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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 are planning a trip to DL in November. We will have 5 full days in CA. We are planning to get the military 3-day park hopper passes, have 1/2 day tour of the Walt Disney Studios and are planning to spend the rest of that day at the resort. So, we have one full day that we have no park tickets and no plans.
Any ideas on something fun to go do? There will be 4 of us, kids ages 14 and 11 (almost 12). Would the beach be an option? We are trying to keep it inexpensive, if possible.
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Yes, we will have a car. We are driving from NM. I will check out Huntington Beach, my DD really wants to spend a day at the beach, the rest of us aren't really beach people but may sacrifice for her.
It's a bit farther, but Santa Monica beach and pier were a lot of fun and very interesting for us when we were there a couple of months ago. I know nothing about Huntington, but there was a lot to do at Santa Monica pier.
Also, what about a day, or part of a day, to just do Downtown Disney? Shopping, dining, movie theater...maybe some time at the hotel pool?
It's a bit farther, but Santa Monica beach and pier were a lot of fun and very interesting for us when we were there a couple of months ago. I know nothing about Huntington, but there was a lot to do at Santa Monica pier.
Also, what about a day, or part of a day, to just do Downtown Disney? Shopping, dining, movie theater...maybe some time at the hotel pool?
I will look at Santa Monica beach as well. If we do the beach I want to find places we would like to eat and things nearby. I hate the beach but my daughter desperately wants to visit a beach while we are there.
We have the 1/2 day tour at the Walt Disney Studios and we plan to spend the rest of that day back at the resort and/or DDTD. We are not big shoppers so the 1/2 day might be enough. If we do the beach we might do 1/2 day at the beach and the other back at the resort as well. I just want something planned so that we don't plan DTD and feel like we have done it all in the first 1/2 day.
If it is late November, I recommend checking out the Ghost Town section of Knott's Berry Farm. This is very close to DL by car and during the holidays they set up a Christmas Market area in the Ghost Town area, with no fee to enter this portion of the park. This is set up like a living history museum. It's very quaint, you can see blacksmiths, glass blowers, and others. Most of the buildings are real old buildings that were moved on site...There are short Christmas plays and music, and it's just very low key.
I also think the beach at SM is a great way to go, even though it's a drive. Oh yeah, and little vietnam is close to DL and Knotts and you can go get some really good pho!
If it is late November, I recommend checking out the Ghost Town section of Knott's Berry Farm. This is very close to DL by car and during the holidays they set up a Christmas Market area in the Ghost Town area, with no fee to enter this portion of the park. This is set up like a living history museum. It's very quaint, you can see blacksmiths, glass blowers, and others. Most of the buildings are real old buildings that were moved on site...There are short Christmas plays and music, and it's just very low key.
I also think the beach at SM is a great way to go, even though it's a drive. Oh yeah, and little vietnam is close to DL and Knotts and you can go get some really good pho!
I will have to look into the Ghost Town. My only concern is when the kids see the rides and Knott's Berry Farm, they will be wanting to go to the park :roll eyes: But I will put it in our list of options.
My DD14 is really pushing for the beach, and she doesn't even care if it's cold. She hates when we go to FL or CA and don't visit a beach. I will look at SM beach as an option too.
I will have to look into the Ghost Town. My only concern is when the kids see the rides and Knott's Berry Farm, they will be wanting to go to the park :roll eyes: But I will put it in our list of options.
My DD14 is really pushing for the beach, and she doesn't even care if it's cold. She hates when we go to FL or CA and don't visit a beach. I will look at SM beach as an option too.
Either option, you can't go wrong...With a 14yo, I think I would go for the beach...Or do the full Knott's experience with rides, there are thrill rides disney doesn't have.
Labrea Tar Pits is also cool...And so is visiting a college campus. I've done half-day trips to both USC and UCLA in the past. There's tons to see, you can usually explore mini-museums in the halls of the science buildings, for example, or climb up a tall clock tower or visit a sculpture garden. Don't remember what each has to offer, but they are a great free day activity.
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