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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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'm having a bit of a d'oh moment... I've just realised that you can go on whale watching cruises in the fall in New England, and we're spending a week in New England in September. There seem to be loads of cruises offered, some from Boston, some from Gloucester and even one I've found from New Hampshire. What I'm not sure about is the best location to take one from - should I stick with Boston or go for one somewhere else?
We had an amazing whale watch out of Provincetown but unless you're already going to Cape Cod (gorgeous place and Sept is a good time to visit) probably not worth the trip just for a whale watch. Chances are the watches that leave from Boston travel to the same waters, you're just getting there coming from a different direction. I would pay attention to how long you'll be en route to get to the whales. Depending on where you leave from, you could be looking at a 3 hour total trip, or a 6-8 hour trip. IMO, shorter is better!
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I've done the whale watch cruise from Boston and from Portland. Saw more whales from Portland, but it that's really just chance. One thing is that the boats, I think, are not really pleasant to be on-- big and crowded. I know you're going back to Alaska, and the whale watching cruises are nicer there.... They're different, too, because the Atlantic is a very different ocean, but just a thought.
We had an amazing whale watch out of Provincetown but unless you're already going to Cape Cod (gorgeous place and Sept is a good time to visit) probably not worth the trip just for a whale watch. Chances are the watches that leave from Boston travel to the same waters, you're just getting there coming from a different direction. I would pay attention to how long you'll be en route to get to the whales. Depending on where you leave from, you could be looking at a 3 hour total trip, or a 6-8 hour trip. IMO, shorter is better!
That's my view too. We are planning on going to Cape Cod, so that might be an option.
I've done the whale watch cruise from Boston and from Portland. Saw more whales from Portland, but it that's really just chance. One thing is that the boats, I think, are not really pleasant to be on-- big and crowded. I know you're going back to Alaska, and the whale watching cruises are nicer there.... They're different, too, because the Atlantic is a very different ocean, but just a thought.
True, we might get it another go on the Alaskan cruise, but last time we really weren't very lucky at all with sightings.
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We've done whale watching cruises from Boston and Plymouth and got up close and personal with some big whales on both. The waters can be choppy even on a nice day so if you have anyone who is prone to seasickness be prepared. We learned our DD cannot do boat rides without Dramamine.
If you haven't seen the Boston Aquarium it is really worth a look. As someone had mentioned they have the combo ticket. I never realized how amazing it was until I moved away and saw what other cities call an aquarium.
We've done whale watching cruises from Boston and Plymouth and got up close and personal with some big whales on both. The waters can be choppy even on a nice day so if you have anyone who is prone to seasickness be prepared. We learned our DD cannot do boat rides without Dramamine.
If you haven't seen the Boston Aquarium it is really worth a look. As someone had mentioned they have the combo ticket. I never realized how amazing it was until I moved away and saw what other cities call an aquarium.
We did go to the Aquarium the last time we were in Boston (10 years ago now! ) and it was amazing, so I'll keep that in mind...
That's my view too. We are planning on going to Cape Cod, so that might be an option.
Our P-Town whale watch was a 3 hour trip. There are whale watches that leave from other spots on the Cape but they might take longer. They'll go to the same waters but it'll be longer on the boat. It depends on if you prefer driving to get to P-Town or covering that distance on the water. Cape traffic can be crazy but it shouldn't be bad in Sept., especially if you go on a weekday.
We did go to the Aquarium the last time we were in Boston (10 years ago now! ) and it was amazing, so I'll keep that in mind...
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Originally Posted by Kynna
Have you hit the Science Museum? Another one I took for granted growing up there. OK now I'm getting homesick....I think I need to plan a trip
New England Aquarium and the Boston Science Museum are two of my favorite Boston sights! I live relatively close and it's been awhile since I've been to either. The new Tea Party Museum is supposed to be fabulous too (if that would appeal to you Brits ). I really like the Old Town Trolley tour to get a good overview of Boston. Fenway Park offers tours that are inexpensive ($10!) and you'll get to see Red Sox Mickey! I'm missing Boston too! I think a day trip will be in my future -once the snow melts around here.
Our P-Town whale watch was a 3 hour trip. There are whale watches that leave from other spots on the Cape but they might take longer. They'll go to the same waters but it'll be longer on the boat. It depends on if you prefer driving to get to P-Town or covering that distance on the water. Cape traffic can be crazy but it shouldn't be bad in Sept., especially if you go on a weekday.
New England Aquarium and the Boston Science Museum are two of my favorite Boston sights! I live relatively close and it's been awhile since I've been to either. The new Tea Party Museum is supposed to be fabulous too (if that would appeal to you Brits ). I really like the Old Town Trolley tour to get a good overview of Boston. Fenway Park offers tours that are inexpensive ($10!) and you'll get to see Red Sox Mickey! I'm missing Boston too! I think a day trip will be in my future -once the snow melts around here.
We did both the aquarium and science museum last time around. Thanks for the ideas and it's good to hear about the new things since our last visit, although in truth, I don't think we'll have that much free time in Boston. I'm planning to spend more of our time visiting some of New England, as we never got to see it last time around. I think we'll maybe have a couple of half days and that will be in as far as Boston goes...
Cheryl, if you decide to do another whale watch in Alaska, I highly recommend a private tour with Harv and Marv in Juneau. As always, there are no guarantees, but they do a fabulous job of searching out the whales and finding what is there.
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