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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Well we booked our hotel (Marriott Grande Vista, thank you mom in law for your time share week). We are planning on leaving on friday January 7th night at 6pm. Our two daughters will be 18 months and 4 years 9 months. This is my first time doing the drive, but my husband has brought his mom to florida before, so he is a pro at it. Besides DVD players for the car, snacks, leapster for the older daughter, any other good ideas to keep the two girls happy. I bought the book Drive I-95 and should be coming in the mail soon. We are doing this in one day (on the way down) so I want to make sure we have plenty to keep the little ones happy. I am sure the idea of Mickey will keep them ready to get there asap.
I'm from Boston, but don't have a car, so I can't give you any input on the drive. Welcome to the boards, though. I'd just say to check the weather forecasts for the drive. Maybe, since we had such a rough January this year you'll luck out and have no storms!
Lots of stops where the kids can get out and stretch their legs. We do this trip almost every year and my DS is 4 and DD is 1. We do the trip in 2 days starting really early on day 1 and stopping in NC but we do not drive overnight. No problem diving all day and usually stop for the night about 9pm. Fastlane works for all EZ Pass states. I brlive Florida is the only state on the east coast that does not accept it so that could help with tolls. We really like to stop at the GA welcome center. clean bathrooms, lots of space to run around and picnic tables. The NC and SC ones are good also. If you stop at either Chesapeake House or Maryland House (Both in MD) for rest stops, use the bathrooms upstairs. Much cleaner and quieter. Hardly any one goes up there. That is also where the family restrooms are in both. The ones downstairs are very crowded. Only a few of the McDs still have play areas so if you see one, stop there and let the kiddos run around for a few.
__________________
Love, April
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass;
it's about learning to dance in the rain.
I have never driven from New England to Florida but my son drove to Texas and back over his winter break (January). While he had no problems getting to Texas, he hit tons of storms on the way back. Driving in snow in Alabama, Tennessee and Virginia was nothing like driving in a storm up north. Many places do not have plows or salt and sand. It took them twice as long to get places and they felt safer off the highways because they felt the drivers were crazy on the unplowed roads.
I made them cut one day's driving short and put them up in a hotel because I decided a hotel room was much cheaper than a hospital room.
If you do it, watch the weather carefully and be prepared to change your plans. My son and his friends are experienced snow drivers and had 4 wheel drive, but nothing prepared them for a snow storm in the south.
"Besides DVD players for the car, snacks, leapster for the older daughter, any other good ideas to keep the two girls happy. "
What about getting a Crayola Color Wonder set? The marker only colors on the paper and you could get something Disney like Nemo or Princesses. A small doll or plush animal would be good too. I am planning on making up Shoebox Activity sets for my grandchildren for their trip in June 2012. This is one of the things I am planning on adding to it. At Easter or other Holiday time you can often find the small Color Wonder kits that would fit in a shoebox. I will remove as much of the packaging as possible before putting things in the shoebox' It keeps the clutter down in the car.
We have driven from Worcester Ma to Orlando a few times with our three children and what we found to work really well was My husband mapped out all of the ChukeE. Cheeses down the coast and how far they were from the highway. When we were in need of a break, we found one that was near us and went! We will be going in August, and will be pulling out our ChuckeE. Cheese binder again!
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
PassPorter Guide Author
with the drive! I hope it goes well for you.
Driving from Ma to Orlando
Linear Mode
