Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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02-07-2006, 01:36 PM
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#1
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Community Rank: Traveler 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Urbandale, Iowa
Posts: 317
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Adventures with the dance team
Well, I'm back. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/zputer.gif[/img]
For the past 5 years I've been the "official" videographer for my DD's high school dance team. When she graduated in '03, I agreed to continue putting their year-end video together for a while longer. Usually, I only shoot video a couple of times in the year for their "special" events, but this year the whole dance season is special. Why? Because it is the last year for the last of my daughter's teammates. The girls who came in as freshmen when she was a senior are now seniors themselves. This marks the end of my tenure as the video guy. I really love all these girls, they've become like daughters to me.
[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/iloveyou.gif[/img]
With that in mind, I have been shooting a LOT of video this year of most of their events & dances (Carwashes, competitions, homecoming, etc.). This past week, I went with the team to WDW for the Universal Dance Association's National HS Dance Championships. What a great treat for me! Not only did I get to go to The World, I did so with a whole lotta, lotta truly outstanding people. We stayed at CBR, where I roomed with the trip coordinator & her husband. They were sooo gracious & accomodating to my presence on their trip, I will be eternally grateful. We stayed in building 14 on "Barbados". That's a long way from Olde Port Royale, where the food court is, but we made due. Also, my roomies had a rental van so it was easy to zip over there & back.
[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/thanx.gif[/img]
Let me back up a little here. The flight down was long & difficult. I had 2 plane changes and 4 & a half hours worth of layovers. Lugging a suitcase, carry-on bag & set of golf clubs around MCO is no picnic, either. (A little cheese with that "Whine", Clay?) I had to travel separate from the team as my decision to go came too late to get a decent rate on their flight.
[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/zcry.gif[/img]
Anyway, it started raining in the middle of the first night & didn't let up until the middle of our second full day there. I counted 42 hours, with a couple of hours break here & there. The girls needed to practice of course, so on day one (Friday) the coaches had them line up in the morning on the balcony & they did "Clean-ups" of parts of the routines that had been bothersome. It was quite a scene at the CBR with several dance teams practicing on balconies or, in some cases, in rain gear out in the parking lots. It made for some pretty unique & "cool" video, as well. Then one of our moms came to the rescue. She was staying off site in LBV & arranged a conference room there for the team to practice in. Between all the parents, we had three vans & a car to shuttle girls & coaches around in, so we took them to the "practice facility". I spent most of the day videotaping those two practice sessions (on the balcony & at the conference room). They practiced for 6 hours that day & were wiped out at the end of it.
[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/snore.gif[/img]
That night, WDW kept Tommorrowland and some of the shops on Main Street at MK open late for the UDA people. We went there & ate dinner at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe with one of our meal vouchers (we each got two). Then the girls & a few of us parentals rode rides & did a little shopping. I gave the video camera to one of the girls & told her to fire at will. We got some great footage from that...the girls are a little more free with the screeches & better at being themselves with one of their own running the camera. I got my camera back & accepted an invitation to join some of the moms & dads for an off-site gathering of grownups to tip a few and just relax.
[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]
On Saturday morning, the girls went back to the off-site hotel for more practice. I had more than enough footage of practice at that location so decided to do a little "World" wandering on my own. I spent the first part of the morning at MK on Main Street. I've wanted to explore those shops for a long time so seized this moment to do just that. It was great to be able to explore at a leisurely pace & observe the tremendous detail Disney puts into things. The people-watching is great, too. Then, I took a bus to Saratoga Springs. OMG! A quiet place at WDW! I spent some time there just soaking up the ambience & peacefulness of the place. Then I got directions to Downtown Disney, where the team was going to have lunch & do a little shopping. It is within walking distance from SS, & so I set out. The walk took me through/across Lake Buena Vista golf course. What a bittersweet walk that was! You see, one the dance dads & I were supposed to golf at Eagle Pines on Friday, but got rained out. We were bummed & started annoying some of the others with our whining about not golfing. Now here I was walking through a course watching all these other lucky people golfing to their heart's content. <heavy sigh>
[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/cry.gif[/img]
That afternoon, I rolled a little tape of the girls at DTD but could tell they just wanted to shop & not be bothered so I backed off & went to Disney-MGM Studios, shopped, ate lunch at the 50's Prime Time Cafe & rode the Rock 'n Roller Coaster. There wern't any tables open at the cafe, so I sat at the bar & ate; a little disappointing as I've heard so much about the funny waitresses there. However I DID get to do my first Pin Trading, something I'd been looking to do since my last trip there last year. I'm a big Tigger fan & have been on the lookout for any unique Tigger pins. As I came into the park, I saw a CM with a yellow lanyard so looked at what pins she had. Sure enough, there was one on there I didn't have, Tigger bouncing with Roo in his arms. I went to the next stand that had pins, bought the cheapest one they had & went back for the trade. How cool is that?
[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]
The team was competing there that evening at the Indiana Jones amphitheater, so it worked out fine for me to have some solo playtime there. Though I did call my roomate/hosts to bring my sweatshirt when they came. It was a little chilly that night. The theater was packed. It was time for the High Kick preliminary round. High Kick is a traditional favorite of our team & on their last trip to the championships in '03, they came in 12th in the nation. That was the highest finish ever by our small school. There are no divisions in that category, so 12th is pretty awesome. It wasn't good enough to make it into the finals that year, though, and that became the goal of this year's team...making finals!
[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/luck.gif[/img]
By the luck of the draw, we were scheduled to perform last. The team parents & friends watched as team after team put on one great performance after another. These girls are GOOD! Finally, it was time for our girls to shine. They hit the stage and positively NAILED their routine! It was awseome & you could tell they knew it as soon as they hit their final move/pose. We cheered so loud, I'm still hoarse three days later. I beat feet out to the post-performance area & got some shots of the team's excitement & them watching a replay on a monitor that had been set up outside. After that, while the judges tallied the scores, there were some opening ceremony rehearsals for the ESPN folks for the finals broadcast which would take place on Sunday (BTW: One of our girls was in that show in the front row, very exciting!). I got into position behind the girls where I could get a shot of them and the announcer. We had no way of knowing how many teams scored high enough to get into the finals. So we waited as he read 1, 2, 3....6 team names and then, us. The girls exploded into the air screaming and hugging and crying. It was an indescribable feeling watching their joy! They had set a new mark for our school that will probably stand for some time to come. (Yeah, I cried, so?) BTW: the video of all this looks great, I nailed it too;-)
[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/woot.gif[/img]
Well, after that the pressure was off & the rest of our time there was pretty laid back. There was still the Small Varsity Jazz Prelims & High Kick Finals on Sunday, but the main goal had been reached and any other accomplishments would be icing on the cake. Sunday morning we all trouped over to the Sports Complex for the Jazz competition at The Milkhouse. This is a huge competition with a lot more teams entered than in High Kick. We didn't make it past prelims, so once again, I had a day to myself (I was trying to not interfere with other people's vacations down there, as most of the parents were with family members.)
[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]
I rode around on the buses for a little while, sight seeing, and ended up at the Grand Floridian. Wow, what a fabulous place! I sorta-kinda broke the rules by having a Margarita in the pool area (reserved for members & their guests). Oddly, I don't feel guilty about this;-) After that, I went back to the CBR & roamed the grounds getting background pics for the video & then went & sat on our balcony puffing a cigar & sipping a Diet Pepsi. Bliss.
[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]
Sunday night the finals for High Kick were held at The Milkhouse. If you've never been to an event there, let me tell you, it is pretty impressive. Add in the ESPN cameras and announcers and it just gets better. They did the "Open" 3 times so I was able to get pleny of shots of "our" girl dancing (she was fantastic, BTW). Then the competition started & guess what? Our team was last up again. Long story short, we are 7th in the nation in High Kick Dance; That is WAY cool!
[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/thewave.gif[/img]
After the performance, we went outside to take pictures with the trophy...a LOT of pictures with the trophy! Which brings me to the highlight of the trip for me personally. As the picture taking was winding down, someone took me by the arm and I heard several of the girls saying, "We want one of the team with Clay." They sat me down on the bench, surrounded by the team, put the trophy in my hands and started firing flashes. It was Papparazi time. What a thrill! I held it together & didn't tear up until afterwards when I could step aside & let it out. I am truly blessed to be associated with these beautiful young ladies.
[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grouphug.gif[/img]
From there, we went to MGM Studios again for the Champion's Party. More videotape, another ride with Aerosmith & then to McDonalds & the CBR.
[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/snore.gif[/img]
I got a whole 1 & 1/2 hours of sleep before I had to get up, get ready & head to the airport for another long, three-plane haul home. It's good to be back, but I will be a little depressed for awhile over not being in the excitement and commaraderie and magic of this trip. The dance season is winding down now. 2-3 more events to tape and then the long hours of "work" putting the video together. This is gonna be good!
-Clay[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/Flash.gif[/img]
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02-07-2006, 01:46 PM
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#2
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Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Tulsa, OK
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 21,627
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Re: Adventures with the dance team
What a great trip report. Sounds like you really had a fantastic time. Congratulations!!!!!
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02-07-2006, 10:43 PM
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#3
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Community Rank: Explorer 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: new york
Posts: 9,202
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Re: Adventures with the dance team
sounds like you had a great time at the world
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02-07-2006, 10:55 PM
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#4
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Community Rank: Traveler
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Urbandale, Iowa
Posts: 317
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Re: Adventures with the dance team
Thanks. Yeah, it was a very special time. Even without the golf;-)
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02-07-2006, 11:36 PM
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#5
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Community Rank: Legend 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Dreaming of the Future
Concierge Level: 1
Posts: 24,867
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Re: Adventures with the dance team
Congrats on being 7th! Great report!
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02-08-2006, 05:55 AM
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#6
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RED SOX NATION!!
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 9
Posts: 136,854
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Re: Adventures with the dance team
Great trip Clay [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/zwavin.gif[/img] Congrats to the girls [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]
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02-08-2006, 10:03 AM
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#7
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: SW MO
Concierge Level: 1
Posts: 10,461
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Re: Adventures with the dance team
[img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/5/5_1_120.gif[/img] [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/5/5_1_120.gif[/img] [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/5/5_1_120.gif[/img]
Congrats!
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02-08-2006, 10:41 AM
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#8
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Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Ohio Football Hall Of Fame
Posts: 42,304
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Re: Adventures with the dance team
Wonderful report Clay!!! Congratulations to the girls!!!
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02-08-2006, 01:47 PM
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#9
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Community Rank: Trailblazer 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 5,325
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Re: Adventures with the dance team
Thanks for sharing your trip! Sounds like some magical moments with the girls. Congrats to you all!
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02-08-2006, 02:50 PM
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#10
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New York
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 7,960
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Re: Adventures with the dance team
Great report, and congrats to the girls! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img] Thanks for sharing!
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02-08-2006, 11:12 PM
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#11
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Community Rank: Traveler
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Urbandale, Iowa
Posts: 317
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Re: Adventures with the dance team
Thanks, Princess...Love the picture. Was that at Christmastime? Looks like what DW & I saw last holiday season at the world.
-Clay
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02-09-2006, 01:46 PM
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#12
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New York
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 7,960
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Re: Adventures with the dance team
Yes, that picture was taken in December '05.
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02-11-2006, 10:16 AM
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#13
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Community Rank: Wayfarer 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: South Georgia
Posts: 102
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Re: Adventures with the dance team
Congrats to your girls. They should be commended. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/applause.gif[/img]
People don't realize the dedication and hard work it takes on the girls' part. My baby daughter is on the dance team in her HS band. They must know their routine to perfection, play the music on their instrument by memory and make good grades. If not, they don't perform. We'll be headed down there for competion in the spring. Watch out Disney!
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02-11-2006, 07:40 PM
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#14
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Community Rank: Traveler
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Urbandale, Iowa
Posts: 317
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Re: Adventures with the dance team
Hey, GaGirl. Yeah, these girls work their tails off & look good doing it. We're very proud of all they've accomplished. I sent the team a link to this post & they've seen all the wonderful responses from you folks. So on behalf of the Jaywalkers, [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/thanx.gif[/img]
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