Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
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03-10-2005, 08:43 PM
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#1
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Yeti Chaser
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Way down south
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 20,411
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Gulf Beach Recommendations - need help!
We're looking for a beach vacation this summer. Here's what we would like:
I'd like to stay on the Gulf side, we've been to several Atlantic beaches, but my kids have never seen the gulf. I've been to Panama City many times. But we would consider Atlantic too.
Don't want to go too far down the coast, no further south than Orlando.
I prefer a hotel, because I don't think we'd be staying a full week, which is usually required with a condo. Beachfront!
We like to eat out, so nearby restaurants would be a plus.
My DH and DS like to fish, but not deep sea (seasick prone). They like pier fishing.
Any recommendations for all these requests? I know we've got several Passporters who live near these areas, so I'm counting for all your input!! Thanks!!!
Also, I'm wondering what kind of shape the gulf area is in from the hurricanes last year.
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03-10-2005, 09:48 PM
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#2
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Community Rank: Explorer 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Bennington, NE
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 10,556
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Re: Gulf Beach Recommendations - need help!
We like Gulf Shores, AL because it isn't quite as crowded as some others. Another very popular area from people around here is Destin.
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03-10-2005, 09:53 PM
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#3
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Club Ichthyologist
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Merrimack, NH
Concierge Level: 5
Posts: 2,566
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Re: Gulf Beach Recommendations - need help!
I just stayed in St.Pete Beach 2 weeks ago and loved it! It's 30 mins from Tampa airport and 90 mins from Orlando. The beach was wonderful, lots of white fluffy sand and tons of shells.
St.Petersburg is nearby and has a lot to offer. There tons and tons of places to eat and things to do. We went to the Florida Aquarium, shopped Tampa and easily drove to the Magic Kingdom for the day. It's a straight shot on I-4 over to WDW.
We stayed at the Don CeSar resort but they have condo units (or they call them suites) 1/4 of a mile from the main hotel. I walked by them and they looked very nice with a pool, plus you get to use the main hotel pools and stuff as well. Oh yeah they are all beach side  We will stay here next year as one hotel room for me, DH and DS was a tab bit crowded  The sunset from the beach was awesome! I have a few pics of the hotel if you would like to see them.
As for hurricane damage I didn't see any in the Tampa/St.Peterburg's area. We drove down to Fort Myers and that had a lot.I hope this helped! |
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03-10-2005, 10:27 PM
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#4
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: second star to the right
Posts: 13,308
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Re: Gulf Beach Recommendations - need help!
We stayed in St Pete BEach also. We stayed at a Holiday Inn near the Don CeSar - it was kind of dingy. I wouldn't stay there again. The beaches were beautiful and there was tons of stuff to do in the area. For a nice dinner, there is a restaurant called Leatherbacks in Madiera BEach about 15 minutes North along the main road that goes up the coast thru there. The food was yummY!!
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03-10-2005, 10:46 PM
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#5
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Dopey's biggest fan!
Join Date: May 2004
Location: China Spring, TX
Concierge Level: 9
Posts: 26,975
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Re: Gulf Beach Recommendations - need help!
We're in Pensacola!!! Our "beautiful sugar white" beaches have been reopened to the public but we haven't been out to see them yet ---- from what they have reported though, aside from some demolished buildings, the beaches are looking pretty good!!!
To the west of us, most condos and resorts in Perdido Key, FL, Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, AL have been reopened. Perdido Beach Resort just reopened today . . . that is one of Gulf Shores' larger beachfront resorts. We have friends who work out there and they say it looks great and is completely booked already!!! Lots of places to eat in the area as well!!!
To our east is Fort Walton and Destin, which is Bill (LizardCop)'s area of expertise --- since he lives in that area!!! 
Let me know if you'd like any info on this area and I will help you out to the best of my ability!!!  |
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03-10-2005, 11:12 PM
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#6
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Community Rank: Trailblazer 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Tuscaloosa, AL
Posts: 5,641
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Re: Gulf Beach Recommendations - need help!
Michelle, don't give up on a condo...there are many that do not require a week's stay even in the middle of summer. We spend a week or the better part of it each year in Destin, where I grew up going. Hard to beat the white beaches of the Gulf!
Go to Abbott resorts web site... I think it's www.abbott-resorts.com and you can find anything you're looking for. We've stayed at Mainsail a couple of times. It's not new, but well maintained, directly on the beach, directly across the street from the Silver Sands outlets, and has a childcare program each weekday that DS really enjoyed.
Destin is lovely. We also frequent Orange Beach for business trips that I take my family with me. Lots of great restaurants at both and plenty for the kids to do. Send me a PM if you want more detailed info. |
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03-11-2005, 10:15 AM
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#7
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Community Rank: Scout 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Lafayette, LA & BCV
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 4,751
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Re: Gulf Beach Recommendations - need help!
Michelle -
We love the Destin area but it can get really crowded at peak times during the summer. I have also been to Pensacola and will be going to Orange Beach for the first time this summer. We always stay in condos so I don't know anything about hotels but here are some links to the websites I have used to get information:
www.southernresorts.com
www.thisisalabama.com
www.emeraldsun.com
www.kaiserrealty.com
I hope this helps you! |
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03-11-2005, 10:51 AM
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#8
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Yeti Chaser
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Way down south
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 20,411
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Re: Gulf Beach Recommendations - need help!
Thanks guys, for all your suggestions and websites!! I really appreciate your help! I'll keep looking around - I have a ton of info to peruse!
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03-17-2005, 07:28 AM
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#9
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Community Rank: Sightseer 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: tennessee
Posts: 73
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Re: Gulf Beach Recommendations - need help!
 Try www.rentalo.com in the comment section tell them what you are looking for and how much you are willing to spend (put lower than you really want). In minutes you will receive several offers. We have rented from them on several occassions for Disney area and Gatlinberg Tn area. They offer great deals and you can negotiate to get even better deals. Good luck.
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Sponsored links
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03-19-2005, 07:03 PM
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#10
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Faith, Trust, Pixie Dust
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 34,171
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Re: Gulf Beach Recommendations - need help!
Never been there but have a great time!
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03-21-2005, 10:02 PM
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#11
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Community Rank: Trailblazer
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Tuscaloosa, AL
Posts: 5,641
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Re: Gulf Beach Recommendations - need help!
[ QUOTE ]
Try www.rentalo.com in the comment section tell them what you are looking for and how much you are willing to spend (put lower than you really want). In minutes you will receive several offers. We have rented from them on several occassions for Disney area and Gatlinberg Tn area. They offer great deals and you can negotiate to get even better deals. Good luck.
[/ QUOTE ]
Ella, I'd never seen this web site before. Thank you for the resource!!! |
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03-23-2005, 10:06 PM
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#12
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Community Rank: Wayfarer 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 183
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Re: Gulf Beach Recommendations - need help!
Maybe Seaside or Rosemary Beach? They are both beautiful!
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03-24-2005, 02:15 PM
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#13
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 9,547
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Re: Gulf Beach Recommendations - need help!
On our trip in July we're planning on spending a day on the Gulf coast. We're most likely going to either Caladesi Island (the #3 beach in the country) or Fort De Soto Beach (the #1 beach in the country). Both look absolutely gorgeous... blue water, white sand, lots of restaurants and shops, hotels nearby, etc. You can get more information on those beaches and others in the area at Floridasbeach.com - good luck deciding!
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03-24-2005, 02:33 PM
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#14
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Community Rank: Jetsetter 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Panama City, FL
Posts: 2,225
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Re: Gulf Beach Recommendations - need help!
You've been to PC before, but we'd love to have you visit again.
Our beaches didn't take much damage from the hurricanes at all (although we did have 2 killer tornadoes  ), and the prices here tend to be a little lower than the Destin and other westward areas (of course, the area's not as high-end, either).. Just depends on what you're looking for, I guess. |
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