Florida flowers and Caribbean cruising LIVE TRIP REPORT COMPLETED 3/8 - Page 43 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We spent the day at Epcot, enjoying the Flower and Garden Festival, although as I alluded to in a previous post, I can't quite put my finger on it, but I felt there was less there this year. It didn't help that, to me anyway, the floating flowerbeds in between World Showcase and Future World weren't fully in bloom and the beds by the Land did look a bit pitiful, again because they weren't fully in bloom.
I'm probably being picky, and there were some amazing topiaries - don't get me wrong. Anna and Elsa were way better than I expected, and I'm probably sore as Eeyore has not put in an appearance this year.
It was another very hot day, so we lasted as long as we could, and sampled some of the food and wine from around the world. That was a very nice addition since we were last there in 2011, and long may that continue.
Tonight's dinner at the Flying Fish Café with Bob, Larry and Heather was a bit disappointing. We didn't have great service, and my appetiser was comped, as I just couldn't eat it. Not what we expect from a restaurant with usually such high standards.
We also missed IllumiNations again because of the slow service - I'd been hoping to see it tonight, and maybe last night or the night before as well. We still haven't seen it, so now we'll finally see it on our last night. Gosh, I can't believe I'm writing that already... where has the time gone?
Sorry things weren't in bloom. I guess maybe that's the downside of going at the very start of the festival.....
Hope you're able to see Illuminations before you leave!
I've been reading along and so far your trip sounds great. Too bad about Flying Fish. That's one of our must do places to eat and I would be really bummed if the service was bad.
Awwww! Maybe you are just sad that you are leaving soon! All in all, it sounds like a fun day anyway, but that is a bummer about dinner. We are planning on eating there in July as we have,once again, changed our plans!
Signed,
Someone who hopes you enjoy your last night to the fullest and that you get to see Illuminations!!
Omigosh, you haven't seen Illuminations yet? Yikes! I hope you don't have any plans tonight that cut too close on the time. Don't want anything to prevent you seeing my favorite thing at Disney!
I felt even last year that Disney did not put out as many topiaries as previous years. I noticed the area when you first enter the World Showcase was more sparse last year. Sorry your meal and the service at Flying Fish were not up to par. I can't believe your trip is coming to an end! Safe travels home.
Wow, so sorry to hear about FF! Curious what your app. was that you couldn't eat? I want to be sure I don't order it in the future. We have gotten to know the manager there as he is a runner and runs in the Disney races.
Well, that sounded like a bummer of a day. I really do hope today is much better, seeing as it's your last!
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. I hope the Flower and Garden Festival was beautiful!
because of the slow service - I'd been hoping to see it tonight, and maybe last night or the night before as well. We still haven't seen it, so now we'll finally see it on our last night. Gosh, I can't believe I'm writing that already... where has the time gone? 
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