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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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hello all, we are coming from Australia to visit DL and all those SC attractions... How easy is it to drive in South California?? we already have to change sides of the cars and roads but is it easliy adaptable?? hubby is not to keen on driving over there because " its all back to front" lol.
being so far away do you think it would be better just getting public transport ??
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WISHING I WAS CRUISING AND WDW AGAIN
2013 DISNEY FANTASY.. CARRIBEAN CRUISE AND 2 AND A 1/2 WEEKS WDW
2015 DISNEY WONDER.. PANAMA CANAL AND 9 DAYS WDW
We're in the same boat, being British! I have to be honest, I don't drive abroad any longer, DH does all the driving. He's absolutely fine with driving over in America and he hasn't had a problem in South California. We loved the car pool lanes, as obviously we had more than one of us in the car - that made life a lot easier.
All I would say is that we heard a lot about how bad traffic is around Los Angeles. When we visited the center of LA, we chose to do it on a Saturday morning and that was a great choice, as it was pretty quiet when we drove in.
I would like him to drive as , i think it would be a great experience but we will see how we go..it may save us a few pennies in the long run really with airport to disney then universal and aquarium , then san Diesgo and vegas. I have almost got my days planned and it has gone over 7 days oops!! but i will tweak it a bit.
Thanks for the advice..xxx
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WISHING I WAS CRUISING AND WDW AGAIN
2013 DISNEY FANTASY.. CARRIBEAN CRUISE AND 2 AND A 1/2 WEEKS WDW
2015 DISNEY WONDER.. PANAMA CANAL AND 9 DAYS WDW
The 460 bus is the only transportation that I recommend for getting to Knott's Berry Farm. To get to Los Angeles from Anaheim takes hours and hours. The only solutions are to rent a car, hire a driver, or use tours. I used to take a bus from my home to DLR and took over an hour and a half. I live a couple kilometers from 4 freeways and can make it to DLR in 14 minutes or less.
We have google maps and other things to help you with navigating. 30 or so years ago I did a San Diego trip where I took Gray Line tours around San Diego and Tijuana. It was nice to let them do the driving. However if one does not feel safe driving then go for the tour groups or other private company.
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Mom calls to check on me and reminded me to pay the gardener. I love her so much.
Disneyland was fun with flag retreat and pickles. I have a home here, thank you. GAC is NOT a "front of the line pass".
She is gone but keeping signature. Laundry is getting done. My purpose in life is to help poor people in FL. Farewell, will miss you.
Having grown up in California & going back yearly I can tell you the traffic can be difficult. But that said with patience & maps it can be done easily. California drivers are a different breed for sure. Try to do your driving at non rush hour times. Good Luck..
While Southern California traffic is legendary, it's hardly the only place in the world with crazy traffic. While the population out there on the road is larger than just about anyplace else, the roads are also larger (more lanes) than just about anyplace else. It's sort of like this... If you're used to pedestrian traffic in a busy downtown (high street) in a small city, it's not too hard to adapt to pedestrian traffic in a really big city. The sidewalks may be wider in the big city, but the crush of bodies is still quite similar. In other words, it's the same thing, only more of it. It's much harder to cope with when you have no experience with heavy traffic, anywhere.
I spent most of my life driving in the New York metropolitan area. The roads there, as far as I'm concerned, are much worse than they are in California. In the New York area there is often no space to expand existing roads or to add improved on- and off-ramps, car pool lanes, etc. "Highways" designed back in the 1920s are still in active service, with the newest improvements/expansions already decades-old. Some areas are served by local roads laid out centuries ago, with no prospect for diverting modern traffic onto a new highway (similar to the situation in many European city centres). California is a whole lot newer. As an Aussie used to life in a similarly "new" land, California may not seem as foreign as you as it does to folk from other, older places.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
Thanks Dave, We used to live in perth WA, but have been living in a smallish coastal town that doesn't even have traffic lights...lol .
We have decided to hire a car as i think we would be fine..may be a little intimadated by the amount of traffic but i think if we allow ourselves enough time ( for if we get lost..hehe) we will be fine.
I have friends who have been to NY and said it was a nightmare.. even taxi rides..lol.
thanks for everyones input ..great to get some good advice.
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WISHING I WAS CRUISING AND WDW AGAIN
2013 DISNEY FANTASY.. CARRIBEAN CRUISE AND 2 AND A 1/2 WEEKS WDW
2015 DISNEY WONDER.. PANAMA CANAL AND 9 DAYS WDW
I wouldn't sweat it too much.
When we went to California we really wanted to fly through John Wayne airport -- primarily to avoid the traffic at LAX. But we couldn't get tickets we liked, so ended up flying to Los Angeles anyway. We rented a car -- drove to Anaheim, then Dana Point, San Diego and back to LA. We arrived in LA after dark, in the rain and lived to tell the tale.
It wasn't as bad as I expected it would be and I'd have no qualms about doing it again.
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I have to be honest, I don't drive abroad any longer, DH does all the driving. He's absolutely fine with driving over in America and he hasn't had a problem in South California. We loved the car pool lanes, as obviously we had more than one of us in the car - that made life a lot easier. 
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