Florida flowers and Caribbean cruising - the trip report! THIS SECTION COMPLETED 4/12 - Page 63 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
PassPorter.com
Award-winning travel guidebooks

   guidebooks   |   news   |   podcasts   |   boards   |   blog   |   worksheets   |   photos   |   articles   |   updates   |   register   |   follow us on


Forums Closed
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!

Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!

Go Back   PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums > PassPorter's Walt Disney World Resort (Florida) > Sharing the Adventure: Disney World Trip Reports
Register


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.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 04-03-2015, 10:45 PM   #931
lfredsbo
PassPorter Guide

Community Rank: Explorer
 
lfredsbo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Mystic, CT
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 7,713

Post Thanks / Like
Nice cruise around the lagoon!!! Thanks for sharing the photos of the bungalows.....I could absolutely relax out there......if I was rich
__________________


Lisa Co-Guide to Sharing the Adventure: Disney World Trip Reports
My Countdown Counting down to: Annual Trip Home!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsCSR April 2016; BCV August 2015; SSR April 2015; AKL & AoA June/July 2014; POP September 2013; POP August 2013; AKL & BLT June/July 2013; POR December 2012; SSR October 2012; SSR July 2011; BWV May 2011; SSR July/Aug 2010; WL & SSR July 2009; SSR July 2008; OKW August 2007; OKW May 2007; SSR October 2006; SSR June 2006; OKW December 2005; CS September 2005; OKW July 2005; SSR October 2004; POP June 2004; ASMV April 2004; BWV October 2003
lfredsbo is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2015, 12:29 AM   #932
lauriep
Community Rank: Legend
 
lauriep's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 15,377

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhToodles! View Post
Sounds like we need a PP DVC combo so we can stay in a bungalow. Although that pool looks like a kiddie pool and for the cost of staying there it should be an actual hot tub!
That's what I was thinking, Kelly! I'm really not that impressed with the bungalows. Only two bedrooms and the price of a grand villa.
__________________
lauriep is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2015, 06:40 AM   #933
CheerDisney
Community Rank: Adventurer
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 727

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep View Post
That's what I was thinking, Kelly! I'm really not that impressed with the bungalows. Only two bedrooms and the price of a grand villa.
I agree- for that price you think they would be actual hot tubs!
__________________
Lindsay
My Previous TripsCBR 1994 - CBR 1996 - POR 1998 - CBR Feb. 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007 x2, 2008, 2009, 2010 (National High School Cheerleading Championships) - POR Jan. 2011 - AS Sports Feb. 2012 (Princess 1/2) - POR July 2012 - POP Aug. 2013 - POP Feb. 2015 (Princess 1/2) - POR June 2016 - Disneyland Hotel July 2016 - AKL Jambo House May 2018
CheerDisney is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2015, 04:43 PM   #934
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by Disneybine View Post
Sorry if this has been asked before but does Mark have a boat license? Or can anyone just rent one of those boats?
Nope, no boat licence needed to rent one of those.

Quote:
I love the look of the DVC Poly bungalows but there's no way we could ever afford that. Maybe if you're on an extended-family stay and split the cost between, say, four parties.
I must admit I'm thinking that's probably the only way we'd realistically be able to stay there.
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2015, 04:45 PM   #935
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Baloo View Post
Interesting about the sneakers in the tree. I know what sneakers over power lines mean in a city setting, but am truly hoping it doesn't mean the same thing at Disney!
I don't, so I'll have to Google that... Ok, interesting! And there's a reference to shoe trees on Wikipedia as well - so Disney's isn't the only one then.
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2015, 04:46 PM   #936
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by pamcarey View Post
More great shots from your boat ride! River Country closed not long before our first family trip in 2002, which is too bad because I'd like to have gone there at least once.
I would've loved to have at least visited it.
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2015, 04:47 PM   #937
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22 View Post
Now you've got me thinking that Luke and I need to take our own boat tour of the lagoon next month. One of our boat captains from the WL took us by the shoe tree and told us the story, but I can't remember now much about it. I did find this little article on the web. The Shoe Tree on Bay Lake at Walt Disney World - Word On The Street: A Disney Travel Blog
Cool!
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2015, 04:48 PM   #938
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhToodles! View Post
Sounds like we need a PP DVC combo so we can stay in a bungalow.
Now there's an idea...

Quote:
Although that pool looks like a kiddie pool and for the cost of staying there it should be an actual hot tub!
I agree!
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2015, 04:49 PM   #939
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by lfredsbo View Post
Nice cruise around the lagoon!!! Thanks for sharing the photos of the bungalows.....I could absolutely relax out there......if I was rich
Tell me about it!
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2015, 06:55 PM   #940
Colexis Mom
RED SOX NATION!!
PassPorter's Club Passholder


What's this?

PassPorter Guide

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
Colexis Mom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 9
Posts: 136,854

Post Thanks / Like
More great pictures of your boat ride! Never knew about the sneaker tree!
__________________
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsAUG '16 - POFQ, APR '12 - POFQ, JUL '10 - DL, AUG '09 - DCL Western, AUG '08 - POFQ/BC, AUG '06 - AKL/BC/DisneyWonder/Poly, DEC '05 - AKL, APR '05 - AKL/BC, DEC '04 - AKL, MAY '04 - AKL/BC, MAY '03 - WL/BC, MAY '98 -offsite, MAY '94 - BC, AUG '85 - Poly, AUG '83 - Poly, AUG '81 - Poly, JUL '79 - World Inn, JUL '76 - World Inn
Colexis Mom is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2015, 02:49 AM   #941
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
Sunday 22 February – part seven: what an amazing sunset!

We passed by Fort Wilderness…



We headed back towards the Contemporary…



… but as we had about another 15 minutes left on the hour rental, I suggested to Mark that we go around the island again, and off we went!



Mark let the boat idle, so I could capture some more of the bird life here…



With that, we made our way back.



It had been a wonderful and truly relaxing hour and we’d loved every minute of it. It cost us $67 with Annual Pass discount. Without, it would’ve been $90, but I think it was worth every penny.

We headed back to the room for some more downtime, and I took the opportunity to try out the Jacuzzi bath, so much better than the Treehouse Villas! For starters, there are jets for your feet, and it’s a bigger, and more comfortable bath, with even a place to put your elbows to relax.

When I got out of that, I settled down to work on the trip report, and we heard some bangs. We looked at each other, trying to work out what was going on. They sounded like fireworks, yet it was only about 5:30pm. Where could they be coming from? Nothing from the Magic Kingdom, and when I looked the other way, I finally worked it out – I guess it was that fireworks barge from the wedding pavilion, although sadly by the time I got the camera, I was a bit late.



We both got some photos of the amazing sunset that we were treated to a little later…



We headed out again just before 7:00pm, and picked up my present of the Olaf toy and statue from the shops on the fourth floor, then we headed up to get the monorail. I must admit at this point I was not confident at making our 7:35pm ADR at Citrico’s. It was now 7:10pm, with no monorail in sight, and I figured it would take a good 20 minutes to get over there, especially given the large numbers of people waiting here.

However, our luck was in, as there weren’t many people waiting at either the Ticket and Transportation Center or the Polynesian, so we had very quick stops there, and we made it to the Grand Floridian in about 15 minutes.

When we got off, we had time to browse some of the shops here…



We’d never even seen this one before…



Next: a hit or a miss for Citrico’s, nine years on?
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2015, 06:06 AM   #942
Big Baloo
Community Rank: Globetrotter
 
Big Baloo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,178

Post Thanks / Like
Happy Easter ! Such pretty sunset pictures and I think that pelican was posing for you. Hoping Citroco's is a hit for you!
__________________
Disney Magic Western Feb. 21st, 2009
Big Baloo is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2015, 07:42 AM   #943
lauriep
Community Rank: Legend
 
lauriep's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 15,377

Post Thanks / Like
What a lovely sunset.
__________________
lauriep is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2015, 07:57 AM   #944
xwewhisper
Community Rank: Explorer
 
xwewhisper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 12,292

Post Thanks / Like
Love the relaxing afternoon renting a boat and checking out the tub!
__________________
Vacation Specialist - Kingdom Konsultants

The Maci Mouse Club Blog - Mediterranean Magic TR (Updated 10/25)


Exploring Barcelona with Mom!
My Countdown Counting down to: KK Girls Weekend!
My Previous TripsWDW 1994 Poly, June 2001 Poly, Mar 2005 CR, Oct 2005 BW Sweet 16, Aug 2007 Poly, June 2008 AKL, Aug 2008 BC, Aug 2009 POFQ, Jan 2010 AKL, Mar 2010 CSR, April 2010 Poly, May 2010 Treehouse & Disney Wonder, Aug 2010 WL, Jan 2011 BLT, Oct 2011 SSR, May 2012 BLT/BWV, Oct 2012 BLT, Apr 2013 POR, May 2013 GCV, Sept 2013 BWV, Dec 2013 GFV/Jan 2014 Poly CL, May 2014 Kidani Everest Challenge, March 2015 OKW, May 2015 Hilton DTD, Oct 2015 BWI, Jan 2016 POFQ/SSR, April 2016 AKL, August 2016 Disney Magic, December 2016 Disney Wonder, BWV April 2017, SSR June 2017
xwewhisper is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2015, 09:28 AM   #945
pamcarey
Community Rank: Navigator
 
pamcarey's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Chelmsford, MA
Posts: 6,912

Post Thanks / Like
What a gorgeous sunset! I can't imagine how much it costs to have fireworks for a wedding there!
__________________
Pam

June 2016
My Countdown Counting down to: Returning to WDW!
Watching DD's marching band in the Magic Kingdom!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsMarch 1989 - offsite; April/May 2002 - Coronado Springs; March 2003 - All Star Movies; May 2003 - offsite; July 2003 - Port Orleans Riverside; April/May 2006 - Port Orleans Riverside; September 2007 - All Star Sports; August/September 2008 - All Star Movies and Pop Century; June 2009 - Pop Century; August 2010 - All Star Sports & Disney Wonder; June 2011 - All Star Music; April 2012 - Disney Fantasy; April 2013 - Port Orleans French Quarter; August 2015 - Disneyland offsite; April 2017 - Coronado Springs; December 2017 - Old Key West
pamcarey is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Reply




Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump














Please login or register to hide these ads -- it's free and easy!

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:44 PM.

-->

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like v3.4.0 Patch Level 1 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
(c) 1998-2017 PassPorter Travel Press/MediaMarx, Inc.
Celebrating 19 Years of Making Dreams Come True
Ad Management plugin by RedTyger