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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 lost my job last week, thus meaning any and all money I had for Disney had to go towards rent for the next few months. But...I had a little extra saved up, and ds has been begging me to take him to the 9/11 memorial in New York. It's fairly inexpensive to take the bus from Boston, and I was shocked at how cheap I could get a room for. So our plans are:
2/17: bus from Boston to NYC, we'll get in just before 1pm, so we'll head to the hotel, check in if we can, if not, we'll just store our bags and head down to Little Italy. We'll spend some time wandering, and then find a place to grab dinner. After dinner, we'll head back to the hotel and ds can hit the indoor pool for a bit.
2/18: breakfast at the hotel, then we have 10am passes for the 9/11 memorial. From there, we're going to make our way up to Times Square and just explore. Ds wants to eat dinner at Guy Fieri's restaurant, and then we'll go back so he can swim.
2/19: Up and out early, I want to hit Strawberry Fields before we head back to get our stuff and head out to the bus to come home.
I'm kind of kicking myself that I didnt plan another day, but I'm sure we'll have a blast. I plan on actually doing this trip report and taking tons of pics.
This is my first time in New York, so any helpful hints or suggestions are appreciated
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My sisters lives a half hour outside of the city so I haven't actually stayed in the city since the early 80's (before they moved out of Manhattan). I do think that it is so different from ost other cities and just being there is an experience in itself. It will make Boston seem like a village.
You don't say how old your son is but my kids have always loved the museum of Natural History, which I think was reasonably priced. They also have (and even as adults) enjoyed Chinatown.
I might also go to the top of a building, although the Empire State building has gotten really expensive.
I hope you have good weather. If it's not too cold, get something from a street vendor. And walk through Central Park-you can forget you are in the city.
I have started taking the train from Boston to my sister's but it has gotten very expensive-more than flying and definately more than driving.
Sorry to hear about the job loss. My husband just lost then started a new job recently so I know how that feels. And because of that we had to can our Disney vacation for this year, because he has to get some time in at the new job before he gets vacation time off.
Have fun in NY! Can't wait to see pictures
This may seem silly, but my first time in NYC long ago, I wanted to eat in a 3-story McDonald's just to see if it felt any different than any other McD's.
It didn't really, but it was exciting to compare eating in the tiny little ones that had been my only McDonald's experiences up till that trip.
Doing something familiar can also take off a bit of the feverishness that hits people sometimes in an atmosphere as hectic as the streets of NYC can be.
Something to think about anyway...
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I'm going to NYC in June, so tell me everything you learn!!!
DS turns 6 while we are there, this is the 2nd birthday in a row that we will be out of town. Feels sad, no kid friends etc...but we have decided to take him to Coney Island and ride the Ferris Wheel. (This is much cheaper than Disneyland If you want you can get a pass for all the rides for about $25, or just pay for one or two that look really great. I looked it up this morning.)
Sorry about your job. Hope you can find another source of income and you can save up for Disney again.
Can you tell me what hotel/price you found. We are literally planning to rent a uhaul van and sleep in that, since I can't imagine affording lodging in NYC.
We are staying at the Skyline Hotel in Hells Kitchen. It's about 6 blocks to Times Square and they have an indoor pool, so we were all over that. Since it's just the two of us, I got a room with two twin beds. I was shocked at how cheap it was. I have a friend who stayed there and she said it wasn't bad, and the price was right, so I jumped on it.
You will have so much to choose from in NYC! We visit there a few times a year. Central Park is a definite must do! You can visit the famous FAO Swartz, the Disney Store, the huge Toys R Us (with Ferris wheel), Madame Trusauds is neat. There is a Cake Boss Cafe (if you watch the show, kinda neat to enjoy treats from there!), definitely say you have to get food from vendor! And try to get down to Battery Park (close to 9/11 memorial - which if you can visit at night, it's just absolutely beautiful lit up at night) to be able to view Statue of Liberty!
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Boy, the closer we get to leaving and the more research I do, the more I wish we had booked a couple more days.
Ds is over the moon about this. I went out and bought him a cheap little tablet for the bus ride and then while I was in staples buying ink, I saw a Vivitar 10.1 megapixel digital camera on clearance for $20, so I grabbed him that too.
Of course, it's done nothing but snow since I booked. This'll be fun. I hate snow and I hate cold. But, it's for my baby, so I'll suck it up.
I hope the snow stops for you, but if it doesn't, I have to say New York City is amazing in the snow. I went on a couple of day trips there in 1996 (yes, that winter, which was probably about as bad as this one has proved to be! ) when I was staying with a friend in Philadelphia and on one day, the city was covered in snow - amazing views from the top of the Empire State Building!
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So sorry about your job. Good luck in finding a new one quickly. We enjoyed a double decker bus tour in NYC. And from the 9/11 memorial it is a shirt walk to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty. The Staten Island ferry is free, and you can ride to Staten Island and back and go right near the Statue of Liberty. Have fun!
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But...I had a little extra saved up, and ds has been begging me to take him to the 9/11 memorial in New York. It's fairly inexpensive to take the bus from Boston, and I was shocked at how cheap I could get a room for. So our plans are:
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One day, I want to get back and visit the 9/11 memorial as well.
If you want you can get a pass for all the rides for about $25, or just pay for one or two that look really great. I looked it up this morning.)
) when I was staying with a friend in Philadelphia and on one day, the city was covered in snow - amazing views from the top of the Empire State Building! 
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