Living the Dream and remembering the Bagman TRIP REPORT COMPLETED IN THIS FORUM - Page 19 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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That is such a view. Gosh how I loved Serenity Bay! Even if you were only there for a short while.... ahhh... So relaxing! Those clouds though.....
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Tanya
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Serenity Bay looked beautiful for sure but the clouds did look pretty ominous, so I'm glad you never got the heavy showers. As long as I have the option to go in the water then I could last on the beach there most of the day. It would be nice if they had more umbrella covered areas for guests on that beach.
I love Serenity Bay - or any other part of Castaway Cay - as long as I'm in the water. It means needing to put on sunscreen more often, but I just love being in the water. Even just pulling my chair to the edge and putting my feet in helps stay cooler.
It does look like you just missed quite a storm from the look of those clouds.
I love Serenity Bay - or any other part of Castaway Cay - as long as I'm in the water. It means needing to put on sunscreen more often, but I just love being in the water. Even just pulling my chair to the edge and putting my feet in helps stay cooler.
Maybe that's where we're going wrong... we need to spend our time in the water.
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I love Serenity Bay - or any other part of Castaway Cay - as long as I'm in the water. It means needing to put on sunscreen more often, but I just love being in the water. Even just pulling my chair to the edge and putting my feet in helps stay cooler.
I'm with Colleen! Just sitting on a hot beach, baking in the sun is miserable. But taking a dip in the water is heavenly. I could sit in a low chair at the edge of the water with my feet dipped in for hours (with lots of sunblock, of course!).
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Your dinner at Palo looked delicious. Sorry they no longer serve your favorite dish. Serenity Bay looks so nice and relaxing. I never understood the people who can lay out in the sun. I like to be in the water more than anything!
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Wednesday 28 September – part three: that rescue attempt didn’t go to plan!
We made our way back to the ship…
On the way, I was surprised to be asked for our Key to the World card. When we got back on board, we were asked for it for a second time, and I questioned that. The guy told me you show it when you get off and when you get back on board. I explained to him that that’s not quite how it’s worked today, as we had to show it twice to get on board, and he seemed to have no idea that was going on. Maybe it’s a new thing?
Of course we couldn’t go on board at the forward entrance, as that was people coming off only. It figures, make those who want to return earlier walk the furthest.
We made our way up to deck 11, and look how deserted it was!
I took the opportunity to at least say I’d tried the adult pool!
We headed for the Rainforest…
As the women’s changing room was deserted, I was able to sneak a couple of quick photos in there…
We headed first for the showers, figuring that we didn’t need to use the laconium to warm our skin up. We thought it had had enough of that already on Castaway Cay! Instead, I went for one of the medium temperature showers to make sure I was nice and wet, and then we went into the hamam to apply the scrubs. Once that was done, I lasted a couple of moments in the caldarium, which was really living up to its name today. I swear they’d turned the temperature on everything in here today. We then hit the showers again to rinse off. I went straight for the cold mist option when I came out of the caldarium, which I think tells you something!
This time, the scrub made it safely back to the locker (we have learnt from our earlier mistake! ) and we headed for the hot tub. I was surprised that there were so many people on the hot stone chairs, three people when we arrived. When we’d stayed on board during our Castaway Cay stop last time we were on the Dream, we literally had the place to ourselves. I guess a lot more people are staying on board now.
We spent a bit of time in the hot tub, but this was also on cooking mode, so we didn’t last too long in there. Instead, we spent a lot more time leaning out of one of the open windows, admiring the safety drill going on in the water below. Let’s just say it wasn’t going well from what we could see. It was a man overboard exercise, and that poor guy must’ve been bobbing around in the water for a good 20 minutes. At times, he was being told to let go of the lifebelt as well…
Anyway, they had a speed boat out there, which was apparently going to rescue him. Well let’s just say it didn’t go to plan on the first attempt they made. They almost ran the poor guy down in the water, and they weren’t able to get him out, so they had to try again. I’m sure there were a lot of learning points for them from that drill, let’s put it that way…
We then retreated to the hot stone chairs, with a brief interlude to stick our feet back in the hot tub, and for me to go to the laconium, so I could say I’d used everything in the Rainforest this morning. Then we stayed as long as we could on the hot stone chairs without burning, trying not to listen to the sounds of gentle snoring coming from the one remaining guy in there. Just figures, we get left with the snorer – even his wife had deserted him by now! He actually departed while we were sticking our feet in the hot tub, and my goodness, you should’ve seen the shock on his face when he woke up. I don’t think he planned to go to sleep… Mind you, I can sympathise, as my goodness, I got very close to falling asleep today as well. This is such a tough life…
We headed out, and Mark said he’d have a shower, so I took my time in the changing room, and managed a few minutes in the not-so-gentle sauna. I ended up waiting outside in the adult pool area for Mark. It was classic. He always talks about how observant he is, and in fairness, he is a very good cow spotter, especially when he’s driving, but today he didn’t seem to see me, despite me constantly waving in his direction!
Next: enjoying the facilities on board in peace and quiet
Wow the safety drill sounded kind of scary. But I guess that's how they learn!
More good time spent in the spa. Why do you always get the snorers though? I had a good chuckle at that!
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Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
Wow the safety drill sounded kind of scary. But I guess that's how they learn!
More good time spent in the spa. Why do you always get the snorers though? I had a good chuckle at that!
Oh I know! I can only assume people snore ore when they're relaxed?
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As long as I have the option to go in the water then I could last on the beach there most of the day. 
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Instead, I went for one of the medium temperature showers to make sure I was nice and wet, and then we went into the hamam to apply the scrubs. Once that was done, I lasted a couple of moments in the caldarium, which was really living up to its name today. I swear they’d turned the temperature on everything in here today. We then hit the showers again to rinse off. I went straight for the cold mist option when I came out of the caldarium, which I think tells you something! 
They almost ran the poor guy down in the water, and they weren’t able to get him out, so they had to try again. I’m sure there were a lot of learning points for them from that drill, let’s put it that way… 
Then we stayed as long as we could on the hot stone chairs without burning, trying not to listen to the sounds of gentle snoring coming from the one remaining guy in there. Just figures, we get left with the snorer – even his wife had deserted him by now! 
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