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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 am in the beginning stages of planning a mostly France trip in September and October 2016. We plan on about 50 days. I'm going to use my Alaska miles to fly us into Amsterdam on KLM and right now we're planning to hop a transatlantic cruise from Barcelona back home. We'll be train/bussing it, so I eliminated a few destinations (eg Etretat). I also focused on western France so we're not totally "If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium"-ing the trip. That means I have to save some bucket list places (like Beaune) for another trip. Since I know some of you have traveled a bit through France, I am seeking feedback on this preliminary itinerary. Around the Carcassonne area, we plan to WWOOF (volunteer on an organic farm) for a week or so. Also planning some convent/monastery stays to keep costs down. If you know of reasonable accommodation in our destinations, let me know! So...
Land in Amsterdam (4d)
Bruges, Belgium (2d)
France: Paris (5 or 6 days)
Mont Saint Michel (1 or 2)
St Malo (2d)
Dinan (2d) Since it's so close to St Malo, may pick one or the other to home base it for 3 or 4 days.
Nantes (3d)
Amboise (3d)
Bordeaux (4d)
Sarlat la Caneda (2d)
Pau (2d) we're scouting Pau as a possible place to relocate.
Carcassonne (7 plus days in the area)
Arles (3d)
Train to Barcelona, then home.
We'll be highly mobile, BTW, neither of us will travel with larger than an 85l pack.
Lastly, how difficult is it to plan a day trip to Disneyland Paris from Paris, and is it worth it?
Your plans look good to me with plenty of time in each destination.
Out of the places you're planning on going to, we've been to Amsterdam, Bruges, Paris, Mont Saint Michel, Nantes, Bordeaux, Carcassonne and Barcelona. One thing I would say is if you can do try and get some time to visit the D-Day beaches. They are so moving and well worth seeing.
As for Disneyland Paris, yes you can head there for a day - it's on the RER line A, so if you can find a hotel near that line, it will make the visit much easier. Is it worth it? Well, people's views are going to vary, but given you're here for such a long time, I have to confess I'd be tempted to squeeze a day in. Make sure if you do, it's a weekday though, as those are much quieter. Also, be aware that the first DisneyRun event is taking place over the weekend of 25/26 September, so the days around that (i.e. Thursday, Friday and Monday) will probably be pretty busy too.
Wow, that's quite a trip! I have to admit, it's very different from the way we travel so I don't have much advice to offer. I agree with Chez that if you're in France for that long, you can definitely suqeeze in a day at DLP. It is very easy to reach from Paris, no problem.
Wow, that's quite a trip! I have to admit, it's very different from the way we travel so I don't have much advice to offer. I agree with Chez that if you're in France for that long, you can definitely suqeeze in a day at DLP. It is very easy to reach from Paris, no problem.
Are you planning to see Versailles?
Oooh, good point - that is another must-see while in Paris. It's not to everyone's taste I will admit, but it is amazing and well worth seeing.
Well, I'm making some progress with the itinerary. Already made a few changes. I got the book "Good Night and God Bless" from the library. Thinking about staying just outside of Paris, in La Ferte sous Jouarre, at the Polish House. It's 46€ night with partial board option (you can choose Polish or French food ) and it's a 45 minute train ride from Paris. We'll get a Paris Visite train card and stay a couple days longer in Paris (yes, we plan to visit Versaille). Perhaps splurge on a hotel in the city our last night.
I found an old cidery/brewery in Normandy that's a WWOOF, so we may head up there next. Then to Bayeaux, there's a 14th century Benedictine guesthouse there.
In Mont Saint Michel, We want to stay in an historic hotel, I saw La Mere Poulard and Le Terraces Poulard...hoping someone's stayed on Mont St Michel and can advise.
Next, pretty much decided to combine Dinard and St Malo, which should I pick as the base? We'll day trip to the other.
Still working on the rest of the trip...Cheryl, would love to hear your suggestions for the places you've visited!
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) and it's a 45 minute train ride from Paris. We'll get a Paris Visite train card and stay a couple days longer in Paris (yes, we plan to visit Versaille). Perhaps splurge on a hotel in the city our last night.
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