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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We are doing a trip to SanAntonio for my birthday in late June. I would really like to go to Sea World because my two year old grandson would love it-he likes orca whales, and penquins, and belugas and all kinds of ocean dwellers.
My biggest concern is the heat. From what I read on line it sounds like there are options to cool off if I need.
I am flying into Houston, too. My son lives there and then we are driving up to San Antonio where my DD is doing her medical officers basic training. I've only driven through San Antonio but have been out to the Hill Country, which is beautiful
I am also a big Austin fan (son went to law school there)
We have never been to Tx but always wanted to. We had to limit ourselves and these 2 cities interested everyone the most. We will see an Astros game while in Houston and have a lot packed in to our time in both cities. When do you arrive in Houston? I am from the east coast from the Mid Atlantic region and we arrive on 6/30.
I am going to Houston on the 22, heading home on the 27. We will be in SanAntonio for the weekend. I go down regularly so I try to go when seats are cheapest.
My son is a New Englander but he has been very impressed with the Astros-seats are cheap, especially compared with the Red Sox.
My favorites in Houston my grandson is 2-are the Zoo, Heath Museum and Natural Sciences. I also did a quick stop in the Downtown Aquarium and thought it was nice.
Rice University (son's alma mater) has a lovely Aboretum but I am not sure I would do it in late JUne (or anytime between March and November). The Japanese gardens are nice and there are lots of other things in Hermann Park. We frequently go to the Children's Museum but it can be chaos on the weekends.
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In Houston we plan on visiting the space center, zoo, Downtown Aquarium/Kemah Boardwalk, Museum of Natural Science, and the San Jacinto Monument. We purchased our Astros tickets online the day individual tickets went on sale and thought they were reasonably priced. We have visited other ballparks in the country and most are around the same. In SA we plan on visiting Riverwalk, Sea World, zoo/Japanese Gardens, The Alamo, Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, and Missions National Historic Park. One night we are having dinner at the Chart House in Tower of the Americas. We might do the wax museum if we have time.
I am sure you know but the Space Center is a ways from Houston. Haven't been for many years but I think it's at least a 45 minute drive.
Got an email from DS today saying we need to wait on Sea World tickets-temps could be close to 100 that time of year. I liked the idea of going to the Natural Bridge but my grandchildren (will be 3 months and just 2 years are a little too young)
Oh yes. We knew we might have some long drives to attractions so will have a rental car. I have written down directions from our hotels to every attraction in both cities just in case the GPS has an issue.