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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I promised DH that we would go somewhere else next year instead of WDW. I'm thinking of the Outer Banks but haven't narrowed down a specific town to stay in. It will just be DH and myself (in our 50's) so I assume a hotel will be enough, but some of the vacation rentals look so nice. I'm kinda scared to rent a home based only on a picture and info online though. Would appreciate any info. TIA!
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My family heads to the Outer Banks every summer and stay at Kill Devil Hills or Oakracoe (spelling?) Island. We love, love, love Ocean Isle and have had much luck with great rentals through the local realty office.
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The Fun, Old-Fashioned Family Vacation, 3.0 http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...ml#post4472933
Ch-Ch-Changes July 2015
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Before we bought our cottage, we rented many times. Just go through a company and you'll be fine, especially as there are only 2 of you. The really nice thing about renting a house is that you have a nice kitchen and real tables & chairs, so you can have sandwiches & cereal for breakfast if you want, and not have to eat out at every meal...eating out is fine, but it gets really old 3 times a day! Plus you have a nice big refrigerator to put your doggie bags in.
As for location: the northern areas (Duck, Southern Shores, Corolla) are quite secluded. We like Kill Devil Hills...more stores and restaurants, but still more homes than hotels. It's not all commercial like Virginia Beach, though. Also, KDH has lifeguards all over the oceanside beaches, while other towns will have a few here and there. And you can go 'way down south, too, if you want, but we haven't done that. The KDH area has the Wright Brothers Memorial and Jockeys Ridge sand dune--plus it's about 20 minutes from the fun things at Manteo--The Lost Colony outdoor drama, Elizabethan Gardens, Roanoke Island Festival Park, a small but nice aquarium, and other things.
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We had a great trip to Nags Head this year. A different beach than we are used to but lots to see and do close by. We usually go to Topsail Island which is less developed.
Hubby and I stayed in Duck in a condo for a week.. loved every min of it .. was there for our honeymoon... Duck was nice and quiet and not much to do but spend time together... but short drive over to the other parts of the island... were planning to take the kids next year on our way back from WDW driving back to Ohio gonna stop for a few days might do Kitty Hawk as will have the kids and more beach accesses
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We go to Corolla every year-love love love it! We stay in the Villages at Ocean Hill. It's a totally different vacation from WDW but just as enjoyable. You can't really go wrong with any of the towns, IMO, but it does seem like the ones further south like Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills are a bit more congested (that's just an observation from going to dinner down that way, maybe I'm wrong). And as far as renting a condo or home, the rental agency websites are pretty thorough so you can see what you're getting. Have fun "house hunting!"
My favorite is Ocracoke Island south of Hatteras. This is a great location if you want to get away from the crowded beaches and commercialism of many beaches. Only access is by ferry. You can access most places by foot, bike, or you can rent a golf cart. I go at least once or twice a year. I went to Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Duck, etc for many years but the have become so "touristy" I find it hard to truly relax and get away from the bustle of life. IMHO Ocracoke is a great place to vacate from "every day life."
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