A Baltic boating adventure TRIP REPORT COMPLETED 11/19 - Page 44 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Thursday 9 June – part five: listening to others singing ABBA!
Once you went through the entrance, the first section was how ABBA first formed. I did know all of this, so I moved through it relatively quickly, although I did notice that Mark lingered to read quite a lot of the stuff they had on show there. Essentially, both Benny and Bjorn were playing in groups and met up. Agnetha was a well known singer and she met Bjorn and Benny met Anni-Frid, and the rest as they say is history!
You then go back into the early 1970s, and this section, which is the first set of singles they had before they hit success with Waterloo.
This section was about their performance at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 at Brighton. To see the costumes they wore was very neat…
… and I loved seeing the guitar they used…
However, the real treat for me was seeing the actual footage from 1974. Wow, how Eurovision has changed! The winning entry got something like 25 points. I think this year’s got over 200. Equally, it was such a calm affair back then. Not any longer! ABBA were presented with their prize by the Director General of the BBC, and everyone was so well spoken in the way they used to be on the good old dependable BBC back then. Thank goodness we now have regional accents, and we’re not as clipped with our accents as we once were.
The next display gave an insight into the planning that went into promoting ABBA in the wake of their success. For those who don’t know, they had various singles, none of which were particularly successful (and certainly nowhere near as successful as Waterloo) until Mamma Mia over a year later. However, that obviously didn’t deter their manager Stig Anderson, who had put in place a punishing promotional schedule for them. This was just an example.
In the next area, they had a lot of recreations set up of various places relating to ABBA, and these were all beautifully done. You really could imagine yourself there.
I was so stoked to learn that the band all had homes once upon a time (I don’t know if they still do ) on one of those little islands we’d passed on the way into Stockholm today. Mind you, having seen them and how peaceful and beautiful they are, I could certainly understand why.
The next section was about ABBA’s various tours, and to see the merchandise from them was a real treat, especially as one of them had a Disney link.
Just for some background, the first album I asked for in 1979 for Christmas was ABBA’s Greatest Hits II and I was a fan from there on in. Sadly their major concert series had taken place that year and given I was only six at the time, going had never really been an option. Having since seen footage of those concerts, I am honestly devastated that I never got to experience them, as they look amazing and also, perhaps most importantly, like so much fun! It has always been on my bucket list that I wanted to see ABBA in concert, but unless the Doctor can offer me a ride in the TARDIS (Doctor Who reference cunningly sneaked in there ) then I can’t see how it will happen now.
They had a replica of one of the backstage dressing rooms here…
This was also home to the first of the interactive exhibits, where you could go into a booth and record a song with ABBA. However, all they had across them was a curtain, and the second anyone started to sing, you could hear every word of it. It was so funny to hear a bloke belting out Mamma Mia at full voice! I couldn’t stop laughing, and I felt so cruel for doing it, but it was just very surreal. Needless to say I decided to keep my ABBA singing talents to myself.
The final element here was the tailor’s studio…
I stood there for some time watching the video with Frida (Anni-Frid) who still looks really good. I had no idea how involved she was with their costumes. I knew she had an interest, but it was more than that, as in the early days she would actually create their costumes, and even after that, she’d be giving the costume designers ideas. Apparently she has a qualification in it as well.
Then you walk through this area…
… which is supposed to be you heading to go on stage with ABBA…
I politely declined that opportunity, again choosing to keep my ABBA vocal talents to myself.
Love the exhibits! While we've never seen the real ABBA in concert, there's a tribute band that performs many summers at our local outdoor concert venue. We've gone several times and it is always so much fun with everyone up and dancing throughout the show. Here's a little glimpse of the concert from a few years ago: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i6t-1yjuhzM (not taken by me, but found on YouTube) The tribute band members are really good!
Wow, I didn't realize Célion Dion won the ESC once. I always thought you had to be a citizen of the country you're representing in the ESC?
I must admit I've never heard that rule, although it would make sense. I have a feeling in recent years, countries have had people singing for them who were residents, but not necessarily citizens, if that makes sense?
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Despite the fact that ABBA was well before my time, I love their music (Waterloo is still one of my favorite songs of all time)
Out of the singles, I love Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! although my favourites are some of their album tracks.
Love the exhibits! While we've never seen the real ABBA in concert, there's a tribute band that performs many summers at our local outdoor concert venue. We've gone several times and it is always so much fun with everyone up and dancing throughout the show. Here's a little glimpse of the concert from a few years ago: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i6t-1yjuhzM (not taken by me, but found on YouTube) The tribute band members are really good!
I was curious as to who they were, as I saw Bjorn Again many years ago at university and they were excellent.
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Thursday 9 June – part six: look how many awards they got!
In the next section, they had a photo opportunity with the iconic Arrival album cover – the one with the helicopter, but I was happy just to get a photo of it.
They had various other elements to it, as you can see…
The final element was the Gold Room, where everything in here is original. The first thing you see is the originals of the singles and albums over the years. I knew all the albums of course, although some of the singles were new to me…
Also in here were costumes…
These were from the mythical 1979 concert (that’s what it feels like to me, not having managed to go ) and I feel so honoured to finally be able to see these close up.
Look at all the awards they’ve accumulated over the years!
It was here I was a bit sad, as it just went into this section…
I was personally hoping for a bit more about what happened to the various members of the band after they sort of split up in 1982. They never really formally split up, and in fact in one of their last TV interviews, they’re asked about when they’re going to record again, and while they dodge giving any direct answer, they do give the impression they’re taking a short break, and will then be returning. Sadly it was never to be. Maybe it’s too painful to include any details in here, but that’s the bit I’d like to see covered, as that’s the bit that was also shrouded a bit in mystery to me.
All in all, I absolutely loved this museum and I think it was worth every penny we paid for it. If you’re an ABBA fan, it’s a complete must-do, but even if you’re not (like Mark), even he admitted he quite enjoyed it.
I got a fridge magnet on the way out, restraining myself, as they had this amazing collection of fridge magnets, but we already have enough of a problem finding homes for the ones we do have!
We decided that we’d make our way over to Gamla Stan, the old town. I knew there was a water taxi that ran somewhere, but when I’d looked on Google before our trip, I couldn’t see anything. I figured when we got there, things would look familiar, and we’d be able to work out where to pick it up. Well, that didn’t happen. Google told us it was a couple of miles’ walk, which I wasn’t looking forward to, but then again, it would help to work off all the food and drink we’d consumed over the last few days…
What a pretty part of the city you're in! Love that gate and I like the stone plinths (at least I think that's what they are) with the gold decoration on the top.
The title of your next update has me wondering if you are going to have a run in with a swan or another type of wildlife?
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Essentially, both Benny and Bjorn were playing in groups and met up. Agnetha was a well known singer and she met Bjorn and Benny met Anni-Frid, and the rest as they say is history! 
ABBA were presented with their prize by the Director General of the BBC, and everyone was so well spoken in the way they used to be on the good old dependable BBC back then. Thank goodness we now have regional accents, and we’re not as clipped with our accents as we once were. 
) on one of those little islands we’d passed on the way into Stockholm today. Mind you, having seen them and how peaceful and beautiful they are, I could certainly understand why. 
Google told us it was a couple of miles’ walk, which I wasn’t looking forward to, but then again, it would help to work off all the food and drink we’d consumed over the last few days… 
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