Tri-Circle-D

DW has since been discharged from the Navy and now a CM at Disney. But this was definetly a memorable moment for her. I missed the whole thing as I was in Korea during this time. I ahd to live through these photos like you all do.

Thank you for sharing those photos.

I am glad to hear that Disney throws in a few perks for the military folks who assist with the Flag Retreat Ceremony.

I think our own Runner/Ed mentioned in a recent trip report that he got to be veteran of the day once.

I'll take the opportunity here to thank all the men and women who are serving or who have served in our armed forces.

TCD

I just texted Stef, Andrew, She says if you want to know the answer come out to the Fort for a visit :rofl2:

Duh!

Why didn't I think of that?

There are three "Water Bridges" at Walt Disney World. One is on World Drive just south of the Contemporary Resort. One is on the east side of Epcot Resorts Drive just north of the Boardwalk Resort. The other is back stage at Epcot next to the one on Epcot resorts Drive.

I have been looking at Bing, and I can't find one on the east side of Epcot Resorts Drive just north of the Boardwalk Resort. Anyone know about this one?

I dunno, those stars look kinda sparse...

How far down the rabbit hole do we wanna go here? You've got a trip report (or two!) to finish! :)

You make a good point.

I reckon we have gone far enough on this topic for now.

But, I am going to be looking out for flags on my next visit.

Interesting. I always assumed it was b/c the one on the roof was lighted, hence it didn't need to be taken down. An older flag makes perfect sense in keeping with the theme surrounding it... if we all taught our kids to think like imagineers just think of what even a small group of future fiends on the loose could do... once they stopped texting and put down the gameboys, that is...

I don't blame today's kids. I don't think that there has been anything built with the effort or attention to detail anywhere in the 40 years that have now passed since WDW opened. Sadly, I can't imagine any construction project anywhere being undertaken with this effort and ingenuity.

Im not sure what jorts are, but......

DW had the privalage to be a part of this ceremony for a special memorial day performance when she was in the Navy. Disney actualy called her unit and requested them to perform color details at this. In exchange, she got a full CD of photopass pictures and 4 free passes to use when ever she wanted and was allowed access to the park after the ceremony. They were in full dress uniform for this. It was a great experience for her and something she will always remember. Ill have to dig up the photos and post them.

I try to make it to this ceremony at least once during each visit and if you have never seen it, I recommend you do.

Jorts=Jean Shorts. It is was all the men at University of Florida football games wear with their orange and blue crocks.

The vet in this photo has them on.

Obviously this guy got picked for this honor while he was on vacation. But, there is no question that the man knows how to salute and stand at attention.

I had never seen the ceremony before this trip, and I agree with you 100% that it is well worth the time to watch.

I'd love to see your photos if you find them.

TCD

It's my curse to notice stuff like this. Drives AuburnJen crazy, it does.

So have a look at the photo here. They're taking down the American flag, in a very respectful (and not-to-be-missed) ceremony. But look on top of Exposition Hall- it's another American flag, very pointedly -not- being taken down.

Why?

Same reason. I haven't confirmed this myself, but I'm told the flags on the Main Street buildings are 45-star flags, to match the US flag as of the turn of the 20th century, which would carry through with the theme of Main Street USA.

Awesome again.

I am now going to paying attention to all of the American Flags all over WDW.

Which reminds me . . .

I remember that there used to be a flagpole and American Flag at the Reception Outpost at Fort Wilderness.

But, I don't think there is one there anymore.

Does anyone know?

TCD

While we're here enjoying the flag waving in the breeze, take a close look at it.

It's a 48-star flag, not a 50-star flag. You can tell in the picture because the stars are directly above one another, not offset like a modern flag.

Why does Disney do this?

Apparently, if they fly the 50-star flag on the boats, they are subject to U.S. rules, regulations, taxes, etc., just like any ocean-going US-flagged vessel. If they fly a "historic banner," they don't have to fool with that extra bureaucracy.

At least, that's what the boat captain told me when I asked.

Wow!

I need to pay better attention.

I totally never noticed this.

But, you can see that on this flag, the stars are not lined up in vertical rows, but are offset:

I never noticed that the boats fly 48 star flags!

Wow, I never noticed that or knew that about the rules.

So if its and actual current flag they treat it as a registered US vessel?

But don't they already have to meet a ton of regulations like boat registration, safety, and life preservers?

Very interesting.

Don't feel bad, I never noticed this or heard anything about it either.

Actually, posting that made me remember another conversation I had with a captain on the same subject. He said that they were subject to US laws, regulations, etc. as a matter of course, no matter what flag they flew. But there are customs and rules (that do not carry the force of law) about displaying the US flag- namely, that it should only be done while the sun is up. So if they flew a 50-star flag, they run the risk of offending people who know that the flag should be stowed at night. The 48-star flag has no such tradition surrounding it (since it technically isn't the US flag anymore). It's simply easier to leave the flag up there rather than stop the boat, stow the flag properly, and start up again.

Wow!

More interesting information.

Now even I am learning things from a TCD trip report!

I guess this is why the MK flag comes down at sunset, while the flags on the boats keep flying.

TCD

Here you go.

You can see this aqua bridge connects the Epcot Resorts to Epcot by the Epcot rear entrance. It goes over Epcot Resorts Blvd.

Thanks, WBI.

I suspected that there was one around there. In fact, I remember driving under it. I have also traveled on it by boat, and I have even walked across it when entering Epcot through the International Gateway. I screen-capped this photo for a closer look:

So, now we know where two are.

Are there any others at WDW?

Or was my boat driver full of it?

TCD

It was done by US Steel.

Here is the original video which shows installation!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJNzmydrivI

Thank you for posting that. I recall seeing a video like this, but I don't think it was this exact one. Very interesting!

I find it very interesting that even though the Contemporary Resort was built in 1971, it is still a great looking building, and is still a very desirable resort for people visiting WDW.

It had the old wave machines!

Are you saying Shipwreck island was where they had the wave machines?

I don't think so.

The wave machines are in the Seven Seas Lagoon.

Shipwreck Island is in Bay Lake.

it is the kidney shaped island to the far left of Discovery Island that you see in this photo between the Contemporary Resort and Wilderness Lodge:

Here's another view of it a bit closer and from another angle:

That is the Contemporary Resort on the left, and Wilderness Lodge on the right. BTW the otters that we saw in an earlier post were in the water that you see at the bottom right in this photo.

The only time I heard it referenced as Shipwreck Island was by a boat driver as we rounded it en route to Wilderness Lodge, back when Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness shared the MK boat.

Has anyone else ever heard of this island being called Shipwreck Island.

If so, do you know why it is called that?

TCD

Wow! I'm tardy to the party :parrot: . Gone for a couple of day and there's a new TCD report and it's already on page 3.

I don't know how to quote but you asked about the other water bridge I know there's one at the beach club lake it's on the road that circles around the resorts(I'm not sure what the road or lake is called :-[ )

I think you are referring to the same one as WBI. I'll post a photo of that one in just a bit.

Oh, and about being tardy to the party . . .

Don't be gone for a couple of days any more.

I have a bunch of trip reports to get done, and they are going to be posted quick.

You need to catch up at least daily, or you will be left in the dust!

Wiki article about navigable aquducts : http://en.wikipedia....igable_aqueduct

Thanks for that link. It is interesting that the article doesn't mention any of the WDW aqueducts/water bridges.

TCD

I did not know this about the design of that building, that is really cool info! Who knew that this TR would turn educational on an architectural level!

As the parent of a Soldier I too appreciate this gesture. I too was unaware that Disney did this. We will surely attend this during our next visit. Thanks TCD for taking the time to photograph the Service and make us all aware of it.

However, they have NEVER used this feature. The building and concrete settled and they can't get the modules OUT!!!

So therefore, they remodel the rooms the old fashioned way. I'm also guessing it's a lot cheaper.

. . . 244

245

246

Didn't y'all wonder about the counting at the end of my last post?

I was counting how long it would take someone to correct the false statement I made.

I knew someone would!

It was a boat driver who told me about the Contemporary rooms being slid out and in like drawers. But, Carol is right- they have never slid rooms out. It is true that the rooms were constructed off site, and then lifted by a crane and slid in to place. But, there is no way that they can effectively remove the rooms and replace them with new ones. Think about it a minute. How would they get cranes in position to do this? And how would it save them money over just replacing the floor and wall coverings and furnishings?

I thought someone would jump in faster to correct my little mis-statement. But, that was still pretty quick.

Now that we are discussing fact and fiction about WDW lore, does anybody know the story behind Shipwreck Island, which I mentioned in my previous post?

TCD

Let's get this report moving.

For planning purposes, you should be aware that since this was just a one-night trip, and since we didn't stay at the Fort, this will be a short trip report. We actually are not far from the end of this one already. But, don't worry, we were at the Fort for four nights over Spring Break at the end of March, and then I still have another short trip report to get to after that.

Where we last left off, we were on the boat, to the Magic Kingdom, and had just passed the Shoe Tree.

It occurs to me that perhaps there are folks reading along who have never visited Fort Wilderness. For those of you who this applies to, let me tell you that the boat is how you get from the Fort to the Magic Kingdom. There are no buses that travel to the Magic Kingdom from the Fort. Just boats. And, I wouldn't have it any other way!

As we traveled along in the boat, I took a look back toward the Shoe Tree:

You can see the Shoe Tree out there in the lake. According to a set of leaked construction plans, the shore line right behind the Shoe Tree is where one of the buildings for the new resort will be constructed. This would give guests staying in that resort an incredible view of the lake, but I personally would rather not see a building there. At this point, no one can be sure that the leaked plans are accurate, or whether this rumored resort will ever be built. Time will tell.

As we travel to the Magic Kingdom, we pass Discovery Island on the starboard side of the boat. If you look behind the trees on the left side in this photo, you can see the top of the net from the old aviary which used to operate on Discovery Island:

And, here is the old shipwreck. It's a wonder that the hull of this ship hasn't completely collapsed after all of these years:

Here's another shot from the stern looking toward the shoreline by Fort Wilderness (love the flag flapping in the breeze):

Here's the Contemporary Resort:

That is the old Contemporary Resort tower, which opened with WDW in 1971 on the left, and the new Bay Lake Tower DVC building, which opened in 2009, on the right. The BLT building used to bother me. I thought it ruined the classic look of the Contemporary Resort. But, I guess that I have gotten used to it, and I actually think it is a nice looking building.

Here is one more look back from the boat toward the Fort:

As we get closer to the Contemporary Resort, we motor right past one of the original garden wings. The wings like this on the other side of the tower were demolished to make way for Bay Lake Tower. Despite the age of these buildings, they have been well maintained and updated, and they are probably the largest hotel rooms available in the WDW resorts. One thing cool about these rooms, as well as the rooms in the main tower, is that the rooms themselves were originally built off site, and then brought to the site, and slid into the building framework like drawers. When a room is upgraded, they just slide the old room out, and slide another one in place. The designers of this resort were well ahead of their time:

Directly across from this part of the Contemporary Resort, there is a small island which I have heard referred to as Shipwreck Island, and just beyond that is this little cove:

It was here that I saw something that I have never seen in Bay Lake before.

What was it?

Well, take a look at the surface of the lake toward the right edge of this photo:

Do you see a small bump protruding from the water surface?

Let's zoom in on that area:

Do you see the little black spot there on the water surface?

That, my friends, is an otter!

There were two of them frolicking right there in the little cove.

I have never seen an otter in Bay Lake before.

There is a member here who claims to have seen otters at the Fort many times.

I never have.

But, I have heard reliable reports from others who have seen otters.

These critters were not at the Fort, but they easily could have been.

I have traveled this route from Fort Wilderness to the Magic Kingdom so many times, that I seldom take the time to look at and appreciate the sights that we pass on the way. But this time, I did take the time to look. There are some really interesting things in the area where Bay Lake connects with the Seven Seas Lagoon.

Let's take a look at a few of them . . .

The monorail that circles the Seven Seas Lagoon is an amazing thing. Here we see how the supports were erected in the water, and how barriers were built to protect them from boat traffic:

There is a canal that connects Bay Lake with the Seven Seas Lagoon. Here we pass a boat heading the other way:

This canal is actually a water bridge. One time, a chatty boat driver announced that this water bridge is one of only seven in the entire world. He also said that there are a few more water bridges on WDW property, and said that the majority of the water bridges that exist in the world are located here on WDW property. I am not sure where the others are, or whether water bridges are as rare as the boat driver said, but I know I haven't seen any others. Here we can see traffic driving under the water bridge:

You can see that quite a lot of construction and reinforcement was done here:

The photo immediately above also shows traffic on the slope leading under the water bridge.

No matter how many times I have seen it, I still think it is cool that the monorails travel right through the Contemporary Resort tower:

Here we see that this breakwater is a popular hang-out for birds:

The boats from Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge dock right next to where the ferry that runs between the Transportation and Ticket Center and the Magic Kingdom docks:

We were in the Magic Kingdom for just over an hour on this visit. The express purpose of our visit was to pick up Fastpasses to use when we returned later in the evening. We were able to pick-up Fastpasses for Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain. We also got to ride each of those attractions, and a couple of others. We then headed toward the exit. It was getting late in the afternoon, and I still had not received a text from the Pop front desk with our room number. We were going to head back there to check on that.

On the way out of the Magic Kingdom, we ran into something we had never witnessed before. I think it is called the Flag retreat, and it is something that is done every day.

From what I gather, they select a veteran each day to assist with this. It is very well done. Here are some photos showing what happens. The guy in the jorts is the veteran of the day:

I really appreciate the fact that WDW takes the time to do this on a daily basis.

As we headed toward the Pop Century bus stop, we noticed that there was a huge crowd waiting at the Fort Wilderness/Wilderness Lodge dock:

There must have been some kind of problem. This was not a busy day. When we were at the Fort in February, we ran into something like this one day. I think they have been having problems with the boats that serve Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge. When we visited again in late March, the problem seems to have been resolved. For once, I was glad that I wasn't heading toward the Fort.

Next up, we head to the Pop.

And check about our room.

And, then back to the MK for evening EMH.

The MK would be open to 3 am.

Do you think we will make it?

TCD

1

2

3

4

5 . . . .

My wife commented how nice it must be to go to WDW as often as the TCD Family does. I take this as hope that some day I will convince her it would be better to live in central Florida than southern Mass!

In the mean time, we will live vicariously through TCD and his most incredible Trip Reports! :popcorn: :suspense:

The girls and I often discuss how lucky we are to live so close. We can get up on a Saturday morning and be at the front gate of one of the parks in less than 90 minutes. Since we visit often, we can and do hop around and hit a few attractions at the parks, and be home in time for bedtime. We have done that more this year than ever before.

I love where we live. There isn't anywhere else I would rather live.

TCD

I love the night-time shots from around the Fort.

Excellent!

TCD

Our last trip to the Fort was the year they took all the shoes off. While talking to the boat CM he told the same story you just did. He also said that he only had a few years until he retired, and he didn't care what the higher ups said, he was going to put his shoes there. Hmmm I wonder maybe they are his shoes :banana: :banana: Long live the Shoe Tree :heart:

That very well could be. Maybe a few more will stick it to the man, er I mean mouse, and the Shoe Tree will be restored to its former glory.

Tacky is part of camping for many people. I'm willing to bet that person in management never had a set tacky lights.

Exactly. What's wrong with a little tacky? Maybe they cleared out the Shoe Tree in anticipation of the new project to be constructed there. Maybe they are going after a classier demographic than us lowly campers.

Great trip report again! I like the quick trips ya'll are going. I think those are the only type we're going to be able to do for awhile.

I do have a question though. How were you able to try the dining plan if you already have tickets? I thought you could only get it with a full package?

Nick

I'm not sure how long it has been going on, but right on the passholder's website, they have an offer to add the dining plan to any resort reservation at a supposedly discounted price. I think that full package thing is for when they offer free dining- but on this trip we paid for the dining plan. They make it really hard to figure out exactly how much you are paying for it. I would say it cost us about $30 a head for the one night. For that we got two quick serve meals (including entree, dessert and beverage). two snacks per person, and a refillable mug for each person. Since the mugs cost about $15 each, and a quick serve meal with dessert and drink would run about $15 each person, we clearly came out ahead.

I think my head is going to explode with all the trip reports going on.

Another great report Andrew!

Although, I think you may want to add a few more pictures of Tebow :)

We didn't take up camping until a couple of years ago so I never heard of the shoe tree, pretty cool.

I know you Noles love you some Tebow!

I actually do have a few more photos, but I think you were being facetious, so I will spare you.

The Shoe Tree was really not that big of a deal, and I don't think many people miss it, but it was just one of those little details that made Fort Wilderness a special place.

We actually saw those shoes back in November, but I couldn't get a good pic. This was taken 11/22/10...

Good job there, Monique.

They are hard to see, but I can see the shoes in your photo.

It looks like it is the same pair.

I didn't notice them until February of this year.

But your photo shows they were there in November.

TCD

Alright folks, time to get this little report moving along.

This is the Fort Fiends site, so we need some photos of the Fort, right?

As mentioned above, we left Hollywood Studios on a Fort Wilderness bus.

From the Outpost, we took one of the internal buses to the Settlement, and headed to Trail's End for some liquid refreshment.

There weren't many folks around on this fine Sunday afternoon:

I took this photo from the porch of Crockett's Tavern. As you can see from the bare trees, spring still had not quite sprung at the Fort:

You can see that some of the azaleas are in bloom in these photos:

Here we are at the Settlement Trading Post, looking over toward Trail's End/Pioneer Hall:

And, here we are at the same spot, looking down toward the marina:

And now, we are turned just to the left from the previous photo:

According to the recently filed plans for the new Fort Wilderness pavilion, there are substantial changes on the way in this area. in a way, these changes may be an improvement. Although some trees will likely be lost, there will also be less golf cart congestion.

Now we are on the dock, looking toward the area of Clementine's Beach, and past that, River Country:

If the rumors are true, a new resort is going to be built right where we see the trees jutting out into Bay Lake.

Now we are turned and looking back toward the beach. These are some of the boats available for rent here:

Over this way is where the new pavilion is going to go. I think it will be visible right where the tree line is now. There will be a really nice view of Bay Lake from there:

Now, here is a welcome sight- our boat is arriving:

It's a beautiful day, so I take a seat all the way in the back:

And, we are off!:

There's the resort boat:

Here we are looking along the shore of Bay Lake. This is the area where the new resort is rumored to be going:

Here's a look back at the Fort Wilderness dock. Notice the poor folks who just missed the boat:

And, here are two shots of the beautiful beach at Fort Wilderness:

See that lonely tree standing alone out there in the lake?:

This lonely tree used to be famous.

It is the old Shoe Tree.

Have you ever heard of it?

Well, if not, here's the story . . .

Back when I first began to visit the Fort some 15+ years ago, this tree was adorned with discarded tennis shoes. Like this:

According to the story I heard most often, these shoes were thrown there by WDW boat operators upon their retirement.

It was a simple, unofficial, attraction that we campers just called the Shoe Tree.

Well, come 2007, some new whippersnapper management type decided the shoe tree was tacky.

And one day the shoes disappeared.

And, they have been missing ever since.

The gazebo and boardwalk that you see in the background of these photos used to be part of the nature trail at River Country.

The gazebo and boardwalk were removed some time in early 2010.

And the Shoe Tree remained bare.

And lonely.

But, I have something interesting to tell you about the Shoe Tree . . .

Let's take a closer look at it . . .

Hang on a second.

Do you see something dangling from the branches up near the top?

Let's take a closer look:

There are shoes in the Shoe Tree!!!

If you look real close, you can see them in this photo, too:

I actually saw this lone pair of shoes in the Shoe Tree during my February visit to the Fort, but none of my photos showed them.

But, you can see them now.

Welcome back Shoe Tree!

We missed you.

One of these days, I am going to rent one of those boats we saw earlier, and give the Shoe Tree a little help.

I'll be sure to take some photos of it then.

For now, we have reached our photo limit.

Up next, we continue on our journey to Magic Kingdom.

And, I have a photo of something that to my knowledge has never been posted on a Fort Wilderness message board.

TCD

My kids walked up when I was reading the EPCOT section of the TR. Now they want to go back to WDW... tomorrow....ouch!

Sorry about that!

You had better get planning!

Great report so far. We stayed at the Board Walk for spring break and did the Flower and garden festival. It looks like we took some of the same pics.

I'm sure.

In fact, I think that folks have already posted photos of all of the topiaries I photographed. Had I not been on hiatus, mine would have been among the first. Now, they are old news.

Wow that's creepy. But that's ok, I didn't need to sleep tonight.

Now the story about Timmy...that's just AWESOME! I love how they showed his Florida stats. Once a Gator, always a Gator.

You know, now that I look at that photo- exactly what is going on under Ms. White's dress? Is that a dwarf's nose sticking out? What the Fort?

And . . .

Go Gators!

I feel the same way. But at least they didn't have that pansie Tom Bradey. I'm a Patriot fan, but I can't stand Tom Bradey.

I think he is afraid to break a nail.

I have never seen those photos before.

That is some funny stuff right there!

Even though he apparently is a bit of a diva, I can't say anything bad about Tom Brady.

Scoreboard.

TCD another TR I can't stop reading. I'm looking foward to more. :popcorn:

Well, then, you are in luck, because some more is on its way!

TCD

Tim WHO??? Never heard of him.... and I don't see one dang NHL player up there... Geeze! :rofl2: And of all the Steelers they could of had, they had Rashard???!!!!? Man talk about a bad choice, I love the steelers, but they should fire that $A#$@@#$ after what he said about Bin Laden!!!

Very cool to see another report so soon, love it Andrew!

John- I think ESPN pretty much ignores the NHL. If you look at the list of who was there, it is pretty obvious that ESPN went with those who either kiss up to that network, or are on the payroll.

March 7th, I was there that weekend with some girls from work. We probably crossed paths we were doing at least 3 parks every day. Great trip report as usual TCD.

What? I'll bet we did cross paths!

Awesome! Another TCD trip report and I was here to see it!

Did they update the televisions in the Pop yet? We are scheduled for a trip in August with the Disney Dining Plan, so I am really getting into the planning mode again.

The TV in our room was a nice new flat-screen model. So, at least from what I saw, yes the TV's have been updated.

Wow another TCD TR already?!

It must be Christmas!!

Thanks, Monique.

As I have mentioned, I have a severe trip report backlog.

There are still two more to do after this one!!

TCD

My sons and some friends went a few years ago and where in the crowd during one of the live shows on ESPN. So of course we had to watch and find them in the crowd. Talk about needles in a haystack! :rofl2:

I didn't realize that they did live broadcasts during the weekend. I will have to remember that next time.

Yay! Another TCD report!

Makes all the sense in the world! ;D

Thanks, Leslie.

I know you are about to head to WDW- so have a great trip!

Well, I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't a NASCAR driver, but you got some pretty good athletes there!

DeAngelo Williams looks like he just stepped out of the rice paddies :rofl2:

Yes- I don't know what the heck that hat was all about. It actually looked good on him. I think they may sell hats like that in Animal Kingdom. Maybe he had some kind of endorsement deal with Disney merchandising?

Glad to see another report going! I ain't gonna knock Tim Tebow because I think he's a decent young man, it's too bad he chose the wrong school! :rofl2: My mama loves the butterfly garden, thanks for the ictures.

Now that is being a good sport.

Maybe next year, Christian Ponder will be there.

SWEET ROUND 3!!!!!!! :banana: :banana: :banana:

True. Thanks for following along.

TCD

BBB- Great job on the new photos! These clearly show that there is no more deep end.

Dislike.

TCD

You're referring to Terrance I believe...he is the boy fairy with the acorn hat. Met him. What about him was so riveting as to put TCD at a loss for words?

Yes.

Terrence.

That's the one.

I guess meeting this fellow was just a bit shocking to me.

Maybe you have met a lot of boy fairies before, but this was the first time any of us had seen one.

He was a just bit overwhelming to us.

Maybe it was the acorn hat?

Cal Ripkin & Tim Tebow in one parade and in one TR??? Gatordad is gonna be sorry he's not a member here.

Great score, Andrew!! :bravo:

True.

But I'll bet Gatordad lurks.

Hi Gatordad!!!

TCD

As I mentioned, one of the twins had received an urgent text to get over to Hollywood Studios pronto

One of my DD's friends claimed that she was about to meet one of my DD's celebrity crushes.

This was unexpected.

We did know that the ESPN the Weekend event was going on at Hollywood Studios that weekend, and we intended to go over there and check it out. But, none of us had bothered to look at a list of what celebrities were scheduled to appear there. As far as I know, this information was not published in advance. So, we weren't planning to go to try to see anyone in particular.

But all of that changed after the text.

You see, my DD's friend said that Timmy was there!

Timmy!

My DD loves Timmy!

You may know him as Tim Tebow.

You know who I'm talking about Buckeye fan.

Some of us in the TCD gang are Gator fans..

Supposedly, Timmy was about to appear at Hollywood Studios.

When we got there, we asked a castmember if it was true.

Do you ever notice how castmembers can never give you a straight answer?

But, after some specific questions we learned that a parade of sorts was about to begin.

We have been to Hollywood Studios enough to know how things work. I asked where the parade was set to begin, and got stationed there.

And, with just seconds to spare, the parade, or more accurately, the motorcade, began.

We have never been to Hollywood Studios for ESPN the weekend.

I don't know why.

But, we never have.

So, this was our first motorcade.

The way it works is a small group of sports figures comes out and is driven down Hollywood Boulevard to the hat. A stage is set up there, and they get up on the stage and give an interview to an ESPN host. Then they get back in the cars and go back down Hollywood Boulevard. A new group then heads out. Fun.

This group with Timmy is made up of NFL players. Timmy is in the NFL, so he got grouped with them.

First up was DeAngelo Williams:

That is a sweet hat, no?

You can see one of the TCD twins over there across the street all by herself. We had all been there up until the parade was about to start. But, then this crazy-lady Gator fan who we had been talking to bolted across the street. She apparently had inside information about what side of the car Timmy was sitting on, and she said she was going to run out into the street to get his autograph. So, we naturally followed her. The one DD decided to stay put, so we had to wave to her across the street.

Then came Bart Scott:

Then LaDainian Tomlinson (hey LT if you are reading this, I'm sorry if I spelled your name wrong, spell check didn't know either):

And then. . .

And then . . .

He was there!!!!

He looked right at my DD and waved!:

And then looked across the street at her sister and did the same:

By the way, the crazy Gator lady never made it out to get Timmy's autograph. A security guard posted himself right in front of her. She must have tried some antics earlier.

The motorcade then proceeded up Hollywood Boulevard, and the guys got set up on the stage and gave an interview:

As you can see, they posted the players' stats up on the big screen as they were introduced.

Even though this was a session for NFL players, they knew that there were plenty of Gator fans around, so they gave some of Timmy's college stats:

But they also showed an NFL highlight:

I think that was probably Timmy's first and only NFL touchdown, right?

Look how sweet DeAngelo's hat looks up on the big screen:

What is up with that?

The audience was allowed to ask questions.

Unfortunately for the other NFL players, almost all of the questions were for Timmy:

Then they all got back in their cars and headed back down Hollywood Boulevard:

Check out the family in Tebow Denver jerseys! Timmy liked that:

We hung around for a while, and then headed back down Hollywood Boulevard.

These cheerleaders were keeping folks off the street because it was already time for another motorcade:

This time it was MLB stars.

We had Bert Byleven:

Frank Thomas:

And Cal Ripken, Jr.:

Pretty cool!

We didn't hang out in Hollywood Studios for very long.

We were going to head over to the MK.

We were on a mission.

In case you are wondering who else was around for ESPN the weekend, here is the Roster of Athletes and ESPN personalities:

There are some pretty big names on there.

If you are a sports fan, I would say this event is worth checking out.

So, for us, this was a BIG DEAL.

And, an unexpected fun event.

Anyway, we headed out of there, and headed to the Fort Wilderness bus stop.

We were heading to the MK via the Fort.

Makes sense, right?

TCD

Full of suspense as usual....can't wait for more :banana:

Tri-B

I won't make you wait too long!

A hotel?!?! :faceplant2:

Waiting for the BIG DEAL! Though I have a feeling your teenage daughters idea of a "big deal" may differ slightly from mine.

Good point.

It wasn't like there was a NASCAR driver over there or anything.

But, wait and see . . .

This is like Christmas, how many TCD TR's can we handle in such a short time! We're loving it! Can't wait for more :popcorn: :suspense: :popcorn:

I know.

We will see if there is such a thing as too much TCD.

Mrs. TCD says there is.

Anyone want to bet that Andrew didn't use his duct tape & broom handle surveillance device over at the Art of Automation resort.?

You are a very perceptive man.

But, I keep the broomstick and duct tape in my camper.

You will have to wait and see if I thought of something else.

More good stuff :banana:

Thanks.

I don't think that is a real fairy. Although she is an attractive girl, she's a little chunky and showing too much mammary tissue to be a fairy. With DD 8 and 6 I think I have met them all. Also I have not seen a Disney character carrying a purse like that.

What??

A fake fairy?

Who would dare!?

Have you met the boy fairy?

The one with the hat made out of the top of an acorn.

We ran into him recently.

My DD's are not often speechless.

But they were when they met him.

And so was I.

TCD

I told you that there would be another trip report coming along.

And, here it is!

This one is a bit different.

The TCD gang slummed it on this trip.

We stayed in a hotel!

Disney's Pop Century Resort.

Why, you ask?

Well, the TCD twins had Monday, March 7 off of school.

But, we had just been camping at the Fort in February, and were planning to return at the end of March for Spring Break.

So, it seemed like the perfect time for a one-night trip.

We do that sometimes.

Sometimes we even stay two nights.

We have stayed at every Walt Disney World resort.

And we like the Fort the best.

But on this trip, it was Pop. We have stayed there before. It's OK. That's not the "new tricks" part of this report.

The "new tricks" part was that we tried the Disney Dining Plan.

We have never tried it before.

But, since we weren't camping, I figured this would be our chance.

We just did the quick serve option.

Which provided us with new refillable mugs.

I needed those anyway, so that was good.

The rest of it was so-so. No big surprise. We got two quick serve meals and two snacks. If we had paid out of pocket for everything, we most definitely would have paid more. But, it is unlikely that we would have ordered the desserts, beverages and snacks that came with the plan, so I'm not sure that we saved money in the big scheme of things. However, I can now say that I have tried the DDP.

Since this was a one night trip, we arrived early. Very early. Like around 8 am. We checked in so we could get our parking pass. The room was not ready, but they took my cell phone number and promised to text when it was.

We headed to Epcot.

The Flower and Garden festival had just begun, and we wanted to check it out.

We had another cold winter in Florida this year, and the landscaping in most places around central Florida was still showing the effects- a lot of brown and dormant plants.

But not at Epcot.

The place looked great!:

Maybe this doesn't look like a big deal to you, but think about how many plants had to be planted all around that lake to create this effect. It really is an impressive sight. Especially considering that everything else outside of WDW was still brown and dead.

For the past couple of years, the Butterfly garden has been over in the area near the Test Track exit. This year, it was moved over to the area near the Imagination pavilion. Also new this year was the Bambi theme. Here we are heading toward the Butterfly garden:

So, have you heard of the Disney Fairies?

In the past couple of years, they set up a meet and greet area in the Magic Kingdom called Pixie Hollow. Then, they invented a bunch of fairies to be friends with Tinkerbell, and hang out there. i never made it over there, but I'm sure that there was a gift shop involved. Well, with the expansion currently underway at the MK, the Pixie Hollow area was closed. They moved the fairies over to Epcot for the Flower show. I'm not sure where they are now. But, as luck would have it, one of the fairies entered the Bambi Butterfly Garden right after we did. Look!:

I don't know.

Somehow, I expected more.

I am not sure which fairy this is.

But, there you go.

Here's a couple of shots from inside the Butterfly Garden:

Typically, our day at Epcot will begin with a ride on Test Track, and then a stop at Soarin'. While at Soarin' , I snapped a photo of this seating chart. I had never noticed it before, and I didn't realize that some of the rows held less passengers than others. Now I know:

As I mentioned, we were visiting Epcot on one of the first weekends of the Flower and Garden festival. This sand sculpture was new, and I wondered whether it was going to be there for the entire festival, or just until it got washed away. The answer is that it was there the whole time. They must have touched it up daily. You can see the men working on it here:

Here's another shot of those flowers around the lake:

We ate an early lunch at the Mexico quick serve as soon as it opened. This place is great. With the dining plan, we each got and entree and an order of churros. That is a lot of churros!

After lunch, we started around International Showcase to take a look at some of the topiaries. Our plan was to duck out through the International Gateway after we passed France and to head over to Hollywood Studios.

But first, we saw these pandas in China:

And some Lion King topiaries at the area you come to after you pass China:

At Germany, we were greeted by Snow White and the dwarfs:

And Germany also had this display from the movie Tangled:

One of the TCD twins said that she had seen a video posted somewhere showing that this display was really cool at night. We did not get to see that on this trip, and we tried on a couple of subsequent trips ,but we never got to see the light effects in this display. Supposedly, they were pretty cool.

We were proud of ourselves for spotting Rapunzel's pet lizard, Pascal, sitting on top of this bush:

In Morocco, we were greeted by a faceless Aladdin:

It was about here that one of the TCD twins received a very urgent text.

A friend of hers was at Hollywood Studios and was letting her know that she needed to get over there ASAP. A big deal was about to happen!!!

As luck would have it, we were almost to the International Gateway anyway.

So, we hurried on over there, and hopped on the boat, and we were on our way to Hollywood Studios in time (we hoped) for the BIG DEAL!

Up next . . .

Did we make it on time?

Was it really a BIG DEAL?

And was it worth it?

TCD

p.s. Don't worry, there will be a visit to the Fort, complete with photos in this report.

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Great report as always TCD!

When can we expect the next one? You said you have a few more reports to come right?

Oh and if you happen to have an extra rusty nail laying around, I know a wanna be imagineer that would sure like one!

I'm going to try to launch a new trip report today.

And, I'll put you down for a rusty nail.

TCD

Ed-

You are off to a great start here.

So, about the Club Level- was that a free upgrade, or is that what you reserved?

And, when does the "Crazy as Hell" part start?

It all seems pretty normal so far.

TCD

Hey- Great job on this trip report!

Thanks for posting it.

Not only did you miss TCD, but Stacktester and Otter Spotter were also at the Fort that weekend.

It was cold at night! But, nice during the day.

I'm sorry that I missed you, but we were away at the parks a lot on this visit.

Maybe next time.

TCD

Great job on this report!!!

Devores earned his TCD Junior Deputy Badge last year.

And this report proves it was well deserved!

Yes, the path you tried to follow by the cabin is part of the old Wilderness Swamp Trail. There used to be a path that branched off to the left, which led to the boardwalk. The path that you walked down was the alternate path that led to the other end of the boardwalk.

You showed me something new in these photos:

I didn't know that there was pavement installed around one of the firepits at the campfire.

The last time I visited the campfire area, which was in March, we used the firepit shown in your second photo, above. This is how both firepits used to look. But, clearly, one of them no longer has the wood railing around it, and it looks like there is a circle paved around it. Maybe to make it accessible for special needs visitors? I don't know when this was done, and maybe it was already done when we visited in March, but this is new! And so is the lid!

TCD

Vineland Station?!?

I can tell you about Vineland Station.

Back in 2007, for what was then called the Haunted Hayride, WDW management decided to depart from the traditional Sleepy Hollow themed hayride, and introduced a completely different experience.

Here is a little report I wrote back then:

Who wants to hear about this year’s new Hayride?

If you do, then please continue. Be warned, this post will contain SPOILERS!

If you prefer to be surprised, then stop reading now.

WARNING- SPOILERS

If you want the whole story, then here we go.

Note, it is dark out there on the ride. Most of these photos were taken during the day during a secret surveillance mission.

So, I think that most of you have heard that this year, the theme has been changed from the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, to “Vineland . . . Mystery, Magic or Myth?”

Here is a photo of one of the promotional signs near Pioneer Hall:

The Hayride route is completely different, as is the entire presentation.

Here is how it goes. . . .

First, tickets can now be purchased in advance by calling the Ft. Wilderness Kennel. This is a huge improvement over years past, where tickets could only be purchased on the day of. This meant if you couldn’t get to the Kennel by about 8 or 9 am, you would not be going on a hayride that night.

As you can see on the sign photo above, there will be hayrides every night from the 25th through Halloween night.

Here is what the tickets look like:

As stated on the ticket, you report to near the blacksmith shop to begin your ride. This is just to the south of the petting zoo, near the horse barn. Our FW friends have re-purposed a bus stop there to become Vineland Station:

The blacksmith shop itself is also decorated, with large poster sized photos of pioneer times in Florida. There is an old map there that shows where Vineland was:

At the appointed time, a wagon drives up, and you hand over your ticket to load:

After loading up, the driver starts speaking over an amplified headset to tell you that you will be taking a trip through what used to be Vineland. Just before you are about to leave the station, the Cast member hostess states: “Oh, I almost forgot, someone asked if you could drop this chest off at the Settlement.” She then carries a large wooden box out to the wagon:

The hostess says that she has the key, and that we must take it with us. A volunteer is asked to hold the key. He or she is told to not give the key to anyone, under any circumstances, until we reach the Settlement.

The driver complains that if we have to go to the Settlement, that means we will have to go down Old Woods Road! She hates Old Woods Road- it is spooky!

So, we are off! As we travel, the driver begins to tell us the story of Vineland. It was settled in the early 1800’s with only 49 residents. The residents tried to grow grapes-hence the name of the town. That did not turn out so well, and some of the people turned to cattle. One family, the Trents, turned to cattle rustling. The family had four members, Mom and Dad, who were Annie and Warren Trent, and a son, Tobias, and a daughter, Mary Beth. They all ended up dead and buried in the town’s cemetery. Not a whole lot of details about how that happened, but they are the only folks that ever got buried in the cemetery. Well, times were tough, and the town’s school and hotel burned down, and everyone moved away, so all that is left is the cemetery. Oh, by the way, we will have to go by it on our way to the Settlement. What a coincidence!

The wagon heads down Big Pine Drive toward the 300 loop. We turn in to the 300 loop. Down we go past campers, many of whom have great Halloween decorations. The riders are amazed. The driver asks how many folks are staying here at the camp ground? We were the only ones on the wagon! So, that is why it is hard to get tickets, word has gotten out!

As we come toward the back of the 300 loop, right by site 328, we turn down the little dirt road there. You campers will remember that this is the entrance to the pet walk area.

As we turn the corner, and head toward Bay Lake, we see this:

We drive over the bridge.

A woman dressed in 1800’s era clothing comes running up. What are we doing on her property! Go away! The driver says we are just going to the Settlement. The woman approaches, says she is Annie Trent, and this is her family’s property, and we are trespassing. Go away! She tells us that her husband and son are out looking for her daughter, Mary Beth, who is lost somewhere. She jumps up on the wagon, sees the box, and asks if anyone has the key. We all say no. We can see that her makeup makes her look like a zombie. She says get out of here. The drivers asks, can’t we just cut through, she says OK, and waives us on.

We head toward Bay Lake, we continue on the path out to the water, and drive a little ways along the lake. Here is a photo of the path:

All of a sudden, out of nowhere comes a man on a horse! He is dressed like an old cowboy. He is quite a talented rider. He runs circles around the wagon at very high speed, banging on the sides with his hands, telling us to get out. Presumably this is Warren Trent. The driver says enough of this, let’s go. So we head back toward the bridge-let’s just get out of here! We now find that the bridge has been blocked by a barricade, presumably put up by Annie Trent, who is now nowhere to be found.

Here is a coral that is back by the lake. They must keep the horses here while waiting for each wagon to come by:

Well, we have no choice; we have to go down Old Woods Road to the Settlement. Here is what we go by:

See the coffin? There is an old rag doll in there. This must by Mary Beth’s. Remember this for later.

So, we head down the trail, we see cow skulls:

Skeletons:

An abandoned garden:

It is dark. We hear horse hooves approaching. We see a figure on a horse approaching from behind us. It looks like Annie Trent. Suddenly, from another path Warren pops out on his horse again, and rides around us. Give me the key! He yells!

We continue on.

We see this crashed buggy. And the rag doll again:

Then to our right is a clearing filled with fog. A demented looking man (Tobias Trent, I presume?) jumps from the fog up onto the wagon. He sees the box, and wants the key. Annie and Warren continue to ride around. We keep going. This is the clearing area:

A sheriff –type character appears. He is Mr. Johnson. He boards our wagon. What is all the screaming he has been hearing? We tell him about the Trents. He says it can’t be, they have been dead for 200 years. The Trents suddenly appear, and go through the banging on the wagon routine demanding the key. We all say to Mr. Johnson- see there they are! He says he doesn’t see or hear anything, we must be crazy!

Here are a couple photos of the Trent boys:

We continue on, and exit the trail right by the Settlement Trading Post; we drive up to Crockett’s Tavern, where we stop. Mr. Johnson says, oh, thanks for bringing me my box. Who has the key? The key is produced. He opens the box, reaches in, and says, what the . . . .? It is Mary Beth’s doll! How did that get in here?

We are told to disembark, which we do. There is also candy in the box, and we each get to take a piece as we exit.

Well, I think that covers it.

Overall, I would say that this was a great experience. Lots of fun, and not too scary.

We will do it again next year, for sure.

Let me know if you have any questions I failed to cover.

This Vineland version of the Haunted Hayride was offered again in the Spring of 2008. Clearly, whoever came up with this idea was hoping that the Haunted Hayrides could be offered at other times of the year, and not just in October. However, when October 2008 rolled around, the Hayrides were converted to Haunted Carriage rides, which is what has been offered ever since.

The Vineland themed hayride apparently was a failed experiment.

But the sign remains.

And now you know the rest of the story.

TCD