Don't Stop - the Florida road trip section UPDATED 3/16 - Page 23 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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Wednesday 16 December – part seven: now that’s not fair
Mark commented on the Haagen Dazs store opposite. I realised that meant the beach was nearby, as I recognised that from the directions in our room that I had just been reading, as the way to the hotel’s private beach area, so off we went.
We quickly found the hotel’s private area and got two beach chairs and an umbrella and settled ourselves down. It was funny, because we hadn’t planned on doing this at all, so we had nothing with us to read. I didn’t even have a watch on! We were there for probably about half an hour, during which time I went and got some photos, especially of the brightly coloured lifeguard huts, which to me, screamed Miami Beach.
I even went down to the edge of the Atlantic and dangled my feet in the ocean.
It was beautiful weather, almost perfect, still warm and sunny, but with a nice breeze to take the edge off the temperatures. It was certainly nowhere near as hot and humid as it had been earlier in the day.
We sat on our beach chairs, just letting the world go by and watching the fools who were parasailing and looking at the bodies of various shapes and sizes in front of us. It was a lovely way to spend the time and very rare for me to lay still. I think it was probably a pleasant change for Mark.
I love the guy in this shot!
After a while, we wandered back to the room and sat there for a while, before deciding to head out to the nearest Publix to get dinner, as that had worked so well the night before and we wanted to spend as much time in our beautiful suite as we possibly could.
On the way out of the hotel
On the way, I suggested going for a drive along Ocean Drive to see the Art Deco buildings at the heart of Miami Beach and there are many. Fortunately, my guidebook lists them all in order, so Mark drove along slowly and I managed to get photos of most of them on the way. If what we had seen so far was good, this was excellent. This is exactly what I came to Miami to see.
The sky looked beautiful in this shot
Once we had finished driving along Ocean Drive, it was starting to get dark and the sun was setting, so Mark took me over the bridge towards Miami, so that I could get some photos of it setting and Miami skyline.
Then we turned back and headed for Publix. The selection of food wasn’t as good as in Boca Raton last night, but we still found plenty to keep us going, including a shrimp ring, not as nice as last night, some sushi, some coffee Haagen Dazs for me and some chicken for Mark, as well as some butter cakes for dessert and, of course, a bottle of White Zinfandel. We didn’t need to worry about having a bottle opener tonight, as there was one in our room.
On the way back to the room, I changed up a travellers’ cheque, so that we would have enough money to pay for tomorrow’s tour of Miami. Then it was back to the room for our Publix dinner, which was very nice and very filling.
Serving up the wine... ... and then enjoying it
After that, we went outside to get some night-time shots of the skyline. Our attention was first caught by an amazing procession of what appeared to be Jewish cars. We were fascinated by it:
During that time, we noticed that there was a lightning storm over Miami itself, but trying as I might, I just couldn’t get a photo of it, although Mark managed to get a great shot. Not fair at all. : I sulked a lot after that for a long time.
We spent the rest of the evening catching up on some of our favourite American TV shows. At least now we know who did and didn’t die before the start of the new season of CSI:NY. Of course, the irony was that the first episode of the new series, which revealed those answers, was shown about two weeks after we got back.
The weather today was hot and humid for much for the day and hot and sunny later on, with temperatures in the high 80s. The best thing today was lying on the Miami Beach and seeing Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens. The worst thing today was how humid it was and not finding the Duck tours in Fort Lauderdale. Today we tried going to the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens And the result was it’s a beautiful place and well worth visiting. The most magical moment today was seeing the painted lifeguard hut on Miami Beach.
Next: beginning to fear the worst about our tour...
All caught up Cheryl. What a room and beautiful shots of Ft. Lauderdale & Miami. So sorry you couldn't find the Duck Tour. Love the beach pictures. Glad to hear you got to relax on the beach some. Parasailing isnt so bad. Looking foward to reading more please!
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You love the guy in this shot?? Yeah. I can see that.
Another fantastic update. I tell you what. Mark has a knack for getting great sky shots with that point and shoot of his(I'm talking about your CAMERA Mark! )
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
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the suite! Can't wait for more!
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Pixie Dust
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
PassPorter Guide Author
We didn’t need to worry about having a bottle opener tonight, as there was one in our room. 
: I sulked a lot after that for a long time. 
)
Deb
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