Living the dream and remembering the Bagman COMPLETED IN THIS FORUM - Page 4 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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Your resort looks so lovely from the buildings to the grounds and seems there is so much there to occupy your time. Glad you were able to enjoy some spa time! How cool it must have been to meet up by surprise with your coworker!
Saturday 10 September – part one: is that the fire alarm?
We didn’t have a bad night’s sleep, considering the disco. Either it finished relatively early, which is possible or we just slept through it. Certainly when we went to bed, the bass was pounding away, but there was nothing to be heard later, at least as far as I knew anyway! Eventually, realising Mark was probably half awake, I asked him what time it was. He told a bit grumpily it was 5:50am, and “to go back to sleep”. I half dozed, but couldn’t really sleep. After all I was excited – it was a big travel day!
It’s probably just as well I didn’t go back to sleep completely, as we were very rudely awakened at 6:35am, when the fire alarm in our part of the hotel went off. We quickly stumbled out of bed, pulled some clothes on, I grabbed my handbag with the most important bits in it, and my camera, because heck I can’t go anywhere without it, and we headed outside.
When we got out there, we were amongst the first out. I think there were only two women out there in dressing gowns, and that was it. I decided to get some photos of the beautiful sunrise…
By the time I’d done that, and posted on Facebook, there were a few more people out, either in clothes or dressing gowns (is this why the hotel provides them? ) including a very irate guy, who was obviously sound asleep when the alarm went off. He was in a very bad mood, shall we say? We both suspected he’d been at last night’s party and perhaps wasn’t the better for wear…
Eventually, we were summonsed back in by a member of staff, who calmly told it was room 58. I had visions of the irate guy heading off up there, as he’d already threatened to, once he found out who was responsible. It wasn’t encouraging when another guest said it was the third time it had happened and the member of staff admitted they needed to get the alarm checked… great! We also weren’t impressed that they didn’t do a role call just to check everyone was there. Whether it’s a false alarm or not, we thought they should’ve done that.
We headed back to the room, of course wide awake by now, so we decided we may as well just get dressed and head over to the main house for breakfast. We took two cases back to the car on the way, allowing me to get some shots of the place as we walked along…
Mark spotted this guy by the outdoor pool…
Once the cases were away, and we’d gawped at how deserted the car park was this morning (I think there were probably a few drink/drive cases last night, given how many people seemed to have driven over for the event and how many seemed to be drinking… ), we headed into the main house…
We went into the restaurant, and discovered we were the first ones in for breakfast, which surprised me, given all of our block had been rudely awakened just under an hour earlier. I guess they’d all gone back to bed then…
We had our pick of places to sit…
… so we chose one with a window view…
… and watched as the rain that had been threatened in the forecast started to close in.
I ordered some home smoked salmon with scrambled egg, which was wonderful
… while Mark had the traditional English breakfast with pork and leek sausage, grilled sweet cured back bacon (which he told me he was very impressed with), Kentish black pudding (which he didn’t eat), sautéed field mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and fried eggs.
Add in some toast for both of us, and some cheese for me, and we were very impressed with our breakfast and very full by the time we finished.
We rolled back to the room in the rain, which was now coming down quite hard, and finished getting our bits together, before heading back to the main house to check out. Thankfully by now the rain was more like a drizzle.
We checked out, and loaded up the final bits in the car, and off we went, waiting to get cell phone reception before we could call the valet parking company. As a result, we were only able to give them a 20 minute warning, rather than the required 30, but it was the best we could do.
We were soon at Heathrow…
… and pulled up, and unloaded the cases. We rang the company to let them know where we were, and they said the driver was on the way, and would be a few minutes. After 10 minutes, I called again to see where he was. This isn’t the service I’m used to from this company. The guy said he’d try and get hold of the driver, and I was on hold for ages. As I stood there on the phone, we saw a tow truck pull up behind another car to give the driver a very unsubtle hint to move on. I had a feeling this might be us next…
Eventually, a guy came up and said he hadn’t recognised us, as we had a new car. Oh my goodness, I booked this that long ago? I was so apologetic. We’ve had the car six months, and I didn’t realise I’d booked it with the old details. No wonder they were having fun finding us… I was exceptionally apologetic, and we handed the car over to him, and headed for the terminal.
Oh my goodness, I don't know how I misssed the start of this but I am so glad to be caught up before too long!!.
That resort looks amazing!! Your room!! Wow!! I would have loved to have jumped on that bed!! What a wonderful start to your trip!! Sorry about the fire alarm but I would stay at that place any day of the week!!
Your photos are stunning as always!! Glad you got the car situation straightened out as well. You are so close to being on your way!!!
Woohooo, you're off! Wow, we drove down M20 just two days ago and I didn't even realize there was a bridge that collapsed not long ago!
Yeah, traffic jams on M25... We were on a ton of those over the past weekend
Oh no, how annoying to first have loud music when you're trying to fall asleep and then be woken up way early because of a false fire alarm! I would have been rather angry in the morning...
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Well if you're going to be rudely forced outside for a fire alarm, at least the sunrise cooperated. Beautiful! Breakfast sounded lovely too, nobody else there and with a nice view. Tasty too! I'm just loving that resort. It's beautiful.
That's the downfall for those of us who plan ahead - we forget such things as "oh yeah, we got a new car in the meantime!" Glad they figured it out though. You're such good customers!
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More beautiful pictures of the hotel! Having the fire alarm go off is not how you want to start your day! Breakfast looked delicious Now that you are at the airport, your adventure can start!
Sorry that you had such a rude awakening with the fire alarm. The restaurant was lovely with such a pretty view and the food looked delicious! Glad the driver was able to finally locate you at the airport with your new car !
That sunrise seemed to have been the reward for such a rude early awakening.
Glad they finally found you at the airport, even if you were somewhat in disguise!
Oh, my goodness! I'm glad you slept well when you had the chance as it certainly could have been worse. Sorry about the fire alarm. It's bad enough to have to get up early but to be forced to have to go outside at that time... Ugh!
Woohooo, you're off! Wow, we drove down M20 just two days ago and I didn't even realize there was a bridge that collapsed not long ago!
Oh yes, it was the top story on the BBC news for a couple of days...
Quote:
Yeah, traffic jams on M25... We were on a ton of those over the past weekend
Oh boy - you picked your times well to travel on it then... not!
Quote:
Oh no, how annoying to first have loud music when you're trying to fall asleep and then be woken up way early because of a false fire alarm! I would have been rather angry in the morning...
I would've been, but then again, we were about to head out for three weeks of fun!
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How cool it must have been to meet up by surprise with your coworker! 
or we just slept through it. Certainly when we went to bed, the bass was pounding away, but there was nothing to be heard later, at least as far as I knew anyway! 
Eventually, realising Mark was probably half awake, I asked him what time it was. He told a bit grumpily it was 5:50am, and “to go back to sleep”. I half dozed, but couldn’t really sleep. After all I was excited – it was a big travel day! 
) including a very irate guy, who was obviously sound asleep when the alarm went off. He was in a very bad mood, shall we say? We both suspected he’d been at last night’s party and perhaps wasn’t the better for wear… 
We also weren’t impressed that they didn’t do a role call just to check everyone was there. Whether it’s a false alarm or not, we thought they should’ve done that. 
I was so apologetic. We’ve had the car six months, and I didn’t realise I’d booked it with the old details. No wonder they were having fun finding us… 
I was exceptionally apologetic, and we handed the car over to him, and headed for the terminal. 
I would have loved to have jumped on that bed!!
What a wonderful start to your trip!! Sorry about the fire alarm but I would stay at that place any day of the week!!
Glad they figured it out though. You're such good customers!
Now that you are at the airport, your adventure can start!
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