Doing my part to assist with hurricane Sandy relief - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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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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Doing my part to assist with hurricane Sandy relief
I'm sitting in a hotel room in Springfield, MA waiting for a sundae from room service, so I decided I share my mini trip with you guys.
First, details...1 night, at the Sheraton Monarch in Springfield MA. Just me and 14 of my coworkers. When, today, 11/3, going home 11/4.
The reason for this mini working vacation is to assist with claims reporting for the influx of claims from Sandy. An email was sent around on 11/1 asking for volunteers to go out to Springfield to help out. Some background here...my dh has been away working since 9/5. He's been home a total of 4 nights. He actually came home on Thursday night. We've been having some problems, and honestly, I don't know if he's going to stay home much longer but, it's ok. We're really trying. Anyhow, as luck would have it, Thursday morning (11/1), as I was having my morning battle with my ds, I told him "when dad comes home, I'm going on a mommy vacation". Lord knows I need to. So, back on track here, I got the email that afternoon, thought about it for all I've 1.5 seconds, and said count me in. The company is putting us up in the hotel and we don't have to pay for anything. Plus, I'll be helping, albeit nothing major, all the people who have had property damage from Hurricane Sandy. Really, all we are doing is expediting the massive influx of claims being reported. So, here's my mini tr....
11/2...worked all day, picked up my husband after work and we had a date night. It was surprisingly pleasant. I have been working on this thinking before speaking thing, but that's a whole 'nother topic. Anywho, got home about 2 this morning, checked out Facebook, packed, puttered around. I was finally ready for bed about 3:15, but I had to be up at 5:30, so I was totally worried about oversleeping. Honestly, I barely slept.
11/3...I was on the road at 7, stopped at Dunkin Donuts for a coffee and bacon egg and cheese croissant. They also had apple and spice donuts, so I grabbed one of those too. I did stop at the first rest stop on the Mass Pike for a 5 hour energy and red bull. I was shocked that the total came to almost $7! I also grabbed 1 hash brown from McDonald's. The rest of the ride was uneventful. I got to Springfield about 8:45 and went right to the office I will be working at today and tomorrow. I can honestly say that while I knew how bad the damage is in New York and New Jersey, I wasn't prepared for the sheer devastation. I would say probably 90% of the claims I handled today are close to total losses. Like, the loss reports said everything inside destroyed. So sad.
We ordered lunch in, I honestly couldn't tell you the name of the place we ordered from, but I had a delicious, HUGE chef salad. I was actually listening to Dane Cook the other day and he was talking about sometimes people confuse chef and chief. Well, my salad was labeled cheef salad. I had a chuckle.
We worked until 5, then drove over to the hotel. Wow, what a beautiful hotel. I'm on the top floor, access to the club lounge, which I immediately took advantage of. What a spread. I had some veggies and dip, cheese and crackers, potstickers, teriyaki, and spring rolls. Also, they had chilled roasted veggies. So yummy. I tried to show some restraint, but it was free, so I had a couple plates. And 2 cokes. I was like a kid whose parents left them home alone after doing a big grocery order. Lol.
We met in the lobby at 7 for dinner. We ate at Picks here in the hotel. It was here I found my newest adult beverage. It's called a hot and dirty martini. It's pepper vodka, vermouth, olive brine, and a splash of Bloody Mary mix. My 2 fave adult beverages combined. I had 3.
For dinner, I ordered the NY sirloin with mashed potatoes and asparagus. It was sooooooo good. After dinner, we all just hung around at the table, talking, and getting to know each other better. Some people ordered dessert, but I couldn't even think about eating one more thing. I did have an Irish coffee though. We split up after dinner and all went back to our own rooms with plans to meet tomorrow morning at 8:30.
Of course, after I got back to the room and relaxed, I wanted dessert. I ordered a bananas foster sundae. Yeah, not so good. I love the taste of banana, but I always forget that I hate the texture, and honestly, it just wasn't good. I had to chuckle though, because when they brought up my sundae and can of coke, it came on a huge tray, with a full silverware setup and salt and pepper.
I'm getting ready for bed now. Yay for daylight savings and an extra hour of sleep tonight.
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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.
Good for you. I know the folks who are affected need all the help they can get, and getting their claims processed and paid will get them to a better place that much quicker.
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but, it's ok. We're really trying. Anyhow, as luck would have it, Thursday morning (11/1), as I was having my morning battle with my ds, I told him "when dad comes home, I'm going on a mommy vacation". Lord knows I need to. So, back on track here, I got the email that afternoon, thought about it for all I've 1.5 seconds, and said count me in. The company is putting us up in the hotel and we don't have to pay for anything. Plus, I'll be helping, albeit nothing major, all the people who have had property damage from Hurricane Sandy. Really, all we are doing is expediting the massive influx of claims being reported. So, here's my mini tr....
. Anywho, got home about 2 this morning, checked out Facebook, packed, puttered around. I was finally ready for bed about 3:15, but I had to be up at 5:30, so I was totally worried about oversleeping. Honestly, I barely slept. 
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Alaskan Mom aka Bonnie
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