A Little Trans-Atlantic Magic - The (somewhat) LIVE TR! -updated 07/03/13 - Page 7 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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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.
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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 can't bear the three or four nights either now, as we've got used to seven nights as a minimum. It gives you a nice amount of time to get used to life on board and really enjoy it. I'm so glad Meri's made such a good friend and you're getting on so well with your tablemates, as I know what a difference that can make on a cruise.
I felt the same way on the 15-night Panama cruise, and that's one reason it took me so long after to book another cruise. Kids will go in the pool no matter the weather-- I couldn't believe them on the Alaska cruise in the cold rain! Wish I were eating at Palo tonight!
Just catching up on your live report - how awesome your cruise is! Sounds like all of you are having a wonderful time. What luck you ended up with the window seat at dinner on your first night. How are your servers (and who do you have for a dining team)?
Checking in quickly before dinner! Palo was excellent! I did try the chocolate souffle (the server brought it to me even though I ordered the tiramisu - he just brought me both, lol).
Our dining team is Taner from Turkey and Kadek from Indonesia. I want to adopt them and bring them both home with me. I've grown to just adore them. They are friendly, funny, sweet as can be, and they're just family now!
Today was the Princess Tea, and my gosh was it fun! Exceeded my expectations, for sure! FAR exceeded them! Tomorrow is insanely busy - character breakfast, brunch at palo, galley tour, a spa treatment for me (booked half hour ago, lol), then dinner! Meri will be at the Oceaneers Club for hours upon hours. I'm sure it will be SUCH a trial for her.
Off to Parrot Cay! Yummy! Do I really have to ever get off this ship?
Sounds like you're having a wonderful time! I can't help but wonder, what time zone are you in now? It sounds as if you're getting close to us now, with the talk of dinner and already having had tea!
Wasn't the tea great?! It definitely exceeded our expectations too - maybe because I really haven't read a lot of reports that talk about it?
Keep on enjoying your time! Another spa treatment? You won't ever want to get off that ship - even with the lure of Barcelona and Paris!
It's so great when you bond with your servers! I've never heard much about the Princess Tea, so will look forward to your descriptions later. Tomorrow sounds so great!
Greetings from the Mickey pool! Ok, well the Mickey pool DECK anyway! Taking a break in between brunch at Palo (O.M.G....) and the galley tour!
I am so beyond stuffed. That brunch is insane. Did I mention how stuffed I am? We're going back on Friday with our whole table, for brunch (well, all six of us adults, anyway).
The sun is out today and with the wind being blocked, it's gorgeous out. Of course, I'm in jeans, a tshirt and a sweater, lol, and sitting in the nice warn sun... so of course I'm feeling good. I cannot possibly imagine being in a bathing suit or shorts today. Brrrrrrrrrrrr. But of course kids don't care.
I'm looking forward to the galley tour - I'm so curious (and maybe now I'll get to see what the heck is banging right over our cabin every night, lol - the hazards of being in a room under a galley *shrug*).
I can't believe we get off the boat on Saturday! Just five lousy days away! I'm not going to be ready. I've been at sea for 6 days in a row and there's SO MUCH I still haven't done that I want to do! We'll see land tomorrow for the first time in 6 days - and Cheryl, I'll attempt to text and / or call you some time in the late morning! If you can't answer, that's fine - it's mostly to see if it works yet! LOL!
I have no idea what time zone we are in, but I can tell you that it's 1pm right now, ship-time... and I know we will set the clocks forward one more hour at some point this week (not sure which day)... so Barcelona time is 2pm I guess? What does that put us in? LOL! It's a miracle we can figure out what day it is, much less the time zone.
I can't believe I'm sitting here on a Disney ship, talking to you all. It's still mind-boggling to me! I never want to leave. I just know I'm going to cry when we leave.
I promise to give tons of details about the princess tea. It really was well done and charming, and I just can't get over how many princesses / characters were there! By far the most we've ever had in one place!
I guess I'd better log off and save my minutes. I was at 92 minutes (out of 500) when I signed on, and I've been on for about 10 minutes already... lol!
I'll check in perhaps tomorrow night or some time on Wednesday!
Greetings from the Mickey pool! Ok, well the Mickey pool DECK anyway! Taking a break in between brunch at Palo (O.M.G....) and the galley tour!
I am so beyond stuffed. That brunch is insane. Did I mention how stuffed I am? We're going back on Friday with our whole table, for brunch (well, all six of us adults, anyway).
The sun is out today and with the wind being blocked, it's gorgeous out. Of course, I'm in jeans, a tshirt and a sweater, lol, and sitting in the nice warn sun... so of course I'm feeling good. I cannot possibly imagine being in a bathing suit or shorts today. Brrrrrrrrrrrr. But of course kids don't care.
I'm looking forward to the galley tour - I'm so curious (and maybe now I'll get to see what the heck is banging right over our cabin every night, lol - the hazards of being in a room under a galley *shrug*).
I can't believe we get off the boat on Saturday! Just five lousy days away! I'm not going to be ready. I've been at sea for 6 days in a row and there's SO MUCH I still haven't done that I want to do! We'll see land tomorrow for the first time in 6 days - and Cheryl, I'll attempt to text and / or call you some time in the late morning! If you can't answer, that's fine - it's mostly to see if it works yet! LOL!
I have no idea what time zone we are in, but I can tell you that it's 1pm right now, ship-time... and I know we will set the clocks forward one more hour at some point this week (not sure which day)... so Barcelona time is 2pm I guess? What does that put us in? LOL! It's a miracle we can figure out what day it is, much less the time zone.
I can't believe I'm sitting here on a Disney ship, talking to you all. It's still mind-boggling to me! I never want to leave. I just know I'm going to cry when we leave.
I promise to give tons of details about the princess tea. It really was well done and charming, and I just can't get over how many princesses / characters were there! By far the most we've ever had in one place!
I guess I'd better log off and save my minutes. I was at 92 minutes (out of 500) when I signed on, and I've been on for about 10 minutes already... lol!
I'll check in perhaps tomorrow night or some time on Wednesday!
Oh, I remember the feeling of sadness when the Panama cruise was over. On a long cruise you just get so close to your servers, cabin steward, and other guests that you can't imagine leaving them. Not to mention, of course, leaving all the pampering, fun, and food! But it's not over yet! Enjoy every moment of the next five days!
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I cry when my cruises are over, but not as much as our DD! She has been known to refuse to get out of bed the final morning!
Sounds like you're having a perfect time! Can't wait to hear about the galley tour, and I am salivating just thinking about Palo brunch. I think it's even better than dinner (aside for the missing chocolate soufflé).
I didn't know the tea was now an all out Princess tea. When we did it during the Baltic cruise it was tea with Wendy Darling, and Peter Pan joined us, of course.
Did that replace the princess free for all in the atrium some mornings?
Greetings from the Mickey pool! Ok, well the Mickey pool DECK anyway! Taking a break in between brunch at Palo (O.M.G....) and the galley tour!
I am so beyond stuffed. That brunch is insane. Did I mention how stuffed I am? We're going back on Friday with our whole table, for brunch (well, all six of us adults, anyway).
Oh wow - colour me seriously jealous that you're going back for another brunch there!
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I'm looking forward to the galley tour - I'm so curious (and maybe now I'll get to see what the heck is banging right over our cabin every night, lol - the hazards of being in a room under a galley *shrug*).
I am seriously jealous that you get to do the galley tour - it's not been offered on the last few cruises we've been on and I thought they'd stopped it - it's good to hear it is still offered, just obviously not very often...
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I can't believe we get off the boat on Saturday! Just five lousy days away! I'm not going to be ready. I've been at sea for 6 days in a row and there's SO MUCH I still haven't done that I want to do! We'll see land tomorrow for the first time in 6 days - and Cheryl, I'll attempt to text and / or call you some time in the late morning! If you can't answer, that's fine - it's mostly to see if it works yet! LOL!
I will keep an ear out for the phone - I don't have any meetings at work tomorrow morning, so hopefully I should hear it!
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I have no idea what time zone we are in, but I can tell you that it's 1pm right now, ship-time... and I know we will set the clocks forward one more hour at some point this week (not sure which day)... so Barcelona time is 2pm I guess? What does that put us in? LOL! It's a miracle we can figure out what day it is, much less the time zone.
You're currently in British Summer Time zone (I can't say Greenwich Mean Time, as with the summer time, we are an hour ahead of that), but you are on our time! The rest of Europe is an hour ahead of us, so another jump forward sounds right.
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I can't believe I'm sitting here on a Disney ship, talking to you all. It's still mind-boggling to me! I never want to leave. I just know I'm going to cry when we leave.
I don't blame you. I think in a way the longer cruises are harder, because when you've been on board for a long period of time, you really don't want to leave and you've got so used to being on the ship as well.
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I promise to give tons of details about the princess tea. It really was well done and charming, and I just can't get over how many princesses / characters were there! By far the most we've ever had in one place!
I guess I'd better log off and save my minutes. I was at 92 minutes (out of 500) when I signed on, and I've been on for about 10 minutes already... lol!
I'll check in perhaps tomorrow night or some time on Wednesday!
I'll be sure to update everyone if we speak or text tomorrow!
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I'm so glad Meri's made such a good friend and you're getting on so well with your tablemates, as I know what a difference that can make on a cruise.
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What luck you ended up with the window seat at dinner on your first night. How are your servers (and who do you have for a dining team)? 
I can't help but wonder, what time zone are you in now? It sounds as if you're getting close to us now, with the talk of dinner and already having had tea! 
and I thought they'd stopped it - it's good to hear it is still offered, just obviously not very often... 
I think in a way the longer cruises are harder, because when you've been on board for a long period of time, you really don't want to leave and you've got so used to being on the ship as well. 
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