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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 will be driving from the Twin Cities to Detroit for a family obligation this summer. We don't have time to make a true (long) road trip of it, but we want to see something on the way.
One of our options is the "Air Zoo" in Kalamazoo MI. Or we could take a more northern loop and swing through the Holland MI area.
Our question is about the Air Zoo. It looks nice in the brochures and on the web, but we all know that these things put on the best possible face. So -- considering that we have seen the Air & Space Museum in DC, the Air Force Museum in Dayton and the Navy air museum in Pensacola -- should we stop at the Air Zoo or will we be underwhelmed?
I live near Holland and honestly I would go with your norther loop. I would even stop in a town called Grand Haven which is right by Lake Michigan. I don't know if you have been to Lake Michigan beaches but they are really really nice and Grand Haven and Holland are really nice cute towns. They have good food and atmosphere. I think it would be the more relaxing option!
I probably have been to the airzoo, but it was probably when I was in elementary school so I really couldn't tell you if it was worth it or not. I personally like Grand Rapids Public museum. Its not huge, but it has a really cool planetarium show. Another great option would be the Fredrick Meijer gardens. I went to both of these last summer and they are so much fun, with or without kids!
Hope this helps!
We will be driving from the Twin Cities to Detroit for a family obligation this summer. We don't have time to make a true (long) road trip of it, but we want to see something on the way.
One of our options is the "Air Zoo" in Kalamazoo MI. Or we could take a more northern loop and swing through the Holland MI area.
Our question is about the Air Zoo. It looks nice in the brochures and on the web, but we all know that these things put on the best possible face. So -- considering that we have seen the Air & Space Museum in DC, the Air Force Museum in Dayton and the Navy air museum in Pensacola -- should we stop at the Air Zoo or will we be underwhelmed?
Hello, I'm going to be up front and let you know that I am an Air Zoo staff member. However, I am also going to honestly tell you the information you are looking for.
The Air Zoo does not have as many aircraft as some of the places you have mentioned (though those places also do not have an SR-71B Blackbird--the only B model in existence-- nor do they have an XP-55 Ascender--again the only one in existence). But we do have a lot more than what they can offer.
The Air Zoo is repeatedly held up as a standard for other museums to model by the Smithsonian. We are the first of our kind in the world... a museum-meets-indoor-amusement-park. We have the world's largest indoor hand-painted mural that surrounds the floor (we hold the Guinness World Record for it). We also have the Midwest's first 4D theatre where you can do a B-17 mission over Germany during World War II. We also have 360-degree, full-motion F-18 flight simulators with 360 degrees of pitch and roll as well as a 3D shuttle mission to the International Space Station. We also have some rides for smaller children and for families.
In our East Campus, we also have the Michigan Space Science Center (opened June 2007) where you can try the Lunar Leap and feel as though you are walking on the moon, try the Space Walk or try a Mission to Mars simulator. That building also houses most of our World War II aircraft--including one of the best kept sets of Grumman Cats.
In the Main Campus, the planes help tell the story of the history of flight... along with the surrounding wall mural, the floor mural (walk through the grassy fields during World War I and walk on the USS Kittyhawk) and, of course, our rides and experiences. The Air Zoo is designed as a place to have fun while also being educational. Docents are available to give you personal tours at no extra charge. In fact, we are considered the museum of the future as kids today aren't content walking around and looking at dusty old planes... the video-game era has made the kids of today want to be engaged and interactive with their surroundings--and the Air Zoo does just that.
Actually, your admission charge will give you access to both buildings, and all rides, theatres and experiences. If you want to eat in the Kitty Hawk Cafe or get a souvenir in the Fly Buy museum store, that'll be an additional cost... but everything else is included.
Beyond the Air Zoo, Kalamazoo has a lot of other attractions to offer... including the Gilmore Car Museum someone mentioned above.
If I can be of any more assistance to you, please feel free to contact me at jmaclean @ airzoo.org Just take the spaces out
I live in Kalamazoo and have been to the air zoo. I believe it is a fun place to go. I think of it as a great place to go for a small city. My kids had a great time. It gave us something to do in an afternoon. They have things to do for smaller kids and older kids. I wouldn't expect it to be overwhelming with things to do. It can be done in an afternoon.
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