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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We've only been to Hawai'i once and we stayed at Aulani, so I can only tell you about that. We absolutely adored it - the resort was just superbly themed and we loved our time there and I cannot recommend it highly enough. We're Disney Vacation Club members, so we didn't have to pay for our stay there, so I have no idea how much it costs in cash, and if you're paying cash, it may be out of your price range.
One thing I would say is that you stay at Aulani, you will need a car to get around the island. If you want to be in the heart of the action, you may be better with a hotel in Waikiki - it depends what you want to do once you're there.
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I would highly recommend you consider what the goal of you vacation is. Lots of sightseeing in Waikiki? Or do you plan to visit the North Shore and explore more of Oahu? Are you only visiting one island? Or hopping to other islands? I would also recommend you get a car. I've been to Hawaii three times - all without a car The bus system in Waikiki leaves a fair amount to be desired and I don't know if it goes outside of the city.
I would be hesitant to book a package - I would research all the individual pieces and compare to the package. I am not a fan of packages, since I prefer flexibility and being able to go where I want, when I want.
I've been to Maui not any other island. I will say they have some pretty spectacular hotels and condos for rent! If money isn't an issue go for Aulani, I'd love to stay there! Just remember there is so much to see and do in Hawaii!!!! I am dying to go back and can't wait to take DS. Our deal is we will go when he graduates from HS and before he starts college.
That's a tough call. We've been fortunate enough to have been to Hawaii a few times and have always stayed right in Waikiki, being close enough to be able to walk to a lot of the shops and restaurants we wanted to go to. But, with our last visit, I really wanted to stay at Aulani but knew it would be out of the price range for some family who were meeting us there and we, once again, stayed in Waikiki. So, for our next visit -- and right now we have no real plans of a trip to Hawaii anytime soon -- I really, really hope we get to stay at Aulani. One time I'd even thought about a split stay, such as staying in Waikiki for the first few nights and then ending our trip with a couple of nights at Aulani. So, that might be something to consider as well.
Thanks everyone! Your ideas have been helpful...now for another questions...
Should we consider a cruise? Would that enable us to see more islands? Would there be time to truly enjoy Hawaii or would we be just hopping on/off ship and enjoying cruiselife more?
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We have seen Hawaii both ways. On our honeymoon we stayed on Oahu for a few days then took the inter island flight to Maui for a few days and then took an inter island flight to the Big Island for a few days. A few years ago we took the NCL cruise on Pride of America. It was a week long and we got the ship from the Oahu port which seems to be much better than getting a ship in CA and having days at sea. We went to Maui, both sides of the Big Island, and Kauai. One evening we got to see a lava flow and on our last day we sailed past the Kaanapali coast I believe it was. We much preferred the cruise as we got to see a lot and did not have to switch hotels every few days or keep taking the inter island flights. We flew in a day early and did sightseeing in Oahu and stayed a day over to sightsee some more.
I remember NCL offered a tour the day the ship set sail and ones the day everyone debarked if your flight was after a certain time. On one of the islands we had the option of an evening luau.
My cousin has been a few times and he recommends taking a cruise so you get the opportunity to see more islands in one trip. That way if you really love one place you can plan another trip back there.
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Mary - not enough trips!
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