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jjbescher

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Posts posted by jjbescher

  5. Hot Fun in the Summertime-TCD's August 2012 TR

    in Trip Reports

    Posted

    Time to get posting on this report again.

    I left off with us heading back to camp to watch a little of the Olympics closing ceremony before heading over to the MK.

    I have to say that the UK did a great job on the Olympics. The venues all looked really nice, and they lucked out on the weather. We all enjoyed the opening and closing ceremonies. They did a great job incorporating all their stars in those. It makes me really wonder what the heck Brazil will possibly be able to do.

    As we watched the Olympics, I got a bit sappy. Sometimes I think too much, and this was one of those times. It is hard to believe how fast the years had flown by since the 2008 Olympic games. And, assuming the next four years fly by as fast, my 17 year olds are suddenly going to be 21, and my 21 year old will be 25. That boggled my mind. I wish time would not pass so quickly.

    Anyway, we were DVR'ing the show back home, so somewhere around the Spice Girls performance we pried ourselves away from the tube, and headed down to the Settlement.

    It was just after 10 as we got to the dock, so we got to see the end of Wishes as we waited for the boat:

    538.jpg

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    546.jpg

    Unfortunately, we had missed the EWP. Every night. Lou will be happy to hear that.

    So, no EWP photos for you.

    It was EMH at the MK until 1 am. And we stayed there until about then.

    I know the girls pin traded and played some of the SOTMK game.

    We rode the rides that we didn't on Friday night.

    And we went back to Dumbo.

    We were standing looking at one of the new RFID readers they have installed there when a castmember came up to chat with us. He was a younger guy, but told us that he had worked at Dumbo since it reopened here in this new location. He had been around for some of the RFID testing that has taken place. He said folks just hold their KTTW cards up to those poles, and can walk into the Fastpass queue. He pointed out that there are no paper Fastpass machines at Dumbo, and that there were no plans for any. He said he understood that there would be a Fastpass distribution area for all of Fantasyland somewhere near the new walls that are being built over by Dumbo's old location.

    Since he seemed to know a little something, I asked him about that mysterious Yellow tent that we saw on the model. It is pretty large when you see it in person on the other side of the construction wall:

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    547.jpg

    Why are they not saying what this is?

    The CM said that he heard that it was going to be a place for people to take breaks. Like a quiet place to take a rest.

    I am not buying that.

    Although it sounds nice.

    There is something that they are holding back on.

    I just can't figure out what it is.

    Time will tell.

    We did a few more rides, the girls traded some more pins, and then we finished up with some ice cream from the Main Street ice cream parlor. It's just Edie's ice cream, but for some reason, it tastes way better than the stuff you can buy at the store.

    For no real reason, the last photo I have from Sunday night is of my favorite one of Donald's nephews:

    554.jpg

    We headed back to the Fort right at 1.

    There was a family trying to get on the Fort boat who was looking for Epcot.

    Boy, were they in for a long trip.

    I paid another visit to the Meadow hot tub on Sunday night. There was a small group of folks in the pool, but I got the hot tub all to myself. That makes it twice now that I have finished a night at the Fort in the hot tub. And both times happened on this trip. I am detecting a trend.

    So, that means we just have tomorrow morning left, and we will be heading home.

    That must mean the end of this report is near.

    But don't quit reading now. There was another Real Man of Genius I saw setting up at the Fort all day Sunday. We will take a look at his handywork before this report ends.

    TCD

    I though London did do a great job, however, NBC, not so much. I know a lot of people like the touchy feely stories of the athletes, but when we are not watching this stuff LIVE, show us the athletes doing what they were there for. Show us some of the prelim heats of the US Athletes, not just the stars. Also, how could they leave out showing the WHO from the closing ceremonies, especially when they kept saying they will be on.

    As for the RFID, how are they going to be able to handle this. Will ALL tickets be RFID?

    jon

  6. A Lazy Weekend on the Mountain and Ooops

    in Trip Reports

    Posted

    My converter went bad in my new RV. Luckily it was replaced under warranty, then when we got that back, something else was wrong with my fridge, so it could not be used in electric. So I had the RV back in for work the next Monday. Once again fixed under warranty, but what a pain.

    Glad you were able to figure out what it was and that you were able to charge the battery through the 7-pin.

  12. Error Message: TCD's Spring Break 2012 Trip Report!

    in Trip Reports

    Posted

    1 1/2 hours for Fantasmic. No way is that worth it.

    Except if your wife wanted to see the show, of course.

    I wonder why they moved the Mermaid statue? I will have to look for it in its new location. I had not heard anything about this, and could not find anything about it online after I noticed it was missing. Is it still a fountain?

    TCD

    Yes my wife wanted me to see it. 20 - 30 minute wait, maybe worth it. Anymore than that, a waste of time.

    If I remember correctly it is still a fountain.

  14. TCD's College Road Trip (via the Fort)

    in Trip Reports

    Posted

    I went over to Trail's End first.

    It opens at 7:30, and I was the first customer of the day.

    Earlier this year, they brought back take-out offerings for breakfast.

    This was the sign posted on January 28th:

    IMG_3117.jpg

    I don't think things have changed since the last time I posted that sign.

    While we are on the subject of Trail's End take-out for breakfast, let me address a question that comes up often. That is: Can you use a Disney Dining Plan credit to get one of the breakfast take-out items? You can see on the menu that there are little DDP marks next to some of the items. But not the sandwiches. But, as I stood there and waited for my sandwich to be made, a gentleman came up and asked the lady at the register what he could get for breakfast with his DDP credits. She told him that a DDP meal credit would get him one of the sandwiches with a side and drink. And I have witnessed that before too.

    So, despite the lack of clear information, I am confirming that you can use the DDP to get one of the breakfast take out entrees from Trail's End.

    The reason that the Sandwiches do not have the DDP symbol next to them, is that those with the symbols can be bought using the Snack Credits. In order to get the sandwich you need to use a Quick Service Meal or a Table Service Meal to get it.

    jon

  16. From Moscow to Mickey – My Little Girl’s Journey to the Fort (DaveInTN and Family Spend Thanksgiving With The Fiends!)

    in Trip Reports

    Posted

    We tried Ohana's twice now for breakfast hoping the horible/pricy breakfast would be better the second time. We were wrong. Again, bad service and mediocre food you could get at a less expensive place. Save you money for dinner at Ohanas. We will have to try Kona next time. The food looks way better and I bet it's a tad cheaper

    I agree, Ohana has definitely been the worst service for Breakfast that we have had.

  18. New Park Entry Ticket Test

    in WDW and Disney Park Discussions

    Posted

    There are a couple of reasons RFID has taken so long to get into stores.

    1. Cost - as Lou said, the cost of the tags were very not cost efficient.

    2. Size - They were big and would not fit on certain items.

    3. How to tag certain items - Fruit, vegetables, the 1 little hot pepper you get. Those are still being discussed throughout the Supermarket industry. How do you tag a weight item?

    4. Misreads - both missing an item and reading an item twice. Making sure checkout lanes and readers are far enough away from items that are not in the cart. (you know all those magazines, candy and stuff at the checkout register).

    They have gotten the cost down to where the stores are starting to see a return on investment. The rfid tags have gotten smaller, but they are still having issues with tagging certain items and the number of tags it may take. Also misreads are still a huge concern.

    jon

  20. Down by the Riverside (and Fort): A TCD End of Summer Trip Report

    in Trip Reports

    Posted

    If I'm rmembering the path is not directly from OKW its like on the golf course, then to the real sidewalk

    alright, I had to look at Google Maps to figure it out. Yes, the Golf Course connects Saratoga Springs to Old Key West. Here is the Google Map Link

    You can see the treehouses up at the top. From the treehouses you have to go to the Golf Course and then walk over. Then there is a walkway(fairly long) that will bring you to Old Key West.

    jon

    jon

  21. Down by the Riverside (and Fort): A TCD End of Summer Trip Report

    in Trip Reports

    Posted

    You used to be able to walk from OKW to DTD, treehouse, and Saratoga. I know they put a gate to the TH when the college kids were living there. Did they rework the sidewalk when they rebuilt?

    I will have to look at the maps of the THV, but I do not remember a walkway. They may also not have showed it on the map.

    It could be that you can walk to it from Saratoga Springs, but nor directly from the THV, unless the pathway is by the street. On the map that I have, it does not show by the street towards OKW.

  22. Down by the Riverside (and Fort): A TCD End of Summer Trip Report

    in Trip Reports

    Posted

    Another great trip report from TCD. I had a chance to stay at the resort when it was Dixie Landings, but had to upgrade to Wilderness Lodge because of the package we were getting.

    Treehouse Villas - I realize I am very late on responding to this trip report - however, been very busy at work and now just getting a chance to catch up on a lot of trip reports. I have stayed at the new THV. They are 3 Bedroom and 2 Full Bath. As another poster stated, they count as a 2 bedroom for points. This makes them very valuable because the rooms consist of the following. 1 King, 1 Queen and then 2 Bunk Beds. The main area also has a pullout couch and a chair that turns into a sleeper.

    You can not walk to Old Key West from the Treehouse Villas, but the walk is not bad to the main part of Saratoga Springs. The area does have a its own little pool, which is nice. Transportation is very similar to the Fort where you have to catch an internal bus to catch the bus to the main bus stops. For a lot of DVC owners that is a drawback. The treeshouses definitely are in a wilderness area and are very dark inside.

    If you have anymore questions about the treehouses, feel free to let me know.

    jon

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