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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Location: South Dakota - not too far from Mt Rushmore!
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Advice please (travel plans)
I am still over a year away from our DCL cruise but there is nothing wrong with a little planning, right
It looks like we will be flying in on a Thursday and have Friday to do something before getting on the ship on Saturday morning. I have decided that I want to go to Seaworld on that Friday. It is just me and my (then) five year old daughter and we are both animal fanatics so I know Seaworld is a good choice for us. I would have done Discovery Cove but the minimum age there is 6 so that is out.
Anyways, here is my question. I am trying to decide if it would make more sense to stay by the airport for Thursday and Friday nights or find a hotel closer to Seaworld instead. I will probably be renting a car at the airport and our flight will not get in until early evening more than likely. My other option is to stay in Orlando Thursday night and then drive to the port after a day at Seaworld and stay there on Friday. I dont know if that would be smart or not.
I have never been to Orlando so I am having trouble understanding how far apart everything is. I do not know how much further it will be to the cruise port from the Seaworld Area as opposed to the airport but i would think it couldnt be more than 20 minutes or so? I am hoping someone here can provide some good advice or information based on your own experience.
When we did our cruise in August, we stayed at the Dolphin (WDW) and came in Wednesday night. Thursday we did Sea World, Friday we did MK, and Saturday we drove down to the Port. I don't think it's makes too big a difference if you want to stay near the airport or Sea World. They are about 20 minutes apart.
As for driving to the Port on Saturday or going the night before, we've done both, and again, it's what you're comfortable with. Our first cruise we did KSC, so we stayed in Port Canaveral the night before. This time, we just drove down in the morning.
Location: South Dakota - not too far from Mt Rushmore!
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Thanks for the advice - glad to know it isnt too much further either way. I have plenty of time to decide but i am just weighing my options for now.
I like the idea of staying by Disney also. I am flying in from South Dakota so I am intentionally flying in a couple of days before the cruise to give myself a time cushion in case the weather is really bad.
Hello from Minnesota!!
Which airport are you flying into - Orlando or Sanford??
I would either look at the hotel that are Downtown Disney (see one of the top posts on the Staying in Style link) or check out a few around Sea World. Most of the hotels around Sea World do offer packages which include Sea World tickets. We are spending our last night in FL at Sea World in the Doubletree Resort that is located within walking distance to Sea World. Good luck with your planning!!!
Location: South Dakota - not too far from Mt Rushmore!
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Thanks for the advice. I think once we get a little closer to the date, i might be able to find a package deal. That sounds like it might be the way to go. I am not sure if you have the same problem coming from MN but the flights from SD are really limited. I am planning on flying into Orlando but i will also check Sanford just on the off chance it would be cheaper
I would stay near Sea World. There are lots of nice hotels in the area, and would be more fun. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn-Sea World and could walk across the street, thru the SeaWorld parking lot to get there. We were also able to watch the fireworks from our room. I've heard the new Doubletree is nice too. Wasn't there when we stayed. There's also a Residence Inn, and several others. Just put in a search on Travelocity or an other travel site for Sea world area, and see what hotels you would like. I find it better booking directly with the hotel.
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We are spending our last night in FL at Sea World in the Doubletree Resort that is located within walking distance to Sea World. Good luck with your planning!!!
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