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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
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We are looking into going to NYC this summer for a few days. I need a good guide to the city so I can begin planning. I wish the PP was ready but until it is I need something to get me started. We have never been so we are flying blind on this. I need suggestions on the best guides to get.
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FAO Schwartz? The one in San Francisco closed and I miss it so much!!!
A trip to NYC? Man I am so jealous. There is so much to see and do!!
A trip to the opera?
A trip to the meseums??
Art galleries????
Central Park???
And how about a trip to Corney Island? I know it is just a shadow of its former self, but in its glory days it was one of the world's greatest amusement parks!! Or most famous at least.
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and...
Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge on the footpath (from Brooklyn to Manhattan) AWESOME Pictures!
Visiting Ground Zero
The Metropolitan Museum of ART
Trying the black and white cookies
Taking the Free ferry to Staten Island and getting nice pictures of the Statue of Liberty
Touring the UN
42 Street and Time Square
Having a Hot dog on the street in Manhattan (they are Unique)
Pier 17
Taking a picture with the Bull (World Trade Center)
Rochefeller Center
Visiting Tiffany Store
Shopping at Chinatown
Having a Pizza at Grimaldis under the Brooklyn Bridge
Taking pictures from Brooklyn in The promenade with the NYC skyline as a background. as you can see there is Lots to do in NY!
I recommend taking the hop on hop off city tour (there are two a red line and blue line) it gives you transportation and you get to see lots of the city.
Wow! So much to see and so little time to be there.
I have never been to NYC and now I am so excited that we have to get this trip worked out. The worst part appears to be the $ of the hotels and where to stay. We would like to stay in Manhattan but it may not be possible.
FAO Schwartz did actually close here sometime ago but was bought out and re-opened by some guy. Sadly they got rid of the giant clock/elevator and that insane 'welcome to our world' song. it's a kind of neat place, but not what it once was in my opinion.
there's also Toys R Us in Times Square, 'the largest toy store in the world' which features a 2-story ferris wheel.
plenty of largest and unique shopping experiences here actually. next to Toys R Us, is the world's largest Virgin Megastore (also has the world's largest Build-A-Bear Workshop (which includes Build-A-Dino and the Friends 2 Be Made next door)) Macy's is the world's largest department store. My preferences for shopping tend to skew towards the younger set I suppose. We also have a Nintendo World store, an M&Ms World store (across the street from the Hershey's store). another good one is Dylan's Candy Bar on the upper east side - two large floors of nothing but candy.
Coney Island is still around and kickin', although it's probably more seedier than ever (they're working on it though). it still has the sideshow. the NY Aquarium is also down there. in the summer, there's the Mermaid Parade and the nathan's hotdog eating contest. there are a couple of amusement parks (which include the cyclone roller coaster and the wonder wheel - what the sun wheel at Disney's California Adventure was 'inspired' by). there's also minor league baseball down there.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
Build a Bear has a restaurant that is soooo cute for lunch. It was also pretty reasonable for NY. They give the bears a booster seat at the table, along with tiny plates and a bib to wear. Our waiter there was so friendly, it was a really nice day.
Headed up to NYC next week...DD's 18th birthday. Want to take her out to a special dinner Saturday night....any suggestions? Looking for something out of the ordinary that will WOW her. Thought about The View, but read several bad reviews about it.
How about The River Cafe, under the Brooklyn bridge with a view of the Manhattan skyline or
a one day cruise in the river with a meal , dancing and the beautiful background of the city?
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
We are staying in a Super 8 right off of Times Square. We had found the hotel for an exchange student who was living with us and her family. They said it was nice, clean, continental breakfast and a great location. I will let you know how it was when I return.
We are staying in a Super 8 right off of Times Square. We had found the hotel for an exchange student who was living with us and her family. They said it was nice, clean, continental breakfast and a great location. I will let you know how it was when I return.
My family and I are planning a New York vacations also...and, like you, we are traveling blind on this one. A guide that I'm using, though prices are outdated, is the Eyewitnes Travel Guide to New York...bought in on Amazon for $4 including postage...detailed, maps, tourist section...good book...just hotel pricing is out dated. We also, will probably stay in New Jersey as we can save 60 - 75% on accommodations. It's something you might want to consider also.
You should Westchester County for hotels, there are some nice onces in White Plains that might be in the ballpark your pricing. Westchester is serviced by Metro-North the train lines that run into Grand Central Terminal which is a must do tourist attraction in itself. Especially the walls that you can talk to someone else through.
From White Plains, it's about a half hour train ride into the city. White Plains is a city unto itself now too.
As for restaurants, I'm not sure what the daughter is looking for. If you love BBQ, Dinosaur BBQ in Harlem is one of the best around period. It's like a biker joint. Very themed and very good food.
My favorite when I was a teenager, I haven't been back since was Jekyll and Hyde. A fantastically themed "scary" restaurant. There are two that people reference all the time. One in Greenwich Village that I've never been to but is considered the "original". Welcome to Eerie World!
The one I've been to 1000 times is right on 6th ave. in the heart of things. It has different rooms with different stories, actors, animatronics. Welcome to Eerie World!
I was getting ready to ask what was must-sees in NY. My brother's fiance is from Jersey about 40 miles from the city. They are getting married here in Ohio but are having a reception in May there. We plan to spend 1-2 days in the city. I've never been there either. These sights were the ones we thought of so far:
Ground Zero
Central Park
Statue of Liberty
Empire State Building
Times Square
And The Little Mermaid on Broadway!!
Hadn't thought about World of Disney but adding that to the list!
Any other must-sees for a short trip?
Thanks!
__________________
Amy
1977,198?,1990 WDW with parents
4/2000, 3/2003, 1/2004-WDW offsite
Nov/Dec 2005-SOG
March 2007-sis's wedding at WDW
Nov 2007 1st Disney Cruise/WDW
June 2009-Saratoga Springs
Just returned from a weekend trip in NYC...had a great time! Will do a trip report sometime this week and post it. Stayed for free in an apartment in the upper east side, parked the car for the weekend and used the subway to get around everywhere.
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