Viva la Furia Roja! A Trip Report - Prague, Poland, and Dresden 6/7-6/21 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
Viva la Furia Roja! A Trip Report - Prague, Poland, and Dresden 6/7-6/21
Hi everyone! to my PTR! I hope some of you that followed along on my recent Paris TR are back to follow my next European adventure. I decided to start with a PTR this time so I can just jump right into the action when I get home and start on the TR. So let’s get started, shall we?
Who? Me, Ashli, 32 & DH Kyle, 33
What? An Eastern European extravaganza (Kyle’s first time in Europe!)
Story: As some of you may know, DH and I are soccer nuts. We watch MLS, La Liga, some EPL, etc… but what we really love is national team soccer. Of course the U.S. is our absolute #1 team, but we’ll watch a game of any national teams. The passion people have for their countries translates to great excitement and a wonderful experience. We learned this first hand when we went to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup. It was such a great time all the way around. We went to several US games there, but also to many non-US games. While I love love love my team and would always prefer to see them play to anyone else, it is sometimes a little more “fun” when they aren’t the ones playing and I’m not quite as emotionally involved (read: freaking out all game in hopes that we win). I’m not sure my heart has ever fully recovered from the terror-turned-elation that was the U.S./Algeria game we went to in South Africa (if you watched it, you know exactly what I’m talking about ). So, after our World Cup trip when Kyle suggested that in 2012 we should go to Poland and see some Euro games, I thought that sounded great!
For those who are not fully in the know about the Euro, here’s some info. This is also an every-four-years tournament like the World Cup. The difference is, clearly, that it is a tournament only involving European teams. The qualifying games are played in the years leading up to the Euro year, and 16 teams earn the spots for the tournament. This year the following countries have qualified: Greece, Russia, CzechRepublic, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Croatia, Sweden, France, and England. The remaining two teams are Poland and Ukraine, who get spots because they are the countries hosting the tournament. Now, you may be saying, hold on a minute, if Ukraine is hosting games too, why are you only going to Poland? Well….we originally had planned to go to both Ukraine and Poland to see as many different teams as possible. (In the first rounds, which is when we will be there, each team plays all of their games in one country or the other, not both.) We got books about both countries to see what we wanted to make sure not to miss. (We don’t only go to soccer games…we do LOTS of sightseeing in between!) The Poland book was great; lots of wonderful history and things we wanted to see and do. The Ukraine book… not so much. I’m sure Ukraine has plenty of wonderful people and interesting things to see, but to be completely honest the travel book kind of freaked me out. Being a former Soviet country, it really reminded me of Kazakhstan. DH and I adopted our DS from Kazakhstan in 2006 and spent 4 weeks there, and to be perfectly honest, it’s not somewhere I care to ever go again. Since we were both less than impressed with the idea of spending part of our vacation in Ukraine, we started looking to see where else we could go in the same general area. I immediately looked up the distance to Prague. What do you know? It’s just a tiny hop, skip, and jump from Poland to Prague! I’ve always heard about how beautiful of a city Prague is and it’s been very high on my “must-see” list for years. Kyle agreed. This would be a perfect opportunity! Kyle suggested that we also try to spend a day or so in Dresden, Germany. He’s really wanted to see Germany, and I’ve never been to the eastern part of Germany, so it sounded great as well. We finally put an itinerary together based on where we wanted to go and also what cities would be hosting games on which days and here is what we came up with:
June 8 – Arrive Prague, Czech Republic
June 9 – Prague
June 10 – Prague
June 11 – drive to Warsaw, Poland
June 12- Warsaw (Poland vs. Russia soccer game)
June 13 – drive to Gdansk, Poland
June 14 – Gdansk (Spain vs. Ireland soccer game)
June 15 – Gdansk
June 16 – drive back to Warsaw, Poland (Greece vs. Russia soccer game in Warsaw)
June 17 – drive to Poznan, Poland
June 18 – Poznan (Italy vs. Ireland soccer game)
June 19 – drive to Dresden, Germany
June 20 – drive to Prague (after sightseeing in Dresden for the day)
June 21 – depart Prague for home
Phew! So there you have it. We are renting a car and driving ourselves around. We enjoy doing this because ultimately it gives us the most freedom to stop where we want and see things that catch our eye that we may not have known to plan for. We did the same thing on our South Africa trip and it worked out very well. (And fortunately we get to drive on the right side of the road this time!)
I hope you’ve enjoyed my intro and will stick around for a couple weeks when I get to the actual TR. If anyone has been to any of these places and wants to give me some “DON’T MISS!!!” ideas, please do! For those who are not big soccer fans, I promise there will be much more than just the games to my reporting. I am looking forward to the sight-seeing just as much as the sport on this trip. (But for those of you who are soccer fans and might be wondering who I am rooting for? Long live LA FURIA ROJA!!!!! That’s Spain's national team for the rest of you. A fabulously talented team who also happens to be the defending Euro Champion as well as the 2010 World Cup champion. And I swear, my obsession with the Spanish team has nothing to do with my secret love for Sergio Ramos. Well, almost nothing. Shhhhhhhh!)
And away we go….!
__________________
MNSSHP 2015: DH (Bane), Me (Batgirl), Genie, and our friends
Oh yay! I am still way behind on your other TR but I'm more than ready for this one (and I swear I'll catch up on that one soon). This sounds like a fun trip, and I look forward to it all!!
Oh yay! I am still way behind on your other TR but I'm more than ready for this one (and I swear I'll catch up on that one soon). This sounds like a fun trip, and I look forward to it all!!
Hi Melanie!! Glad to have you here!
__________________
MNSSHP 2015: DH (Bane), Me (Batgirl), Genie, and our friends
Sounds good so far. I am interested in your Poland adventures, as you know, my great grandma immigrated from Poland.
Can't wait to hear all about it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
Looks like another great trip, Ashli!
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by DisneyDana
I was wondering when Sergio would pop up in there. lol I'll bet Sparky reads this just like one of the teachers on the Peanuts. hahaha! Sounds so exciting! Kinda makes me want to tour around and see games in all of the hockey states. No exciting tournament, but still it would be a good excuse to see new places.
Haha, you KNOW I had to talk about Sergio at least a little. Only 10 more days... I haven't seen the man in person in two years!
I think your hockey trip would be cool! You should do it! I was going to say or you could go to the winter Olympics sometime and see games there, but the next one is in Socchi, Russia (wherever the hell that is) and the one after is in South Korea, so yeah hockey states sound better.
__________________
MNSSHP 2015: DH (Bane), Me (Batgirl), Genie, and our friends
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.
Shopping update: So I realized yesterday that I don't own a single green shirt. (Ok well I own a lot of very dark green shirts since I'm a USF Bull alumnus, but I mean a bright green Irish approriate shirt.) I will be needing one for the Ireland/Italy game however. (Surely we all know I will not be rooting for Ireland at the Spain/Ireland game. I will proudly be wearing my beautiful Sergio Ramos jersey at that one...) Anyway, so I got a green shirt at Target today. Everything is coming together!
__________________
MNSSHP 2015: DH (Bane), Me (Batgirl), Genie, and our friends
I am so jealous! I am the only one in my family that likes soccer. I was the captain of my coed team in high school and fell on love with the sport. So, going to Europe to watch some great teams... AND you are going to Prague! My mom's entire side of the family is 100% Czech, so a visit has always been on the top of my "must visit" list! I hope you havea great time!
Trip shopping is so fun! Love that you got a green shirt for the game!
Isn't it? I must say that I didn't only get the green shirt, hehehe. That was just my justification for needing to look at clothes in the first place.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OneLittleSpark
SCORE!!!! On the green shirt!
Thanks! I was totally dumbfounded to look in my closet and realize I didn't have a single shirt the right color. I live in the town that hosts the second biggest St. Patrick's day celebration in the country for pete's sake! I guess you can see how I hide when that takes place...LOL!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ace_Athena
Jumping on board! I loved your last TR!
I am so jealous! I am the only one in my family that likes soccer. I was the captain of my coed team in high school and fell on love with the sport. So, going to Europe to watch some great teams... AND you are going to Prague! My mom's entire side of the family is 100% Czech, so a visit has always been on the top of my "must visit" list! I hope you havea great time!
Welcome! Always happy to meet another soccer fan! We're also planning Brazil 2014 - wanna join? That's so cool to be of Czech descent! You'll get there one day! I have heard such great things about Prague, I can't wait!
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMB733
Great Start Ashli!!! Sounds like such an exciting trip. I'm jealous that you are going to Prague, it's on my must see list too!!
Thanks, Kathy! It worked out so perfectly to also see Prague on this trip, I couldn't not add it in. I hope it's as wonderful as I've always heard!
__________________
MNSSHP 2015: DH (Bane), Me (Batgirl), Genie, and our friends
I just finished reading your previous TR on the WC in SA. I loved hearing of your exciting time there and all the adventures you were able to experience. Just seeing the pictures of the bridge where you jumped gave me the chills. I can not wait to share in your new trip and "see" your Euro 2012 experiences.
I just finished reading your previous TR on the WC in SA. I loved hearing of your exciting time there and all the adventures you were able to experience. Just seeing the pictures of the bridge where you jumped gave me the chills. I can not wait to share in your new trip and "see" your Euro 2012 experiences.
Hi Christina!! I'm so glad you enjoyed my SA TR and I hope you'll enjoy this one as well. Nice to have you reading along! (The jump of the bridge in SA was one of the highlights of my life. I would do it again in a heartbeat! )
__________________
MNSSHP 2015: DH (Bane), Me (Batgirl), Genie, and our friends
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.
About This Page: 
to my PTR! I hope some of you that followed along on my recent Paris TR are back to follow my next European adventure. I decided to start with a PTR this time so I can just jump right into the action when I get home and start on the TR. So let’s get started, shall we? 
We watch MLS, La Liga, some EPL, etc… but what we really love is national team soccer. 
Of course the U.S. is our absolute #1 team, but we’ll watch a game of any national teams. The passion people have for their countries translates to great excitement and a wonderful experience. We learned this first hand when we went to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup. It was such a great time all the way around. We went to several US games there, but also to many non-US games. While I love love love 
my team and would always prefer to see them play to anyone else, it is sometimes a little more “fun” when they aren’t the ones playing and I’m not quite as emotionally involved (read: freaking out all game in hopes that we win). 
I’m not sure my heart has ever fully recovered from the terror-turned-elation that was the U.S./Algeria game we went to in South Africa (if you watched it, you know exactly what I’m talking about 
). So, after our World Cup trip when Kyle suggested that in 2012 we should go to Poland and see some Euro games, I thought that sounded great! 
Well….we originally had planned to go to both Ukraine and Poland to see as many different teams as possible. (In the first rounds, which is when we will be there, each team plays all of their games in one country or the other, not both.) We got books about both countries to see what we wanted to make sure not to miss. (We don’t only go to soccer games…we do LOTS of sightseeing in between!) The Poland book was great; lots of wonderful history and things we wanted to see and do. The Ukraine book… not so much. 
I’m sure Ukraine has plenty of wonderful people and interesting things to see, but to be completely honest the travel book kind of freaked me out. Being a former Soviet country, it really reminded me of Kazakhstan. DH and I adopted our DS from Kazakhstan in 2006 and spent 4 weeks there, and to be perfectly honest, it’s not somewhere I care to ever go again. 
Since we were both less than impressed with the idea of spending part of our vacation in Ukraine, we started looking to see where else we could go in the same general area. I immediately looked up the distance to Prague. What do you know? It’s just a tiny hop, skip, and jump from Poland to Prague! 
I’ve always heard about how beautiful of a city Prague is and it’s been very high on my “must-see” list for years. Kyle agreed. This would be a perfect opportunity! Kyle suggested that we also try to spend a day or so in Dresden, Germany. He’s really wanted to see Germany, and I’ve never been to the eastern part of Germany, so it sounded great as well. We finally put an itinerary together based on where we wanted to go and also what cities would be hosting games on which days and here is what we came up with:
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Melanie
Hi Melanie!! Glad to have you here!
"Sparky"(My first trip.)
(Ok well I own a lot of very dark green shirts since I'm a USF Bull alumnus, but I mean a bright green Irish approriate shirt.) I will be needing one for the Ireland/Italy game however. (Surely we all know I will not be rooting for Ireland at the Spain/Ireland game. I will proudly be wearing my beautiful Sergio Ramos jersey at that one...
) Anyway, so I got a green shirt at Target today. Everything is coming together! 
AND you are going to Prague! My mom's entire side of the family is 100% Czech, so a visit has always been on the top of my "must visit" list! I hope you havea great time!
)
Linear Mode
