The Amazing Ecotour- A Key Largo Trip Report - UPDATED 2/14 - Capt. Mike aboard! - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
The Amazing Ecotour- A Key Largo Trip Report - UPDATED 2/14 - Capt. Mike aboard!
Amazing Ecotour- A Key Largo Trip Report
Meet Captain Mike Makowski. He'll be your guide on this Ecotour.
This is his first mate, Jennifer. OK, the truth is that Jennifer works at The Dove Creek Lodge and came along for the ride.
I'm Sandy. I don't have a photo of myself on this tour, but I DO have a photo of the fish that hangs on the wall of my balcony at The Dove Creek Lodge. Here it is. I don't really look anything like this fish, but he is cute and I thought you might like to see him.
The Dove Creek Lodge is a rather unusual place. I chose this resort because the reviews say the staff is so friendly that you feel as if you are visiting family. Since this was a solo trip, I thought that would be special. (By the way, the link below will take to you the real-time trip blog that I wrote while I was there.)
Just as promised, the staff treated me like family. I loved Katie, who is FULL of energy and life. I also got to know Jennifer, who is just about as friendly as you could ever hope a person would be. Jennifer's Mom also works there, and I got to meet her on my last day.
Jennifer told me about Captain Mike and his Ecotours. She told me they always get rave reviews. She introduced me to Captain Mike on the morning of the tour and the next thing I knew, the boat was pushing off the dock.
This is a pretty small boat, so you can really see down into the water. You can see all the scenery way up close.
The boat was moving pretty quickly, which made it difficult to shoot some of the photos. The first thing we passed was a big mass of Mangrove Trees.
Mangrove Trees are sometimes called "walking trees" because they just keep moving along and getting bigger and bigger. Before long, they look like small islands. They do this by sending root shoots right down into the water. Eventually these shoots become more trees.
I love Mangrove Trees because they really know how to take care of themselves.
The scenery was simply breathtaking. At one point, Captain Mike Makowski pulled this mask over his face.
The first thought that came to mind is that it is never good when guys put on a mask in airports or banks, so let's hope that boats are different! Apparently, these masks are common for fishermen who spend alot of time in the Florida sun. It is called a Buff, and it keeps the sun off their faces.
We picked up speed to move around a little Mangrove island.
Captain Mike explained that his boat was 21 years old, and was like part of his family. "I grew up on this boat," he told us. "When I was a kid I used to lay on the front and pretend I was flying."
Before long, we came upon a mysterious looking area which looked as if the Mangroves had grown into a tunnel.
The opening in the tunnel grew very thin. We had to be careful of the Mangroves, so the engine went off and the gondola ride began.
Nice tease Sandra. First it looks like you have joined a pirate ship and now you promise excitement. Can my heart take the wait? Lets get on with the story.
Nice tease Sandra. First it looks like you have joined a pirate ship and now you promise excitement. Can my heart take the wait? Lets get on with the story.
<giggle> I'm already hooked! Can't wait to see what happens next...
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
PassPorter Guide Author
I'm already hooked! Can't wait to see what happens next...
: More please! 
Linear Mode
