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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 thinking about going to Chicago for a few days in a couple of weeks. I'm looking for a nice burb with a nice hotel. I'm going to look for a cheap room downtown, but I want a place for a backup.
We love the Double Tree. Its in the northern suberb up towards Northwestern University. We thought the rooms were great, and the Hotel was out of the "HUSTLE AND BUSTLE" Also there was an Ihop across the street that was so convenient.
Use Hotwire. We use it all the time for weekends downtown. As long as you choose 3-4 star, you can usually get something between 60-120 a night. My brother just got the Wyndham Chicago for $69 last Friday. We usually end up getting something in the $100 range. You can also use it for the burbs. Look up the Schaumburg-Elk Grove-Itasca area and pick 3+ stars. We have been getting the Sheraton Suites Elk Grove village for about $40-60 a night. It's right off I-90 near the airport. Not much right around the hotel but there are a few restaurants close by and Woodfield Mall/Ikea are only 15 minutes west. Oak Brook also has very nice hotels and a mall close by.
For something in the burbs, there is a sheraton northwest chicago in Arlington Heights that has an indoor waterpark and is located right next to Arlington Park Race Track. We also like Eaglewood resort in Itasca. They have a nice spa and a bowling alley but they are a bit pricey.
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Michele
I'm living the dream 20 minutes from Disney! Next trip...tomorrow. Follow me on instagram at ShirtsByShell
I was looking at the CTA map for trains and there is two lines that run out of an area called Oak Park\Forest Park. Is this a nice area? If it is, is there any nice hotels?
Oak Park has B&B, not a lot of hotels. It is a very cool suburb. The "L" goes through some tough neighborhoods en route to downtown Chicago, I must warn you.
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Oak Park has B&B, not a lot of hotels. It is a very cool suburb. The "L" goes through some tough neighborhoods en route to downtown Chicago, I must warn you.
That's worth knowing. Isn't Oak Park where the Frank Lloyd Wright House is or am I getting mixed up? That's something I'd like to see on our next trip to Chicago.
Oak Park has B&B, not a lot of hotels. It is a very cool suburb. The "L" goes through some tough neighborhoods en route to downtown Chicago, I must warn you.
Like "tough" enough you wouldn't ride it to and from downtown?
I was trying to make this real cheap. We could get CTA 3 day passes for $14 to ride the L and buses. Now your making me rethink this?
I think almost all L lines go through some tough neighborhoods. As long as you're not riding late at night, you should be fine.
You can also check out the hotels by O'Hare. The blue line runs out there and is easy to get downtown. The O'Hare hilton is within walking distance to the line or a quick drive over. There are also TONS of other hotels in the area which may get you a good deal. Parking at the station is inexpensive. The only negative is that it's a very corporate/industrial area.
If you are thinking about staying downtown, parking will cost you around $30 a day. Sometimes a bit more than that.
You can also try taking Metra Metra - Welcome to Metra which is more of a commuter train. It doesn't run as frequently as the L and does not run after 1 AM, but there are always conductors on the trains and sometimes security depending on if there is an event downtown. They offer a $5 weekend pass for adults for Sat and Sun and kids 11 and under ride free (up to 3 kids) with paying adult. You'd have to walk or bus it once downtown. I believe metra runs through Oak Park too.
Good luck with your choices.
__________________
Michele
I'm living the dream 20 minutes from Disney! Next trip...tomorrow. Follow me on instagram at ShirtsByShell
I frequently visit Oak Park and find it to be a lovely little area. We stay at the Carleton of Oak Park and it is very nice, it is also only steps from the "L". My SIL was even got married and had her reception there, its beautiful inside. Its pricey but they have cheaper rooms (motor inn), we stayed in one once, its just ok, stick with the pricey main building rooms. Oak Park is home to many Frank Lloyd Wright homes/buildings. I have taken the "L" from there and back many times, yes you will see some rough areas but nothing to be afraid of, I travel with just me and my two girls, we gotta make those trips to the American Girl Place. The Metra also leaves from the same station. I love to shop downtown Oak Park, its has alot of nice stores and good restraunts.
We also sometimes stay at the Holiday Inn in Countryside IL, its about 20 mins from there so not super convienent to the "L" but we have made it work in the past. Its clean and has a great pool area!
Oak Park is the site of the FLW home and studio.
If you're a Wright fan, you will also want to visit the Robie House in the Hyde Park area of Chicago, near the Museum of Science and Industry.
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