Canals, diamonds and red lights an Amsterdam getaway COMPLETED - Page 20 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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What annoying girls in the picture. That reminds me of a story a friend told me a while ago...he used to work at the DL submarine ride, and he and the other CM's got really annoyed by all the people who would stop the line as they were trying to board and ask a CM to take a picture of the family in front of the submarine. If you've ever been on that ride, you know how slowly the line moves, and how slowly the boarding tends to be since everyone needs to walk carefully down the steps into the submarine.
Anyhow, he said that after a while, he and the CMs came up with a new plan...when people would hold up the line and ask him to take a picture, he'd take one and focus it way behind the family...but then he'd quickly take a second one for them that was ok.
I can understand people being excited when they're on vacation and see something interesting, but that's no excuse to let your brain go to sleep!
Neat story - and I remember how slow those lines were when it was 20,000 Leagues and of course it's not much better now!
Aside from the super-annoying girls, a good morning so far. Nice that it didn't feel quite so cold out-- maybe because you were still over-heated from the room!
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Aside from the super-annoying girls, a good morning so far. Nice that it didn't feel quite so cold out-- maybe because you were still over-heated from the room!
Saturday 11 February part two: diamonds really are forever!
We walked through all their various shops, and boy there were a fair few of them finally making it to the Diamond Museum. Up the stairs we went and started the tour, learning about where diamonds came from, and the process that they go through before they make it into your ring or other piece of jewellery. It was really interesting. While Antwerp is the centre of business for diamonds, Amsterdam is more about consumers.
I was particularly interested in the different settings that they can use for diamonds when they go into rings....
... and the different ways diamonds are used in jewellery in each country. Who knew that there could be so much variety on this? I guess its called fashion....
Then you see how some of these diamonds are used in a fascinating array of replica pieces. Replica or not, theyre still stunning!
We headed upstairs and were greeted with this the reason will become clear later.
The next section took you through famous diamond robberies, including one of our own in Londons New Bond Street, which I remember hearing about only too well. The story that sticks in my mind though is the one about the diamond worker who met a prostitute, fell in love with her and figured he needed enough money to woo her, so he stole a briefcase worth of diamonds, worth something like 50 million. The woman decided she wanted nothing to do with him, and mortified, the guy turned himself into the police, gave back the diamonds and got a two and a half year jail sentence.
We sat there for a while, watching a really interesting selection of movie clips, all about diamond heists. I never knew that had been a theme in so many different films!
Finally, we moved on into another room, packed with crowns of all shapes and sizes.
Then it was into the last section and, like any good attraction, they saved the best for last, as you can see. This is where the Damien Hurst skull comes in, as they decided to do their own replica of it in a stunning setting.
It was a really enjoyable museum to visit and I learnt more than I ever thought possible about diamonds.
Fun tour window-shopping in the diamond museum! I've always been glad I don't care much for jewelry. I think it's beautiful to look at, but only have a few basic pieces myself and no desire for more.
Wow, there's a lot of interesting things regarding diamonds. Lots of stuff I never even gave a thought to! I love that Starry Night. Van Gogh is one of my favorites, and that gives it a whole new meaning now!
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Wow, there's a lot of interesting things regarding diamonds. Lots of stuff I never even gave a thought to! I love that Starry Night. Van Gogh is one of my favorites, and that gives it a whole new meaning now!
Oh boy - you're going to be in for a treat with one of the upcoming installments...
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That's one interesting museum! I love all the beautiful pieces! I was kind of expecting you to mention at the end that Mark purchased a lovely little souvenir for you!
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And those girls need to get a clue! I wouldn't have been able to be as patient as you were.
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That reminds me of a story a friend told me a while ago...he used to work at the DL submarine ride, and he and the other CM's got really annoyed by all the people who would stop the line as they were trying to board and ask a CM to take a picture of the family in front of the submarine. If you've ever been on that ride, you know how slowly the line moves, and how slowly the boarding tends to be since everyone needs to walk carefully down the steps into the submarine.
getting one of everything out of there! 
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