Our unusual Christmas Day - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
PassPorter.com
Award-winning travel guidebooks

   guidebooks   |   news   |   podcasts   |   boards   |   blog   |   worksheets   |   photos   |   articles   |   updates   |   register   |   follow us on


Forums Closed
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!

Go Back   PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums > PassPorter Villa: Sharing the Fun Together > The Sunroom: Fun, Games, and Chat
Register


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.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 12-31-2011, 04:56 PM   #1
Pris
Community Rank: Explorer
 
Pris's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Bennington, NE
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 10,556

Post Thanks / Like
Our unusual Christmas Day

DH and I just got home from a terrific Christmas Caribbean cruise. The only down thing was it wasn't Disney. We sailed Royal Caribbean this time and did enjoy it thoroughly. We got to witness quite an event (for us, anyway) on Christmas Day. Our ship, the Navigator of the Seas, took part in the rescue of 12 Cuban refugees! It all took place right off our balcony. We encountered the sailors in what our captain referred to as an "open whaler." Looked like an inflatable dingy to me. One of the men had an injured ankle and was brought on board for medical treatment immediately. The others stayed in the raft for several hours waiting for the Coast Guard to arrive from Key West to take over. We finally brought them on board as well, as they said they were taking on water. The CG finally arrived and the refugees were transferred to their cutter and we were at last on our way. We waited about 5 hours for the CG which made our arrival the next day about 4 hours later than planned. It did throw quite a monkey wrench into the excursions desk workers, but I didn't hear anyone complaining.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Refugees in raft.jpg (50.6 KB, 30 views)
File Type: jpg The raft.jpg (53.1 KB, 29 views)
File Type: jpg Coast Guard rescue.jpg (53.0 KB, 28 views)
__________________


My Countdown Counting down to: Westbound Panama Canal
Wondering through the Panama Canal
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsApril 2018 Wonder thru Panama Canal~Oct. 2016 POFQ~June 2016 Wonder to Alaska~April 2016 POFQ~Feb. 2016 POR/Magic/POFQ~Nov. 2015 POFQ~June 2015 Magic to Norway~May 2015 POFQ~March 2015 POFQ~Dec. 2014 POR~Sept. 2014 CSR~March 2014 POR~March 2013 POR~June 2011 WONDER to ALASKA~March 2011 POR~June 2010 GF/POLYNESIAN~ June 2009 MAGIC ~ March 2008 POP/WONDER/POFQ ~ Oct. 2007 POP ~ June 2007 CBR ~ March 2007 POP/POFQ ~ June 2006 POP ~ Dec. 2005 POFQ ~ July 2005 POR ~ Jan 2005 POP ~ July 2004 POR ~ Jan. 2004 CBR ~ June 2003 POFQ ~ March 2003 POFQ ~ March 2002 Courtyard ~ Dec. 2001 WL ~ July 2001 ASMU ~ March 2001 POR ~ July 2000 SWAN ~ July 1998 DxL ~ July 1992 DxL ~ May 1989 off site ~ Dec. 1976 Honeymoon off site
Pris is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 12-31-2011, 07:01 PM   #2
B.M.
Community Rank: Explorer
 
B.M.'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 11,903

Post Thanks / Like
Glad everyone was safely rescued.... It will definately be a Christmas to remember!
__________________
B.
My Countdown Counting down to: Road Trip IV
!!!!!******!!!!!*****!!!!!!*****!!!!!!*****!!!!!** ***!!!!!*****
My Previous TripsWDW/Pop Century June 2008-- WDW/AS Movies Thanksgiving 2009-- WDW/Pop Century March 2010-- DCL/Wonder to Alaska May 2011-- WDW/Vaca Home off property Christmas 2012-- WDW/AS Music Christmas 2014
B.M. is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 12-31-2011, 07:04 PM   #3
Colexis Mom
RED SOX NATION!!
PassPorter's Club Passholder


What's this?

PassPorter Guide

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
Colexis Mom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 9
Posts: 136,854

Post Thanks / Like
Wow, what an interesting event! Glad you had a great time despite the delay!
__________________
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsAUG '16 - POFQ, APR '12 - POFQ, JUL '10 - DL, AUG '09 - DCL Western, AUG '08 - POFQ/BC, AUG '06 - AKL/BC/DisneyWonder/Poly, DEC '05 - AKL, APR '05 - AKL/BC, DEC '04 - AKL, MAY '04 - AKL/BC, MAY '03 - WL/BC, MAY '98 -offsite, MAY '94 - BC, AUG '85 - Poly, AUG '83 - Poly, AUG '81 - Poly, JUL '79 - World Inn, JUL '76 - World Inn
Colexis Mom is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 12-31-2011, 10:47 PM   #4
Cam22
Batman's Gal/Mickey's Pal
PassPorter's Club Passholder


What's this?

PassPorter Guide

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
Cam22's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Owensboro, KY USA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 95,254

Post Thanks / Like
How awesome to be a part of a rescue!
__________________
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsAKL Jambo April/May 2017--SSR/OKW Sept/Oct 2016 --AKL Kidani May 2016 -- Polynesian Village Resort May 2015 -- OKW/Magic December 2014 -- AKL Jambo House October 2014 -- VWL May 2014--SSR October 2013--AKL/Kidani June 2013--CBR October 2012--BWI June 2012--AKV Jambo House/Kidani Village June 2011 -- November 2010 Beach Club -- June 2010 Beach Club -- October 2009 CBR and Gaylord Palms -- June 2009 AKV/Kidani Village -- June 2008 VWL --June 2007 OKW--June 2006 Disney Wonder/SSR -- June 2005 SSR -- June 2004 VWL -- June 2003 AKL -- August 1997 Off Property -- March 1980 Cocoa Beach
Cam22 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 01-01-2012, 12:29 AM   #5
bsblady01
Community Rank: Explorer
 
bsblady01's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: new york
Posts: 9,202

Post Thanks / Like
glad you are safe
__________________
Heather - "I'm Tinkerbell's biggest fan!"

WDW - August 1997 Off Property
WDW - January 2005 AKL
WDW - May 2006 Pop Century
WDW- november-dec 2007 pop century
WDW- dec/jan 2009/2010 pop century
WDW- oct/nov 2012 art of animation
WDW- sept 2013 port Orleans riverside
WDW- july 2015 beach club
My Countdown Counting down to: fall fun with mickey
family fun with the mouse
My Previous Tripsaug 1997 off site jan 2005 animal kingdom lodger may 2006 pop century dec 2007 pop century dec 2009/jan 2010 pop century 0ct/nov 2012 art of animation resort sept 2013 port Orleans riverside
bsblady01 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 01-01-2012, 12:41 AM   #6
Luvsun
Wishing I was at WDW!
PassPorter's Club Passholder


What's this?

PassPorter Guide

Community Rank:
Legend Extraordinaire
 
Luvsun's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Southwestern Florida, USA
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 39,153

Post Thanks / Like
Wow! That is certainly an event you will never forget! I am so glad that everyone is safe!
__________________

Luvsun ~ Passporter Guide for~Making More Magic, Going Behind the Scenes, Feasting and Snacking, and The Sunroom
My Countdown Counting down to: Spring fun at WDW!
Enjoying the Flower and Garden festival at WDW!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsChristmas 1971 first visit for our family, 1978 River Country and MK (honeymoon), March 1989 first WDW visit for my three sons, Jan. 1996 Poly, Jan. 2000 AS Sport and Disney Institute Bungalows ( now SSR), April 03 AKL, Aug. 04 Pop, April 05 AKL, Aug. 05 Pop and BC, April 06 WL, Sep. 06 POFQ, April 07 Poly, August 07 BWI, October 07 POR, Dec. 07 OKW. Feb. 08 CS, April 08 WLV, June 08 OKW and AKLV, Nov. 08 AKLV (solo trip!), Feb. 09 SSR, May 09 SSR (DoD tour - solo!), Oct. 09 BCV, Jan. 10 OKW for my birthday!, April 10 AKLV, Aug. 10 WLV, Dec, 10 WLV and ALKV., April 2011 POFQ, June 2011 AKLV Club level and Kidani Village, Nov 2011 OKW, June 2012 AKLV, Oct. 2012, CBR, April 2013, BWV, Oct. 2013 VWL, AKL Kidani Village May 2014, WL Aug. 2014, Art of Animation Oct. 2014, Dec. 2014 WLV, May 2015 OKW, July 2015 BLT, Oct. 2015 AKL Kidani, Sep. 2016 Polynesian Villas/Beach Club Villas, Dec. 2016 WLV, May 2017 BCV, Sep. 2017 All Star Movies, Nov. 2017 AKLV Jambo House, Feb. 2018 WLV, May 2018 WLV
Luvsun is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 01-01-2012, 04:37 AM   #7
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
My goodness, that certainly was an unusual Christmas!
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 01-01-2012, 08:57 AM   #8
disney_duke
Community Rank: Explorer
 
disney_duke's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Wisconsin
Concierge Level: 9
Posts: 11,022

Post Thanks / Like
"Honey, remember that Christmas when the refugees boarded our ship?"
Now there's something you don't hear every day! Bummer about the delay but glad everyone was safe.
__________________
Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsVisited WDW 4 times while little from 1979 to 1990 ~ Jan. 1998, Doubletree ~ Nov. 1998, Disney Institute ~ Sept. 2000, E. Caribbean Disney Magic ~ July 2001, Courtyard Downtown Disney ~ March 2003, Comfort Inn ~ June 2004, POR ~ Jan. 2006, POFQ ~ May 2007, All Star Vacation home ~ Jan. 2008, POFQ Half Marathon ~ Sept. 2008, SSR ~ Nov. 2009, CBR ~ March 2010, AsMu Princess Half Marathon ~ Sept. 2010, Disneyland Half Marathon ~ Nov. 2010, CSR ~ Jan. 2011 WDW Marathon ~ Oct. 2011 Wine&Dine Half Marathon, POR ~ Jan. 2012 Relay Marathon, POP ~ May 2012 Expedition Everest Challenge, CBR Pirate room ~ Sept. 2012 Sheraton LBV ~ Nov. 2012 Wyndham Bonnet Creek ~ Jan. 2013 Goofy Challenge, POR Royal Room ~ Apr. 2013 POP ~ Sep 2013 DL DDD ~ Jan 2014, marathon volunteer ~ Oct. 2014, ToT 10 miler, ASSports ~ Jan. 2015 Dopey Challenge, Bonnet Creek ~ July 2015, CSR/Marriott ~ November 2015 DL Avengers ~ January 2017 Bonnet Creek ~
disney_duke is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 01-01-2012, 01:09 PM   #9
lazanya
Community Rank: Legend
 
lazanya's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 26,695

Post Thanks / Like
Wow! Glad everyone's safe!
lazanya is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 01-02-2012, 09:21 AM   #10
KMB733
PassPorter Guide

Community Rank:
Legend Extraordinaire
 
KMB733's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Ballston Lake, NY
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 46,162

Post Thanks / Like
That will be a Christmas to remember!
__________________
Kathy
PassPorter Co-Guide for: Making More Magic
My Countdown Counting down to: Christmas
Merry Christmas
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsWDW June 1979, WDW 1985, WDW 1987, WDW Oct 2003, WDW March 2004, WDW Oct 2004, WDW Sept 2005--Pop Century , WDW Nov 2006--Pop Century, WDW Jan 2007--Pop Century, WDW Nov/Dec 2009--Pop Century, DLR Oct 2011, WDW Dec 2014
KMB733 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Reply



Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump














Please login or register to hide these ads -- it's free and easy!

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:54 PM.

-->

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like v3.4.0 Patch Level 1 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
(c) 1998-2017 PassPorter Travel Press/MediaMarx, Inc.
Celebrating 19 Years of Making Dreams Come True
Ad Management plugin by RedTyger