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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 am planning a solo trip (my first trip ever by myself) to Savannah this year and I was wondering if anyone had ever been and if so, is it better to schedule tours or just walk and explore on your own. I'm thinking maybe a combination of both. Any help would be appreciated.
I spent a few hours in Savannah this past summer and loved it! I wish I had had time to do some of the scheduled tours such as the Midnight In the Garden of Good & Evil tour. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502yes_prv.gif[/img] But we wandered around the SCAD campus (Savannah College of Art & Design) and the waterfront and had a wonderful time. It is a beautiful city. You're going to have a great time!
We spent a day there in November and we did a combination of walking around and also a carraige tour, which I loved. It was a great way of seeing the sights and learning about the history of the place. I will eventually get there in my trip report - so keep an eye out for that. I think it'll probably be posted in this forum in a couple of weeks' time. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
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DH and I went last March. We specifically went there to take cooking classes with Paula Deen. We stayed at the Hilton Desoto . The hotel was lovely but I think if I ever go back that staying closer to the waterfront would be better.
We ate at The Lady and SonsUncle Bubba's Oyster house - both owned by Paula Deen. They were both fabulous.
We also went on The Paula Deen tour with OLD Savannah Tours They do offer other tours but this one included highlights of the city with info on Paula.
If you've never read the magazine Cooking with Paula Deen, she often has articles about Savannah businesses. There are also ads in there for places to stay and visit in Savannah.
DD and I went to Savannah several years ago as a side trip during a vacation to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Savannah is a delightful city, and I'm sure you will enjoy it. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] We did the Old Town Trolley Tour which gave us a great overview of the historic downtown areas. One of our favorite areas of the city was the waterfront area which had lots of quaint shops. I would definitely recommend reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil before you go. This book is a murder mystery which takes place in Savannah and will give you a good flavor for the city before your arrival. Have a great time! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
Our family went a few years ago too. We did the trolley tour, I believe we bought the tickets at the train station? We ate at The Pirate House, loved it. Walked around and explored everything ourselves. Tried to see Chablie (sp), wasn't working that night.We got to go into the attorney's office and see all the pics of Uga. A painter let us in. SHH! Definelty read the book and watch the movie. We went to the cementary on our own and enjoyed it very much. A wonderful trip. We also explored Tybee Island. And enjoyed it very much.
I want to return again when our kids are a little older.
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We used to live in Savannah, so I would be happy to answer any questions for you.
There are some good tours and that is a great way to get acquainted with the city. What are you looking to do while you are there and what kind of hotel or price range are you looking for? I can point you in the right direction.
We go to Savannah every couple of years as tourists, and now I have friends that live there, so I visit them as well - I it. We've done several tours, and they are great. The horse-drawn carriage tours are especially nice - I think we've done a couple of historical ones, an architecture one and a "Hollywood in Savannah one" (you'd be shocked at how much stuff is filmed in Savannah and the surrounding areas!). We also did one bus tour, but I did not enjoy it as much.
Now that I've been a half-dozen times, we don't do tours as much. The shopping and eating is great, and we just like to wander around.
We have driven through many times, but last summer we actually spent 2 days there. We had a great time, although it was very hot, even for Savannah 105 plus degrees! Anyway, since we have 2 teenagers and were looking to save money, we found out that there is a free "trolley" that follows the same route as many of the tours around the historical parts of the city and you can get on and off whenever you want. The day we did this they used regular city buses which were airconditioned (yea!) which was a welcome relief. The bus driver does not have to tell you anything you are driving by, but every driver we got was glad to tell us all the answers to our questions. The locals also ride this free trolley around, and we met some very colorful people. The walk along the river was very nice, also, with lots of shops and restaurants to eat at. There is a national park going east of the city that is an old fort (Fort Pulaski with a lighthouse in the marsh) and if you keep going you can go to a lighthouse at Tybee Island. Nice beach at Tybee Island also!
We are stationed here at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah so I can answer pretty much any question you have too. Downtown is beautiful and the tours are nice. However, they are very hot and crowded during peak tourist season. The ocean is less than 30 minutes away. The city is building up everywhere. The Southside has a lot of new upscale shopping and restaurants.
We took the trolley tour all the way thru to get a good idea of everything (and we liked that particular tour driver) then on the 2nd time around, got off at certain places and walked around. This was a good way to go, and when it rounded near our hotel again (Marshall House, very nice) we stopped, took a nap, then hopped back on later.
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