A Little Trans-Atlantic Magic - The (somewhat) LIVE TR! -updated 07/03/13 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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So glad you enjoyed Madeira - I can't wait to see the brochures and the photos. I also love your comment about coming back for a week, so it sounds like it could be a good destination for a good weekend or longer break...
Sorry about the weather. I had a horrible feeling you might run into some bad weather somewhere along the way and you were so lucky with the earlier part of the crossing. I hope that's an end to the rough seas though.
Sorry Meri wasn't feeling well. I love to cruise but I have learned from experience that I must have a patch or I can't do anything! Of course it makes me sleep more than usual and I have to contend with dry mouth, but in order to do anything on a ship it's a must for me. Ask Cheryl, I thought I would be ok on the Alaska inside passage, but just turning my head the wrong way can set it off. I was down for the count for the better part of the day on our Alaska cruise. Thanks goodness that was all I missed!
Keep having fun! I too am jealous of two brunches! Enjoy!
The seas were quite rocky all day today - enough that at one point it nearly knocked everything off of our dresser, including two bottles of wine! Oops! It's calmer now, but the pools were closed all day, and we spent much of the day in the cabin, relaxing. No complaint here, lol! I was tired and took little naps!
Tomorrow is Gibraltar! We're up at 645am and off the boat by 8am at the latest to explore on our own before our four hour Rock tour at 1:15pm!
I packed another box to ship home... not cool. We're pared down a lot, though, and my suitcase should be so much lighter now! Maybe I won't be stuck with that dratted overweight baggage fee after all! Woo hoo! But it stinks that I have to think about my suitcase. Oh well, not for another 2 days!!!
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STOP!! Just stop, the updates are sending Arnaud into a frenzy........he is ALL over this cruise you are on. Good and bad I guess since we already have the Fantasy booked for May
I hate rocky seas, I hope you are all feeling OK. I'm sad that you are getting off the ship soon as well
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LOL Linny, you would LOVE this cruise. Absolutely love it. Can't say enough about it. I'm already trying to figure out how to take it again. I'm absolutely in love with the Magic. The smaller size appeals to me because it's not very overwhelming. I know where things are, and it has everything I need! And the at-sea days... believe it or not, 10 isn't nearly enough!!! LOL! I think I need a 21 day cruise with 15 at-sea days or something!! Maybe next time we'll do the TA cruise and then do the first Med cruise after it. Hmmmmm.......
We just pulled into Gibraltar! I woke up at around 530am and finally gave up at around 545am and got dressed and headed up top. It was, of course, really dark, so I didn't get any real pictures, but it was nice to see.
Gotta go wake Meri up at this unGodly hour... 641am... lol. But we want to have breakfast at Topsiders at 7am and we'd like to head out by 8am to go explore! *yawn* I'd like to be early to bed tonight, but I don't see it happening... tonight is Disney Dreams in the theatre, and I definitely want to see that!
Oh well! Can't wait to see the Barbary Apes today! Meri keeps asking a LOT of questions about them. I think she's a little nervous - heck I don't blame her. We removed all hanging "things" (decorations) from her little tiny backpack, and it's just got a few amusements in it. I'll help her hang on to it if I have to, lol. I've just got my small cross-body purse which I'll likely keep underneath my jacket! I hear those little stinkers will get at anything, so I'm going to be ready for them!
Welcome to the UK! Well, I can say that as Gibraltar is British! Another place I want to go - and I'm hoping to plan a break next spring, so we can fly in there and finally see it. Have a great day there!
I have heard wonderful things about Gibratar, a lot of Scots who want to get married away from home and can't afford the Carribean go there to get married. I hope you have a lovely day and that the weather looks up from what it is the morning. Wet and drab here.
I can't believe it is so close to your suitcase packing time already. At least you still have loads to look forward to.
I think the Magic is still my favorite ship, Melanie. We have spent more time on her than any of the others, and she was the first DCL ship we sailed, so it could be purely sentimental, but I do love the Magic... sigh....
Have fun in Gibraltar and good luck with those apes! I don't blame Meri for being a little nervous. Think I would be too!
And you will LOVE Disney Dreams!!!! DON'T miss it!
Have fun in Gibraltar! I agree with all your comments about the Magic. It's my favorite also. The apes there are like the baboons in South Africa. They're not out to hurt you, but they will grab at anything.
Ah geez, this cruise I think is meant to be for us next May
Arnaud's parents were married in Gibraltar and our honeymoon started in Barcelona................crazy!!
Those apes sound nuts, keep Meri under your arm as well..............have fun!!
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.
Love love love love love Gibraltar! I probably spent half the day trying to convince mom to move there, immediately, lol! It really is just the most charming town, and the tour guide was so in love with it that she made it so easy to love as well!
We walked that city from 8am to 530pm, almost non-stop. I'm so tired I could scream! LOL! Meri, of course, is still going. She's at the lab for "Girl Time" or whatever the heck they call it. It's all girls in the lab, and all boys in the club. The boys are doing ninja stuff, apparently, and the girls are doing nails and hair and makeup, lol. She begged and pleaded with me to go, and it's just like, what the heck. It's the second to last night.
Disney Dreams. *swoon* Oh I was so in love with it!
Have I mentioned my aches and pains? Oy vay!
BTW you'll be glad to know I'm up-to-date with my trip report thus far - except for today's installment, of course. I'm hoping to actually start posting from Barcelona, but we'll see how that goes!
We have two boxes packed to ship home from the port, and I'll have to pack at some point tomorrow. I'm going to hate saying goodbye to the Magic! But at least there's so much more to come!
Jealous but so happy for you! I cannot wait to read your TR! Evan and I caught part of show about the Disney Cruise Line. Guess who's bugging me to take him on a cruise now!
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I also love your comment about coming back for a week, so it sounds like it could be a good destination for a good weekend or longer break... 
I had a horrible feeling you might run into some bad weather somewhere along the way and you were so lucky with the earlier part of the crossing. I hope that's an end to the rough seas though.
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Pixie Dust
Melanie
Dreams, Wishes, Hopes... these are the parts of childhood we should never lose.
Well, I can say that as Gibraltar is British! 
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