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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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What are some other unique places to visit outside of Boston besides Salem, Quincy, and Plymouth?. I am looking for activities that we can't do here in Texas. We will be there probably 9 to 10 days now.
I would take a trip to Cape Cod and visit the National Seashore if possible. I can also highly recommend a whale watch on the Dolphin Fleet out of Provincetown. When will you be there (I don't remember if you said in your first post)? Many points of interest in New England are seasonal.
edited to add: I went back and saw that you are going in June. If you were going to be here in the fall I would have recommended a "foliage" tour, maybe the Big E if your timing was right.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Maybe a day trip to Newport, RI? It's probably a 90-minute drive from Boston. There are lots of neat things to see there, but is most known for the mansions. My favorite is the Astors-Beechwood, where you are 'brought back in time' by the guides, who are 'living' in the late 1800's. The most popular is definitely the Breakers. It's been more than 20 years since I've done it, but I remember the trolley tours being a lot of fun, as well.
All of the above are great places to visit/do! Did anyone mention riding the swan boats in the Public Gardens? (Make sure to read "Make Way for Ducklings" by Robert McCloskey before you go, if you decide to do it).
Another option would be to head north into Portsmouth NH for a visit to Strawberry Banke (if you're into history). I take my 3 kids every summer and it's a highlight for them. Lots of great places to eat in Portsmouth, too. And the Kittery Malls are right up the road from there, if you're in need of some retail therapy!
We were in Boston this morning/afternoon visiting Northeastern with DS. Not sure why I hadn't thought of this before, but you might like to consider visiting Gillette Stadium and Patriot Place. I'm not much of a football person, but they have a lot to do there. (We stopped for lunch there on our way home today) We spent the better part of a day visiting the Patriot's Hall of Fame back in February. They have lots of things on display, but there are also interactive things to do. The boys liked the gameshow-type game, kicking the football, doing other football moves (I really have no idea what you would call them). There was also an area set up like a football locker room, where you could actually try on the equipment and then pose with various 'sets'.
In addition to the Hall of Fame, Patriot Place has a pretty extensive shopping center with stores and restaurants. One end overlooks the stadium, where you could get some photos. (I can upload some, if you would like)
I know the Patriots practice at the Stadium and admission is free, if you would like to watch them. The New England Revolution soccer team also plays out of Gillette Stadium, but I don't know much about them other than that. There is more information about them at the Gillette Stadium website.
If you have time and good weather, a cruise to the harbor islands would be fun. You can combine this with a visit to the Aquarium, as the boats depart nearby.
We got a 7-day one, and by the 4th day, it had paid for itself. It includes admission to a couple of the museums in Salem, admission to Plimouth Plantation, a two-day trolley tour pass, in addition to admission to the Museum of Science, Children's Museum, New England Aquarium, and (the best part) it covers your tour of Fenway Park!!!! It also includes the guided walking tour of the Freedom Trail. Sometimes they even have sales on the price if you buy them online.
My husband works at the Museum of Science, and his family lives 2 miles from there. However, we ALWAYS get the goboston cards. We save a tremendous amount of money!
What is a good area to stay in? We are only taking one trip next year now and we can afford to stay in Boston now. I don't which area of boston is better. Are there any bad "areas" that I need to be aware of ?
I am very familiar with Revere and the Marriot is right next to Route 1, close to restaurants. You will definitely need a car for Plymouth. However, if you are staying in Revere, there is a bus that goes right by your hotel and you should be able to switch buses to another bus to get to Salem. That's how I go to Salem when I go because the streets up there are narrow, plus I usually go around Halloween and it is a zoo. There is parking at Wonderland Station, it's like $7 a day. If you go, you can get a 1 or 7 day pass. The 7 day pass is $15, I believe. Much cheaper than one ways. Even if you just use it for 3-5 days it's worth it. As I said, I am really familiar with Revere, so if you have any questions, pm me.
If you're thinking now of staying right in Boston (which will be VERY convenient for you), I'd recommend staying (if the budget allows) in one of the hotels attached to Prudential Center in Back Bay. The Marriott, Westin or Sheridan all have inside access to Prudential and Copley place malls which will give you access to activities, restaurants, food court on rainy days. Also, you'll be right near Copley Square, and many subway and bus lines. You'd be able to take a short subway ride to the beginning of the Freedom Trail walk, Aquarium, museums, Cambridge, Fenway Park. Also in the Copley Sq area are the less expensive Hotel 140 and the John Hancock Hotel. They both have very good reputations and are just a block or two from all of the transportation lines, walking distance to the Public Gardens.
I live in this area, so am partial to it, but have never stayed in the hotels so wouldn't know which to recommend.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
What is a good area to stay in? We are only taking one trip next year now and we can afford to stay in Boston now. I don't which area of boston is better. Are there any bad "areas" that I need to be aware of ?
You might want to stay away from the Roxbury area (Huntington Ave from about Wentworth Institute of Technology leading out of the city). My sister and brother-in-law went to Wentworth and I know that many cabs wouldn't go into that area. Of course, this was 15 years ago.If budget allows, I would stay near the Pru, or perhaps some of the hotels on Atlantic Ave. near the Harbor.
What is a good area to stay in? We are only taking one trip next year now and we can afford to stay in Boston now. I don't which area of boston is better. Are there any bad "areas" that I need to be aware of ?
I have stayed at both the Sheraton and the Marriott right in Boston. They are right in the middle of the city walking distance from just about everything. Beware if you are driving into the city you WILL have to pay to park there ($35-$40 a day!). Another option is the Sheraton in Braintree. It is right off the highway and they have a FREE shuttle that will take you to the T station. It is a convenient hotel that alot of celebrities stay at because of it's proximity to Boston and it's "out-of-the-way" location.
Stay away from Dorchester...there are a couple of hotels there. There are some less then desireable spots in Revere and Somerville.
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Robin Twitter name: @NKsDogwalker Find me on FB: robinkay6573@yahoo.com 38th Birthday with Mom, Dad and friends 2011 Next Trip: Cruise on Jewel of the Seas for Christmas 2012
Last edited by RobinKay6573; 09-02-2009 at 10:42 AM..
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