Calling all New England vacation experts... - Page 2 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 don't have much to add-- it's all been covered! I just want to add my vote for Mystic. It's a lovely town and I'd pick the Mystic Aquarium over the New England Aquarium in Boston any day. Also wanted to mention that the Earl of Sandwich on Boston Common has ZERO indoor seating, so don't head there on a rainy day!
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You guys have me seriously excited now! Yes, it's the Warwick airport homewoodvsuites I was looking at. I lve how they have full kitchens so I can make some healthy food.
So as we say in Disney-speak, perhaps a split stay is our best bet. Could look like this:
Saturday -drive to jittery / Portsmouth; maybe shop a bit
Sunday - water country
Monday - legoland; drive to RI
Tuesday - quiet day; maybe children's museum
Wednesday - roger Williams zoo
Thursday - mystic aquarium
Friday - open
Saturday - drive home
Maybe you're right Holly, that lake camp ounce is too far. We can always change our minds and go for it
Also would love feedback on avoiding traffic and crowds. We would be there the first week of July,so I know things will be crazy on Friday, the 4th. Wha should we do that day?! I know legoland is going to be extremely popular, so hats why I thought Monday would be best and we will get our tickets ahead of time. The one in Toronto is often sold out.
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On second thought, the Water Wizz park towards cape cod looks like a better one for our family than water country. They have a lily pad climbing area like ski patrol training camp at blizzard beach. But are we entering crazy traffic territory??
Rentals start and end on Saturdays on the Cape so Saturday is the horrendous traffic day. Week days aren't bad and Wareham is just on the mainland side of the bridge so you don't get bridge traffic. My DD used to go to horse shows in Buzzard's Bay, next door and I don't even remember much traffic on Saturdays (of course it was 5 AM).
I looked online and there is also a Water Wizz in Westerly, which is on the RI/CT border.
Thanks, that's very helpful : ) since doing Disney vacations and even North Conway, I've come to assume that weekdays are best for parks anywhere. Will probably aim for Tuesday. Debating to stay in RI for all seven nights. Oh, and thr RI water wizz looks to be quite a bit smaller.
I haven't lived in RI for 40 years, but I think there used to be some 4th of July celebrations at the park. I would check and see if anything else is going on. The park itself is very pretty and lots of room for a picnic and a run around.
If you like carousels, it is worth a trip to Crescent Park. The carousel is not only historic and beautiful, it is fast. You could combine it with a trip to the water park.
so many cool things to try! looking at water country again and it looks like a better park. checked out water wiz. pretty funny that I just watched The Way, way Back and see that it was filmed there!
We get these admissions with our science centre membership:
Great that both the Boston Children's Museum and the Museum of Science are included, but what a bummer that the Rhode Island Children's Museum isn't listed......that is a good one.
The CT museums included probably wouldn't be worth the long car trip you would have to make from RI to get to them.
You're right in that the Water Wizz in RI is smaller. If it's the place I'm thinking, it's mostly slides. And it is across from Misquamicut State Beach......there will be a fair amount of beach traffic involved to get there.
We really enjoyed Water Country when we went several years ago. I am assuming you'll stop there for a day on your way down to MA/RI. Will you overnight in the area?
You got it, Holly : ) it would make for an easier drive to make jittery / Portsmouth area our destination for the first day - about 6.5 hours not including stops. Our fave hilton brand hotel chains are retry steep in that area, though. Any tips? I was debating on somewhere a bit closer to Boston, as we would head to legoland the next day. It's in Somerville, just barely out of the city. Subway doesn't go that far yet, so we'll have to drive it - yikes!
Thanks for the heads-up on the children's museums. We've done both the Boston ones before. Too bad about thr RI one, but it's still pretty inexpensive so I'll take your word for it and make it a point to visit.
I found the New Hampshire discount card thing online. Wishing I knew about it years ago, since it includes so many places we've already visited many times. For this trip it may not help us as much, but I think I'll still get it. We should a least break even.
Any other secrets out there for discounts at parks and such? We will be dropping over $100/day on park admissions. Oh well, nothing compared to Disney!
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There is a Homewood Suites in Peabody, close to half way between Boston and Portsmouth,
Peabody isn't far from Hammond Castle. Welcome to Hammond Castle. My kids really enjoyed it when they were in grade school but I did have two boys and a tomboy.
Ok, I'm showing Hampton inn in Peabody for $122/night. I'd like a better deal where it's $125/night for home wood in RI and you get a suite. We do like Merrimack outlets and the Nashua Hampton inn where we've stayed before is $103/night. Too far out of the way from water country? At least it's in Canobie region and we could shop if it rains!
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