A Swiss spring break with friends TRIP REPORT COMPLETED 6/27 - Page 38 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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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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Ahh total heaven with these tulips !!!! Wow I have got to get to a tulip festival. Thanks for sharing
I hear Keukenhof is amazing.. I'm sure Colleen will agree. I'm still jealous she got there this year. I've been trying to get there for years - hopefully next year.
When we got into the terminal, we headed upstairs to check in, and wouldn’t you know it, EasyJet was the furthest walk possible. It was at this point we said our goodbyes to Graham and Sarah, as they didn’t have any luggage to check in.
We checked our bag in, but we were there ages, as I could hear they were having issues over my special assistance. I could overhear the conversation in French and I knew they were saying that my name wasn’t down to the guy who spoke to them. I don’t know if he was in training, but there was a woman with him and she eventually got on the phone and got it all sorted.
We were told we had to be at special assistance by 3:00pm, so we took a very quick restroom break and headed there. We barely had time to register and sit down before they called my name and we were off.
We headed through security – the one reserved for crew, so we had no wait. Let’s just say I got very, very familiar with the woman who did my security check. Once that was done and everything was back together, we were taken into a room to wait. I didn’t take any photos in here, as it didn’t seem appropriate. It was a waiting area that appeared to be part of an office and there were lots of other people in there, most in wheelchairs, but one with a guide dog and I didn’t think it would be right to photograph them.
We were there maybe 10 minutes or so, before my name was called again and a woman came to get me. We were wheeled out to passport control, the same one we’d come in through on Saturday, and then we were taken out to a minibus.
It was so neat to see mountains behind the runway. That’s something you don’t get to see everywhere.
You could also see that they’re still building here…
We were soon at the plane and we figured we’d be straight off and on to the plane. Not so fast! We’d apparently managed to beat the cabin crew there.
We were also able to watch the preparations being made for the plane…
We waited for the cabin crew to turn up and once they were safely aboard, then we were allowed up. It was so nice to be able to take our time going up the steps into the aircraft and know no-one was behind me, rushing me.
A few minutes later, we saw Graham and Sarah boarding with everyone else. It wasn’t long before we were heading out to the runway…
It's interesting that they keep the wheelchair and guide dog people in a different room than just the regular waiting area with everybody else. I suppose it's so they can find you quickly when it's boarding time!
Glad you were the first to board this time. Less pressure!
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It's interesting that they keep the wheelchair and guide dog people in a different room than just the regular waiting area with everybody else. I suppose it's so they can find you quickly when it's boarding time!
I guess so. It was certainly interesting. I had no idea they did things like that.
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Glad you were the first to board this time. Less pressure!
How was your ankle this whole trip? (I think it was your ankle..or foot?)
Yes, it was my ankle. I had my operation on 6 March, literally two months before this trip. It held up amazingly well, considering how much walking we did. The only problem I really had was having to switch between trainers (tennis shoes) and sandals. Usually I'd just be in trainers all day, but it complains at the moment if it spends too long in them.
That's a lot of work to plant all those tulip bulbs! They must have had a warm spring if they were nearly past their prime for the festival? I'm sure it's hard to plan such things. I remember one year in Washington DC, the cherry trees bloomed like 2 weeks early (or late, I'm not sure which) - 2 weeks before (or after) the festival.
It is rare for the cherry blossoms to still be in bloom for the festival. They seem to bloom early almost every year. I think in the 25 years we’ve lived there, maybe 3 or 4 times they’ve cooperated with the festival.
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Originally Posted by chezp
I hear Keukenhof is amazing.. I'm sure Colleen will agree. I'm still jealous she got there this year. I've been trying to get there for years - hopefully next year.
I really do keep meaning to do a mini TR from my trip to The Netherlands. Maybe this will motivate me (once we’re home from New Mexico).
This was a lovely trip, and as always, you managed to do so much in such a short amount of time!
That's funny you mention the Tulips and their peek as only just a few days. I live in a condo and there are many dogwood trees that blossom every May. It only lasts for about 10 days but just amazing anf beautiful to see from my deck in early May. It's almost guaranteed to see the first blossoms on May 1st!
Glad the boarding and assistance went well. Seems that Easy Jet is one of the better budget inter Europe airlines! There are many and you and Mark would not use otherwise if they weren't good from so much travel experience! Care to mention the good and not so good ones from experience and experiences from friends? Just curious for my future Europe travel!
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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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It is rare for the cherry blossoms to still be in bloom for the festival. They seem to bloom early almost every year. I think in the 25 years we’ve lived there, maybe 3 or 4 times they’ve cooperated with the festival.
I guess that's Mother Nature having the last laugh.
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I really do keep meaning to do a mini TR from my trip to The Netherlands. Maybe this will motivate me (once we’re home from New Mexico).
Oh please do - you know how much I want to read all about it!
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This was a lovely trip, and as always, you managed to do so much in such a short amount of time!
That's funny you mention the Tulips and their peek as only just a few days. I live in a condo and there are many dogwood trees that blossom every May. It only lasts for about 10 days but just amazing anf beautiful to see from my deck in early May. It's almost guaranteed to see the first blossoms on May 1st!
We have the same thing with our cherry blossom tree, although when it blooms is all over the place. I keep a record every year and the first bloom has been as early as 5 April and as late as 7 May. It never seems to last more than a couple of weeks and I can almost guarantee as soon as it comes into bloom, it will get windy, which usually takes care of it.
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Glad the boarding and assistance went well. Seems that Easy Jet is one of the better budget inter Europe airlines! There are many and you and Mark would not use otherwise if they weren't good from so much travel experience! Care to mention the good and not so good ones from experience and experiences from friends? Just curious for my future Europe travel!
They are. We use them a lot and have no issues with them. We've flown Ryanair once and wouldn't do it again. That's too budget for us, if that makes sense, plus I know so many people who've had major problems with them.
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I've been trying to get there for years - hopefully next year. 
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It was at this point we said our goodbyes to Graham and Sarah, as they didn’t have any luggage to check in. 
Once that was done and everything was back together, we were taken into a room to wait. I didn’t take any photos in here, as it didn’t seem appropriate. It was a waiting area that appeared to be part of an office and there were lots of other people in there, most in wheelchairs, but one with a guide dog and I didn’t think it would be right to photograph them. 
It wasn’t long before we were heading out to the runway… 
It's almost guaranteed to see the first blossoms on May 1st! 
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