Florida flowers and Caribbean cruising - the trip report! THIS SECTION COMPLETED 4/12 - Page 42 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Great lunch at CP. Very funny how Piglet's handler handled the bacon jokes. And that was sooo sweet of Eeyore taking putting your hands together. How precious.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
Crystal Palace never disappoints us either! In fact, I rather miss it as we've been trying other restaurants the last few trips and haven't been in quite a while. So happy to hear it's as good as always! (and busy as always!)
Yes, I don't think we've ever had a slow day there...
What a great meal with all your friends from Pooh Corner! Too funny about Mark & Piglet, and SO sweet that Eeyore wants you to stay with Mark. No home wrecking for him!
No, my donkey is obviously a home lover!
Quote:
By the way, I'm on hold with DCL as we speak - after 20 minutes of a constant busy signal. Now they're saying wait time in excess of 15 minutes......at least they have great hold music!
Oh don't get me started with that. After pricing up four different itineraries (the British Isles, the two Norway/Iceland ones and the seven night Baltic cruises), I gave up, as the prices for all of them were just obscene.
I was so gutted we wouldn't be able to sail with Disney next summer but my wonderful travel agent ( so much Sara!) came up with the perfect fix for that... we will be sailing to the Baltics next summer from Southampton with Celebrity!
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.
We waited quite a while for lunch last time too. I agree it's crazy popular but then they've been doing this so long now it seems it'd be better paced out. Perhaps they fill too many ADRS per hour?
Maybe... I also keep wondering why on earth they won't put on another Pooh and friends (actually that should be Eeyore and friends ) character meal elsewhere in Disney, given its popularity. It's an even more pertinent question, given that my donkey boy is no longer to be found doing character meet and greets anywhere now.
Quote:
Again excellent character interaction and your donkey is just too sweet !
What a great time at Crystal Palace! I totally agree with the wait to get in, it never seems to change no matter what time of day either. So glad you have a great meet with some passporter friends. I hope you get your phone sorted out soon, must have been so frustrating.
It was very annoying, but thankfully we were able to sort it out fairly soon after this...
Quote:
Hope you got past main street before the parade started. I can't wait to read more.
The picture with both of you and Eeyore holding you hands is just so priceless!
What a fantastic meal all around!
I found it interesting you had no idea what a turtle was! Love those things. My Dad makes chocolate candy every year for Christmas and he actually has a turtle mold to make turtle candy!
Oh cool!
There are just so many ways that our languages, while apparently the same, are unbelievably different.
Oh don't get me started with that. After pricing up four different itineraries (the British Isles, the two Norway/Iceland ones and the seven night Baltic cruises), I gave up, as the prices for all of them were just obscene.
I was so gutted we wouldn't be able to sail with Disney next summer but my wonderful travel agent ( so much Sara!) came up with the perfect fix for that... we will be sailing to the Baltics next summer from Southampton with Celebrity!
Hooray! Is this your first Baltic cruise? I'm sure I can wait for the PTR , but what ports will you be doing? We LOVED the Baltic cruise on DCL in 2010 - our favorite cruise of all thus far.
Hooray! Is this your first Baltic cruise? I'm sure I can wait for the PTR , but what ports will you be doing? We LOVED the Baltic cruise on DCL in 2010 - our favorite cruise of all thus far.
It is our first Baltic cruise. I've always wanted to do one on Disney, but sadly their prices are still too pricey for us to consider. We get a two-week, rather than Disney's one-week for a slightly lower price and it includes free gratuities, free beverages and a $300 on board credit, too good to pass up!
We'll be visiting Zeebrugge (Bruges) in Belgium, Stockholm in Sweden, Tallinn in Estonia, St. Petersburg in Russia, Berlin in Germany, and Copenhagen in Denmark. We've been to Stockholm before and Berlin and Bruges, so maybe we'll see what other options there are from those two ports. I've always wanted to visit Tallinn, Copenhagen and St. Petersburg!
That Baltic cruise sounds delightful. DH and I have been toying with the idea of a European cruisebut would like tone also do a transatlantic. But neither are do able until the (3) kids are done with college. But it sure is fun to dream.
But back to your TR! Beautiful pictures of the parade, fun times with friends and characters, and gorgeous weather. Sounds like it can't get much better!
Congrats on the other cruise and for not paying the obscene prices. I have to wonder if they will see a lot of cancellations once people do their homework and realize there are other options out there. I'm all for good service, but there's only much that I am willing to pay!
Fell behind....but now caught up. Your beautiful parade photos made me sad. We missed the parade due to rainy weather the day we were at MK. I had been so looking forward to it. Thanks for the photos though; I felt like I was there....almost.
Lunch at Crystal Palace looked like delicious fun! You all had some terrific character interactions. I usually forget the long wait to be seated because great character time is a norm here, but I do wish they could get that fixed.