The Trip of a Lifetime to Alaska – Land and Sea – Trip Report - COMLETE!! 4/13/12 - Page 34 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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.
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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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We had a late lunch at the casual restaurant at Butchart Gardens. Then we spent some time in the gift shop before we headed out. Next stop was downtown Victoria, which was about a 30 minute drive if that. We didn’t get out and look around, just drove thru (everyone was tired by this point). Here are some pictures that I snapped along the way.
Then we decided to just head back to the ferry. Our reservation wasn’t until 7 PM, but there was a 5:30 or 6 PM ferry so we were going to see if we could get on to that one. Good news, as we were driving, there was a sign that the next ferry was only at 50% capacity, which means we were able to make it. The sun had come out in full force now, so I spent most of the ferry trip up on the top deck, enjoying the sights. No whales to be found, although we did have a great view.
Honestly, I’m not sure if this was Mt. Hood or Mt. Rainier. Anyone? Once back on shore, we headed to the airport to return the car. That done, it was back to the light rail to get back to the waterfront and the Pan Pacific. Dinner was just some pizza place down near Gastown. We ordered it to go and took it back to the hotel room. Then we packed up the bags, as we were headed to Seattle tomorrow!
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Love your TR and all your pictures were amazing!! My brother and sister in law are in Alaska now aboard the Holland America. But due to a storm @ Sea with wave swells est. at 40- 60 ft. the ship is still in port. Hope they are able to see as many amazing sights as you and your family did on your visit. Thank you for sharing with us.
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What great pictures of the gardens, they are beautiful. I think I would have been lagging a bit two after 15 days....especially with all the activities over the past two weeks. I think you all deserve a sleep in day (maybe until 9 )
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