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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Starting to plan a med cruise for May 2011. We will stay a couple of days in Rome before the cruise. Wondering if anyone has a hotel suggestions. Also anyone wants to tell me must sees or helpful hints I would love to hear about it.
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Although I can't help with hotels, as far as must-sees go, definitely the Colosseum and the Vatican and its museums. Those were stand-out highlights for us. I cannot for the life of me remember the name of it, but I'm sure someone else can, the complex of Roman remains near to the Colosseum were also stunning to see.
Are you thinking of the Forum, Chez? I'd agree that along with what you already mentioned were definately highlights. One evening we wandered and had a slice of pizza at a sidwalk cafe and gelato later on. That's one of my favorite memories.
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Are you thinking of the Forum, Chez? I'd agree that along with what you already mentioned were definately highlights. One evening we wandered and had a slice of pizza at a sidwalk cafe and gelato later on. That's one of my favorite memories.
Rome definitely has its share of amazing historical/archectural sites. Nothing beat the Sistine Chapel for me (slight Michelangelo fanatic here). Aside from that though, I was pleasantly charmed by the Pantheon. That would be my #2 don't miss place. (The Colisseum and Forum and many places are amazing as well...what really struck me about the Pantheon though is that it is NOT in ruins, it's a complete structure, and it's also older than the ones that are in ruins! It's also just a beautiful, beautiful place.)
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The Trevi Fountain!! Toss a coin in and make wish. It's supposed to ensure the wisher will return to Rome. There is a wonderful gelato shop right on the square around the fountain.
The usual places to visit in Rome are wonderful, and shouldn't be missed. However sometimes just people watching at a cafe's sidewalk table is great fun!
For Hotels - We loved the Hotel Gallia.
About 20 miles outside of Rome is Ostia Antica. We loved the place and spent hours there. The beach is nearby and there is public access everywhere.
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I don't have specific suggestions, because, well, the choices for Rome are huge. I suggest you look at the shore excursions for Rome, and see if/which ones you'll want to do. Because of the short time in the city when you're cruising, I strongly recommend that you do a shore excursion on that day, and your choice of shore excursion will both help you decide on what you won't have to see during the pre-cruise visit, and point out places that you'd want to do pre-cruise at your leisure.
. Therefore, use the other time during your pre-cruise stay to do things that are less practical on your cruise visit. Some of those include long visits to museums. One example is the Capitoline Museums by the Forum - the "good stuff" they've pulled out of all those excavations. There are few shore excursions offering museum visits (mostly, you get a chance to visit the Vatican Museum, and even that visit is short compared to the time you could spend there). Other things to concentrate on during a pre-cruise visit could be evening cultural events, since you won't be able to do any of them during the cruise (again, too many to choose from).
Get a good guidebook. I recommend the Rick Steves series, but any of the major, fat Rome guides will work - Frommer's, Fodor's, DK (Dorling Kindersley)...
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I cannot for the life of me remember the name of it, but I'm sure someone else can, the complex of Roman remains near to the Colosseum were also stunning to see. 
that's the one.
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