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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 suggest DC as well. If we do a vacation next year, that's where we are going. I've been twice (6th and 8th) but never as an adult. There is LOTS to do. Order some vacation planning guides, they are free online. This way you can browse and maybe have DD flip through them and see what she says. There are pictures so if she says 'oh that's fun' you can see what the picture was about. Let her run around in the grassy areas if she gets antsy from all the stroller/walking time.
I have thought about washington D.C. Would there be stuff in the museums and such that would entertain my daughter? I know where their age difference it is almost impossible to get something that would completely satsify both of them. My DH would go for d.c. what area is the best to stay in? What area did you stay in? How long did you go?
We stayed just outside of town in a hotel that offered free airport shuttle and a free shuttle to downtown each day.... We took a taxi once for convenience and we were less than 10 minutes from the National Mall. Their public transportation is really convenient. I had never taken public transportation before, but I would definately not want to drive there- public transportation is the way to go! We only spent two days there- I could have easily spent a week there, but I would recommend atleast 3 or 4 days if possible....
We spent one day doing the Washington Monument, several of the museums and we also did a night trolly tour that took you around to a lot of the monuments. On the second day we went out side of town (using public transportation) to Mount Vernon and did a tour of George Washington's house. I would highly recommend this! And I think this is something your 3 yr old would do well with as well... She may not be interested in touring his home... but a large part of the tour is the grounds and most 3 yr olds would just enjoy running around outside. You can go at your own pace....
We took our first trip to DC with children when my first son was 19 months. Because we had family in the area, we went on a regular basis after that. From 19 months through young adulthood, my kids have always had lots to do. I think it would be great for your son but at 3 your DD would have plenty to look at and IMHO it is great time to get them used to visiting museums.
Because our family was in Bethesda, we usually stayed there and took the metro in. We would often stay at a Marriott Suites which was beautiful and very reasonably priced, especially weekends. If you are coming from Texas and have the time, you can visit nearby states, too. Distances in the east are much closer than in Texas. In the same time it took my son to travel from Austin to Houston, I can be 4 states away.
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I also root for Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area. There is Dollywood there ( its not Disney but it aint bad). There is a Nascar Speed Park there and lots of other things around there along with the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. On the other side of the mountain in NC (where I live ) is Cherokee,there is a Harrah's casino there. There is quite a bit to do. Also in NC which would be a day trip over to Asheville is the Biltmore House. ALthough not to sure if your son would love it. My son went there as a field trip in 4th grade.
I also have lived near Bar Harbor, Maine in Winter Harbor. It is beautiful there. We lived in Acadia National Park.
I am trying to plan our next vacation and I am drawing a blank. My daughter will be 3 and my son will be 13. My husband is not a beach person at all. He also doesn't like cruises. I am trying to find somewhere that I can make everyone happy. I would like to stay in the U.S. if possible.
Here's an idea for you:
Washington D.C. - the Smithsonian museums, the monuments, the National Zoo; even for your kids, there's stuff to see and do there. And in Virginia, right next door, there are a host of things to do - some of which, you'd want to get a new hotel / motel room close by, to avoid tons of back-and-forth driving on yoru vacation.
One possible itinerary would be:
Spend 4 days in D.C.; see a museum or two, go to the Zoo, visit a few monuments.
To the south (a bit north of Richmond) is an amusement / theme park called "King's Dominion", that hopefully has something to entertain most or all members of the family. Maybe spend 1 day there
East of Richmond are two places to visit; Busch Gardens: Williamsburg (good for a day or two, I'd guess) and Water Country (a Water park, your kids would probably both enjoy a day spent there.
That would mean three different hotel reservations - one in D.C., one north of Richmond, and one in Williamsburg. It'd also mean a bit of driving mid-vacation.
One note for WDC - check the times of the museums!!!! We used to stop there as kids on any trip to the south as it was about 6-8 hours from our house, and a good time to stop driving.
But, museums are closed on Sundays, or on Saturdays they close at 5pm. So keep that in mind when planning which days to go. Other things are open, and this was also years ago, things may have changed. But definitely check out the hours first!!
While I will always think that my city, Savannah, is the best in the US , I think Washington DC is a great idea if you've never taken your kids there. They can learn SO much, and not even realize they are actually learning. As for where to stay - we stayed at the Marriot Crystal City, which was AWESOME because the hotel actually sits on top of an underground metro station, and it is one of the changing points (can't think exactly what they are called) so you could access more than one line from that one stop. It was super easy to get around anywhere. Whether you go with Crystal City or not, I'd definitely recommend trying to find a hotel in very close proximity to a metro stop with multiple lines. It will make getting around a breeze!
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DC is a great choice, but so are Charleston and Savannah, if you'd like to have a beach option. Both cities have great history, great restaurants and lots to explore!
I did look into washington the hotels in downtown are so expensive for when we would like to go. Most of the museums in the summer close between 5:30 and 7:30. Is there anything to do afterwords? How are the crowds at the museums and monuments? Do I need to be up at the crack of dawn?
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I did look into washington the hotels in downtown are so expensive for when we would like to go. Most of the museums in the summer close between 5:30 and 7:30. Is there anything to do afterwords? How are the crowds at the museums and monuments? Do I need to be up at the crack of dawn?
When are you planning to go? Spring Break is crazy busy.
Lately we've been there late June / around the 4th of July and it's pretty crowded, especially as you get closer to the holiday.
I've heard hotels are cheapest in DC in August, but I wouldn't want to go then. I know you're from Texas, but it's still HOT!
October is lovely, but school schedules are an issue.
As to evenings, you have to see the monuments at night. They're beautiful. There are some other fun evening walking tours that can fill that time. It's also a popular time to go up the Washington Monument. We adjusted our schedule and ate late so we didn't lose museum time to dinner.
You can order tickets for some things in advance -- last year we had our tix for Fords Theater and the Washington Monument before we left home. Your Congressional rep can often arrange for some tours in advance. I'd go through them for Bureau of Engraving and Printing tix, as they are "wait in line only" distribution otherwise, and that's just nuts. There's a special tour at the end of the day for folks with Congressional reservations.
NYC! There are so many options in New York to keep you busy. We always go when we can, my daughter loves going.She has been going since she was a baby.
Over the years I've owned a few guidebooks on DC for Kids. One was by Frommers, another by Fodors. They've been helpful in identifying kid friendly restaurants, museums with better than average hands-on areas.
But frankly, with a three year old, I wouldn't sweat it too much. If there's color, activity, something to look at, she'll find a way to entertain herself. My husband loves to tell people that he took DD to the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns when she was 2 and she didn't make a peep. But if you decide to take your daughter and play in the sculpture garden while your husband and son take in the National Archives, there's nothing wrong with that.
I know I've been a big fan of DC because of your son's age. But I see our OP mentioned Seattle. Looking back on trips we did with our DD, she had a lot of fun on our trip to Portland when she was 18 months old. We went for a family reunion, but when we look back on it -- she had a good time at Ft Vancouver, the carousel in Salem, the aquarium in Newport (with a little bit of beach walking tossed in). We went to Timberline lodge on Mt Hood -- gotta love the St Bernards, and Multnomah Falls. The only day I remember wasn't terribly kid friendly was the day we visited wineries, but she was okay with that too.
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Carolyn
Last edited by Carousel96; 07-22-2011 at 01:31 PM..
I would suggest DC with a sidetrip to Colonial Williamsburg, or NYC. There is a lot to do in NYC: shopping, sightseeing, Liberty/Ellis Island, Broadway, Central Park,etc.... If you rent a car you could take a few days in Boston as well.
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, I think Washington DC is a great idea if you've never taken your kids there. They can learn SO much, and not even realize they are actually learning. As for where to stay - we stayed at the Marriot Crystal City, which was AWESOME because the hotel actually sits on top of an underground metro station, and it is one of the changing points (can't think exactly what they are called) so you could access more than one line from that one stop. It was super easy to get around anywhere. Whether you go with Crystal City or not, I'd definitely recommend trying to find a hotel in very close proximity to a metro stop with multiple lines. It will make getting around a breeze!
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