Nineteen nights of MouseFest, Disney and Christmas - THREAD 1 - UPDATED 1/11 - Page 12 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 that you got through customs quick....my heart would have been beating twice as fast with the luggage delay and the rental car....but you made it and your room and view look wonderful...
So glad that you made the second ressie and that you got to have dinner with friends....
The view from your room is bee-you-tee-full Cheryl! So, glad that everything worked out. There's nothing more frustrating than airport delays, especially at the beginning of the trip. Can't wait to hear (and see!) more!
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Karen, aka Zack's Mom - Lover of all Things Disney and the San Francisco Giants!
Oh Cheryl, please, please hurry up and get to Steve's medical lesson. I'm already having fits of laughter remembering it and his method of drinking sangria!
Well, OK, as you asked so nicely! And you're right - it's not fair to leave this account until 2008.... I know other PassPorters are going to love this installment and the photos that go with it....
Saturday 8 December – part four: Steve gives a medical lesson…
We walked over to the BoardWalk and I was so tired that I walked straight past Jan. Sorry! Once we rounded up the group and said our hellos, we checked in and explained that our original part of six was now a party of eight and an infant, with Donna, Adam, Jan’s son, his daughter Abby as the extra arrivals. They warned us that it might take a bit longer to seat us, but were fine about it.
We sat outside on the BoardWalk and it was so nice to enjoy a lovely warm Florida night. I got my birthday present from Sue and Steve – a gorgeous Eeyore figurine, while Mark got a T-shirt that was just perfect for him. I won’t explain any further, as you’ll see it in tomorrow’s part of the trip report.
”Look at what I’ve taken!” – Jan with son Adam and Donna The doting granddad! This was taken with Mark’s camera, so I can only assume that it went missing at some point? Sue on an important call
We were all getting hungry, so Steve went to check our ETE (estimated time of eating) and was told that we’d be called within a minute and sure enough, we were.
Jan and Steve in the Spoodles lobby, waiting for us to be called to our table Catching up with old friends Where should we all sit?
This was a great meal and so much fun, most of it at Steve’s expense. Sue, Donna, Mark and I knew we wanted a pitcher of sangria. There was a conversation between us all a couple of weeks earlier when it was asked why we were going to Spoodles and my answer was simple – sangria! It turns our that Steve had never tried it before, so he gave it a go and boy, he liked it so much that by the end of the meal, he was very happy and drinking out of the pitcher! He was also happily explaining to Adam all about how to deal with various medical issues. I’m sure it was very educational, but it was also very humorous for the rest of us. Still Adam seemed to enjoy the explanations and seemed to learn a lot from it.
Steve before the sangria… … about to start on it… … sampling his first taste…. … “I like this!” Steve likes it so much, he heads for the pitcher! Sue looks like she’s having fun – either that or she just wants to die with embarrassment at Steve’s antics! I love Adam’s face in this shot! This gesture was used many more times in the holiday!
So on to the food. The menu has undergone some radical changes since any of us were last here and, as a result, I decided to go with two starters, as nothing on the main courses really appealed to me. Mark and I ended up sharing the crispy fried calamari with olive-pepperocini relish. I also had the tomato – buffalo mozzarella Panzanella with oak grilled Focaccia, basil vinaigrette and fresh Pesto and garlic shrimp with preserved lemon and parsley, while Mark had the oak fired steak kebabs with multigrain pilaf, balsamic red onions and harissa.
At least he went for something on the menu, unlike some – come in Steve! – who went for the steak that used to be on there. Fair play, they did make him one, although I think it came from elsewhere on the BoardWalk from what I heard.
A word about our server. He really was awesome and got right into the spirit of it all. He was overacting with all of us and we had a lot of fun with him. He even gave Mark a free bowl of olives, which I thought was really decent of him. I just wish I could remember his name….
Our server gets into the spirit of things
Some other random photos from during the meal:
Bill hard at work with Abby Steve in usual mode – before hitting the sangria. I notice he didn’t try filming once he’d got started on the sangria! Sue enjoying her sangria
The bill came to $52 for the two of us, but if that seems very cheap, it’s because Sue and Steve very kindly paid for the two pitchers of sangria. Thanks guys – you didn’t have to do that for us.
Spoodles:
Appetiser 9 8
Main course 7½ 8½
Service 10 10
Atmosphere 10 10
Value for money 9½ 9½
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Ah, such wonderful memories! Our server's name was Jason and I believe he and Steve hit it off immediately because Jason was from PA too. Jan and I had also copped out and ordered the steak (which they had to bring in from ESPN) but they didn't cook our steaks enough and we had to send them back. But Jason more than made up for that by offering us a free dessert platter, which was fabulous and completely made up for the mooing steaks!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by WHMom
What a great first evening! I adore Spoodles! And those pictures are just too funny...I only wish there was an audio track to go with them!
As for audio.... it mostly went something like: "Hahahahahaha" ; "Steve, you've probably had enough sangria" (Sue removes Steve's glass) ; Steve grabs nearby pitcher and sticks a straw in and proceeds to suck it back! More laughter ensues as he tries to explain to Adam the effects of alcohol on the pancreas or something..... And all the while, poor Mark's eyelids are drooping because he's been awake something like 22 hours. How he could doze through any of that is beyond me!
What a gorgeous view (or should I say views?) from your room! Glad that you made it to that dinner! What a hilarious bunch you guys are - - especially when adding in that sangria - - which I cannot wait to try!
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And you're right - it's not fair to leave this account until 2008.... I know other PassPorters are going to love this installment and the photos that go with it.... 
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