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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 friends who are joining us in WDW would like to possibly visit the beach one day.(I know, are they crazy, why would you want to leave property???LOL) I have heard Cocoa Beach is the closest. Does anyone have any input for making a day trip to the beach from WDW? Where have you went? How far is it? How did you get there and how much does it cost? TIA Everyone!!
Cocoa Beach is definitely the closest beach to WDW... it's a straight shot east on 528 (Beeline Expressway)... It's a few bucks for the tolls, is about 65 miles away and should take about an hour to get to.
Maybe you could persuade them to spend some time enjoying the beaches at Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon...
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There are beaches within an hour to an hour and a half of WDW - the east coast beaches are about an hour, west coast - about an hour and a half. What kind of beach experience are you looking for? A quiet stretch it out kind of beach experience, or a natural wildlife beach type day - that will really dictate where you want to go. The beaches to the SW (south of Tampa) are known for sugar white sand... the east coast has lots of wildlife, and the national wildlife refuge just north of cape canaveral.
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tell about BLIZZARD BEACH LOL
I wouldnt want to leave the property either but Cocoa beach is the closest.
my aunt actually had a home there, one block from the water! now she is in melbourne.
If they've never been to a beach, I would recommend the Gulf side (Tampa area). Just like DrDolphin said, the beaches have soft, sugar white sand. And absolutely gorgeous sunsets!!!
I beleive you just take I-4 all the way to Tampa, and then follow the signs for north to the Clearwater area or south to the St. Petersburg area. I haven't been there in years, I'm sure it's more populated and built up, but I would imagine the beaches are still the same!
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We almost always go to Clearwater before we go to Disney. About an hour on I-4, no tolls and a simple drive. Daytona beach is about the sam, but in the oppisite directions of I-4. Clearwater is a much better beach experience, Sand Key park in Clearwater is very nice.
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For my DD's HS grad trip, we stayed in Daytona for 3 days before going to WDW. I think it took about 2 hours to drive it. I'm glad we did the beach part first and then we could really enjoy WDW more! The girls enjoyed time at Typhoon Lagoon and all the pools at POR.
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We went to Cocoa Beach on our 2005 trip. We had a pretty good time, but the gulf coast beaches are much nicer If I were going to do it again I drive further and head to the west side.
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We went to Daytona Beach for the day in May 2006. We had so much fun and it was not very far. The cars driving on the beach were neat. We were also by a snack stand and my girls really loved that! The girls were ready to get back to Mickey at the end of the day, though!
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Driven on the shore many times! DD Lucy, DS#1 Luke and I did make it to Cocoa Beach and in the water! It was a blast! Of course, we found somewhere to shop Ron Jon Surf Shop. Lucy and Luke loved it there! And then we had dinner on the beach. We sat outside on the top floor. Looking out at the ocean, we even saw a familiar site - a Dcruise ship leaving! It was very . We watched the sunset and I had the most delicious snow crab I have ever had! And to top it all off - we drove away with Starbucks in my hand!
ive never gone to the beach on my disney trip...but my family has a second home on the west coast of florida (further down in the naples area) but i would suggest take the slightly longer drive and going to the west coast...im obviously a little biased..but i think the beaches on the west coast are prettier, the water color is much more beautiful and its just a different feel. im from the east coast, and i visit the east coast of florida to visit other friends alot so i like it there as well, daytona is fun, but id still vote for clearwater/tampa area!
We spent three days at Cocoa Beach two years ago before our Disney Cruise! The girls loved it (DD8 and DD5). The water was great and we had very nice time.
If you can convince them to stay on property ~ definitely go to Blizzard Beach. Have you thought about staying at the BC???
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(I know, are they crazy, why would you want to leave property???LOL) I have heard Cocoa Beach is the closest. Does anyone have any input for making a day trip to the beach from WDW? Where have you went? How far is it? How did you get there and how much does it cost? TIA Everyone!! 
Danny and I at Epcot 8/14/08
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If I were going to do it again I drive further and head to the west side.
It was a blast! Of course, we found somewhere to shop 
. We watched the sunset and I had the most delicious snow crab I have ever had! And to top it all off - we drove away with Starbucks in my hand! 
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