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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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'm not sure Cocoa Beach would be my first choice. We have done Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge a few times and love it but I think of it and Cocoa Beach as not what I like to think of when I think Florida Beach. I would think if this is your kids first trip to the ocean, you would want to find a place with a large sand beach and nice waves. (from someone who grew up going to the ocean probably at least once a week).
One thing my kids loved at Merritt Island is there is a place were manatees can be viewed and pretty consistently sighted. My kids enjoyed this as much as Disney. Manatees are some of the best wildlife to watch,
The Clearwater/St. Pete area is pretty nice too. It's an easy drive over there. We've been to Coca Beach lots of times and numerous times to the Clearwater/St. Pete area and prefer it. The water on the Gulf side is a bit warmer, the beaches are soft & white, the water is calmer, we've found lots of shells over the years. I also like that area because if you do get a rainy day there are lots of indoor things to do in Tampa. If you're flying out, the Tampa is a nice airport and a bit smaller than MCO.
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We did Cocoa Beach last month with the girls. My Dad and I took the girls to Kennedy Space Centre (very skippable now that there isn't really anything space program there) and afterwards went to the ocean. Drove to Cocoa Beach via Port Canaveral route, got to see some of the cruise ships in dock, and even one leave. The beach we stopped at was amazing, beautiful sand, some amazing waves, and the kids had a blast playing in the water and collecting some amazing shells. Would be about 45 mins to an hour from Disney...and an easy drive at that.
....can also vouch there is a combo car wash/ice cream parlour on the road to the beach that has amazing ice cream too Don't know how my Dad spots them, but it is all "home made" in the ice cream shop.
Tim
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Hey, check out my blog all about being active with a disability -> activeandblind.com
We went to Melbourne beach when we had friends that lived in Florida and are planning another trip to the beach during our trip in August. It's only about 1 hour away (the Gulf coast is more like 2 hours). Definately take the kids to the beach, the ocean is something everyone should encounter.
We've looked through a lot of places and decided on New Smyrna Beach. It is just south of Daytona. We found a map for parking on line, so that made it easy to figure out. The van for 10 people was booked last night. Five of our 10 have never been to the ocean, so it is going to be fun.
So glad your kids are going to see the ocean. I grew up on Naragansett Bay and love (and miss) the smell of the ocean. I think the ocean inFlorida is a lot better place to start though. The water up here is freezing, all year round.
Been to New Smyrna as well... neat lighthouse there that you can go up in. Went there when my oldest was about 4 or 5, climbed all the way up to the top, she got scared and we had to come right down. The 10 seconds of looking around I got...I THINK the views were nice
One thing to keep in mind that there is an increased shark presence in New Smyrna... something about a river that empties into the Atlantic there makes for a prime feeding ground for sharks...also great surfing as well. Just keep an eye out
Tim
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Hey, check out my blog all about being active with a disability -> activeandblind.com
Been to New Smyrna as well... neat lighthouse there that you can go up in. Went there when my oldest was about 4 or 5, climbed all the way up to the top, she got scared and we had to come right down. The 10 seconds of looking around I got...I THINK the views were nice
One thing to keep in mind that there is an increased shark presence in New Smyrna... something about a river that empties into the Atlantic there makes for a prime feeding ground for sharks...also great surfing as well. Just keep an eye out
Tim
I've read the shark thing online. I haven't told DW. Most things I've read seem to be surfers being bitten and not swimmers. I'm sure we won't be there long though. As soon as the kids get a mouth full of water, we will be packing it up.
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Don't know how my Dad spots them, but it is all "home made" in the ice cream shop.
Most things I've read seem to be surfers being bitten and not swimmers. I'm sure we won't be there long though. As soon as the kids get a mouth full of water, we will be packing it up.
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