A magical Mediterranean vacation COMPLETED - Page 71 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Well as some of said being a rude awakening into the non-Disney real world...your trip was not over as you still have a week in Italy to explore!
Exactly and that part of the trip report will be starting imminently...
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Sorry, the weather on your departure, wasn't so cooperative as those clouds are quite scary!
They were - it was one of those mornings where you looked outside and could just see what was coming in weather terms...
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So glad to hear how great Mike and Desiree were as your servers! Hope I get them on my Magic cruise in April. Probably, no way to know this until you sit down for your first meal!
there isn't. Hopefully whoever you get, you'll have a wonderful experience with, as it does make such a difference to your cruise.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
I'm glad it waited to rain until disembarkation at least, but what a bummer way to end the Disney part of your vacation. I have to agree with Mark about Disney and disembarkation...you'll see what I mean in my trip report too.
Oh boy, that sounds a bit ominous...
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Hope the weather gets better!
Thankfully it did, as you'll see if you follow me to the next trip report...
Well, that's it for this particular part of the trip report, as our cruise has now come to an end. However, there's still a huge amount to come on this trip. If you'd like to join me on our Italy road trip, which will take in places like Lake Garda, Verona, Vicenza, Maranello, Florence, the Cinque Terre, Portofino and Genoa, the new thread is now underway. Hopefully see you over there!
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
The Gondola tour looks fabulous. What a neat view of everything and the slightly lighted pictures in the evening are just gorgeous.
I would not stay on the ship for any sporting event televised. I am not a sports fan at all though, but going to Venice is a once in a life time experience....you can rewatch the sports event.
The Gondola tour looks fabulous. What a neat view of everything and the slightly lighted pictures in the evening are just gorgeous.
I would not stay on the ship for any sporting event televised. I am not a sports fan at all though, but going to Venice is a once in a life time experience....you can rewatch the sports event.
Much as I love my tennis, I think that would be my view had it been the Wimbledon final - unless it was Andy Murray in the final and he was trying to win Wimbledon for the first time, then nothing could've dragged me away in fairness. Thank goodness he achieved that last year!
Oh my gosh! The gondola trip looked so awesome! I loved the photos of the little canals with the flower baskets and Venice at dusk, with the lights just starting to come on. So pretty!!
I better hop on over to the new thread before I go through withdrawals from this awesome trip report!!
Thank you so much Cheryl for sharing this incredible vacation with all of us!
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Oh my gosh! The gondola trip looked so awesome! I loved the photos of the little canals with the flower baskets and Venice at dusk, with the lights just starting to come on. So pretty!!
I better hop on over to the new thread before I go through withdrawals from this awesome trip report!!
Thank you so much Cheryl for sharing this incredible vacation with all of us!
It has truly been a pleasure - I love being able to relive our adventures with you guys!
Cheryl, thanks for sharing the cruise portion of your trip with this and I enjoyed it so much as always! Will be over there for the land portion shortly and looking forward to it as I've visited some of those regions in Italia!
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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!
I haven't commented regularly, but have enjoyed every installment of your cruise, thanks for sharing your great photos and details of your trip! I'm looking forward to hearing about the rest of your vacation.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
I haven't commented regularly, but have enjoyed every installment of your cruise, thanks for sharing your great photos and details of your trip! I'm looking forward to hearing about the rest of your vacation.