On the road (1) – Six countries, nine days COMPLETED - Page 29 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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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.
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And just where is the picture of the foot-high chocolate rabbit please?!
Hmmm.... sad story about foot-high chocolate rabbit. I didn't take any photos of him (me bad) and we went out yesterday with my parents. Mark had insisted that I didn't eat him before my parents came, so that my mom could see him, which she did yesterday. I managed to leave him in direct sunlight (stupid me ) and now he has a two inch hole in his rear, where it was burnt out by the sun.
Finally all caught up again. Your pictures of Switzerland make me wanna finally go see the country for myself!
Oh, and I bought a 500g (about one pound) Lindt chocolate bunny right after Easter for half price It looked just like the one on top of the chocolate museum in Cologne, Cheryl (ups, sorry, spoiler alert!)
You so should go to Switzerland - you guys are a lot nearer than we are. I was so shocked when I found out you'd never been there.
I thought this place looked lovely enough from the outside, but my goodness, we’d seen absolutely nothing so far. We had something like 40 different things to see as we followed the route around the castle. They laid it out really well, although it was fairly exhausting, as it was a fair bit of walking, with a lot of steps, which took their toll on both of us.
First courtyard Castle model Cellar, used to store wines at times in the past Postern, used as a cellar and as a possible escape route, and the view out from it Bonivard’s prison – one of the most famous prisoners was English poet Lord Byron Today a more famous prisoner resides there! Second courtyard Constable’s dining room, with models dating from the 13th century The Aula Nova, used as a large ceremonial room Bernese bedroom Guest bedroom Coat of arms hall Camera Domini, the Lord’s bedroom Latrines, as you probably guessed from the images in here... The wooden room with superb views over the lake and Montreux Chapel Aula Magna, used as a reception room Fourth courtyard The views from above the courtyards from the sentries’ galleries
Finally, we were done and got a final few photos on the way out of the chateau. It had been well worth a visit and it’s a definite must-do for anyone in this area.
Oh my gosh, you know it has to be the first thing mentioned... those pictures in the latrines... I cracked UP! I was looking at the pictures with Meredith and explaining what was in each photo, when I came to those! At first I had to give them a closer look thinking, "What on earth is that?" and then when I realized I just busted out laughing. So of course I explained that those pictures were put up so people knew where to potty, and she seemed to think that made sense, lol.
Phew, gave me a wonderful laugh on a Sunday morning! Now as for the rest of the photos - wow. Just gorgeous! I am constantly amazed at the beauty! And your photos are so detailed, it's amazing! I feel like I'm walking around with you guys! Thanks for posting pictures of various signs / explanations too - I always take pictures of those too!
Hmmm.... sad story about foot-high chocolate rabbit. I didn't take any photos of him (me bad) and we went out yesterday with my parents. Mark had insisted that I didn't eat him before my parents came, so that my mom could see him, which she did yesterday. I managed to leave him in direct sunlight (stupid me ) and now he has a two inch hole in his rear, where it was burnt out by the sun.
Now he is recovering in the fridge....
Poor, poor bunny!!!!!
__________________
Stacey
Why do these kids look so pathetic?
Find out in: A New Grade, A New House, and A Surprise!Final Thoughts 01/30
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
Ummm....those were quite the pictures in the latrine area!! I too laughed out loud at them - thanks! The other photos were gorgeous as usual I really liked the view from the cellar area.
__________________
Stacey
Why do these kids look so pathetic?
Find out in: A New Grade, A New House, and A Surprise!Final Thoughts 01/30
Gorgeous pictures of the castle! I love the model of the castle, and the view of the lake is just breathtaking! I too cracked up at the latrine pictures!
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.
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.