devores

The poles have gone up and they are wiring them now. Still no fixtures ontop.

A few things I saw while cruising around

Its hard to see, but this man has a backpack with a GPS antenna sticking out of it, a measuring wheel, and blueprints. He was taking measurements along the sidewalk by the 1600/1700 area.

Could they be prepping to put a fence along this path? This is the same area where the bus/child accident occured.

Begining of the 1600 loop has equipment set up in it.

as well as the 1700 loop.
It appears to be trenching to lay new lines, but not sure what for. Perhaps the new lights?

Sidewalk by the 2000 loop getting some work done.

As anyone who knows me knows, an extension of my arm is my camera. I am rarely found without it and take pictures of everything. This 3rd of July was no exception. It was the show that almost wasnt though.
We had made reservations at Konas for 1920. This has become a tradition with us for anytime Disney has special fireworks shows. Well, when we went to check in, no reservation existed. The guard was not helpful and just turned us away with no apoligies or have a magical days. So we call, and sure enough, nothing in the system. They had a resrvation at 1920 for someone with a similar last name (off by two letters) AND a similar phone number (off by one digit), but since we could not prove it was a mistake on thier part and it was ours, we could not use that one.
What are the odds?
I latter checked at guess what? That reservation never showed up....go figure.
So with zero help from anyone at Disney, we park in our secret parking and ate at Capt Cooks.
After eating we head to the beach to stake our claim. Just as we get settled in, the rain comes.
Severe weather alerts are called and it rains.
The show is pushed to 2130, then to 2200, then 2215.
We thought we would never see the show.
While waiting the lobby was packed. People were shoulder to shoulder. So we sneak over to a secret location DW told me about.
Great view of the show and zero people. Many of you will be able to figure out where it is. For those who dont. Im not giving out my secrets that easily.
Look at it as a scavanger hunt.
Best part, we were out of the rain while waiting then just had to step up a bit to see the show.
Many of you will notice the small amount of photos this go around.
I got a few new toys and decided to try them out this show. A tripod and remote shutter release.
So, I experimented with these photos. I ended up with some good shots, but was only able to get about 40 pictures. One good thing about this process is I got to see what the fireworks look like in person and not through a view finder.
So, with no further adoe, let the photos begin........

Yes

Wow,
I finally got caught up. Ive been away for a bit (lurking but not posting-life happens). I do want to thank you for wasting my morning. I had plans to head to the shooting range today, but happened upon your TR and now its too late to go.....guess Ill try again tommorow. I did want to make some comments, but there are way too many to qoute so Ill wrap everything up in one, sorry.
We go every year to SWW and enjoy it emensly. But then again, we are both SW geeks fans. Not the no life, dress up, and stalk stars fans, but we like the movies and I like how detailed Disney gets with the theaming and costumes.
You had asked if any fiends had seen The Avengers, I had, in 3D and enhanced theater. It lives up to the hype and was a very good movie, but will say you have to be a fan to enjoy it and understand it. If you have seen the other Avenger movies, you should see this one as well.
As a retirement gift, my mother in law got me frozen in carbonite. I like the concept and thought the experience was good, but I would have never paid the price for it. But it was a gift so I went with it. They take photos of your head with special cameras and then render your image in 3D. They then send this to a machien that carves the carbonite in your likeness. Yes all of the bodies are the same, and to me the faces do not look like the person, but we will see how mine turns out when I get it.
For the HHH, you need to get there at 6pm for the 8pm show if you want to be in the front row. this is what we do. But we ussualy only go for the parade and HHH. We do not character meet. I do know where all of the characters come out and the path they take to get to thier meet and greet areas. I will on occasion wait in that area and get some good pictures of just the characters. They tend to interact with you more doing this. I talk to the CMs and find out the schedule and show up around the swap out time.
Spoiler (any hcildren should stop reading now)
As for the HHH characters, snig is Marlin in the nemo show when not Snig. Slave Lea and Padame work in Tommorowland. One at space mountain and one in merchandising if I remember correctly. Chewi works in MK, but not sure where. All characters are regular CMs throughout the year. Before SWW they put out a casting call and they audition for the parts. Of course, Snig and oopla have been doing the HHH for the past at least 4 years. Im sure they will not change anytime soon. There is a cult following of them and people even dress as them for SWW.
Another great TR. Im glad you finally embraced your inner nerd and got into the fun. I remember not long ago you had never seen the HHH or been to SWW. Now you are an expert (well, semi expert, you did get a few characters wrong)

Legoland Florida Discounts and Deals
LAST UPDATE: 2/7/12- MOST RECENT ADDITIONS ARE IN RED
Legoland Florida, which opened October 15, 2011 in Winter Haven (about 45 minutes south of Walt Disney World) on the site of the old Cypress Gardens, offers rides, shows and attractions ideal for young children ages 2-12. There are some promotions that can save you money. Check below for the latest coupons and offers.
All offers are subject to change without notice. Always call ahead and confirm before driving out of your way to take advantage of a particular offer!
Jump to:
Legoland Florida - Regular Gate Prices
Legoland Florida - Regular Gate Prices
1-Day Admission Ticket for Legoland is $80.25 for adults (ages 13-59), $69.55 for seniors (60+) and children (3-12), tax included.
Standard Pass (one year of admission, special discounts and invitations to events, newsletter) is $138.03 for adults (ages 13-59), $105.93 for seniors (60+) and children (3-12), tax included.
Plus Pass (one year of admission, parking, dining and retail discounts, special discounts and invitations to events, newsletter) is $170.13 for adults (ages 13-59), $138.03 for seniors (60+) and children (3-12), tax included.
Parking prices are $12 for autos, $15 for campers/RVs, $6 for motorcycles and $20 for preferred parking.
Legoland Florida - Admission Discounts
Jump to:
McDonalds Promo
McDonalds Promo
Buy one adult ticket, get a FREE child ticket. Use this special link and code 11090603. If you want more than one free child ticket, you'll have to re-enter the promo code for each adult / child pair of tickets in your shopping cart, or order one adult, one child with the special link and code, finalize that order and then start again. Tickets expire 1 year from date of purchase.* Thanks to Julie A and Sam P for info. The code for this offer will expire on 3/31/12. Thanks Kelly A. for info.
*Note: we are hearing from readers that while Legoland states on the link above that tickets expire 1 year from date of purchase, some folks have received tickets with an expiration date of 5/31/12, and some have received tickets with a 12/31/12 expiration. We have also received a reports from a reader who purchased tickets 1/12/12 and received tickets with the (correct) 1/11/13 expiration date, or 1 year from date of purchase. You should print or be prepared to show the order form screen with the expiration date that you viewed when ordering tickets, and be prepared for a slight hassle if your tickets do not match your order.
LEGO Toy Promo
LEGO has a coupon for 'buy one adult ticket, get a FREE child ticket' on the back of some of the very small Lego 'mini-kits' available in stores currently. The 'mini-kits' are themed (samples are Harry Potter and Star Wars kits) and priced at around $4.99. Look for a yellow cut-out coupon on the back of the cellophane wrapper. This offer requires purchase of the 'mini-kit' of Legos, but you don't have to buy tickets in advance! Just bring the wrapper to the ticket counter at Legoland. Note that adults must pay the full $75 admission fee, plus applicable tax. Offer can not be combined with other offers, and the expiration date is unknown. Thanks to Margaret H for info.
WB Promo
Get $10 off each admission for as many as 12 adult and/or child tickets. Use this special link and code 1510. The discount comes off after you select the number of tickets and go to the shopping cart, where you put in the code. Thanks to Paul A for info.
Entertainment Book
All 2012 Entertainment Books contain a coupon for $5 off 1-Day Admission, valid through 12/31/12. Each coupon is good for up to 6 people.
The 2012 Orlando edition of the Entertainment Book contains an additional coupon for $5 off 1-Day Admission for up to 6 people, valid through 11/1/12.
AAA Discounts
Each AAA (Auto Club) region has a different ticket policy. Not all regions carry discounted Legoland Florida tickets; regions that do carry the tickets may offer various promotions, which will come and go. To purchase tickets online, you must do so through your own region's website. When purchasing in person, your AAA card is good in any AAA office in any region.


MouseSavers.com reader Alice M reports that AAA Midatlantic is offering discounted tickets, so if you are a member in that region, be sure to check.

Auto Club South offers its members a discount on Legoland Florida admission when purchased in advance, either in person or online. Members from other regions may purchase these discounted tickets at an Auto Club South office, in person only.

LEGO Magazine
Sign up for the FREE monthly LEGO Magazine, and look for coupons for discounted admission. Thanks to Sulan D for info!
Aeroplan Miles
Canadians can redeem Aeroplan Miles for select Legoland Florida tickets. See the Aeroplan site for details.
Air Miles
Members of the Canadian frequent flier program AIR MILES can save nearly 15% on selected tickets when paying cash. From the <a href="https://www.airmiles.ca/arrow/Home" target="_blank">airmiles.ca site click the Rewards tab, then Entertainment, then Amusement Parks US, or just click here for details. Tickets are valid until 5/31/12. Thanks to Jian W for info!
Taken from http://www.mousesavers.com/legolandflorida.html

Great photos Dave, except for a few really unnecessary ones.
I'm sure Andrew will really like the one below. It's a shot he could never take.
And although honorable mention in a TCD TR is a good thing, your years of service and nearing retirement is what is most honorable, a huge thanks.

Since I was signaled out in this thread, Ill pipe in even though have gotten some great advice so far (except from Lou).
1. Where is the best place to get tickets? The official Lightning site takes me to Ticketmaster... are there any other options with discounted prices that others have used and can vouch for?
Ticket Master is the best place unless you can get to the forum ahead of time and buy directly from them. When buying the tickets, call, dont do it online. Allot of times they have discounted tickets they dont advertise. You have to talk to someone and ask. Not a gurantee, but its worked for me in the past. Sat in the 200 level (normally $150 tickets) for $50 once. The upper level can be cheap, but I prefer the 100 right on the glass. All of the seats are new and very comfortable.
2. Parking - should I buy a parking ticket before the game date? I noticed these were available on Ticketmaster.
My opinion, if you can walk, park in the channel side garage or one of the lots around the forum. Its $10 and not at all that far. We ussualy go early and get some dinner in channel side and get our parking validated, then its only $5. So a 5 min walk could save you some money. There has never been an issue with finding a parking spot either.
3. How much time should I allocate to get from FW to my seat? I'm thinking of a Thursday night game and would like to arrive between 5:30 - 6:00, so I'm guessing I'll probably have to deal with rush hour traffic.
On a weekday at that time, I would give yourself at least 3 hours if you want to see the warm ups. If you want to just see the puck drop, then 2 hours should be fine. Traffic gets horrible around that time and the exit to the forum is right in the middle of it. Trust me, I drive that route daily. Plus there is allot of construction going on in that area and around the forum, so traffic around the forum will be horrendous as well. I would go early and walk around channelside and grab an early dinner if you are worried about missing anything.
As mentioned before, nothing beats a lightning game. When they score, they have tesla coils that shoot lightning acrossed the forum. Its an amazing time. One side note, the forum will not allow DSLR cameras with removable lenses. A lesson I learned the hard way one time. Saves you a trip back to the car to put the camera away.
If you have any more questions, let me know. As you can tell by my avatar, I am a fan and follow them religiously.
Now now Lou, I remember we talked about this last year. The only fluke was the bruins winning the cup. We will see how this season plays out........

I remember that day fondly. We were going to visit EPCOT for the F&W as well, but the rain changed our minds. We ended up going today. Right now we are enjoying a glass of the Canadian Ice Wine and relaxing after gorging ourselves.
If you liked the lobster roll, they also serve it at the restaraunt by the Haunted Mansion in MK. It is the same thing, probably even made exactly the same way. So you can go there outside of F&W if you get a craving for one.
We felt this years F&W was better than last years. Though allot of the booths offered the same foods, there was some new stuff as well. Not all good, but nothing horrible.
Next time you head to WDW, honk when you pass exit 44. That is where I live. No no, not in a box under the overpass. The RV park you see acrossed the lake.

I remember that day fondly. We were going to visit EPCOT for the F&W as well, but the rain changed our minds. We ended up going today. Right now we are enjoying a glass of the Canadian Ice Wine and relaxing after gorging ourselves.
If you liked the lobster roll, they also serve it at the restaraunt by the Haunted Mansion in MK. It is the same thing, probably even made exactly the same way. So you can go there outside of F&W if you get a craving for one.
We felt this years F&W was better than last years. Though allot of the booths offered the same foods, there was some new stuff as well. Not all good, but nothing horrible.
Next time you head to WDW, honk when you pass exit 44. That is where I live. No no, not in a box under the overpass. The RV park you see acrossed the lake.

You can click on the "like this" button to show your approval.......

In a thread a while back I mentioned that there were a couple of posters honoring the military at the main WDW transportation center located at TTC. This is the main location for all the transportation services at WDW.
Bus, monorail, & watercraft operations are all handled out of this location. If you're facing the ticket booths at TTC, it's the building on the far left. It doesn't look like much but there is a lot going on inside there.
When I wrote about the military posters, Ed asked to see photos, but I kept forgetting my camera. Well, I finally got my act together today and took this photo.
While I'm at it Ed, thanks for your service. It is greatly appreciated.

Let me start by saying, yes, I am a geek. A Disney Geek, A Star Wars Geek, and a Technology Geek. So when I got a text this morning telling me Star Tours 2.0 was open today, I dropped everything I was doing and raced over to DHS. We got there around 1100 and got in line. We managed to ride it 6 times between 1100 and 1500. I would still be there if my DW didnt get so sick from 3D shows. She was a trooper though and allowed me to ride 6 times. We had 5 different sequences. The first 2 were identicle and we were getting a little worried that we may have just the one, but on ride 3, it was completley different. As were the remaining 3. Speaking with a CM, he mentioned there are 54 different scenarios you could end up with. It was well worth it and highley recommend it to everyone interested.Fast passes opened up at 1300 so we got a couple and rode standby until the FP time came up. The longest wait was around 25 mins even though the sign read 30 mins all day. Mostley we waited about 10 min.
There were some technical issues with some of the rides, mostley seat belts not working and a screen not functioning properly, and some training issues. One CM could ot figure out how to close the doors. But overall, it appeared all speeders were working and they were moving the lines efficiently.
I will not divulge any spoilers unless the concenous is yall want them. But for those who are there now or going next week, keep an ear out. They will be having soft openings all week, just dont know when.
I wish I had pictures, but they were enforcing the no photo/video rule and actualy making offenders delete the pictures from thier cameras.
Now that I have rode it, it frees up one thing for Star Wars Weekends. No need to wait 2 to 3 hours. If we get in, we get in, if not, we have our experience.