Don't Stop - the Florida road trip section UPDATED 3/16 - Page 18 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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.
Great trip report, Cheryl. I loved your drive down A1A as my grandparents lived in Stuart, FL for many years so it brought back such wonderful memories. Seriously, do you ever take a bad picture?!!? You are SO photogenic. More...please.
of course I do - but I also have editorial control over the photos that go into this trip report...
Wednesday 16 December – part three: now that’s a big lizard!
On our way round, a guy told us that he had seen a two foot lizard. He showed us roughly where, but there was nothing to be seen there. We thought no more of it, until we got to the museum, when Mark spotted the two foot lizard or at least that’s what we suspected it was, eating something on the bank opposite. It was some way away, so it was hard to get a shot of it, but I did my best.
I had no such problems with the one that Mark then spotted right in front of him. I must admit he freaked me out a bit, as he was a little too close for my liking!
There was another wildlife sighting and that was in the ladies’ restrooms, believe it or not! Mark walked into the men’s and found a woman in there. She told him that there was a frog or toad in the ladies, but I was already in there and using it with no problem. It turned out that I had opted for the right stall, as the toad, as it turned out to be, was on the back of the door in the other stall.
We headed for the museum next, getting some photos on the way.
There was a small display of bonsai trees here
This museum explained about the Yamato colony that started here around the turn of the century. Reading about it, it was a shame that it seemed that much of their Japanese lifestyle didn’t follow them here. Despite that, they do a really good job of showing you Japan here through a child’s eyes with sections looking at the Shinkansen (high speed train), school and home. I loved the kitchen and being able to open the drawers of the fridge to see all the Japanese produce inside.
Unfortunately, there was a school party here of young kids and, as a result, this really wasn’t as quiet as you would hope. We both came away, suspecting that the kids weren’t learning much, judging by their behaviour and, as Mark said, we had already worked out who the trouble makers were, as we kept hearing the same names time and time again!
We made our way back to the main entrance, with the guy whose wife had been freaked out by the toad asking if Mark was a botanist or just loved beautiful things, as he was taking so many photos. I told him the latter. I have to say that he took many more photos than me, as I was regularly sitting down, as the humidity tired me out much more than I would usually be.
Catching up on the trip report writing Not the most inspiring of signs... :
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 Guide Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 31,940
Post Thanks / Like
Likes (Given): 2
Likes (Received): 7
Thanks (Given): 0
Thanks (Received): 1
Pixie Dust (Given): 0
Pixie Dust (Received): 0
Your lizard is an iguana - not native to Florida - but found commonly throughout south Florida. They are often kept as pets (had a friend with one) - and Chezp - they have something in common with you - they are vegetarians.
I WISH there was a photo of Mark's face when he saw the woman in the men's john!! THAT would have been priceless and actually I would have been right there with her!! Glad you picked the right stall!
I WISH there was a photo of Mark's face when he saw the woman in the men's john!! THAT would have been priceless and actually I would have been right there with her!! Glad you picked the right stall!
The toilet did have doors on and i was informed by her husband and waited. Please note these are western toilets and not the japanese version.
__________________
Mark Uninterrupted time with Grumpy at Tokyo Disney!
I WISH there was a photo of Mark's face when he saw the woman in the men's john!! THAT would have been priceless and actually I would have been right there with her!! Glad you picked the right stall!
The toilet did have doors on and i was informed by her husband and waited. Please note these are western toilets and not the japanese version.
Ah! at least the man was standing sentry!! That helps too!! ewww I hate frogs and toads and lizards(oh my!)
At first I was wondering if the second wildlife sighting was actually the woman in Mark's restroom or the little frog I think the woman would have been more of a shock!
About This Page: 
PassPorter Guide Author
of course I do - but I also have editorial control over the photos that go into this trip report... 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
: 
Linear Mode
