Don't Stop - the Florida road trip section UPDATED 3/16 - Page 9 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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Vero Beach is so pretty & I totally agree that the gingerbread diplay is great!
You know, DVC is now circulating a photo & warning about you Chez! "Be on the lookout for this guest.......Do NOT let her innocent smile fool you....She is deceptivly strong & WILL destroy your drapes!"
Glad to see you chiming in Mark!
As always, the pics & cannot wait for the next update on your Holiday in the States!
Vero Beach really looks wonderful. I'll have to put it on my "places to visit" list that list seems to get longer and longer the more trip reports I read. Your photos are really making me want to visit a beach, which is funny, considering I've lived my entire life on an island!
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
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Apparently I got pretty far behind! But, I'm all caught up. Great pics at Vero Beach. And the drapes! Glad no one got hurt. I think I would have been laughing pretty hard also... Some of those pics on the beach look pretty foggy- I guess the fog followed you from AK.... Glad you made it to the "Real Florida"! Looking forward to more......
Vero Beach is so pretty & I totally agree that the gingerbread diplay is great!
You know, DVC is now circulating a photo & warning about you Chez! "Be on the lookout for this guest.......Do NOT let her innocent smile fool you....She is deceptivly strong & WILL destroy your drapes!"
Glad to see you chiming in Mark!
As always, the pics & cannot wait for the next update on your Holiday in the States!
Vero Beach really looks wonderful. I'll have to put it on my "places to visit" list that list seems to get longer and longer the more trip reports I read. Your photos are really making me want to visit a beach, which is funny, considering I've lived my entire life on an island!
Tell me about it - I find that happens to me as I read trip reports as well!
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.
Tuesday 15 December – part three: not what you expect to see here...
We drove past some beautiful properties. The next thing we saw was a nuclear power plant. Not what I expected to see out here at all.
We saw no shops or facilities for miles. There was the power station and the beautiful homes, but as we got to the south end of the island, things started to change and suddenly, we were back in traditional America, with shopping malls everywhere. It was really weird the way it changed.
A rare roundabout sighting in America!
Soon we were back on the mainland and going through Stuart, which apparently was voted the most beautiful town in 2008. We didn’t see the heart of it to judge that, but we saw a few nice buildings as we drove through.
We turned on to the I-95 and the dark clouds that had been threatening for the last hour or so finally opened up in spectacular fashion. We were in the midst of a downpour, which made driving conditions very difficult for Mark. Fortunately, as is often the way with Florida weather, about 20 minutes later, we were out of it and back in the dry again. Now if only it was always this way on this road trip, but more of that to come in due course...
We were both getting hungry by now, so we decided to head for a Denny’s. I had decided that we would generally spend this part of trip trying out some of the American chain restaurants, as it would be useful for the Brits e-book and let’s face it, we are never going to go off property to eat at a chain restaurant at Disney, when there are so many great places to eat on property.
We found our way there easily enough and, by the time we got there, it had started to rain again. It looked like it had set in for the day.
We both went for burgers, a mushroom Swiss with a Boca burger, which is their version of a veggie burger and Mark got the bacon cheeseburger. We also decided to get some soup each, with Mark getting the chicken noodle and me getting the cheese and broccoli. We voted both as excellent. Mine was obscenely cheesy and very filling, but very nice. Exactly what we needed in wet weather.
The burgers were pretty good too. I rated mine as a close second to the ones you get at Beaches and Cream and I was pretty impressed with the fact that I could order my veggie burger in whatever style I wanted, just like a meat eater can. A very pleasant change.
The whole meal came to $30 for the two of us, including tip, which I thought was excellent value.
Denny’s:
Appetiser 9 9½
Entree 9 8½
Service 9 8½
Atmosphere 7 8
Value for money 9½ 9½
Average score: 8.75
When we came out of there, it was still pouring down and I mean pouring. I got soaked running the few steps to the car. As the weather was so bad, we decided to do some shopping, before doing anything else. I had seen a Michael’s just up the road and I couldn’t resist, so off we went.
I ended up spending about $50 in there, all of it on papers. We just don’t have a lot of paper selection at home and I was in hog heaven in there. Even Mark was impressed by the things we saw in there, as he knows how much I struggle to get those items at home. I came out of there very happy.
We set off for the Flagler Museum, as I figured it would at least be inside until the rain passed. I did my best with photos on the way there, despite the rain.
Cheryl this installment made me so homesick. Even in the rain, all the familliar sites you still photographed so well , even the shots from I-95. I am defanitely waiting patiently for your next installment and your thoughts on Palm Beach & the Flagler Museum.
Denny's is always a good value for your money. Your food looked delicious though. I'm sorry yougot stuck in a downpour in my neck of the woods. I'm glad Michael's had a decent selection for you for scrapbooking. That's usually where I go for my supplies.
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Love all those photos Cheryl---but then again, do you think ANYBODY is going to come on here and say Cheryl---your photos are crap! Okay, now I really want to get back down to South FL!
Sure would be nice to take a cruise out of there again.
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the pics & cannot wait for the next update on your Holiday in the States!
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Pixie Dust
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
! Glad no one got hurt. I think I would have been laughing pretty hard also... Some of those pics on the beach look pretty foggy- I guess the fog followed you from AK.... Glad you made it to the "Real Florida"! Looking forward to more......
PassPorter Guide Author
Deb
Great pictures! 
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