Returning to the days of my youth-Trip cancelled 10/15/2016 replacement updated 02/02/2017 - Page 9 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
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Itinerary
Day one-Drive to Sacramento. Fly Sacramento to Salt Lake City, then board plane to Paris.
Day two- Arrive Paris, ‘enter’ Europe, fly on to Athens. To be greeted at the airport by Princess cruiseline representative, transfer to Intercontinental Athenaeum hotel. Do a little sightseeing. And rest .
Day three –transfer to port at Piraeus and board the Majestic Princess
Day four-at sea. Meet and greet at 11 am and get used to this ship.
Day five-Kotor, Montenegro-a tender port-Explore the Medieval town of Budva (with a shopping stop), then tour coastal area. Tour the ornate St. Tryphon Cathedral (remember to dress appropriately for a church), finishing at the Maritime museum.
Day six-Katakolon (for Olympia)-again a tender port- Walk to the temple of Zeus-hailed as one of the seven wonders of the world-the statute is long gone. See the ‘source’ of lighting the Olympic torch, the ruins of the original stadium, if you choose ‘run’ a short race and get a ‘special’ prize, then view the modern city of Olympia before returning to the vessel.
Day seven-Mykonos-Drive to Agios Ioannis beach with views of the island of Delos. Then to the village of Ano Mera to visit the Panagia Tourliani monastery (colored domes and whitewashed exterior)-again dress appropriately for the church. Then a stop at a second beach (Kalafatis), then return to Mykonos for a walking tour of the town-including the windmills, Little Venice and Paraportiani church. If you want to stay and shop-there is a shuttle bus.
Day eight-Rhodes-Drive to the town of Lindos to view the ancient Acropolis of Lindos, overlooking the bay of St Paul, then travel to the medieval old town of Rhodes. Lunch, then followed by a jewelry factory and museum –where museum pieces are made, as well as gold jewelry. Visit the Palace of the Grand Masters, then a walking tour of Old Rhodes. Walk the old streets, including the magnificent Street of Knights, and finish with 30 minutes of shopping time.
Day nine-Khios (Chios)-Visit the 11th century Nea Monistery (again appropriate attire). This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site-Red and gold mosaics –emblematic of the Byzantine Renaissance art. Then bus to the semi fortified Medieval village of Avgoima- exporing the cobblestone streets-refreshments at a café overlooking the sea, then a final stop at Anavatos, an isolated Medieval village with only one road in and out, and entirely built of local stone.
Day ten-Return to Athens Hope to take a tour in Athens while they disembark some passengers, and add others. Sail from Piraeus (Athens port) in the evening.
Day eleven-Santorini-Tender port. Start at the ruins at Akrotiri-buried by volcanic eruption 3,500 years ago. On to the village Ola- whitewashed walls, blue domed churches. Next to a vineyard to taste wines produced in the rich volcanic soil. On to Mt Prophet Elias, having risen 2,000 above sea level getting there. A stop for a traditional Greek lunch, then a photo stop at the black sand beach of Perissa. Then return to the port town of Fira-with Cycladic and Venetian architecture. Then a ‘steep’ walk to the upper portion of town takes you to the cable ride down the cliff to the port.
Day twelve- At sea
Day thirteen-Return to Kotor Montegro-Will probably take the tender ashore, shop, and sit in a sidewalk café-coffee in hand and people watch, and talk with locals that want to share their homeland with me and vice-versa.
Day thirteen-Messina, Sicily –Taking the ‘in the steps of the Godfather’ tour. First, bus to the village of Savoca, and visit the Church of Santa Maria Degli Angeli –where Apollonia and Michel were married. Pose for pictures at Bar Vitelli, and view the photos of the production process of the film. Sample Granita di Limone- a favorite treat of Francis Ford Coppola. Continue on to the village of Forza d’Agro to see the church of San Agostino or Tirada. View the outside of the Baroque Chiesa Madre-featured in two of the films, then explore the village with your guide, and return to port.
Day fourteen- Naples, Italy-Travel the short distance to Pompei. A guided tour of the ruins-Another UNESCO World Heritage site-lunch is included at a local restaurant-and the ‘mandatory’ stop at a cameo factory. Then retrace our steps to Naples and head North to the Amalfi coast. Stops here are unpredictable due to traffic.
Day fifteen-At sea
Days sixteen and seventeen. Arrive Barcelona-transfer to hotel (Hotel Claris) and tour as much of Barcelona as I can-
Day eighteen-Up at the crack of dawn (or earlier) to transfer to Barcelona airport-only about 20 minutes away—but I have a 6:20 am flight. Up early to arrive to check luggage, clear security, etc. Fly to Amsterdam, change flights –fly Amsterdam to Salt Lake city, then a hop and a skip (about 1 ½ hrs) to Sacramento to drive home.
That is some itinerary Don and I know you are going to have a great time!
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
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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That sounds like an amazing itinerary!!!!
Have a blast!!!
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