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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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My husband and I get to go to Vegas! We are almost 50 years old. What kind of things can we do for free? We want to walk along the stip. Are there any places that are not safe to walk? Where are the places we can cross the street?
I usually like to check a bag, but hubby doesn't like it when I do that. Sometimes I carry all my clothes and check my liquids. My curls can be wildly unruly without my usual products. Does anyone have any suggestions for travel size hair products? I hear it is very hot outside, but will it be cold inside? -sweater?
Will I be able to wear a skirt or sundress to shows (we get to see Mariah Carey) and conference meetings? If anyone has suggestions about what to pack-or probably in my case what NOT to pack, please let me know. I don't mind buying things once I get there (liquids) but places don't usually have what I need for my hair. I am assuming it will be a dry heat and I am afraid my long hair will turn into a hot mess. One time we flew from Pensacola,FL where my hair was huge finger curls to Quad City, Iowa where, immediately upon deplaning my hair was straight as can be. I had no clue what to do with it. I guess I should brush it at that point?
Ok enough about my hair. We are going to Hoover Dam on a bus trip. Are there any other 'not to be missed' things we should do? Especially if we just want to walk along the strip-which things do we want to make sure we stroll by to see?
I'm not sure from your post exactly when you're going to Vegas - we've been in the spring (April), the fall (October) and at New Year and even in fall, it's still hot. It was probably in the 80s then, so any earlier in the year than that and it will be hotter. It's a dry heat and I would imagine it probably will play havoc with your hair, but I can't help with that, as the only products I use are shampoo and conditioner. Inside, everything will be air conditioned and, of course, depending on the level they have it at, it could be very cold.
You can do lots for free in Vegas - you can visit the major hotels and browse the theming, which is on a par with Disney really. The shopping area in the Venetian, for example, is like being on the canals of Venice and there are also the fountains at the Bellagio - not to be missed. We haven't spent a lot of time in Vegas since 2008 (our visit in 2012 was literally a few hours, as we were flying home from there), so I'm not that up to date with what the resorts offer now for visitors to see for free, but I'm sure someone else will know.
A skirt or a sundress would be perfect for a show, as people do tend to dress up for shows - we've seen a number of the Cirque du Soleil shows in Vegas over the years.
As for anything else not to be missed, the obvious one is the Grand Canyon - there are plenty of day trips offered from Vegas. We've visited it twice before and the second time, we took an amazing trip, where we flew out there from Vegas, took a helicopter down to the bottom of the canyon, then took a river boat ride, before flying back up to the top, and spending some time there. It was very pricey, but it was well worth it.
Comfy shoes a must! I think it gets chilly inside most casinos.
Free - go downtown to Binions - can take bus- pose w one million dollars and pick up free pic one hour later.. I have done this, really no strings.
Free - inside garden at the Bellagio. The Wynn is pretty nice inside as well. Amazing giant crystal chandelier inside the Cosmopolitan. Auto collection at Q (former imperial palace) free ticket coupon on line.
I'm not sure from your post exactly when you're going to Vegas ................................................
A skirt or a sundress would be perfect for a show, as people do tend to dress up for shows - we've seen a number of the Cirque du Soleil shows in Vegas over the years.
As for anything else not to be missed, the obvious one is the Grand Canyon - there are plenty of day trips offered from Vegas. We've visited it twice before and the second time, we took an amazing trip, where we flew out there from Vegas, took a helicopter down to the bottom of the canyon, then took a river boat ride, before flying back up to the top, and spending some time there. It was very pricey, but it was well worth it.
We will be going soon this summer. Thanks for all the great ideas. My husband has been wanting to see the Grand Canyon, and I was very surprised he didn't want to do it this trip, but I think the wants to make it a trip in an of itself at some point in the future. I love to fly, but since he travels so much for work, he thinks it feels like work. We used to want to hike the Grand Canyon, but I guess we are getting a bit old for that.
However, I am very excited about all of your suggestions. Thanks so much for replying.
Comfy shoes a must! I think it gets chilly inside most casinos.
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This is a great point! When I am in New York, I walk around the town all day in sneakers and put some pretty shoes in my bag for the show at night.
Could I get away with a dress and black sneakers? I think the only thing else comfy I have where I could walk all day would be my rainbow flip flops. They may look better with a dress, but not so fancy.
Thanks so much for all your ideas.
For hair products - get empty "travel size" bottles - sold at Target, or like stores - and fill them up with your regular stuff. I have persnickety hair myself, and these empty bottles have been life savers for short trips where I don't want to check a bag
I would advise against any shorter "flowy" sundresses. The strip gets quite windy, and you can find your dress blowing everywhere ala Marilyn Monroe. If it's long, there isn't that issue
As for free - my BF and I spent most of the time hotel hopping, and seeing all of the differences in them. That said, my favorite part of Vegas was the food, which is not free - but so good
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~ Jenn **Disney is REAL LIFE Magic, so much more than optical illusions **
Be prepared for HOT, we were there 2 weeks ago and was 112 degrees during the day and was still 100 degrees at 10:00 at night. Fortunately going in and out of the casinos will help as they do tend to keep them air conditioned quite a bit, that you can even feel chilled. Hit up the ticket tonight booths you will see around town for show ticket discounts.
One of the things my DDs and I really loved doing was viewing test pilots for TV programs at MGM Grand Television City. It's free, and we found it very fun.
We viewed a show and thought it was pretty good. A year or so later, we were watching a new program called Devious Maids - and it was that show! And, the changes that had occurred between the viewing and the show coming out were the ones WE had recommended!
I agree with walking around the hotels. They're massive and very entertaining. A heads-up - the strip is really, really long. Those hotels do not look so big on TV, but some of the hotels can be over a block long!
We were there in August. The temperature never dropped below 100. It is a dry heat but it is heat and very hot.
I would not worry too much about your hair. I find hair can be managed pretty easily in dry heat (my hair gets so think at WDW I can hardly get a brush through it). If you hair is long, tie is back.
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Go up in the "Effiel Tower" at Paris Las Vegas (right across from the Bellaagio). Go at night and take your camera!
As you wander the strip take your camera also. Lots of interesting things to see and photograph.
Watch out for the guys trying to give you information (in the form of cards) for girlie shows. Keep as few valuables on you when walking the strip. We had no problem with anyone trying to rob or pick pocket us, but it can happen,.
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