Florida flowers and Caribbean cruising - the trip report! THIS SECTION COMPLETED 4/12 - Page 58 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
Oh, I love the chocolate fondue at Kona! I think I could have those yummy looking crab cakes, the wings and the fondue as my meal and be very, very happy!
I'm not a sushi person (despise it), but Mark's plate was very pretty.
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.
Oh, I love the chocolate fondue at Kona! I think I could have those yummy looking crab cakes, the wings and the fondue as my meal and be very, very happy!
I'm not a sushi person (despise it), but Mark's plate was very pretty.
Well, it sounds like there's plenty else on the menu you'd enjoy.
nice to see the poly work is progressing. In the islands so many of the lobbies are open air and it looks like that is what they were trying for, just not able to truly do in Florida.
nice to see the poly work is progressing. In the islands so many of the lobbies are open air and it looks like that is what they were trying for, just not able to truly do in Florida.
Now you say that, I can see exactly what you mean - that's probably what they were aiming to achieve.
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.
Some amazing photos from the Poly and I love the new look! I've only stayed there once back in 2009 and checked out the day our DOD extravaganza began! I loved it there! View of the monorail going by my room at Rarotonga couldn't be beat. Hanging out on my balcony with a glass of wine late at night with the great Polynesian/Hawaiian music in the background could not be beat as it was perfect! Certainly the best resort music in WDW!
I went here for breakfast on a few occasions and enjoyed it. Dinner as well in 2003 on my 2nd trip to the world. Liked it but not overly impressed. Walked the grounds then to see if I'd like to stay there, but thought it was just ok. It wasn't until years later that staying there impressed me. I think this is a resort you have to stay at to really appreciate it than just rather visiting it as there are so many little things you will not realize about it, until you stay here!
I think Laurie may be right with the mustiness at the resort in the past with the waterfall in the lobby, but no more and the water features ala mini-rainforest outside the entrance, which can only contribute to this!
__________________
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!
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 went here for breakfast on a few occasions and enjoyed it. Dinner as well in 2003 on my 2nd trip to the world. Liked it but not overly impressed. Walked the grounds then to see if I'd like to stay there, but thought it was just ok. It wasn't until years later that staying there impressed me. I think this is a resort you have to stay at to really appreciate it than just rather visiting it as there are so many little things you will not realize about it, until you stay here!
That's probably true. I've never had any inclination to stay here, but now there are DVC rooms here, I know we will and it'll be interesting to see what we make of it.
Sunday 22 February – part five: what have we done wrong?
When we were done eating, we headed downstairs to have a look in the Tiki Boutique. Wow, what wonderful stuff they have in there. I ended up getting a top, after trying that and a dress on, as I loved the styles.
We then headed back to Bay Lake Tower for a bit of downtime in the room.
After about an hour and a half, we headed out and down towards the Contemporary….
… and more specifically the marina…
We were going to rent a Boston Whaler, but eventually opted for a Sun Tracker, as it’s the same price, but a bit bigger and more luxurious.
We headed out and away from the Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower…
… and caught a glimpse of the Wilderness Lodge…
… before heading over to the Seven Seas Lagoon.
We were a bit shocked to see the lake patrol heading right for us with their lights flashing, and I immediately wondered what we’d done wrong, but no they were there for our own protection, as we couldn’t see the ferryboat was heading towards us. As the guy said to us, they sneak up on you.
Once he was past, we set off again…
We were heading for the new DVC bungalows at the Polynesian, as this would give us the best view of them, and I was happily snapping away, as I could do with some new shots for the book.
They certainly look lovely, although in all honesty, I doubt we’ll ever stay there, given how much they cost. They look just about ready, and I’m sure I read somewhere that test stays there start in literally days time. Oh, to be one of those testers!
From here, you could see the work going on at the Polynesian…