My spontaneous against the odds solo trip adventure! - Page 4 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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Thanks for all the photo compliments!
My new job is wearing me OUT whew! Hopefully I can post my next installment tomorrow night, I have lots to say about Epcot.
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Sorry I completely disappeared on everyone!
My new job has me going crazy. I finally got a reprieve this weekend, so I will try and get through my tr a little at a time over the next week.
Hopefully ya'll are still interested!! : P
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I still want to spend some time on my Sanaa review, but I promise it'll be worth the wait! For now, on with my day...
I left AK at closing, which this time of year is early - 5PM. I took a bus to the Yacht Club Resort and figured I'd walk over to the back entrance from there. I'd never seen it or the Beach Club so I was excited to check them out. WOW is the Yacht Club a pretty resort! But to be perfectly honest...for ME Disney resort magic is all about the "fantasy" of staying someplace that feels exotic. I LOVE the heavily themed places like The Poly, and the Port Orleans and always daydream that they'd followed through with Walt's original concepts like the Venetian, Asian, Persian, etc In my book, that's what the WDW experience is all about. But then I have to remember that even though a northeastern beach or yacht club isn't exotic to a Jersey gal, WDW gets tons of international visitors that would probably see it as very American and be unique to them. Well, that and some folks just prefer a home away from home and that makes sense too.
Anyway, I saw a GORGEOUS sunset over the Boardwalk! I also got a nice shot of Morrocco - I'll post some pictures after I finish this installment.
I have to say my very very favorite thing to do at WDW is spend an evening in the WS just walking and drinking and snacking and shopping. It really is so relaxing and entertaining, especially on a trip by yourself or with your SO or other adult pals.
I started at Canada and ate and drank my way around from there.
It was a chilly evening (remember that early January FREEZE?) so I decided to try out one of the coffees with liqueur that they serve at the coffee carts in WS. I have to say it was quite nice! They give you a little clear plastic cofee cup with a handle so it feels a little more fun than your typical paper coffee cup.
Anyway, I then meandered over to the UK and picked up some biscuits at the Yorkshire County fish and chips kiosk to dip in my coffee...NOMS!
I pretty much spent the evening wandering in and out of shops and gnoshing on whatever I could fit in my mouth...had a crepe in France, and also this french bread pizza type thing that was delicious from the Boulangerie Patisserie.
THEN I ate some more...lol! I went to the Joy of Tea stand and tried one each of the curry chicken pockets and pork buns...curry chicken pockets are pretty great!
Anyway I am pretty sure I drank some beers and cocktails along the way as well, I had a good three hours before Illuminations so plenty of time to meander. ; )
I had a table at the newish La Hacienda De San Angel for Illuminations. They were quite wise when they revamped this area...considering the popularity of lagoon-side dining at the Rose and Crown it was an obvious and overdue opportunity.
And the view is definitely great! They dim the lights and you are able to take in the show from your table. It's quite nice if you have a window seat...I was a little bit shoved in a corner (ok I was pretty much sitting in the kitchen doorway!) but it was still a good view if that tells you anything. I do think I prefer being outdoors for this show, but still it was worth doing once especially on a chilly night.
As far as the food is concerned....sigh...
I am SO picky about Mexican food so take my opinion with a grain of salt. BUT all the same, I am equally amazed when a Mexican dining establishment manages to have bad salsa...really? How does this happen? Not good at all.
I had been eating all night so I only had a Taquiza appatizer (mini soft taco sampler.) The rib eye taco was especially good. If I had been hungrier I would have tried the shrimp taco entree. All of the grilled meats and steak entrees looked and smelled out of this world as they passed me on their way out of the kitchen.
I also had a spicy Margarita...it was definitely spicy and sweet and I thought it would have a similar taste to a bloody mary, but it was in all honesty kind of gross. I wouldn't recommend it.
In all it wasn't unpleasant, maybe if I'd made different choices I'd had enjoyed it more?
After that I was pretty good and tired, so I headed back to my hotel for the night.
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