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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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There are malls on Long Island (oh, yay), but unless you have friends or family there, not much to do otherwise, IMO. Drew, the NYC native, concurs other than saying there is horse racing but "not enough to do to spend a day there."
The Bronx Zoo, to clarify a bit, is not on Long Island and would require going into the heart of NYC.
Tradition is partially why so many tourist sites in New England close in September. Labor Day weekend (first one in Sept.) still is considered the end of the summer holiday season with tourist locations closing afterward.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Last edited by Her Dotness; 11-13-2017 at 10:43 AM..
Thanks for all the ideas guys - I've decided we'll head into New England and concentrate our time in Newport, as it looks as if there is so much to do there. If we can, we'll squeeze in a visit to Mystic Seaport on the way back... and I discovered there's a Disney Outlet at the Mills at Jersey Gardens (about 10 minutes from Newark) so we may just have to squeeze in a visit there on our way to the airport, especially as it's also got a Bath and Body Works, a Nauticaa and Reebok outlet - everything we need!
The area around Newark is pretty rough. I got lost last year after dropping my son's family off at the airport and took the "long way" back to the Palisades. The area was quite creepy so check out the area before you head to the mall.
Newport is a lovely place to visit but if you need something to do, a trip to Block Island is really worthwhile. If you can't fit it in this time, you'll just have to come back. Honestly, I've lived in New England my whole life and there are so many things I still need to experience.
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The area around Newark is pretty rough. I got lost last year after dropping my son's family off at the airport and took the "long way" back to the Palisades. The area was quite creepy so check out the area before you head to the mall.
Thanks for the heads up... I'll be sure to check it out on Google...
Quote:
Newport is a lovely place to visit but if you need something to do, a trip to Block Island is really worthwhile. If you can't fit it in this time, you'll just have to come back. Honestly, I've lived in New England my whole life and there are so many things I still need to experience.
I'm sure we'll still be back, as we haven't even been to Vermont yet...
I agree that driving up to to Newport and back really will be pushing your time. Have you considered the Jersey Shore? Sept is a beautiful time to visit. It’s still warm but the crowds have all gone.
I agree that driving up to to Newport and back really will be pushing your time. Have you considered the Jersey Shore? Sept is a beautiful time to visit. It’s still warm but the crowds have all gone.
That was one of the areas I did consider, but we're the sort of people who want to visit lots of things. Yes, it is a long drive to Newport, but I figure we won't do anything on the Thursday we fly in, which is fine, but then we can spend the Friday exploring the area, before gradually heading back on the Saturday. As our flight isn't until 10:30pm Saturday night, we have plenty of time...