Calling all Europeans, Britains, or people who have travelled to.. - Page 3 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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It does make sense. One of the ways I've looked into seeing Rome is by tour, I've found a 3 day tour that includes everything except lunches and all the main sites for about $800.00 each. That might be on the expensive side but I would also have the peace of mind knowing I won't get lost and will have transportation everywhere and an English speaking guide.
Personally that sounds like a pretty good price to me...
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Originally Posted by Alaskan Mom
That's interesting that you felt safe in Rome whereas Cheryl didn't. Were you traveling solo or with family? Did you sightsee on your own?
Things may have changed since we were there - I think we visited back in 2000 and then there were gangs on mopeds, snatching handbags, so Mark was always behind me, keeping an eye out, especially whenever I was taking photos. That's one of the reasons I felt constantly on edge.
Quote:
I agree about trying to drive on the opposite side of the road from what I'm used to; when DD and I first talked about it - I was thinking about driving and told DD she'd have to watch me to make sure I was staying on the correct side!
I promise you all, it's really not that big a deal. It's a lot simpler when everyone else is on a certain side of the road - you kind of have no option but to fit in with them. The only time we've ever had a problem (and this is from both my own driving and Mark's) is in a car park, where suddenly you realise you are on the wrong side as someone comes towards you.
That's interesting that you felt safe in Rome whereas Cheryl didn't. Were you traveling solo or with family? Did you sightsee on your own?
DH and I were on a Disney excursion but we also had some free time where we ventured out on our own. We did feel perfectly safe but then again we were only there during the day, not at night.
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Originally Posted by Alaskan Mom
If you are willing to share, I'd be interested to know why Berlin is not high on your list?!
To me, Berlin just doesn't have the charm other cities have. There are historically significant sites, of course, and some areas are rather nice but overall, I just don't like the city that much. Don't get me wrong, I had a great time there with Cheryl and Mark, and there are quite a few places worth visiting. However, if I were given the choice, I'd much rather visit London, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Florence, Venice, Athens...
Doring Kindersley is a publisher, not an author. I would check out the local library and see if they have them.
The DK books are known for their wonderful photography. They also publish lots of children's (preschool) books. My kids liked the guidebooks when they were little-much more interesting than a print book.
I have used Lonely Planet guides-good for off the beaten path. For example, when were were in Mexico we went to San Blas, a fishing village also known for it's birds (middle son has been a confirmed bird watcher since age 7). Lonely Plant had a good deal of information on a non tourist destination.
Do a search for DK guidebooks. You should find them. I know my local independent bookseller carries them.
Just did a quick search-they are known as DK Eyewitness guidebooks. DK also publishes the Eyewitness series of books. I found them easily searching for DK guidebooks.
Just did a quick search-they are known as DK Eyewitness guidebooks. DK also publishes the Eyewitness series of books. I found them easily searching for DK guidebooks.
Sorry for any confusion - yes, those are the ones.
Doring Kindersley is a publisher, not an author. I would check out the local library and see if they have them.
The DK books are known for their wonderful photography. They also publish lots of children's (preschool) books. My kids liked the guidebooks when they were little-much more interesting than a print book.
I have used Lonely Planet guides-good for off the beaten path. For example, when were were in Mexico we went to San Blas, a fishing village also known for it's birds (middle son has been a confirmed bird watcher since age 7). Lonely Plant had a good deal of information on a non tourist destination.
Do a search for DK guidebooks. You should find them. I know my local independent bookseller carries them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Huntermom
Just did a quick search-they are known as DK Eyewitness guidebooks. DK also publishes the Eyewitness series of books. I found them easily searching for DK guidebooks.
I discovered that when I searched for them. Definitely have great pictures.
[QUOTE=chezp;4524593]Sorry for any confusion - yes, those are the ones. [/QUOTE]
Hoping I'm not resurrecting an outdated thread but I didn't want to take up space and start an entirely new one.
I'm trying to plan a 2 week venture to the UK for next Fall. I can drive but driving in the US scares me enough, having to drive on the other side of the road is terrifying. That being said, is it possible to see a lot of things by public transit?
Also, I know some things I definitely want to do. Like a Harry Potter tour and going to the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff. But I'd also love to see places like Yorkshire and Scotland. I have no idea where to go in those places.
Hoping I'm not resurrecting an outdated thread but I didn't want to take up space and start an entirely new one.
I'm trying to plan a 2 week venture to the UK for next Fall. I can drive but driving in the US scares me enough, having to drive on the other side of the road is terrifying. That being said, is it possible to see a lot of things by public transit?
Also, I know some things I definitely want to do. Like a Harry Potter tour and going to the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff. But I'd also love to see places like Yorkshire and Scotland. I have no idea where to go in those places.
If you're not going to have a car, I would say that, outside of Cardiff, you'd need a guided tour for Yorkshire, as the public transport there isn't great. It depends where you're going in Scotland, but you might want to look at a guided tour there. There are direct trains to Cardiff, so that won't be an issue and the Doctor Who Experience is amazing - I loved it when we went last summer!
Generally, public transport is very good in cities and from London to other places, but outside of that, it's not great.
If you're not going to have a car, I would say that, outside of Cardiff, you'd need a guided tour for Yorkshire, as the public transport there isn't great. It depends where you're going in Scotland, but you might want to look at a guided tour there. There are direct trains to Cardiff, so that won't be an issue and the Doctor Who Experience is amazing - I loved it when we went last summer!
Generally, public transport is very good in cities and from London to other places, but outside of that, it's not great.
If you have any other questions, just shout.
Thanks so much!
I've started to narrow my scope down. I'm thinking three or four days in London (so much I want to do there!), two days in Cardiff, two in Disneyland Paris, and another couple days for either Scotland or Yorkshire.
I've been looking at hotels in London and they look very expensive. Do you have any recommendations?
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I've been looking at hotels in London and they look very expensive. Do you have any recommendations?
Honestly? They are. It's worth looking at some that might be a bit further out - so long as you're near a Tube station, then you can get around. Also check out Premier Inn. They're not on any hotel comparison websites - you have to book direct with them. They always get very good reviews and are usually cheaper.