Florida flowers and Caribbean cruising - the trip report! THIS SECTION COMPLETED 4/12 - Page 45 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I really like your room and the view. Great shots of the monorail. You must have been exhausted by this point with the time change and all you packed in.
Surprisingly, we weren't doing too badly, given the time change and the lack of sleep the night before. I think part of it, in truth, was that we knew we had a couple of busy days, then we were off on the Dream to relax - that's what kept me going anyway!
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
40+ pages already. That'll teach me to miss a week.
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Getting all caught up, and I have to comment on this before I forget - I just got to the start of your day at the MK and your meet and greet with Anna and Elsa.
Is it just me, or does Elsa remind anyone else of George Washington? I don't mean to be mean-spirited, her hair just made me do a double take and I laughed out loud. I think the hair style may just suit some better than others.
That is so funny, because as I read that, I immediately could see what you meant!
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Beautiful early morning photos - especially those showing the sun shining on parts of the Magic Kingdom.
Can't believe how much you got done at MK!!!
Edit: One hour later, and all caught up! As always, enjoyed your character interactions. Great photos from the parade. Jealous that you got to have lunch with Michael and Judy.
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Love the room, and the views. We haven't stayed at BLT yet, and to be honest had kind of been scared away with stories of how run down it quickly became. I don't see that in your photos, though.
I've never experienced that in any of our stays there.
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BTW, I logged on to DCL this morning, and there are now available staterooms for the Norwegian fjord cruise. Lots of people with buyer's remorse last night I guess. I did change our category, but we are still not 100% sure. But there's a better chance than if I couldn't have changed from a 5C.
I had a quick look to see what prices were like and I couldn't believe the availability suddenly for that cruise, considering what happened to you yesterday! Maybe a lot of people decided to go with cheaper options....
Thanks for reminding me how intrigued I was in the glass shop as a kid. I have to add it as a must do when we travel in November.
Loved the mine train photos, although my daughter wasn't as impressed and said we can skip it if we don't have a fast pass.
I would definitely skip it if we didn't have a Fastpass. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but not enough to wait as long as the lines are for it at the moment...
What a great fun lunch you guys had! I remember one truly magical lunch we had there and my then 3 year old little girl spilled macaroni and cheese all over herself and the floor in the buffet line. As I was cleaning up macaroni and cheese that seemed to be everywhere, the manager came over and I asked if she might be able to get me an extra napkin with some club soda on it so I could clean up her dress. She said sure and asked for her size and favorite princess. The next thing I knew she was bringing a Theme Park Edition Cinderella gown to our table for her to wear! Then when she got to our table and saw that we had another child at the table she gave us a gift certificate to the Emporium so he wouldn't feel left out.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
(FWIW, Celebrity is owned by Royal Caribbean, not Carnival. You'll be in very good hands!)
D'oh - yes, you're right - and worst of all, Sara did tell me that before she booked it for us. I guess I was still a bit giddy at the prospect of our Baltic cruise!
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Your room is fantastic! And what views. Wow, what a beautiful sunset.
That zoom on your camera is crazy. You must have super steady hands though as I'm always shaking! You could actually see the people on Astro Orbitor. Crazy!!
I never see to have an issue holding cameras steady, even during IllumiNations, when I normally have tears streaming down my face!
Great pics of and from BLT. Y'all had a great view. Because we typically get a 2BR, I tend to reserve Bay Lake View because it's fewer points and we can go up to Top of the World to see the fireworks. But nothing matches seeing them from your room. And I have come to appreciate the MK and other resort access from BLT since I bought DVC there. It's not just the MK access, it's the proximity to its bus station that allows access to anywhere else on property.
You know you really sold us on Bay Lake when you mentioned about the bus station - maybe a bit too much, as I need to stay in the Polynesian DVC next trip (research of course! ) and now I need to persuade Mark away from Bay Lake...
Crystal Palace is always fun! We too had to wait a crazy, long time to be seated when we did lunch there. You guys always have great interactions there & we do too! They pick on my husband b/c he is bald, but it is one of the few times I can get a good picture of him smiling. My youngest fell in with Piglet there on our last trip & honestly I think Piglet felt the same about her! Piglet's handler literally had to tell him to visit the next table. Truly a great time!
At first glance, we were thinking the 1-bedroom looked kinda small and then we realized that, thanks to LLaffinPlace, we've only
seen a 2-bedroom Villa and a Grand Villa.
I've been away from the boards for a while but knew that when I came back Cheryl would have a TR that I could catch up on. And so you do, and a Disney TR at that. I'm all caught up with the report. sounds like you are having a really nice first day in MK. What a beautiful sunset. Looking forward to reading the rest of trip.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I've been away from the boards for a while but knew that when I came back Cheryl would have a TR that I could catch up on. And so you do, and a Disney TR at that.
Glad I could oblige!
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I'm all caught up with the report. sounds like you are having a really nice first day in MK. What a beautiful sunset. Looking forward to reading the rest of trip.
Coming up in due course, although of course it may take a little while...
At first glance, we were thinking the 1-bedroom looked kinda small and then we realized that, thanks to LLaffinPlace, we've only seen a 2-bedroom Villa and a Grand Villa.
Guilty as charged!
I'm guessing the square footage of the Grand Villa compares favorably to my house, though my house is all on one level and it has two baths instead of four! And the mouse keeping is way more erratic!
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. I love the sunset shots - I'd make one of those my computer wallpaper - gorgeous.
Maybe a lot of people decided to go with cheaper options....
with Piglet there on our last trip & honestly I think Piglet felt the same about her! Piglet's handler literally had to tell him to visit the next table. Truly a great time!
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