Sailing with the Gang..DCL Magic, 2016 updated 6/21/2016 - Page 8 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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And our tour was done…..actually Karen was going to take us through the Dig as part of the tour, but we told her we had gone through already this morning and our plans were to go through the Shark tunnel next and we said we were find doing it on our own. Had we known that was part of the tour, we could have actually scheduled it earlier and not bought the Dig tour for ourselves. But we did get a discount and with the fabulous tour we got from Karen we didn’t mind. I mean she gave us one of the best resort tours I have ever been on. She was so knowledgeable and thorough…and nice too. This ending up being so much more than I expected and we were all so happy to have chosen to do this today.
We said our goodbyes and headed off. It’s kind of funny as Ellen and I were looking up something for Atlantis the other day and we found a picture of Karen and her info….and it was an “I know her” moment! Hahaha.
We headed down to the shark area next so we could walk underneath the sharks.
And then we saw the funniest thing. I call these the nemo fish. They are like the ones from the movie where when they were talked to, they all formed shapes to answer the questions. These guys swam over as we were standing there talking. After a bit I noticed they were still there but swimming in a circle….over and over and over.
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We then found a taxi…and just so you know, the guys out front are very helpful at getting one for you…and off we went. Ellen and I planned to go to Van Breugels for some Chowder. This was a small bar that served food and I believe Ellen found it on some culinary tour she did years ago and has come back a few times since. The other girls wanted to go back to the ship. Ellen asked the driver if he knew where it was and he said he never heard of it. Ellen said it would be fine to just drop us off at the port area as it wasn’t a far walk. We took a more winding way back and all of a sudden he stopped….right in front of Van Breugels. He had been lying! Haha. We got out and said goodbye to the girls and headed in.
We sat down at the bar and Ellen asked if the girl she knew and loved was working and she came down and they did some bonding. Ellen said we would like some chowder but they didn’t have any today. I get the feeling this is the kind of place that cooks what they want when they want. LOL. So we said ok and ordered a drink. We would just eat on the ship. After a bit they told us to not leave as they had a surprise for us.
Out they came with this plate….looks good doesn’t it.
And it was…except that it was deep fried GATOR! And no matter how tasty it was, I had a hard time getting around that fact. Hahaha. I did eat quite a bit of it though and had to keep telling my brain to stop thinking about the fact that it was gator.
I discovered there was free wifi here and Ellen and I then got on our phones and communicated with the outside world. We found out that the new Royal Caribbean ship had to go back to dock after going through a storm and there was a lot of damage. Ellen and Brook were sailing a short cruise on this ship in about a month or so, so we were hoping the damage wasn’t too bad and it would soon get back to tip top shape.
After I had sent some emails, posted pictures on facebook and I even texted Claire via iphones we settled up our bill. I tried to pay for my half and once again, Ellen paid for it all. I tried to hand her money and she wouldn’t take it. It was so nice of her but not needed at all. Maybe she felt sorry for me because I had bought 2 Dooney purses the night before and now she thinks I am broke? LOL.
Ellen was finishing up her drink so I walked outside for a few minutes and texted Claire some more. If I stayed right up near the building I still had free wifi.
I know there was a reason I took this next picture, but looking at it now….I have no clue why. Maybe I thought it was funny that he was feeding the birds?
And then we took pictures of each other in front of the ship. We had picked up brochures and I had a stack with me and I displayed them as if I was selling the Bahamas while getting my picture.
I honestly don’t remember what I did after that and if Cass joined me or not. I think I made my way to Guest services to apply gift cards and cash to my account. I found that they already charged my card for the purses but was told it would be reimbursed and only the difference would go on my card at the end of the cruise…and that’s exactly what happened.
More great photos from your tour and those views from the various rooms were spectacular! Great photos of the sharks and various sea life. Looks like you had a good time at the bar with the fried gator. My first look at it and I thought it was calamari.
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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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That little place looked like a great stop for a snack! Great photo op with the ship in the background as well
I love taking pictures of the ship from the port
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Oh my goodness, gator! Glad it was at least tasty...
Love the shot of the backside of water!
Every good Disney fan loves the backside of water.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperDave
More great photos from your tour and those views from the various rooms were spectacular! Great photos of the sharks and various sea life. Looks like you had a good time at the bar with the fried gator. My first look at it and I thought it was calamari.
I don't like calamari so it definitely did not taste like that.
They were getting ready for the Tangled show tonight, which we were all excited about. I don’t think any of us had seen it, though Carol may have because I know she cruised back in Dec. and I think it was on the Magic.
Nice photos from on board the Magic! Looks so familiar from my cruise last year. I am with you as I love the deck on 4.
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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!
How did I miss this?!?! I am loving all the great pictures and yah to you for scoring not one, but TWO fabulous Dooney's! Got some serious purse envy happening here on my end.
Hope the show is as good as you hope!
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Glad it was at least tasty... 
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