Cruising the Med with Mickey and the Crew **Updated 11/25** COMPLETE - Page 24 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
Wonderful updates Terri. Your tour at Villefranche sounds wonderful, although I hear you about the perfume smells being overpowering - I can imagine that. It sounds like a wonderful evening as well and I love the James Bond pose!
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
Day 10 - Marseilles, France - Last Port of Call
We were up with the sun yet again this morning as we pulled into port. Our excursion today was a half day - The Santons of Marseilles and a driving tour of the city. All four family members would be attending.
Jolene and I were out on the veranda to see our arrival in Marseilles.
We even saw the captain pull us into the slip.
Miss J and I headed to breakfast - mom and dad joined us a little later.
I had my usual - fruit, bacon and an omelet
After breakfast - we headed to our location to meet our tour group - we exited the ship, and met up with Francois - our guide.
We drove along the coast road, before heading into the more industrial part of town - where the Santon Museum and Factory are located.
Notre Dame De la Guard in the distance
The Cathedral of Marseilles
Marseilles has been considered a shady town in the past with a depressed economy - they are having a bit of a rebuilding going on now.
Old Marseilles city hall - in the Vieux port (old port)
The fort of Marseilles, with the Cathedral and bell towers
Theatre National de Marseilles - the national theatre of Marseilles
The Fortress of marseilles
A memorial to WWII soldiers.
I saw this out of the corner of my eye - hence the blurriness... the Centre d'Oceanologie.... The Oceanographic Center.... Too bad we didn't get to go here.
For those Alexander Dumas Fans who read "The Conte of Monte Cristo" or saw the remake with Jim Caveziel.... That fort on the island is Chateau d'If.
The one thing that really struck me - was the vibrant blue of the water....
I also love how the homes come right down to the water, yet they seem quaint and lovely!
The environmental science professor in me was also really happy to see these recycle bins - I wish we did this in the states!
Next - the Santons and my first souvenir from the cruise (other than a post card or photo).
Just caught up and what a great time and your photos are great! I can just imagine myself there and that chocolate covered chocolate cake looked YUMMO but sweet!
__________________
Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust! Studying Hard to Make a Difference!
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
Visiting the Santon Factory and Museum
My mom had selected this excursion for the family - who can you go wrong with three girls and dolls??? Dad? Well - he was along for the ride.
The owner of the shop did not speak english and none of the staff did - so Francois had to translate. I plan to take you through the process - so there are LOTS of photos...
These are some of the molds and pieces of the dolls. A santon is a small figurine cast in terracotta or a similar material that is used for building nativity scenes. Santons are a traditional product of the Provence region of southeastern France. The word "santon" comes from the Provençal "santoun," or "little saint." They became popular during the French Revolution, when the churches were closed and the larger, traditional nativity scenes in churches prohibited. Smaller figurines began appearing in homes, and quickly gained popularity. (I borrowed this from Wikipedia!)
Inside of the kilm where each piece is fired. The Santon maker starts with a lump of clay - that is pressed into a mold They can take the same mold - and with a little turn of the head or tilt - make the expression completely different. They have about 300 molds (those are all stacked behind the gentleman on the wall).
After the molds are pressed - they are fired in the kiln. Then they are painted - by hand. Many painted doll parts..... waiting to be assembled.
Then the dolls are dressed - and the makers use authentic materials from the time when the doll is from.
Some of the dolls in the dressing area.
The doll dressing area.
A doll being assembled. From here - you could either head into the store or the Museum. Dad headed into the store while mom, Jolene and I headed to the museum. Dad in the store.
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
A couple more photos before we headed into the museum - One of the finished doll - the lavender was real.
Inside the museum - the displays were amazing!!
Since Santons started with Nativity scenes -
The Passion of Christ
The Provencial French town -
After we finished with the museum (which was just amazing - SO much details) - Jolene, mom and I headed into the shop - and while I was impressed with the Santons - I wasn't impressed enough to spend the kind of money they wanted for a doll - Dad however DID buy a couple of them - one for mom and one for a family friend.
I DID end up buying something though -
If you look above the door - you can see two sea turtles.... the one on the left is a juvenile loggerhead and is now hanging on the wall in my master bedroom.... My little french turtle!! The owners were kind enough to wrap it up very very well in a box so that I could carry it home.
After a LONG time at the Santon factory and museum - much longer than Francois had planned for (women shopping - what do you expect?) - we loaded back into the bus - we continued on with our tour and headed up to Norte Dame De la Gaurd.
I especially enjoyed your pics of Rome and the Vatican. My husband's cousin has been the U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican for a few years now. I have wanted to take the kids over for a visit (because of the access we could have) but, they are 6 and 9, and I just felt like they weren't old enough to go on a trip like that, let alone behave themselves enough to sit through a mass with the Pope. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Your pics are beautiful!!!!
Thanks for the great updates and pics....glad your nose recovered from the perfume factory....I can hardly walk through the beauty department without getting a headache!
Love the turtle...what a great find!
danielle
__________________
~Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you will land among the stars~
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
I wish your tablemates could dine with DH, I'm not-so-subtley trying on my own!
. looks amazing!
PassPorter Guide Author
the turtle!! it's adorable!
Linear Mode
