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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.

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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.

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Old 07-19-2009, 02:28 PM   #76
rlb38
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Sounds like smooth check in. Ship looks beautiful, looking forward to more.
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Old 07-19-2009, 05:09 PM   #77
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Great start! I can't wait to read more...
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Old 07-19-2009, 06:21 PM   #78
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I've never done a cruise but it sounds good so far. What a beautiful site for that wedding part. I hope Mr Gumpy doesn't sit at your table at dinner. He didn't sound fun to travel with.
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Old 07-19-2009, 07:28 PM   #79
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I love it! I'm comparing it page by page to our cruise. Our Sea Passes look just like yours!
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Old 07-20-2009, 12:07 AM   #80
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Lori- there's going to be an interesting entry of Mr. Grumpy towards the end of this trip report- you'll have to stay tuned.

After exploring some more, we decided we were all probably hungry enough for a bite to eat and headed to the Windjammer Cafe. It was a very nice spacious buffet area- both with the food and in the seating areas. I found it to be much more spacious and better laid out than Beach Blanket on DCL.

Greeting us right in the entrance was a gorgeous fruit sculpture!



Here's a pic of the main seating area- and I found the decor to be very pleasant.



Upon entering, we were given hand sanitizer- so thumbs up for hygiene. There was a table with the soda packages/cups being offered- so we got one for Aaron and Matthew. They each got the mug and a sticker placed on their SeaPass.

The buffets were in a series of stations and loaded with food. I also noticed how diverse the offerings were. In addition to the traditional offerings, there was a sushi bar, Thai food, Mexican food and curries. One thing I also liked is the kid friendly stuff was located in the buffet as well- pizza, burgers, chicken- no having to go to another place to get it.



The salads bar was quite extensive and I tried at least 4 different kinds of cold salads and all of them were fabulous. There was a Greek Salad with feta, peppers and tomatoes that reappeared several times through the week and I had a good helping each time.

After lunch, we headed out to do more exploring. We headed out by Windjammer and stumbled upon ping pong tables.



I took a little video of Matt and Kevan trying the tables out: (forgive me in the background telling them to serve it already- they took forever to get going!)

YouTube - Ping Pong

We headed out to check out the pool areas and one piece of artwork, if you would call it that- took us all by surprise. There are no words- and we were absolutely speechless.



We headed back inside and decided to go back down to Deck 4- Kevan spotted the bar there and wanted to see if he could find himself some sort of Alaskan brew.

While he worked on the beer, the boys and I decided it was time for a brochure picture. We'll call this.. "Our Explorations desk will help you find a perfect adventure in our ports of call..."



Here's the Guest Relations Desk and Explorations Desk..



And now it's time for a video presentation of the Centrum area, my DH having a beer and Matthew trying to pull off another brochure picture.

YouTube - Onboard

By the time all this craziness had come and gone, it was nearly 1:00 pm and our stateroom should be available. We were wired.. can you tell?



Coming up Next: Can we get a tent in Skagway??
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Old 07-20-2009, 02:29 AM   #81
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Great start Mo!!! The ship looks MASSIVE and beautiful (that 7 deck atrium is just jaw dropping) - and since Chris and I have decided on an AK cruise (and a week of land based touring) in 2011 - I will be rapt with attention to your TR!
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Old 07-20-2009, 02:33 AM   #82
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Great update!
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Old 07-20-2009, 02:30 PM   #83
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Great pictures!!
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Old 07-20-2009, 02:37 PM   #84
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Great pix. We did 2 Alaska cruises on radiance of the Seas (aft facing junuior suites), so I'm really looking forward to the rest ouf your report
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Old 07-20-2009, 02:51 PM   #85
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What a great start. That ship is beautiful. Looking forward to more.
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Old 07-20-2009, 11:41 PM   #86
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Your Windjammer looked just like mine! And we had similar food stations!
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Old 07-21-2009, 11:45 AM   #87
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Wow! What a beautiful ship! I'd LOVE to take my DH on an AK cruise someday . . . sigh.
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Old 07-21-2009, 02:52 PM   #88
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What a great TR! I'm glad I came over and signed on. My parents want to go on an Alaskan cruise, so maybe this will give them some ideas.
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Old 07-21-2009, 03:34 PM   #89
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I can not wait to hear more!
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Old 07-21-2009, 05:10 PM   #90
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Great updates...love the pictures. The ship is beautiful and what a buffet Can't wait to hear all about your room.
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