A magical Mediterranean vacation COMPLETED - Page 58 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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Leisurely time on the balcony sounds wonderful. Except for the smoker. That's hugely disappointing.
I had no idea there would be a buffet of sorts in the pub! What was that, salads? Your chocolate martini sounds just perfect.
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Leisurely time on the balcony sounds wonderful. Except for the smoker. That's hugely disappointing.
I had no idea there would be a buffet of sorts in the pub! What was that, salads? Your chocolate martini sounds just perfect.
That's what it looked like. I have to be honest, I didn't explore it that closely, as I wasn't looking to eat anything. I was also surprised to see it there, as I had no idea you could get food there - you learn something every day.
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Great photos of the lounges and bars! I've only sailed on the Wonder, but even on that I've never gotten to even see the lounges or bars. I think I would like to check them out some more on the next cruise, especially if they have free food!
Love the pirate photo. That was our favorite night. We got our costumes at the dollar store and a party store and they were very inexpensive. Now might be a good time to look as there will probably be lots of costume stores around for Halloween?
Great photos of the lounges and bars! I've only sailed on the Wonder, but even on that I've never gotten to even see the lounges or bars. I think I would like to check them out some more on the next cruise, especially if they have free food!
We're not very good at checking out the lounges either, if that makes you feel any better. We always say we'll go to them after dinner, then usually we're too tired!
The free food isn't much of a draw for me, given there's pretty much free food everywhere on board...
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Love the pirate photo. That was our favorite night. We got our costumes at the dollar store and a party store and they were very inexpensive. Now might be a good time to look as there will probably be lots of costume stores around for Halloween?
Not over here. Halloween isn't really that big a deal here, and never has been, compared to the States. It's getting more popular, but I have to be honest, the last time I was out a couple of weeks, the shops didn't have anything in them.
Friday 11 July – part nine: what a super pirates’ menu!
Tonight we were back in Carioca’s again for the Pirates in the Caribbean menu. Now I remembered this menu from the Fantasy as being particularly good, so I was really looking forward to it.
I ended up getting two appetisers, the first was Black Beard’s jumbo crab cakes with a golden raisin-carrot and coconut slaw served with spicy Calypso dressing, and boy these were good.
I also got the Bucaneer’s sun-ripened pineapple, fresh island pineapple with a coconut covered banana, and orange glaze. Now I remember this being really sweet from the Fantasy, but unfortunately the pineapple wasn’t quite as sweet tonight.
Mark also had the Pearls of the Caribbean, crabmeat, shrimp and salmon mixed in pearls of couscous, with a lemon grass infused vinaigrette.
Now as if that wasn’t enough food for me already I also wanted to try the Chilled-to-the-Bone honeydew and watermelon soup, and oh wow, this was so good!
For entrée, I knew straight away what I was going to have – the treasures-of-the-sea grilled shrimp and seared scallops, served on strings of pasta and fresh creamy tomato sauce. Mark surprised me by going for this as well. I know he felt there wasn’t enough sauce, but I didn’t have an issue with that. I literally only had the seafood, having already eaten quite a fair bit, and that was all very well cooked, and from what I had of the pasta, that was good too.
Before we got to dessert, we had a really fun Pirates in the Caribbean party, courtesy of our servers, who also dragged various people up to join them. Desiree tried to persuade Mark, but he was having none of it. Last night, they had told us we were in the best restaurant for Pirates, and I assume that’s why, as I guess they don’t have the space to do this in either of the other restaurants…
Mark and I both went for the same thing again for desert, which is so rare, for us to opt for the same thing for all three courses – the crunch time sundae, rum raisin ice cream, pineapple, whipped cream and croquants, and wow, this was just superb.
I was expecting a lot from this menu, and boy did it deliver. This is one menu I do not want to miss on future cruises…
I think we were all feeling the effects of an early start, as we all decided to head back to our rooms after dinner. I know, party poopers, right? But then again, at the end of the day, this is a vacation, and whatever makes you happy. Plus we were moving at some speed, and it was rocking a little bit, so I was quite happy to head back to the room, rather than go partying anymore.
Our stateroom attendant was just finishing up when we got back, and once again, we had another wonderful creation!
I wasn’t sure if we were just going to have a break, then go out for the Pirates in the Caribbean deck party, although Brent had informed us earlier than the fireworks wouldn’t be happening until the next night. I suspect the Greek authorities had said to fireworks, but that is literally just me guessing on that count…. Anyway it made it a bit less appealing, and as we sat in our room, we could feel that we were rocking a fair bit.
I was so glad we were on deck 6 and midship. It’s our first time really being midship on a cruise, as usually we end up closer to the aft, and it does make a big difference. While we could feel some movement, it wasn’t as bad as it normally is. I had a sneaking suspicion that the party would probably end up in the atrium, as I couldn’t see many people wanting to be up on deck 9, but I may be wrong on that count… anyway, we decided to pass on it and just have a relaxing evening in our stateroom, I think for the first time this cruise, so that made a pleasant change.
Anyway, so we headed to bed, and a little bit after that, we heard some soft knocking. I wasn’t quite sure if it was at our door or not, so I ignored it. The next thing, we heard the door open, and I think in unison both yelled “hello”?! It turned out to be our stateroom attendant, who quickly realising the situation, told us the Navigator we’d had was wrong and he had the new one, which he’d leave by the door. Goodness knows what was wrong with the original, as I had a quick look the next morning, and couldn’t fathom it out… maybe if I have more time at some point, I’ll try and work it out…
The weather today was hot and sunny with temperatures in the mid 80s. The best thing today was visiting Delos Island. The worst thing today was the fact we were rocking a bit in the evening. The funniest thing today was the Pirates in the Caribbean party at dinner. Today we tried going to Delos Island And the result was it’s an amazing place, with so much to see there. The most magical moment today was having Keys to ourselves just before it officially opened.
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Just to say don't worry if there's no update in the morning - we're off to London and have a late night and then I have a very early start, so I may not get a chance to get on here and do an update tomorrow morning.
Your cabin-after-dinner evening is just what I do nearly every night on the cruises! I never even saw the adult lounge section on my first cruise and after 3 cruises (25 nights) on DCL have yet to go to one of the lounges for anything but bingo on sea days! Before every cruise I say I'll remedy this, but I think I need to be traveling with a group or at least a companion before it happens. Your dinner looked so good!
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Halloween isn't really that big a deal here, and never has been, compared to the States. It's getting more popular, but I have to be honest, the last time I was out a couple of weeks, the shops didn't have anything in them.
I hope you find something.
I also wanted to try the Chilled-to-the-Bone honeydew and watermelon soup, and oh wow, this was so good! 
to fireworks, but that is literally just me guessing on that count…. Anyway it made it a bit less appealing, and as we sat in our room, we could feel that we were rocking a fair bit. 
and he had the new one, which he’d leave by the door. Goodness knows what was wrong with the original, as I had a quick look the next morning, and couldn’t fathom it out… maybe if I have more time at some point, I’ll try and work it out… 
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