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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 am just not going to fly anymore unless its an emergency. We have been to Disney twice this year, we drove in April and flew in July. So my husband and I are meeting some friends at Disney in November and I booked seats on the train. The price was great $340 round trip for both of us. Now we do have to make a trip to Tampa in the next few weeks for house design reasons (we are moving to Florida in June). If my husband wants to fly he can, but I'm taking the train. Its a long ride from Mass but my anxiety level will be lowered alot knowing I don't have to get on a plane.
Howdy! I myself prefer not to fly and take the train but the prices have been great! Now if we can do something about the weather.....Have a great trip on the train!
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WE take the train alot from ND to Ca and we LOVE IT!!!!! It isnt much more cost effective since we get a sleeper car, but it is such an amazing experience and it is so relaxing!!!
I prefer to drive, becuase we like the control that driving gives you, but my second choice is a train head and shoulders above a plane.
Im not afraid to fly, but I find flying to be so unworth the money, plus I have a metal plate in my leg, so you can imagine how fun security is!LOL!!
We're taking Amtrak from Maine to Orlando in November (for a Royal Caribbean cruise) and even though I don't always mind flying, I'm kind of relieved. AND I've never been through the South so I'm kind of excited to see all that.
But I'm sick of know-it-alls in my non-cyber life telling me that this is the wrong way to go. I think I'd rather make up my own mind, sheesh!
We took the train right after 9/11 and it was wonderful. Amtrak is great, the conductors were very helpful and I really enjoyed the trip. We are thinking about going by car this summer, we were planning on the train originally, but now may drive. No reason other than financial. It will be even a bit less money than train fare for 5 of us.
I am a HUGE fan of the train and Amtrak. We have done coach, sleeper and Auto-train. Coach was amazingly comfortable and we only upgraded to sleepers because DS13 is disabled and changing his diapers in coach was just too tough. I loved the seats however and the viewing cars were fun too. You will have a great time just bring earplugs if you are a light sleeper, it was the only thing I regretted not having.
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We've taken the autotrain from Virginia but are now thinking about taking the train from NYC to Orlando and have tons of questions. What was it like? How long did it take? Were there hundreds of stops? How crowded was it? Can you sleep in coach? Is there a dining car? Is there a car rental near the Orlando train station? Sorry for all the questions but we'd really appreciate any insight or info anyone can share! Thanks.
We took the train in 2001. Currently the trains are scheduled to leave in the evening and get to orlando at aprox 4pm the next day - we did not have a sleeper, but slept in coach, it was fine for us. We did not have any children with us. we brought a cd player, books, magazines and all our things for vacation. i also brought blankets (lap robes, and small pillows). had a change of clothing for the evening, we ate in the dining car both breakfast and dinner (expensive but good food). it was a lot of fun, there are quite a few stops but most are very short, the only time we got off the train was jacksonville which was in the am. we are driving this time, but i would not hesitate to take amtrak again, the conductors were wonderful to us first time travellers on the train, keep in mind this was the week of 9/11 and lots of displaced air travellers were on the train...
Hi,
We (DH and I) took the train from Philadelphia to Orlando the last two times. We always get a sleeper and enjoy being able to stretch out for the night plus your beverages such as coffee, soda, juice and meals are included with the sleeper. The train takes just about 18 hours from Philadelphia and the ride is nice. There is a half hour stop in Washington and another in Jacksonville. You are able to get off and stretch your legs if you want which is a nice break or so we have found. There is actually two trains that go south and we always take train 91 which leaves from Phila. at 1:40 PM and arrives in Orlando at 11:40 the next morning. This gets you to the resorts by 12:30. There is another train that leaves Phil about 8 PM and arrives around 4 PM if I remember right daily. These are the same trains that orginate from NY. We took the train on Thanksgiving Day this year (2003) and actually arrived a half hour early due to not many people traveling. All the other stops except for those mentioned are about 5-10 minutes long, just long enough to let people on and off. Some of the places are missed if there is no passengers for them. Also, if you take a sleeper you will have a small TV which shows two different movies all the time and also has a music station on it. Hope I covered all your questions. Also, we always take a towncar from the station but I do know that you can arrange for a rental car from there but am not sure what one it is. Another pointer that we have found is to book as eary as possible since the rates are lowest then. Remember if you have AAA or one of you is over 62 the rates are even better.
We love the train! We've done Auto Train many, many times from VA to Orlando, and Amtrak straight down from NY many times. The kids love it! They love going to the dining car, and sleeping in the bunk beds in the sleeper. We always get one deluxe sleeper and one standard sleeper for the 5 of us. One time we had 2 deluxe sleepers and the door between the two rooms open. With that option you get one giant room w/ 2 bathrooms, 2 sets of bunks, etc. There is also a shower option in the little bathroom- like what you might have on a boat.Its really great fun. BUT, it can be pricey if you book at the last minute. Try to book well in advance and you will save $$.
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