The trip of many changes... TRIP REPORT UPDATED 4/25 - Page 44 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I don’t get people who walk around with the attitude of “that could NEVER happen to me”. One day their luck is bound to run out, and I for one, hope never to have to witness that. I’d imagine it would be pretty traumatizing.
Some of those pictures of the rock formations and cactus looked like a movie set for some reason to me. Maybe as I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around cactus on a tropical island.
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I don’t get people who walk around with the attitude of “that could NEVER happen to me”. One day their luck is bound to run out, and I for one, hope never to have to witness that. I’d imagine it would be pretty traumatizing.
Oh my goodness, it would be. You're right though about people thinking something will never happen to them... until it does of course.
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Some of those pictures of the rock formations and cactus looked like a movie set for some reason to me.
I see what you mean about the movie sets.
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Maybe as I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around cactus on a tropical island.
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The pictures of the North shore are stunning. Too bad people don't listen. We have the same problem here. There is a park with ledges left from the ice age that have fences to keep people off because they can't read the signs and yet people still climb them. Some people have fallen and been seriously injured.
Liz
The pictures of the North shore are stunning. Too bad people don't listen. We have the same problem here. There is a park with ledges left from the ice age that have fences to keep people off because they can't read the signs and yet people still climb them. Some people have fallen and been seriously injured.
Liz
Why can't people just stick to the rules? I just don't get it.
Too bad your guide Ryan was such a bad tour guide with the poor history knowledge of Aruba and emphasizing tips. I'm surprised he didn't walk down the bus at the end with a bucket for tips!
Some great views on the tour and love the various rock formations. It amazes what some of the people do on your tour by ignoring the rules and putting themselves in danger, just for a photo!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Too bad your guide Ryan was such a bad tour guide with the poor history knowledge of Aruba and emphasizing tips. I'm surprised he didn't walk down the bus at the end with a bucket for tips!
Maybe he'll add that into his repertoire at some point!
The Natural Bridge is beautiful. So sad to think that at some point it might not be there. I add my amen to not understanding folks who cannot follow the rules.
It was beautiful to stand here at the National Bridge and just take in the views though and to also feel quite small and awed by the wonders of nature in front of you. This was definitely our favourite part of the tour and I’m very glad we got to see this.
I was fascinated by the way all these rocks had been carefully balanced on top of each other – by man we assume and not nature.
We headed out again along the coast…
… and stopped by this, which looks like a fort. It was designed that way to keep people out, but actually it’s the remnants of a gold mine.
We made our way over to our next stop, seeing some unusual sights on the way…
We also got a glimpse of the Wonder from here…
It was about here that Ryan decided to tell us a story about eating iguanas. Not really what I wanted to hear, but apparently if someone’s sick in Aruba, they don’t make them chicken noodle soup, they make them iguana soup. I was very glad when eventually that story concluded.
We arrived at our third stop, the Alto Vista Chapel, which we were given 20 minutes to look around. Good grief, we managed about five minutes off the bus and I think that applied to everyone else, as there was basically nothing to see in it! Of all the stops, this is the one I’d have taken off the itinerary, as I didn’t think it added anything…
It really bothers me when people don't follow the rules. The signs clearly tell people of the dangers ahead. The three times that we've visited Aruba, we basically stayed around the resort area, walked the length of the beach and walked into town to eat dinner. You saw more of the island than we ever have!
It really bothers me when people don't follow the rules. The signs clearly tell people of the dangers ahead. The three times that we've visited Aruba, we basically stayed around the resort area, walked the length of the beach and walked into town to eat dinner. You saw more of the island than we ever have!
Oh wow, that's saying something as we were only there for the day!
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Great photos of the shoreline and those creative rock formations from the National Bridge. Your last stop was a bit much as 20 minutes to basically see nothing. The iguana story was interesting to say the least!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Great photos of the shoreline and those creative rock formations from the National Bridge. Your last stop was a bit much as 20 minutes to basically see nothing.
Pretty much. I wouldn't have minded if there was a shop there, but there wasn't.
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The iguana story was interesting to say the least!
Pretty much. I wouldn't have minded if there was a shop there, but there wasn't.
Ugh, that was horrible.....
That's what happens, when visiting a foreign land and culture!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
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I'm surprised he didn't walk down the bus at the end with a bucket for tips! 
It amazes what some of the people do on your tour by ignoring the rules and putting themselves in danger, just for a photo! 
Good grief, we managed about five minutes off the bus and I think that applied to everyone else, as there was basically nothing to see in it! Of all the stops, this is the one I’d have taken off the itinerary, as I didn’t think it added anything… 
Your last stop was a bit much as 20 minutes to basically see nothing. 
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