A special birthday, a diamond anniversary and a west coast adventure TRIP REPORT COMPLETED IN THIS FORUM - Page 22 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 a beautiful start to the day. Wow, those sunrise photos are amazing! The breakfast spread looked delicious. Glad it did taste good, even if the server wasn't the best.
Safe travels to Boston - have a great time!
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Tanya
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As a native of Northern California, I can't even tell you how weird this view looks. Until maybe three months ago, you would have been looking at a huge football stadium, Candlestick Park, where I had many a happy memory cheering on the 49ers (and the Giants before they moved into their new stadium in downtown SF.) Although, that peak at the Bay Bridge might only be possible because the stadium is no longer there. (The long bridge you flew over right before landing is actually the San Mateo Bridge, I run under it on the bay trail every Saturday.) And, I'm not surprised that you didn't remember the skyline of San Francisco; it changes every time I see it. There is so much construction going on!
I was so disappointed to not be able to spend time with you when you were SO close! I gave myself a good case of the giggles though imagining me giving you and Mark strep throat right at the start of your trip and having hundreds of Passporters storming my house with torches and pitchforks because I'd ruined your vacation... and their reading of an amazing trip report. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the rest of your day in my city by the bay!
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Karen, aka Zack's Mom - Lover of all Things Disney and the San Francisco Giants!
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Your sunrise photos are gorgeous. The one with the palm trees is quintessential California. Thank goodness the food was good as no one wants a surly server.
I hope you have a wonderful trip, Chez! Boston (and the East Coast in general) is on my bucket list so I can't wait to read about this vacation as well
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
What a beautiful start to the day. Wow, those sunrise photos are amazing!
Glad you like them and they have an added poignancy today. Someone on Facebook said that every time they saw a sunset or sunrise photo now, they'd think of Bill (LizardCop), who was tragically killed yesterday. I will too...
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The breakfast spread looked delicious. Glad it did taste good, even if the server wasn't the best.
As a native of Northern California, I can't even tell you how weird this view looks. Until maybe three months ago, you would have been looking at a huge football stadium, Candlestick Park, where I had many a happy memory cheering on the 49ers (and the Giants before they moved into their new stadium in downtown SF.) Although, that peak at the Bay Bridge might only be possible because the stadium is no longer there.
That's fascinating. I take it the stadium was demolished then?
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(The long bridge you flew over right before landing is actually the San Mateo Bridge, I run under it on the bay trail every Saturday.) And, I'm not surprised that you didn't remember the skyline of San Francisco; it changes every time I see it. There is so much construction going on!
I guess like most big cities - there's always something new being built in London every time we go up there...
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I was so disappointed to not be able to spend time with you when you were SO close! I gave myself a good case of the giggles though imagining me giving you and Mark strep throat right at the start of your trip and having hundreds of Passporters storming my house with torches and pitchforks because I'd ruined your vacation... and their reading of an amazing trip report. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the rest of your day in my city by the bay!
Thanks for that Karen, that gave me a much needed smile this morning, after last night's tragic news about Bill.... what a scene that would've been!
I will post an update today as a) I have time and b) as Mark told me last night, Bill wouldn't want me to stop everything, he'd want us to enjoy our new trip and I know he'd want me to continue to share this one with you all as well so this update is done with him in mind....
Sunday 30 August – part two: weaving our way down Lombard Street!
We were going to head straight for the Golden Gate Bridge, but on the way, we took a wrong turn, but it worked out Ok, as I realised that we’d be passing close to Lombard Street….hmm….
Well, first we ended up going past City Hall, which was built in 1915 for the Panama-Pacific Exposition. The dome was modelled after St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and is actually higher than the Capitol in Washington, DC. It’s a stunning place, and I’m so glad our route took us past it.
Opposite was the Opera House…
… and this lovely building:
It was like our own mini-sightseeing tour of the city! We also ended up experiencing the hills that San Francisco is so famous for, and it was quite something to be driving them, as previously we’d walked them. Trust me, driving is a lot simpler! Mind you, I would say that, wouldn’t I, given that I was a passenger…
Of course, then we started to meet the hills…
Then we were approaching the bit of Lombard Street we wanted to drive… this should be an experience…
What I wasn’t expecting when we got to the top of it were the stunning views across to Alcatraz…
… and over the city – a very neat bonus!
Given the early hour, we were the only vehicle going down, which was nice, although there were some sightseers around, and I’m sure we had our photo taken by a fair few of them.
There is seriously no way I’d want to live here. For starters, look at the road – I cannot imagine navigating that every day! I also dread to think what it’s like when it gets busy, it’s probably completely and utterly full of traffic, and I doubt anyone goes anywhere fast…
Then we were at the bottom of Lombard Street, and heading down to the sea…
I don’t remember there being so many colourful buildings here either, although in fairness, we didn’t really get off the beaten track on our last track, so perhaps that explains it.
We made our way along the front, so I could get some photos of Fisherman’s Wharf. It was lovely to see it so lovely and quiet…
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Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the rest of your day in my city by the bay!
The one with the palm trees is quintessential California. 
PassPorter Guide Author
I will too... 
so this update is done with him in mind.... 
It’s a stunning place, and I’m so glad our route took us past it. 
Mind you, I would say that, wouldn’t I, given that I was a passenger… 
I also dread to think what it’s like when it gets busy, it’s probably completely and utterly full of traffic, and I doubt anyone goes anywhere fast… 
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