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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Hi; I live in northeastern Connecticut, and we actually did a road trip to Disneyworld when I was in high school, leaving the day school ended in June.
Suggestions from that and other road trips south from New England:
1. We tend to try to avoid 95 through CT and NY. Suggested routing would be to take the MassPike to I-84 through CT into NY, then 684 S to 287 W over the Tappan Zee Bridge to the Garden State Parkway down to Woodbridge NJ and pick up I-95 there. Much more sane traffic in my opinion and the Garden State Parkway has no trucks.
2. We've found that it is highly advisable to stop somewhere (rest area, service plaza, nearby shopping mall) every two hours. That way everyone gets a leg stretch, a bathroom break and even a chance to get snacks or drinks for the next leg.
3. When you get to the DC area, all the signs will tell you to take 95/495 to get around the Capital Beltway to continue on I-95 south in Virginia. DON'T! There is a long-term project to rebuild the bridge that takes that part of the Beltway over the Potomac River which snarls traffic something awful. Even though it's a few miles shorter than going the other way (counterclockwise, west then south) you'll save time taking the just I-495 part (called by locals the "Outer Loop") around to I-95 south in Alexandria.
Re gasoline -- fill up in Massachusetts (Pilot Station at Exit 1 on I-84 in MA is quite cheap), then fill up in New Jersey and you should be able to get to Virginia. Once you hit Emporia VA, you'll find the lowest gas prices you've seen -- $1.90 per gallon regular unleaded is the norm. (Exit 8 of I-95). And as you go south you'll see cheap gas compared to up here in New England generally.
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Just wanted to comment on the route to the Tappan Zee. My sister lives a few miles from the bridge and I come down from Northern New England. While I think it's the quickest route in terms of miles, it can be quite heavily trafficked and bumper to bumper. Connecticut "cities" should be avoided around rush hour. And there is often (always) construction on 84 towards Danbury.
It is quicker to get off on the Saw Mill parkway and pick up 287 to the bridge at exit 22 of the Saw Mill.
Also I have never crossed the Tappan Zee without getting stuck in horrible non-moving traffic. It is also the place I find myself in desperate need of a bathroom (I usually stop on the Mass Pike). So unless you have a sister on the other side of the bridge, do a rest stop before you get to the bridge. There is no place to stop before the bridge once on 287. My sister says that is typical for the bridge heading west.
Okay I am back. Just for info purposes My sister and BIL live in Newton Ma and they can make it here to Dover De area in like 8hrs so DC is about the same. Consider this as well. Most rest stops south of Md have limited amenities , think rest rooms and vending machines. Most are located conveniently at about every 75 to 100 miles as well. We did drive down first time non stop other than meals, fuel and outlet shopping in SC and it took 18 hrs. Left 1 am and arrived 7 pm (971miles) The next day we took as a down day with just lounging at Typhoon Lagoon a nap and dinner in T Rex and we needed it. We have done return trip non stop twice because weather threats that developed made it mandatory and we pay the price after we get home.
Now we plan on 8 hrs total travel time each day ( 300 to 350 miles) as I am now the driver I appreciate that. We try and stop about every 2 hours so everyone can get out walk around have, a bite eat .get a fresh drink , or fill the fuel tank. This way I still get to set up before sun goes down and we can fix a nice dinner for everyone and pull out early the next day.
All Giggles mentioned city of Wilmington De and I had forgotten about that. If you will hit that anywhere near Rush hour consider taking the 495 bypass as while the city is not that big there are some major choke points that can bring things to a dead stop
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THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! We really appreciate all of these suggestions and tips. I know it may seem crazy but we are really looking forward to making this road trip. We have talked about it many times and now finally have the time to do it - all of your info will be very helpful!!! Just another reason we love these boards!
We drive from Northern Virginia each year, stopping in Santee, SC, which has several major hotels and places to eat. It is about halfway through the state. I limit driving to about 9 hours per day as my night vision isn't what it used to be.
I totally agree that D.C. area traffic is a problem, pretty much no matter when you go through the area. Especially at this time of year, plenty of construction is going on. You definitely don't want to be heading south on 95 from D.C. into Virginia between 3 - 7:00 pm. You will be in stop and go traffic until Fredericksburg. We don't find it a problem to go through Richmond, but the bypass, while adding a few miles, makes for a smoother trip. You can find traffic information online too. This is for Virginia: http://www.511virginia.org/
I am the sole driver, in my sixties, so we do stop about every two hours to walk around and do the usual things at a rest stop. If we don't really need gas, the Welcome Centers in VA, NC, SC, GA and FL are great for this. They all have clean restrooms and soda machines. Once you get to Florida, the Welcome Center there has free orange juice and tons of maps and brochures.
go online and order the drive i-95 book it tells you where everything is along the way and what is at every exit. Must have, I buy one every time a new one comes out. We've been driving to Disney for 30 years. We love the drive from New Jersey
We drove from Detroit to Orlando to visit DisneyWorld and our drive is about 18 hours. We take I75 and there is a great book "Along I-75" that we use for information about the exits and places we may want to stop. We try to do at least 12 hours of driving on the first day and then pick a place to stay over. That way we only have 6 hours or less to complete the trip the next day. We have done it with kids and without and enjoy it. We have some favorite places to stop and stretch our legs or even just to get an ice cream. It's really fun for us, hope you enjoy your trip too!
We have made the long haul from Ok 10 times
We stayed prepacked even for a while LOL
SO
My son was 2 to 9 during these trips (we are longing to go back)
These were our strategies to help him:
MAP
Visually he could see us getting closer and closer. Im a scrapbooker so I took a print out of google maps OK to Florida overall, laminated it, stuck a castle sticker at WDW and had a car brad and holes punched at cities all along the way. Once we reached that city I helped him move the car. It was fun and helped age 4-9.
Tinker Bell Help
Going and coming home I would have toys or as he got older nntendo DS games, action figures, gifts from park etc. Now we would drive 2 days and they were 12 each day in car so I planned 3-4 toys a day. We would pull over for gas or bathroom or food and I would be alone with the vehicle and all of a sudden Tinker Bell would fly by and leave him something and there was pixie dust (gold glitter) from the gift to outside the truck. It was amazing. We did this 3-9 and only problem we had was Tinker Bell buying a 3DS game when all he had was a DS TINK! But a fast stop at a Best buy or gamestop in Alabama fixed that quick
Portable DVD player and Disney movies
Favorite snacks drinks
coloring books
& later the handheld games/ipad
We drive from NJ every year and have for over 20 years. We always went with the kids but now its just me and my husband. We always use the Drive I-95 book, it has all the exits and what is in each exit. Restaurants, Hotels, Stores, etc. Its fantastic wouldn't be without it. Go to the website.
My husband and I take turns driving and we usually drive 12 hours, we leave at 8:00 am and drive to Florence SC. We always stay at the Holiday Inn Express. It is spotless and very friendly service and free breakfast in the morning. We eat at the Cracker Barrel mostly. We get to Disney around 4:00ish. We like the drive, its very relaxing.
go online and order the drive i-95 book it tells you where everything is along the way and what is at every exit. Must have, I buy one every time a new one comes out. We've been driving to Disney for 30 years. We love the drive from New Jersey
Great suggestions! We leave tomorrow morning (2:00 a.m.). Which Holiday Inn Express do you stay at I95 and I20 Civic Center or I95 and HWY 327?
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would fly by and leave him something and there was pixie dust (gold glitter) from the gift to outside the truck. It was amazing. We did this 3-9 and only problem we had was Tinker Bell buying a 3DS game when all he had was a DS 
TINK! But a fast stop at a Best buy or gamestop in Alabama fixed that quick 
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