Don't Stop - the Florida road trip section UPDATED 3/16 - Page 22 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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.
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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.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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That is what they are for, many departments along the coast have added them to their inventory. It's easier to paddle out to a distressed swimmer and get them on the board to get back to dry land than fight with them while you're trying to swim also...
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Great update! Love all the photos of your drive. And your dessert looked !!!
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I am loving this TR so far! It is wonderful to see all the pictures of the Florida I grew up in. I can't wait to see more of Miami (my hometown) and the keys. Keep the posts coming, it is a fantastic trip so far and you have a great eye for capturing the beauty of an area and it shows in your camera shots.
The trip report will have to go on hiatus for today and until I can re-write the next installment, as it has disappeared totally. I don't see the point in going on to the next bit, so I'll have to go back and re-type the missing bit - hopefully tonight.
Hey loved it..!! The updates and reviews were very much fine.. and the kinda pleasure and pics were wonderful as if I was there... Can any of you suggest me the best place in North to visit for 2 weeks of time. please give me info regarding it so that I can plan accordingly.. !!
Ive been on the ones in Philadelphia and Baltimore, MD. The one in Baltimore is much better as it goes all around the harbor and the view is beautiful!
I actual live in Maryland and work in the city, and I hate to tell you, but they no longer offer the Duck tours here either. They stopped doing it this summer, so I don't know if it's something that's happening all over or just per owner...it's kind of sad really
I can't wait to hear about the room or see the pictures!
I'm sorry that you have to re-write your post. Look forward to reading it when you get the chance.
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Oct '99: CSR ~ May '02: CR ~ Nov '04: SOG ~ May '06: SOG ~ Dec '07: Solo @ Pop ~ May '08: Pop w/friends ~ Oct '08: SOG ~ Dec '09: Pop w/LeAnn ~ Sept '10: Solo @ Pop ~ Spring '11: AKL ~ Jan '12: Pop for 1/2 Marathon ~ Sept '12: 1st trip for DL 1/2 Marathon? ~ Feb '13: Pop w/pals? ~ Mar '13: Tokyo Disney w/PP's?
Wednesday 16 December – part six: wow, what a great room!
We drove down Collins Avenue and saw so many great buildings. It was then that we realise that our hotel, the Z Ocean Suites, was amongst them. We didn’t see it quickly enough, so had to go past and then come back to it.
When we did, we pulled up and were told that the only option for the car was valet parking, which was $32 a night. We left the care with valet and he called bell services for us. Then we went to check in. Now this was not going to be a cheap stay, as there was also a $19 resort charge here per night, which was for the use of the beach. A nice touch, but something we probably wouldn’t be using during our stay. Famous last words. Anyway, the charges were mounting up. I was just glad we weren’t actually paying to stay here and were using our Priority Club points instead.
The bell guy found us at check-in and we headed up to the third floor and our room. Oh my goodness – wow! I knew that this was an all suite hotel and I had worked out just from the lobby that this was a seriously nice hotel, but even I was blown away with what awaited us in our room.
This is truly a suite, with a small kitchen area when you walk in and then a sitting area with the bed closest to the window and the balcony beyond. There’s a huge shower, two separate sink areas and a separate toilet. We loved it instantly. We took lots of photos and then settled down to enjoy some time there.
The view from our side window Our balcony The view from the balcony
After a while, I figured we’d check out the pool and see how busy it was and if it wasn’t too bad, then we could go for a swim. It was fairly busy out there and it was also like an oven up there, so we gave up on that plan and went for a look downstairs first at the lobby and then the restaurant.
We came out of that and saw some interesting sights:
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Anyway, the charges were mounting up. I was just glad we weren’t actually paying to stay here and were using our Priority Club points instead. 
I knew that this was an all suite hotel and I had worked out just from the lobby that this was a seriously nice hotel, but even I was blown away with what awaited us in our room. 
: we didn’t have our fortunes read here! 
Dreams, Wishes, Hopes... these are the parts of childhood we should never lose.
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