A Baltic boating adventure TRIP REPORT COMPLETED 11/19 - Page 93 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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The fountains must be much more fun in the summer. That seems like something out of Disneyworld though, not expected in Russia!
I'm so bummed you didn't get to try the Borscht! My husband's grandma always said that most Russians were poor when she was little so they didn't use meat and/or beef broth. Just plain water with the seasonings. It was almost always served as a vegetable soup. Only if you had money could you put the beef in it. So I, too, am surprised they didn't have a vegetarian version of it! In fact, her recipe doesn't use beef broth either, just water.
Maybe cherries don't grow on trees in Russia?! That's kinda funny. Good thing you could swap desserts!
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Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
That's too funny with the fountains and especially Mark! All I can think of are those little fountains in Tomorrowland that the kids run through! Looked like a great lunch!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
I thought all those trick fountains were so funny!
Lunch looked good. Too bad they didn't have a vegetarian version of the borscht. Although that would significantly change the flavor. It is so delicious!
You see, how naïve am I? I thought borscht was vegetarian...
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See, Murphy's law was at work with your dessert - tell Mark that is a sure sign that the group saved him from misery in not letting him try the fountain!
The fountains must be much more fun in the summer. That seems like something out of Disneyworld though, not expected in Russia!
Well, don't forget we were there in the summer - mid-June and just a few days off midsummer's day!
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I'm so bummed you didn't get to try the Borscht! My husband's grandma always said that most Russians were poor when she was little so they didn't use meat and/or beef broth. Just plain water with the seasonings. It was almost always served as a vegetable soup. Only if you had money could you put the beef in it. So I, too, am surprised they didn't have a vegetarian version of it! In fact, her recipe doesn't use beef broth either, just water.
Ah, you see I was sort of right then, thinking it was vegetarian...
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Maybe cherries don't grow on trees in Russia?! That's kinda funny. Good thing you could swap desserts!
That's too funny with the fountains and especially Mark! All I can think of are those little fountains in Tomorrowland that the kids run through! Looked like a great lunch!
Oh gosh yes and of course there are also those ones between Future World and World Showcase in Epcot....
I love the look of the tree fountains, but I wouldn't want to get too close. Lunch looked delicious, but I can't believe they brought you ice cream with a cherry.
I love the look of the tree fountains, but I wouldn't want to get too close. Lunch looked delicious, but I can't believe they brought you ice cream with a cherry.
Monday 13 June – part six: I missed the Russian cows…
We headed out again after lunch, and this time, we were on Russian motorways, all of which seemed to be brand new. Elena confirmed that and explained they were building a lot of other things, like new homes, and even golf courses, which really haven’t existed in the country until now. As we drove along, parts reminded us of Florida, both in terms of the amount of building work going on here, and the type of building they’re now doing. It seems to be very much aimed at either those who want second homes, or perhaps tourists.
While we were on the road, I was trying to get our Palo reservations sorted out for our Disney cruise in September, so I missed the fact that we’d passed a field of Russian cows until it was almost too late, but luckily Mark spotted them, and I could at least say hello to them, even if I couldn’t get a photo of them.
We were soon arriving at Catherine’s Palace, and as we walked up, Elena pointed out this statue.
As we approached it, the buildings became more and more impressive…
Look at this gate – very ornate, isn’t it?
Well, this is the back entrance into the place.
Once Elena had purchased our tickets, we made our way through the courtyard, where they were either setting up for or dismantling for a concert.
We made our way towards one of the entrances, and there was already a large line, but again Elena just cut in front of most of the groups. We had one big group in front of us, and they would occasionally let another set of people in. They let in half the group in front of us, and just as we figured we’d have to wait until they next lie in, Elena goes up to them, obviously told them there were only five of us, and we were straight in. I do love being part of a small group!
We had more lines in here, as you have to wear overshoes, so you don’t damage the floor as you walk around. Getting a seat to put those on was a bit of a challenge, as it was pretty tough to get them on standing up.
Catherine’s Palace was built for Tsarina Elizabeth, who named it for her mother, Catherine I, who originally owned the estate. Catherine the Great then put her mark on it during her reign, redesigning the interiors.
The first section we came to was the Grand Staircase…
I thought that we were stopped at the bottom by the huge tour group in front of us, but it was because they operate a system to control the crowds, whereby only a certain number of people can move past the staircase at any one time.
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.
Catherine's Palace seems like quite a place both inside and outside. Love the colors on the outside and all the gold! That's funny with the overshoes but does make sense.
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
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.
You've only just begun. I'm beginning to feel that even some of the most grand European palaces have nothing on these Russian places. Or they're very similar at the very least. Wow! Not surprised by the overshoes. I'm sure the floor is spectacular. And old.
__________________
Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
You've only just begun. I'm beginning to feel that even some of the most grand European palaces have nothing on these Russian places. Or they're very similar at the very least. Wow! Not surprised by the overshoes. I'm sure the floor is spectacular. And old.
Oh they're definitely similar. I honestly wouldn't have a clue which is the grandest out of all the ones I've seen. Perhaps Versailles still edges it over everything else.
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. Your lunch looks lovely!!
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That's kinda funny. Good thing you could swap desserts!
All I can think of are those little fountains in Tomorrowland that the kids run through! 
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Elena goes up to them, obviously told them there were only five of us, and we were straight in. 
I do love being part of a small group! 
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