Pre trip report for our Milestone MAGICal cruise - Page 11 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
Fabulous pictures, Cathy! And another great day at sea.......
(...I'm dreaming..... we'll be there in under 6 months if all goes well......) .....
The show looks great, but your review makes me want to see it!
For doing nothing, you seem to have made a full day!
I need to read this update to my DW to see if she would want to change to the late dinner, maybe that would be slower paced.
BTW.... She laughed at "the" picture, but I still say I did not......
Fabulous pictures, Cathy! And another great day at sea.......
(...I'm dreaming..... we'll be there in under 6 months if all goes well......) .....
The show looks great, but your review makes me want to see it!
For doing nothing, you seem to have made a full day!
I need to read this update to my DW to see if she would want to change to the late dinner, maybe that would be slower paced.
BTW.... She laughed at "the" picture, but I still say I did not......
Oh, Kenny you are gonna LOOOOOOOOOOVE the cruise. I just asked DH about the dining. Asked him if next time, he would want to do the later dining. We both decided that we would still request the earlier time. For us, we were dining at 6:00 and getting out around 7:30 (ish) that was plenty late for us. If we were in the later 8:00 seating, we'd be getting out at 9:30 earliest. Too late for that kinda food in our tummies. We do not stay up very late, as you can tell.
Our last day on the ship ……Castaway Cay We were hoping that the weather would be good, as we had heard that it might be raining. However the Weather Gods were with us, and the weather was just perfect all day long. I was able to take some sunrise shots on the calmest of seas on our way to the island.
We got our 7:00 wakeup call, and had ordered the breakfast for 8:00. The phone rang at 7:35, it was room service saying our breakfast was on the way up!! Lorne was still in the shower, so we were lucky that we had only ordered muffins. There was a little bit of a mixup with the food, but the girl made it right very quickly. We got dressed for our day on the island & watched the ship dock.
Now I am telling you that we were probably docked less than a minute when the activity began. I took many, many pictures and some video as well, but I don’t know how to post those. The video would show exactly what I am talking about, but I will try with the stills. I swear the ramp (gangway?) was still moving down and the crew and cms were already on it, either carrying, pushing, pulling, driving or riding something. Someone would just dump whatever it was right there, and someone else would pick it up and take it to wherever. It was marvelous to watch. Oh, what a wonderful world this would be were everything so organized. I really do wish I knew how to post the videos.
Keep your eye on the blue canopy.
taken at 8:57.22
8:57.28
8:57.35
8:57.45
taken at 8:57.51
My point of posting the times on the above is so you can see just how quickly everything was set up. Only 30 seconds passed between the first and last pics. But look how much has been done. Amazing to watch.
We got the all clear to leave, so we picked up our towels outside and walked to the merchandise shop area where I rented snorkel equipment. Of course, along the way, I had to take the requisite shots. These have been posted a lot, so I wont post that many, I don't wanna bore you. But...
We took the tram to Serenity bay. I wanted the hammocks, and we had to walk almost to the end of the beach to get them.
We got the second last ones. It was worth it.
After a little while, I decided I would go snorkeling. So, I walked back and caught the tram back to snorkeling area. I only took a few shots with the disposable underwater camera, but the bottom was stirred up quite a bit, so they didn’t turn out so well. I will not do the snorkeling experience again. Maybe ever. The only time I have snorkeled before, was in Hawaii. We were only in chest high or waist high water, so it was easy to stand on the bottom if you needed to. I really enjoyed it there, so I was looking forward to it here on this trip. However, here on Castaway, you had to wear this inflatable vest, which I just couldn’t get to fit /inflate properly, and it became a problem for me. I was uncomfortable in the water with it, and was clinging to the ropes. I semi-panicked as well, so it was not an enjoyable experience. I returned the snorkel equipment. This is still early, and the fellow at the shop said are you sure…. And I said.. REAL SURE!!!!
So back on the tram to the adult beach. Lunch was beginning to be served, and Lorne was waaaaaaaaaaaay down at the end. So I trudged down, picked him up and trudged back to the BBQ area. Lorne had a cheeseburger and I had a steak. I can’t remember what else came with it. However, we were hungry and enjoyed it.
So baaaaaaaaaaaaaack to the hammock for an hour or so. Wanna know what that was like? sigh........
We were both turning a little red, and in real danger of falling asleep in the sun, so we decided to return to the ship. Boy oh boy……we get to walk baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack to the tram. My legs were sore. Walking in sand is great exercise, and I sure got mine today, I’ll tell ya.
Somewhere along the way, we saw this modified wheelchair. How cool is that??
I just love the special things that Disney does.
On the way back to the ship, I took a bunch of pictures...here are only a few.
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.
After showering and changing, we decided to order room service. We got the ‘All Hands on Deck’ cheese and crackers platter, a fruit bowl and a couple of cokes. We sat on the balcony and enjoyed these. Then Lorne was tuckered out after all that sitting around in the sun so he went for a nap. I of course got my camera out and took photos of the beehive of activity that was the reverse of this morning.
THE WELCOME BACK COMMITTEE:
They were even painting the outside railings. They were on these ‘crawling’ do-thingys that moved along the railings. It was fun to watch them. They went right along the entire length of the ship. You can see another crew below them.
They went right by our window. And again, I have video of that, but oh well.
We got dressed for our last dinner, which was in Animator’s Palette. A new couple joined us tonight. They had apparently been hopping tables all cruise, because they couldn’t get the early seating that they wanted. They were told that they could just check at the podium and if they could be fitted in at a table, they were. What a nice way to meet a lot of new people.
I didn't know you could do that.
Our new tablemates were a wonderful couple named Tom and Mary. The live in Celebration, Florida!!!!! He is a supervisor for the Photopass program, and she works for Disney Cruise Line. (Maybe that's why they could switch around dining?)
I asked them if they would like to adopt me, but sadly, no. I could have talked to them all night, but didn’t want to bother them too much. Boy, I bet they could tell some stories. I must have been so wrapped up in them that I didn’t take notes on what we ate that evening. Oh well, lets just presume it was very good. The parade of nations at the end was nice to watch, but just brought home that this cruise was ending.
BAKED ALASKA:
PARADE OF NATIONS:
We went to the WD Theatre for the “Remember the Magic” show, but only caught a bit of it. We were happy to watch the ventriloquist again. But we commited the cardinal sin of not packing a single thing yet, so we needed to get crackin’. We snuck out of the show early and started packing. Our cases were out of the room by 10:30. (whew)
The towel animal tonight is anybody’s guess…sorry, Rodolfo.
Bunny? Puppy? Alien? (that was Lorne’s guess)
At any rate, for the last time from the ship……Good Night Everyone.
And now that you mention it, as I get older, I can't seem to eat late without some Tums handy, so I'll just leave things as they are.
DW asked me the other day if the cabins have there own heating controls, I couldn't remember if I read that somewhere, but I was sure they did. That didn't satisfy her (she's from New England, ya know ).... so, I told her I would ask.
I think I will LOVE the cruise! We are close enough to start worrying about it now, though... but I'm still Carribean Dreaming!...
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.
And now that you mention it, as I get older, I can't seem to eat late without some Tums handy, so I'll just leave things as they are.
DW asked me the other day if the cabins have there own heating controls, I couldn't remember if I read that somewhere, but I was sure they did. That didn't satisfy her (she's from New England, ya know ).... so, I told her I would ask.
I think I will LOVE the cruise! We are close enough to start worrying about it now, though... but I'm still Carribean Dreaming!...
The cabins do have their own temperature control.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenny
Fabulous pictures, again! Nice sunrise! Those feet looked Oh sooo comfortable! I don't want it to end!!
I really, REALLY could have stayed in the hammock for many more hours. They were very comfortable and worth the walk we made to get ours.
At least we had two days as POFQ to look forward to. Otherwise, I would have been
here was the formal shot that we picked up Shutters at the end of the evening. We only got the one shot, because it was free with the package. We put it in the free frame from the package and had a lovely souvie.
About This Page: 
]
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
)
……Castaway Cay 
We were hoping that the weather would be good, as we had heard that it might be raining. However the Weather Gods were with us, and the weather was just perfect all day long. 
I was able to take some sunrise shots on the calmest of seas on our way to the island. 
).... so, I told her I would ask.
Linear Mode
