Cindybelle's Bella Notte TR COMPLETE!! - UPDATED 10/19 With Prices! - Page 5 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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.
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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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Remember the photo I posted in the "Hotel Nerva" message, where the four of us are at breakfast? Well, in the time line of things, that belongs HERE. We're all dressed and fed now, and ready to see the Vatican Museum. The hotel desk clerk phoned for a taxi, which arrived two minutes later. Pretty impressive.
We arrived at the Vatican Museum at 08:30, thirty minutes before the Super Planner (that's me! ) had arranged for our prepaid reservations to begin. Wish I'd taken a photo of the l-o-n-g line of tourists going around the block by this time, but instead I breezily approached the guard with my confirmation document, and he lowered the rope so we could go right in. And then we got to start touring before the museum had officially opened.
I gasped, "This is just like Extra Magic Hour!" Which made Rick cringe as he replied, "Must everything remind you of Disney?"
Did I mention we've been together 23 years? My response was, "Well, duh!"
Because we went in so fast, I took just one quick photo of the museum's exterior. But later, as we worked our way around the museum, Rick got this good shot from an open window.
Now, for what's inside this remarkable museum:
Rick took the photo below. You can see Paul on the left, aiming his camera to something on the far right wall. That's Robbie and me, having a wonderful time getting cricks in our necks. Notice that the floor design is also incredible.
Well, Hugmonster, I'd better not keep you waiting. As I mentioned, you can't take photos of the Sistine Chapel -- but it is just as amazing as you've ever imagined it. Again, the marble floor design is almost as spectacular as the walls. And, oh yeah, the ceiling is as well. Gee, I think that's the first time in my life that I understated anything. That feels weird, so let me rephrase that.
The ceiling is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But the rest of the museum is amazing as well. A lot of the photos I showed you so far were taken by Rick, but now I see that some of mine are pretty darn nice, too. So here are some of my favorite things from the Vatican Museum.
I really like the carving on this table leg. Paul and Rick were in awe of the artistic talent represented here, especially considering the tools they were limited to.
I like this shot of Paul and Robbie at the entrance to one of the rooms. (Of course, it would be nice if a fire extinguisher weren't on the floor, but think about it -- with priceless art on every wall and ceiling, where could they put a fire extinguisher cabinet -- so it makes sense to have it on the floor, near a doorway.)
And I really love, after all that splendor and color, the simplicity of this sculpture, which is displayed in front of a window -- so the greenery is real. The Good Shepherd, indeed.
We stopped for lunch in the Vatican Museum's cafeteria, despite Rick Steves' suggestion to leave the property and walk a couple blocks to a less touristy location. We wanted to stay and see more of the museum, and are glad we ate there. We shared watermelon, cheeses, various hot plates. It was surprisingly good, albeit a bit pricey. But hey, we were getting an eyeful of beauty, and it sure felt good to sit down and enjoy lunch.
We walked around some more and came to this sign.
We'd been mostly looking at paintings up to this point, so why not a roomful of sculptures? Again, wow!
Part of the same sculpture as above, this particular scene makes me want to ask all of you who are parents: Would you let your babies play with a crocodile
Then Rick allowed me to pose him next to a fellow whose magnificent nose rivals his own proboscis. YOU be the judge.
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Oh wow - what great memories you're bringing back for me. The Vatican museums are just stunning - I remember getting to the Sistine Chapel and thinking "nothing's going to top what we've already seen", but it certainly did. We never made it to the Raphael Rooms, so it's interesting to see what we missed.
Wonderful updates and photos! You're bringing back a lot of great memories for me. It is amazing when you go through the museums and churches and the art just surrounds you--all around, above and underfoot.
After leaving the sculpture room, we toured the Egyptian and Etruscan rooms. Definitely worth seeing, if you have the time (and the stamina).
Around 15:00 we walked to St. Peter's Square and the famous Basilica. Full sun and pretty hot, so a sidewalk vendor easily talked Robbie and me into buying fans -- actually, I think he talked US into talking PAUL into purchasing them for us . (My wrist was actually sore the next day from fanning myself so vigorously. )
Here we had a bit of a wait in the sun (well, the men did -- Robbie and I slipped away to an air-conditioned shop and were severely chastised when we returned -- apparently the line moved faster than we thought it would. Good thing Robbie and I are so worth waiting for )
Once inside, my attention was drawn UP for some reason.
Although, once again, there was beauty everywhere.
shame on me, just shame shame shame on me! i did not even realize you were already doing a TR before you left. guess i should check on you more often, my dear! i am glad you had a great trip, these photos are awesome, and i enjoyed your updates to me while you were on your trip. (what did we ever do before facebook????) keep it coming, i am loving it all...oh, and david is also very interested in the report...ha ha ha.....
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) had arranged for our prepaid reservations to begin. Wish I'd taken a photo of the l-o-n-g line of tourists going around the block by this time, but instead I breezily approached the guard with my confirmation document, and he lowered the rope so we could go right in. And then we got to start touring before the museum had officially opened.
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Pixie Dust
Dreams, Wishes, Hopes... these are the parts of childhood we should never lose.
as well. Gee, I think that's the first time in my life that I understated anything. That feels weird, so let me rephrase that. 
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-- so it makes sense to have it on the floor, near a doorway.)
PassPorter Guide Author
The Vatican museums are just stunning - I remember getting to the Sistine Chapel and thinking "nothing's going to top what we've already seen", but it certainly did. We never made it to the Raphael Rooms, so it's interesting to see what we missed.
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