Sparky's Gone to the World- A TR 9/13/11-9/20/11 - Page 41 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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Sometimes your body just needs a little extra sleep. I can only imagine the stares you got running towards the bus stop in your pjs. Glad everything worked out though and that Marybeth knew you didn't stand her up on purpose.
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Sometimes your body just needs a little extra sleep. I can only imagine the stares you got running towards the bus stop in your pjs. Glad everything worked out though and that Marybeth knew you didn't stand her up on purpose.
You're right Melissa! My body actually needed more than to sleep in till 7am. But that is the limit at WDW! I was, as well as DH and DD, very glad we ended up running into Marybeth. DH couldn't believe that I spotted them ahead of us, when we just met a few days earlier. I don't know why, I just knew it was them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMB733
Great start to your day at DHS. Glad you were able to get DD into a Jedi Training. Can't wait to hear about that!!
Thanks Kathy! I was so happy there was room left. Be back soon with the next update.
You're right Melissa! My body actually needed more than to sleep in till 7am. But that is the limit at WDW!
It's funny, but from the start of the vacation you end up getting up early. From the alarm clock going off at 3am to get up for your flight, to the alarm waking you up early to get ready for the parks...Disney is really exhausting yet we keep going back. Why can't we feel that way when getting up for work each day? Maybe if I worked at Disney I would.
It's funny, but from the start of the vacation you end up getting up early. From the alarm clock going off at 3am to get up for your flight, to the alarm waking you up early to get ready for the parks...Disney is really exhausting yet we keep going back. Why can't we feel that way when getting up for work each day? Maybe if I worked at Disney I would.
That is so true! I always say that when you vacation at WDW, you will need a vacation from your vacation. It's funny how we aren't the lets go relax vacation type people.
Day 5 Saturday Sept. 17- DHS Jedi Training Academy
We got to SFDiT by 11:40 and we seated within minutes. As the hostess sat us, we realized that we were sitting right next to Marybeth and family! We talked and laughed. Their waitress took pictures for both them and us. When they were getting ready to leave we made the plans to meet at the SWJTA at 1:30.
All of us at Sci Fi. Marybeth, Mark Sr., Marky, Me, DH and DD.
Lunch was good as usual. I hear a lot of complaints about the food here, but I find it to be good when you order burgers and fries. I always book a lunch ADR because they don’t have burgers on the dinner menu, I think that is a bummer. Someday I would like to try the PTC, but I don’t know if I will get DH to give this ADR up, and I don’t know about squeezing PTC in with SFDiT. We’ll have to see about that on a future trip.
At 1:30 we arrived at the sign/meet up spot for SWJTA. A few minutes later Marybeth and boys showed up. Marybeth and I sat and talked, while DH’s shot the breeze. DD and Marky we trying out their Jedi moves…or was that Power Rangers?
Soon a CM came over and said that one parent should go ahead and get good spots for the show to get pictures. The other parent should stay and help the kids get into costume.
We quickly decided us girls would go to the stage and the guys would help the kids. Marybeth and I staked out our front row center spots and waited. Boy was the sun H.O.T!! Again it was pretty darned close to 95 and there is NO shade what so ever at the stage. Soon the guys were behind us and the kids we on the side of the stage waiting.
Marky and DD waiting for the show to start.
The show started and all the kids were brought out on stage and taught to activate their light sabers. DD had a little bit of a hard time with it, because she wanted to press the button, and when she finally caught on that she had to slide it, she kept trying to slide it the wrong way. After many attempts by the assistant Jedi Trainer, she ended up fixing it so DD only had to point the light saber down to activate it.
Assistant Jedi Trainer, who DD said was nice and pretty.
Once they had learned that, it was time to learn some moves. They were taught a sequence of 4 different moves with their light sabers. Left, right, crouch down, and up for the finish. Just as the last child was finished Darth Vader’s music came on and the battles started.
Oh no! Here comes Darth Vader.
DH took this pic as well as the last one. His first time using A camera, not too bad!
This is one of my faves too. I love how his sleeve is "in action" with the kids in the background.
First up was Marky, he was feeling the force and defeated the dark side.
Second to last was my little princess, er...Padawan.
She walked up to the center of the stage and proceeded to wave at Darth Vader.
Look at that smile!
The audience laughed and she started. Of course she was victorious, she used the force and overcame the dark side. Yay!!
After that Darth Vader retreated and each child was given a certificate of completing the Star Wars Jedi Training Academy.
I am going to end this segment here as I have lots of pics to post and I am even going to try the video I took. We’ll see….but in the mean time some random shots that I loved of my DD.
AND...my absolute favorite...maybe of the whole trip (It's a toss up between this and the princess one. But this is so un-Disney, it could have been taken anywhere)
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Love all the pics from Jedi Training! (and the video - yes I saw it!) I think how DD waved at Vader was too cute! ( off the subject but - how do you post so many pics in one post? I can only do 5?)
Glad you had a great time at Sci Fi and your DD had a great time being a Jedi! The video works for me!
Yay! Thanks Marnie.
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Originally Posted by Coop
Love all the pics from Jedi Training! (and the video - yes I saw it!) I think how DD waved at Vader was too cute! ( off the subject but - how do you post so many pics in one post? I can only do 5?)
It was cute the way she waved. LOL Here I was worried she might be scared, yeah right!
I use photobucket, it's really easy! Here are the directions that elbodans gave me earlier in my report....
"you want to upload all of them first. i resize as i go--just click 'resize' and select anything OTHER THAN the largest size (which is too large) and then copy the FOURTH (and last) code that's given in the box on the right. paste that into here and you're good to go. it took me a WHILE to be able to do it quickly"
I found that if you click on a pic to view it individually, then at the top of the white border, when you hover there is a resize option, you just click the size you want. Once it resizes, you can go to the next one.
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