The museum had some re-touches to expand upon the timeline of the Enterprise crew. As it had opened almost 10 years ago, the Experience has spanned DS9, Voyager and Enterprise, so the exhibits needed some updating to keep them relevant as new "history" was being created with every episode.  The Klingon Encounter ride is still operational, with folks still enjoying thier time travel through space to save Jean-Luc Picard and bewilder the Las Vegas authorities.  With the Borg Invasion 4D, you still work with the Doctor and Admiral Janeway to save the universe and Copernicus Station from the Borg's clutches.  They're still both good rides from start to finish. 

However, the highlight of the day was the Backstage Tour.  This new feature, released about a year ago, brings you backstage to see just how Star Trek: The Experience works.  Our tour guide, one of the original characters from the opening of the attraction, took us through the museum, rides and back stage areas to show us just "how things work on a starship."  From trivia about Jeri Ryan's hissy fit over the giant photo of the cast that didn't reflect her (yes, she went back to make sure it was changed) to the original plans for the rides and layouts, it was quite the show.  We got to spend more time on the sets, including the Enterprise's bridge and the Shuttlebay so that we could get up close and personal with the details that went into making the rides seem real.  We learned just how they "beam" you aboard the Enterprise during the Klingon Encounter ride and how they wrote the scripts to the rides.  

Backstage, they show you the offices, mess hall and makeup areas.  You also get to see how the motion simulators for the Klingon Encounter ride work.  Finally, you end above Quark's, to sign your name in the book to immortalize your visit to the Experience.  After the tour, we headed downstairs for a late lunch at Quark's and some photos in the Borg Chamber and on the Enterprise's bridge.  The photos are kind of fun because they let you poke around for a while on the bridge and play with the panels, and such.  As I relaxed in the center seat, most folks headed up around the tactical and aft stations.  Really, a cool feature well worth the cost of the photos.

On the flip side, probably the two biggest disappointments was the lack of characters roming Quark's and the Promenade and the shops on the promenade.  When I had visited the attraction in the past, there were Ferengi, Borg, Klingons and Vulcans walking around and interacting with the guests.  This time, there were two Ferengi and not much else.  Even the Borg for the Borg Encounter were not in abundance, taking the ride from a level of being a little scary and knocking it downward to being a little hokey.  One borg per ride wasn't what I would consider to be intimidating.  The shopping has also become a little less targeted towards fans and more targeted towards the casual guest.  There's a distinct lack of any uniforms for sale, as well as less of a merchandise selection. 

All in all, it was a great trip and good time at the Experience.  After about 6 hours of fun in the 24th Century, we headed back to our 21st century room for a nice soak in the hot tub.  Time travel kinda takes it out of you.  🙂

Although there are rumors abounding about the closure of the Experience, it's been 10 years and nearly 100 million dollars invested so I doubt it'll happen any time soon.  Hopefully the next time we head out there, there will be a new and even better addition to the attractions.  I for one, can't wait.

Some, like Avenger's Brenda Bell walked briskly and with great pace. Most of us though, enjoyed the sights, stopped here and there, chatted and caught up on things ranging from the latest episode of Doctor Who to Regional news to just plain conversation.

Highlights included our stop at a candy store on the boardwalk (the fact that we were walking for a Diabetes fundraiser was not lost to us in the irony of that stop) watching a Golden Labrador Retriever decide to take a break even if his walk team didn't want to had us laughing. He just stopped near a pavilion and layed down for awhile and looked up to his owner as if to say…I'm taking a break so don't even think about going forward.''

Avenger XO Todd Brugmans enjoyed walking in his monster maroon and got some notice for it even from the Fun Town Pier carousel operator who gave us the hand gesture of "May the Force Be With You" and then got a crash course on the difference between ST and SW.

Food is always a big part of the after event scenario and the Starlord who were in full force with Cadet Taryn Podesta, her parents Joe and Michelle, family and crew heading out to Tiffany's Restaurant in Toms River invited the rest of the 7th Fleet reps along and we had a great time. Challenger MSG OIC Col. Pat Comune nearly lost his hat to sneaker skating Taryn but that was okay it gave some exercise to our Marine since he slept through the walk this year. (Next year Pat we're getting you up in time!) <G>

We all shared new and old stories and discussed the fun we've all had at recent Ren Faires, and fall festivals.

Michelle and Annie Slonski who took point on the two teams of Fleet members  who were part of the walk will have even more details to post but I just wanted to say it was a great, day, we had a fun and morning and every bit of  donated money helped the cause of getting one step closer to finding a cure.

This is shaping up to a real sector tradition each fall and it was also great to see some friends from our PA Sector as well.

It was great seeing everyone again in Seaside Heights especially on the boardwalk where we usually assemble before a painful dip into icy water during the annual Polar Bear Plunge. Walking was much more fun.

Adm. Bob Vosseller
NJ Sector Chief
CO USS Challenger NCC-1676-D

UPDATE: View the JDF Walk Photo Gallery!

The site is now using a content management system called Joomla!, which allows us great flexibility in the services we offer to our members.  This is the same system that Starfleet uses for its Web site, SFI.org.  While a lot of the content remains the same, it is now much easier to handle and administrate.  It is also much easier for non-technical folks to add to the "meat" of the site, which is mainly our calendar and news.  Some of our features include:

• A fully editable calendar module with events catagorized by color, based on the type of event.  Also, all members can add events to the calendar with no need to go into the back end of the system, and with no knowledge of HTML or any other code.  It's easy and simple to do!
• RSVP to upcoming events & receive important event updates.
• Easier to browse photo galleries, with the ability to view slideshows.
• A better organized navigation system, making it easy to find what you're looking for.
• A member login on the front page, which allows you to see members-only content, such as our handbook, roster and fictional history (coming soon).
• A members-only Documents Center to organize important member and recruitment materials for you.
• RSS feed of our latest news.
• Automatic posting of news from the SFI.org Web site.
• Vanity "@usschallenger.org" e-mail addresses, which foward to your regular e-mail address.  This is automatically give to all c-staff members (c-staff, visit the Senior Staff page to see yours) and available upon request for general members.
• A help desk for users, allowing members to send a message to the c-staff when they need assistance with an issue.
• A template chooser, so you can choose the look and feel that you like best for the Web site.
• Polls, so we can take your pulse on different issues anonymously.

More features, such as reservation/RSVPs for future events, will be added in the coming months, so keep checking back for news and information.

Until next time,
Laura & the Web Team