Tales from the South Pacific, July 13-29, 2011 - Page 2 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Of course I'm going to stick with you.... Wow, you are a trooper with all that flying - going to the States or Japan is about my limit. And sadly, I'm not surprised about your comment about the American carriers being the worst for flights...
ALL of our bags made it to Fiji, checked through from Richmond, so we were all thankful for this little miracle. It was at this point that we met up with Sladjana, or "Sladj", our wonderful, fantastic EF Tour Director. We bought some bottled water and some folks exchanged some money; Sue had taken care of most of this earlier in Richmond for both of us (Thanks, Sue!), so we walked outside to the motor coach and got our bags loaded.
Outside the Nadi, Fiji airport terminal. We arrived right around sunrise.
Mick (blue shirt) and some of the other folks waiting for everyone to finish inside the terminal.
Sladj lives in Sydney, so she was with us from Fiji to NZ to Sydney, but did not accompany us to Honolulu.
Sladj, EF Tour Director extraordinaire!
Sorry, with the sun angle, shadows, and the contrast in this picture, I had to play with the lighting in this picture so you can see her at all. I'll have a better picture of her later. She is a warm, enthusiastic, talented and competent lady with an amazing ability to adapt.
It was also at this point that we met up with our local Fijian guide, Rony. He was a most interesting person, extremely proud of his heritage and culture, knowledgeable, and very aware of the rest of the world. One of the reasons is that some of the rest of the world has come to him--he has, for example, ridden aboard Oprah Winfrey's private jet to another island. Interestingly, Rony referred to everyone, singly or collectively, as "family". So, for example, when he would introduce a subject, he wouldsay, "Now, family, if you look out to the right, you will see the narrow gauge trains that are used to carry sugar cane from the fields to the factory." He is 1 of 14 brothers (same parents!).
Family, this is our local guide, Rony.
After a fairly short drive, we arrived at the pier where we would board a boat to take us and our luggage across to the Sonaisali Resort. And let me just say (and you will see for yourself), that if you have an image in your mind of what Fijian paradise looks like, this is probably what you envision!
Heading down to the dock to be ferried across the lagoon to the Sonaisali Resort.
Lagoon View.
Awaiting our transportation.
Coming Up: Second Breakfast, check-in, and a visit to Nadi Town.
Of course I'm going to stick with you.... Wow, you are a trooper with all that flying - going to the States or Japan is about my limit. And sadly, I'm not surprised about your comment about the American carriers being the worst for flights...
You're sweet!
Not to steal any thunder from a much later post, but it was because of one of the US domestic carriers that a 7-hour flight ended up being sheer torture, whereas the 10-hour flight to Fiji was better than okay.
What a marathon of a travel day(s)! But it ends in Fiji!! It's depressingly true that for efficiency and service American airports are the worst. I'm flying into LAX for the first time in a month and after your comments and Cheryl's, I'm not looking forward to it! Fiji looks glorious.
Wow! What an itinerary - and those flights - you are a brave soul! Would love to go to Fiji or Tahiti but after flying 17 hours to Hong Kong and then Singapore and Bangkok from San Francisco, I haven't been able to fly longer than 5 or 6 hours to Hawaii or Florida - lol!
But what glorious pics of Fiji - love your sig pic, too!
Sorry to hear about the LAX complications. Guess it depends on the specifics. When we flew from Las Vegas to Orlando via LAX, we were actually praising LAX - it was easy to switch planes and the hub was so convenient, which made the taxiing short, compared to LV and Orlando. But we didn't have to switch terminals or airlines.
So happy to see this report started! Makes me want to plan a new trip.
Not to steal any thunder from a much later post, but it was because of one of the US domestic carriers that a 7-hour flight ended up being sheer torture, whereas the 10-hour flight to Fiji was better than okay.
Oh boy!
you're right - that's exactly what I envisage a Fijian paradise as looking like. It didn't disappoint at all.
Thankfully all those flights went off "fairly smoothly" Glad you could catch a nap on the plane. How were you feeling energy wise when you landed in Fiji ?
Thankfully all those flights went off "fairly smoothly" Glad you could catch a nap on the plane. How were you feeling energy wise when you landed in Fiji ?
A bit dragged out but actually pretty good. The weather was beautiful and we are about to get another Breakfast, which we ate overlooking... well, it's coming up in the next post.
Noticed your new signature pic and moseyed on over here to read about your fun . Now I'm exhausted just hearing about your travel day(s)! Looking forward to more!
__________________
Stacey
Why do these kids look so pathetic?
Find out in: A New Grade, A New House, and A Surprise!Final Thoughts 01/30
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I just found this and glad I'm not that far behind!!! That's a lot of travel!! Glad you were able to get your prescription before leaving the states. Glad you arrived in Fiji safe and sound. I'm so looking forward to seeing the pictures of paradise!!
Lovely photos so far. When we were in HI, every person we met called us "cousins".
Thanks. There are more and better pics to follow.
The Fijians still remember the protection the U.S. provided them in WWII, so I think that's one reason they consider us family. Also, Fijian soldiers fought in the Solomon Islands campaign.
As we will see, some of us even managed to acquire more elevated (if only honorary) status.
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Wow, you are a trooper with all that flying - going to the States or Japan is about my limit. And sadly, I'm not surprised about your comment about the American carriers being the worst for flights... 
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. Now I'm exhausted just hearing about your travel day(s)! 
Looking forward to more!
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