Florida flowers and Caribbean cruising - the trip report! THIS SECTION COMPLETED 4/12 - Page 52 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
Sunday 22 February – part two: I’ve never seen so many vehicles in a procession at Disney before…
We made our way over to the Contemporary…
… and headed upstairs to the fourth floor.
We half talked about seeing whether we could get into Chef Mickey’s, as the resort looked dead, but there were loads of people checking in when we arrived, so we figured it would probably be a bust, and stuck with our original plans to go for the Contempo Café instead. I ended up getting a French toast with maple syrup…
… while Mark got the breakfast platter, made up of scrambled egg, bacon, turkey sausages, breakfast potatoes and biscuits. I have to say it didn’t look overly appetising…
While we waited for it to be made, I got some photos of the area…
They were taking so long to make it, I said to Mark I’d take the hot water for our tea back to the room, as I couldn’t bear to stand any longer, and on the way, I got some lovely shots of the sunrise…
When I got back to the room, I made the tea, and got some shots of the view outside…
We sat outside on the balcony and had our breakfast, while watching the remaining runners. They definitely were slowing down now…
We also saw loads of hot air balloons in the sky…
Soon we saw some of the last runners escorted on to a waiting bus, and my heart went out to them.
Then we saw the parade of the sweepers. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many vehicles in a procession at Disney before…
How cool to see all the air balloons - something I certainly don't have in any of my WDW photos. Do you know if they were specifically because of the marathon, or some other random event?
Lovely morning shots! I'm adding that to one of my to-dos ... early morning is such a great time for nice photos, but I usually seem to be feeling barely alive or rushing somewhere ...
__________________
Don't let your heart be filled with sorrow, for all you know, tomorrow, the dream that you wish will come true.
I always associate the sound of cowbells with Olympic skiing. As soon as a run down the mountain starts, you hear all the bells sounding! I love WDW in the early morning and always enjoy seeing the hot-air balloons. They always look so peaceful!
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I love all your pictures of the race. The castle show looks so clear from your room. I usually watch it from the path between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. It's almost deserted over there.
Liz
That's exactly what I associate cowbells with, as it's the only other place we've heard cowbells.
If you lived here in the MidSouth you would be very familiar with cowbells, as Mississippi State uses them at all their football games. I've never attended one, but it is a big thing and quite noisy. The SEC football conference even has tried to ban them totally, but to no avail. There are restrictions on when they can ring them, however. Everyone who attends MS State has his/her own specially decorated cowbell. It's really a big thing for them.
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.
How lovely to have breakfast on the balcony while watching the tail end of the marathon. Sad to see those swept up, though - as I'm sure they trained hard and wanted to do the whole thing.
Your breakfast looked better than Mark's, to me at least.
Cool to see so many balloons! I assume they added more due to the marathon?
Florida flowers and Caribbean cruising - the trip report! UPDATED 3/30
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
I really can't remember what the Flying Fish were doing now, but I'm thinking they did still have the silly desserts... Larry, do you remember?
I think it was a bit of a mix, if memory serves. I have a copy of the menu from our meal, but it's not handy at the moment.
Oh, and something I am almost ashamed to admit: I find the Bison Striploin at Cali Grill BETTER than the current bison entree at Artist Point, so that I actually got the beef there on this trip. Things vary, though, so it's always worth checking to see if the menu has been updated.
And I love those olive oil potatoes!
__________________
"&Larry"
A beautiful day in the neighborhood!
Last edited by LLaffinPlace; 03-30-2015 at 12:13 PM..
The early morning light in your photos is beautiful over MK and the hotels.
Those vehicles at the end of the race surprised me too when I was working the water table last year. They don't waste any time in cleaning things up! Gotta get those roads opened up asap, I guess.
__________________
Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
About This Page: 
PassPorter Guide Author
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Your photos are beautiful and making me so long for WDW!
Linear Mode
