so it still works out to a reasonable vacation.
Be sure to eat at the restaurant in the American Indian Museum. Not your typical burgers and fries fare. Skip the McDonalds in Air and Space -- it's referred to as the "most expensive McDonalds in America" and I wouldn't say the reputation is undeserved!
I have been looking at hotels in washington d.c. and found Marriott Fairfield Inns and Suites Downtown on 500 H Street NW for 2500.0 for 8 nights. Metro stop GalleryPlace/chinatown is 2 blocks away. Is this good? I don't want to be in an unsafe location.
I don't recall that specific hotel's location, but if you are that close to that metro stop, then you are in a wonderful location as far as easy access to many sights! (And by easy, I mean either walking or just a couple metro stops) If you're going to be there for a week, definitely look into the metro card that if I recall correctly lets you take unlimited trips for a week!
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MNSSHP 2015: DH (Bane), Me (Batgirl), Genie, and our friends
We just flew into Philadelphia and drove to Bird in Hand, spent the night doing "amish" things, then headed into Philadelphia, do that then drove to DC then Gettysburg then spent 3 days in NYC. It was an amazing trip. SO fun!!
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I love this picture because my daughter's facial expression matches the Queen of Hearts exactly, and it was completely unintended!
For DC Hotels, a friend of a cousin recommended Hotel Harrington. It's nothing fancy but great prices for being in the city, clean, and has wonderful staff. She said they parked their car and walked and took the metro a lot, she took her nephew and grandson. She also said the hotel had a pretty decent breakfast for a decent price. This is on our list to discuss when we take our DC trip next year. Just thought I'd share.
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