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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
In October, we're going to visit my sister and her family in the DC area (Reston, VA, specifically). My husband and kids have never been to DC. I last spent any significant time there something close to 15 years ago, though I did get to visit a couple of the museums for a few hours each in 2007.
We'll have very little time in DC, but I want to at least hit some "high points" while we're there. On Saturday, we'll visit the Natural History Museum with sister and family. They'll leave after lunch to go back and take naps (they have very young kids), but I think we might stay a little longer that day before going back mid-afternoon. On Sunday they'll go to church, but we're going to be heathens and skip, and go back to DC for a few more hours. I'd say we'll have 6 hours including lunch on Sunday, and maybe 2-3 hours on Saturday (besides the Natural History Museum with the family).
In such a short time, what are the most important things for us to see? My kids are 6 and 8. DS is particularly interested in dinos and space, so I'm thinking if we can only see one other museum, we should go to the one with the airplanes and space pods. (Aeronautics Museum, or something like that?) I also thought maybe the art museum, since the kids are familiar with several things that can be found there, such as Degas' "Little Dancer". Should we stick with just one or two museums and spend a few hours in each, or should we see just a few things each in several different museums?
This is sort of like trying to plan a Disney trip with only 10 hours to spend in the parks!!!
__________________
DD and DS, May 2008
"I am purple today; Bright and happy like a butterfly in the air." -Kira Willey
I would definitely do the Air and Space museum. If you can fit in the Udvar-Hazy one at Dulles Airport, I'd highly recommend that one (not too far from Reston). I'd just see the highlights you want in each of the museums. We've bounced between a bunch of them in a day, and they're not too far apart!
I'd do Air and Space, too. It means you won't see any dinos, but dinosaurs are in museums all over the country -- Air and Space is one of a kind.
Definately find time to walk the mall and see the major monuments,too.
We went to DC for 2 days in July. We did a Hop-On, Hop-Off double decker bus tour (2 days - unlimited riding), Air & Space Museum, American History Museum, a small portion of the Natural History Museum (the butterfly experience was cool), but the absolute best part of our time there was the Tourmobile Twilight Tour. Not only did they get us to all of the monuments in a short amount of time, we had a fabulous tour guide, who taught us so much more!
We loved the International Spy Museum and I think your kids would too!
Whoa, there's a spy museum??? Oh, we have to go see that! DS has planned for the last two years (a large percentage of his 8 short years!) that he'll be a spy when he grows up.
__________________
DD and DS, May 2008
"I am purple today; Bright and happy like a butterfly in the air." -Kira Willey
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
Whoa, there's a spy museum??? Oh, we have to go see that! DS has planned for the last two years (a large percentage of his 8 short years!) that he'll be a spy when he grows up.
My kids favorites were the Air and Space Museum and the American History Museum......I would choose these!
In the American History Museum they had workshops for the kids - cooking, science, etc - and they liked that they were seeing things that they had begun learning in school. Made it seem more real to them.....Something to think about.
Has anyone seen Night at the Museum 2? We went to the drive-in last weekend to watch it. What a perfect way to get the kids excited about our upcoming trip!
__________________
DD and DS, May 2008
"I am purple today; Bright and happy like a butterfly in the air." -Kira Willey
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.
About This Page: 
and skip, and go back to DC for a few more hours. I'd say we'll have 6 hours including lunch on Sunday, and maybe 2-3 hours on Saturday (besides the Natural History Museum with the family).
DD and DS, May 2008
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
PassPorter Guide Author
Linear Mode
