Clipboard of Fun - The Disney Christmas Wonderland Edition - Page 15 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Jeffrey, our local tour guide started walking and we followed. He didn’t say anything during this part. I snapped a few quick pictures.
He led us to a spot and told us to wait while he went to pick up his van. While we waited, we were approached by a taxi driver (we were a small group, about 6 or 7 of us). Luckily, there weren’t too many local hawkers around this day, since the Wonder was the only ship in port that day! Jeffrey picked us up and (after he made a call ) told us that 6 ships were in port on both Friday and Saturday and 5 were in on Sunday, so I guess the merchants were sleeping in that day.
While we drove to our first stop, Jeffrey gave us a bit of the history of the island and pointed out sights. He told us that tourism is the number one industry in the Bahamas, but banking is number two. I could definitely see that, there was practically a bank on every corner!
He mentioned that if we saw anyone walking around wearing sweaters or jackets, we’d know for sure that they were locals. I’d say it was in the low 70s and sunny, a beautiful day for me, but to Bahamians, that’s a cold day!
Our first stop was my favorite, the best part of the tour hands down. The Junkanoo Museum is run by Arlene Nash Ferguson out of what used to be her home. It houses dozens of Junkanoo costumes that were absolutely amazing to look at. She told us the history of Junkanoo. It began as a way for slaves to celebrate their only days off work for the year – Christmas Day and Boxing Day (they would dance in the streets at night, when they couldn’t be seen) and is still a major celebration every year on Boxing Day (December 26).
Arlene told us that her husband makes her costume every year, and every year it gets bigger and more elaborate. They’re still made from paper with wire frames (like from coat hangers), but they still can be heavy, especially when they’re as big as the ones on display!
Arlene told us that they like to have a different theme for her costume every year. One year that had a gambling theme.
Gambling is a hotly contested topic in Nassau. Gambling is legal, but only for non-residents. Locals aren’t allowed, and I guess they feel like they should be able to gamble.
That last photo illustrates the construction process. The bottom portion shows all the necessary parts including paper and hangers to make the frame. Then the top part shows the mask and finally the finished mask. They aren’t painted, but rather have bits of colored paper applied where they want color. It seems like a long, arduous process, but I’m sure it’s a labor of love.
Arlene’s 2009 Junkanoo costume – I made sure to get some furniture & stuff in the photo so you could see just how huge it is
We were given some instruments (bells and drums) and taught how to play and chant like we were in the parade. We also got to taste some Junkanoo punch, which is made especially for the festival and bottled (or canned) just like regular soft drinks by Pepsi. There were three different flavors, and we tried each one and then we tried them all mixed together. They were very fruity and sweet. One tasted just like bubble gum.
Then we were allowed to try on one of the headdresses. The one I tried on was pretty heavy, so I can’t imagine wearing that and dancing in a parade for hours!
It was an interesting visit and I learned a lot. I already felt like the tour was worth what I’d paid. And we still had a couple more stops before the end of the tour.
Up Next: The ultimate stand-up
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
Sharon, it's so great to see the wonderful pictures of you and the Royal Parents! Lovely sunrise, scrumptious looking French toast, and cool pics of the port.
I told Bob he needs to read your TR (and get a passport!). That keycard is so very important for getting on and off the ship. It was one thing I learned on my little cruise.
Given that there is so much more to do on your cruise ship than mine, did you ever feel overwhelmed?
What an amazing sunrise, Sharon! And I have to admit that I'm a bit like you in that I sometimes have those "What if...." thoughts. Not that I think it will really happen, but what if it did?!?! Your tour sounds very interesting so far. The locals can't gamble? Interesting. I can't wait to see your pictures of the straw market.
What a magical way to spend your morning!!! The sunrise was absolutly breathtaking!! I totally understand your thoughts about falling over & not being found...I'd have the same ones
The beinging of your tour reminds me of the Mummers! The costumes are amazing. Can't wait to see the rest of the tour & the Straw Market too!
Absolutely wonderful pictures of the sunrise. I hope to get up one morning to be able to get some shots. The beginning of your tour sounds great. Those costumes were amazing! I know you haven't finished the tour yet, but is it worth it...meaning the time and money? Mom and I have debated back and forth on whether we wanted to the walking tour or not.
I totally get the weird feelings of being on the veranda because I would have the same ones!
Your sunrise pics are just beautiful, too. Glad you had a good breakfast and got the key card sorted out before heading out on the tour. The museum is a really neat place; thanks for sharing all the info.
danielle
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~Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you will land among the stars~
Sharon, what gorgeous pictures!! The sunrise is beautiful, brakfast looks delicious and I love the pics of the Junkanoo Museum. What was that tour called??
The sunrise photos and the incredibly blue-water-blue-sky ones of Nassau are great. I'm an early riser, too, and loved watching the sunrise from the veranda and wandering the empty ship. The Junkanoo museum looks like fun!
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I snapped a few quick pictures.
) told us that 6 ships were in port on both Friday and Saturday and 5 were in on Sunday, so I guess the merchants were sleeping in that day. 
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The sunrise is beautiful, brakfast looks delicious and I love the pics of the Junkanoo Museum. 
What was that tour called??
Great start to your tour -- the costumes are fabulous! 
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