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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We have tenatively decieded to go to Southern California in January for DS 7th birthday. I have no idea where to even start planning.
I am thinking we will get the city pass ticket. Also thinking about flying into San Diego and staying 3 nights there, going to Sea World and the Zoo. Then drive north and spend 5 nights there. And fly out of lax or sna and go home. While in LA we will have 1 day at Universal and 3 at DL. Does this sound feasible??
What hotel are good in these areas? I have heard good things about the Candy Cane Inn near DL. Any comments?
If we drive from San Diego to LA should we find a hotel near Universal for one night, next day go to Universal, then on to Disney area hotel.
What hotel in San Diego?
I am so confused, planning a WDW vacation is so easy because I know exactely what I am doing, but this is a different ballgame.
Any help would be great!! Thanks!!
I think your initial plans sound great!
We stayed at the Hilton Burbank Airport and Convention Center. It was really nice and convenient to Universal Studios.
Can't give a good hotel in San Diego...ours was not great there.
A lot of folks rave about the Candy Cane Inn, I am sure you will get a lot of feedback on this hotel!
Have Fun Planning!
We just stayed at the Candy Cane for one night and really enjoyed it. Beautiful flowers everywhere and clean rooms. They also have a free shuttle to Disney that runs every 30 minutes (the drivers do have a tip basket), and there free breakfast had a lot of choices (pastries, muffins, cereal, oatmeal, toast, fruit, etc...). We would stay there again.
I recommend the Candy Cane Inn a lot - it has nice, clean rooms, a good continental breakfast, close to the parks, and reasonable priced.
Also, you can do a couple things with your plans - you can piece them out into various reservations (hotels in SD, Anaheim, etc.) or book a full package through Disneyland - they have packages that include Souther California.
i have the same question except the week before easter, better to stay in san diego first or drive from dl to sw and zoo two days how far ahead to book room week before easter starting march 12
I think your overall plans sound great. I think you're wise to spend one night at a hotel near Universal to cut down on your driving times and also maximize the amount of time you can spend in the theme parks. Although I haven't stayed at the Candy Cane Inn, I've heard nothing but wonderful things about it. However, the main reason I haven't stayed here was that it was fully booked on the two occasions I was at DLR. It seems to book up very far in advance because of its popularity. If you can't get in there, I can recommend the Desert Inn and Suites as we stayed there last March and had a wonderful time. It's nothing fancy but very clean, very cheap and very close to DLR.
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i have the same question except the week before easter, better to stay in san diego first or drive from dl to sw and zoo two days how far ahead to book room week before easter starting march 12
I don't think it much matters which city you visit and stay in first provided you book your flights accordingly. And if you're looking to book accommodations for next March, I would suggest you do so ASAP since it will be the double whammy of being both right before Easter and during March break so rooms will most likely book up pretty quickly, particularly at the more popular hotels.
Joy
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1968 - Disneyland
1976 - Offsite
1984 - Offsite
February, 2003 - All Star Music
August, 2003 - Animal Kingdom Lodge & Wilderness Lodge
December,2003 - Wilderness Lodge
December, 2004 - Beach Club Villas
August, 2005 - Port Orleans, French Quarter
November/December, 2005 - Old Key West
July/August, 2006 - Disneyland Hotel
January, 2007 - Boardwalk Villas