Day Trippin'

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

That food does look AMAZING!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Paris?

Thats that place that our military saved twice right?

 

That's the one.

 

But, I'm not allowed to say anything negative about the French.

 

There were a bunch of them in line at the Air France counter at MIA, and one even tried to cut in front of my daughter and her friend- I had to tell her to back off.

 

DD told me I was embarrassing her.  It turns out that I am unenlightened and dwell on stereotypes. Like that's a bad thing?  What do they teach kids in college these days?

 

That food does look AMAZING!

 

omg!

 

That is exactly the type of thing that Troll ranted about.

 

I should have caught that.

 

TCD

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

DD will learn in all due time that the real world is nothing like college......give her time.

And usually nothing like the world that most of the professors brains live in.

Anyway, looking forward to more pics from DisneyWorld and SurrenderLand.

Going to normandy is at the top of my list of places to go.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

DD will learn in all due time that the real world is nothing like college......give her time.

And usually nothing like the world that most of the professors brains live in.

Anyway, looking forward to more pics from DisneyWorld and SurrenderLand.

Going to normandy is at the top of my list of places to go.

 

Surrenderland! :rofl2:

 

Twin #1 will be visiting Normandy the weekend after next.  I also would like to get there one day.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I'm not one to normally jump to the defense of the French....but I've always considered our efforts to save their hides in WWI and WWII as payback for their role in helping us win the Revolutionary War.  Without the French we'd have likely been under British rule quite a bit longer. 

 

And they do make a damn fine looking sammich. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I'm not one to normally jump to the defense of the French....but I've always considered our efforts to save their hides in WWI and WWII as payback for their role in helping us win the Revolutionary War.  Without the French we'd have likely been under British rule quite a bit longer. 

 

And they do make a damn fine looking sammich. 

 

And fries.

 

They gave us fries.

 

And French Onion soup.

 

Jules Verne is cool.

 

So, you're right.  They're not all bad.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

And fries.

 

They gave us fries.

 

And French Onion soup.

 

Jules Verne is cool.

 

So, you're right.  They're not all bad.

 

TCD

 

Don't forget the kissing.  And those little Maid outfits. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Don't forget the kissing.  And those little Maid outfits. 

 

True and true.

 

And mustard.

 

That's good.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Time to move on.

 

It turns out that we stumbled onto something new and at the time not yet announced at AK on Sunday.  Keep reading, and we will get to that in this update.

 

But first, we are heading back to EE for ride #2.

 

We went through the standby queue again.  It's been a while, and it seems that there have been some minor updates since the last time we came through the standby queue.

 

For example, there is paper money lying on the pedestal there where the statues are.  And, I think the prayer flags have faded a lot:

 

 

Looks like it's time for Bobby to scoop up all those coins for his annual bonus:

 

 

I really like all the details in the queue.  It's like I'm in Nepal:

 

 

I like this view- the Forbidden Mountain against an azure sky:

 

 

If you watched any of the very sad news coverage on the tragedy that happened over in Nepal last month,  you might have seen that they actually have prayer flags all over the place just like these:

 

 

The queue moved a little slower this time around.   But, it was a cool morning, and very pleasant.  I remember waiting here and sweltering.  Not today:

 

 

The Forbidden Mountain.  Again:

 

 

I have to hand it to whoever designed this queue. It's so detailed:

 

 

These props sit on the opposite side of the loading platform.  I have a friend who uses a generator just like that for tailgating.  I would not want to carry that up a mountain:

 

 

The view on the ascent again.  That's the Four Seasons abomination all the way to the left, and the Swolphin abomination on the right.  Abomination bookends if you will:

 

 

Broken track again.  They must share management with the Fort:

 

 

I lucked out and didn't get a single rider companion for once.  I'm trying to act like there's an invisible friend next to me, but I didn't do a very good job:

 

 

After this second ride, we decided to move on and try something else.

 

We all agreed to go and see what was going on at the Safari.  Plus, I thought that they had changed all the old FP machines there into FP+ kiosks, so I could continue my research project there.

 

So that meant we needed to walk through Asia, and along that path where the weed normally lurks.

 

As we passed the Flights of Wonder theater, we noticed that there were two macaws sitting on the top of the back wall of the theater, along the path.  They seemed to be loose.

 

Then we heard the voice of the CM who usually speaks outside the theater announcing that the birds were about to take flight.

 

What?

 

Where?

 

And, just like that, the birds took off flying down the path, right over the heads of the guests.

 

What the Fort?

 

I wasn't ready for this, but quickly drew my camera and took my shot:

 

 

I looked at the little screen on my camera, hoping that I had caught a shot of that.

 

Fail.

 

Typical.

 

Wait.

 

Not so fast.

 

Take a closer look:

 

 

You see the old dude in the hat there on the left, saying "What the Fort?"  Follow his eyes all the way over to the right.

 

Macaw!

 

BAM!

 

We all looked at each other.

 

What was this all about?

 

Birds flying loose over the heads of the guests?

 

We didn't know,

 

And we needed to move on.

 

So we did.

 

We stopped to look at the Tree of Life:

 

 

 

Just as I snapped that last photo, the macaws flew back the other way.  Guests here had no idea what was going on.  It was too fast for me to try to get a photo, but we did see them fly by.

 

So now there are loose macaws flying around AK?

 

Right on cue, the Disney Parks Blog posted on this very subject today:

 

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2014/05/wildlife-wednesdays-colorful-macaws-take-flight-in-new-experience-coming-this-summer-to-disneys-animal-kingdom/

 

The text:

 

I am thrilled to share first with Disney Parks Blog fans news about a new animal experience coming soon to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Stars of the show are flocks of macaws in a kaleidoscope of colors flying over and around the heart of the park — Discovery Island. Brought to you by the fantastic team that inspires and delights guests at our Flights of Wonder show in collaboration with Disney Creative Entertainment, “Winged Encounters — The Kingdom Takes Flight,” will debut this summer.

 

The macaws, with wingspans up to 60 inches, are now making short flights in the early morning hours at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in preparation for the debut of the new experience, which features six types of macaw: hyacinth, green-winged, blue and gold, scarlet, blue-throated and military.

In addition to seeing these colorful birds in flight, during up-close encounters, avian experts will share conservation stories about the macaws, the majority of which are endangered in their native Central and South America.

Be sure to watch Disney Parks Blog for more information about this new experience in the coming weeks.

 

A photo from the Blog:

 

 

So, how do you like that?

 

Wild Macaw Bragging Rights to TCD!

 

From here, we proceeded to the Safari.

 

The standby wait time was posted at 60 minutes, and the line was all the way out of the queue entrance.

 

No thanks.

 

There was a CM standing there, and I asked her if there were FP+ kiosks back in the area where the FP machines used to be.

 

Nope.

 

Not there.

 

We had to head back over the bridge.

 

How convenient.

 

So we headed that way.

 

We could see the new Lion King theater there behind the construction walls. I guess that will be open in just one more month.  It looks nice, and it looks like there's a lot of room back there:

 

 

We found the FP+ kiosks just over the bridge.  But, they were all in use, and there was a line longer than I wanted to wait on in the sun:

 

 

There was another set of kiosks next to the gift shop a little further on.  Same deal here- all in use and a line.  And helpful CM's everywhere:

 

 

At this point, we decided that we would be heading to the MK for some lunch before our afternoon FP+ reservations began.  As much as I wanted to see if I could use those extra MB's, we weren't going to stick around to use them, so we bailed.  I could try at the MK.  I really wanted to see what would happen here at the MK, as I had successfully used the extra ones at the MK the week before.  But, I wasn't going to roast in the sun to find out.  Fail.

 

Here's something.

 

An iPad selfie:

 

 

Too bad I'm already married.

 

That woman is a catch.

 

There were a lot of guests coming in AK as we were leaving. 

 

A full tram pulled up and unloaded just as we walked up.

 

And then the driver held out his hand and told us to stop, and they pulled away with no passengers in the tram.

 

Rude:

 

 

But, another tram was already inbound.  The one that left was probably hurrying out to load up more of the dummies who were showing up late.

 

This parking lot here is the RV and I think handicap parking lot.  They weren't letting anyone in there this morning when we arrived- it still had Expedition Everest Challenge stuff in there.  Now, guests are parking in there.  That charter bus you see there is the bus from the Bonnet Creek resorts- they're not allowed to use the Disney bus stops:

 

 

There are already RV's parked in the RV parking:

 

 

You can see to the right in this photo that there's a stream of cars coming in to the lot:

 

 

I hope all of these people have FP+ reservations already.  Otherwise, it's going to be a long day for them.

 

We hopped to the MK.

 

And, here we are at 11:34 am.  As GDF would say, "feels crowded:"

 

 

If you have been following this convoluted report from the beginning, you may remember that on the previous Sunday, Twin #1 and I enjoyed an nice lunch at the Be Our Guest restaurant.

 

Now, Twin #2 and my older DD wanted to go. Poor me.

 

We headed to BOG.

 

No FP+ for us.  We were just regular visitors again.

 

Not resort guests, who can book FP+ reservations and skip the line.  So, we've got some line waiting ahead of us.  It's worth it though.

 

Here's the Anna and Elsa wait time at 11:39 am:

 

 

Only four hours?

 

Where's the love?

 

Here's the BOG line at 11:42.  All the way down the bridge and around the corner. We kind of hit it at a prime time. But, the food is good.  So, we're going for it:

 

 

There were empty cars running around the track on the Mine Train ride:

 

 

Maybe that meant a soft opening today?

 

Maybe.

 

But, first we're going to have lunch.

 

We will finish our wait and head in for lunch in the next update.

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

That food looks yummy! And I enjoyed my trip to Paris. I'm pro-world traveling. 

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

FP+ kiosk waiting SMB.

Hopefully in late January/early February the waiting will be minimal.

A thought to ponder.....i believe i have read in many places that FP+ was awesome bc you no longer had to send a runner for FPs.

Um, now the runner goes to a kiosk instead of a FP machine. What is the difference? I mean you get three ahead of time sure, but they are tiered and weren't before and you could get more than one set for the same ride before.

I am still not a fan, but looking forward to hearing about workarounds to maximize use of the system.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

That food looks yummy! And I enjoyed my trip to Paris. I'm pro-world traveling. 

 

When did you go to Paris?

 

Twin #1 is the first member of the TCD gang to go.

 

There are others who want to.  Which may mean I have to go too.

 

Um, now the runner goes to a kiosk instead of a FP machine. What is the difference? I mean you get three ahead of time sure, but they are tiered and weren't before and you could get more than one set for the same ride before.

 

 

 

You can't even say the kiosks are equal to the old FP machines.  They're much worse.  With the old FP machines, they needed one CM to watch the bank of machines.  Even the simplest of guests could figure out how to stick a park ticket in and get a FP out.  For those too stupid to handle that, one college kid was there to provide assistance when needed.

 

The kiosks are as buggy as the crappy MDE ap. So, each kiosk has a CM assigned to it.  Every stinking one.  And those CM's have a heck of a time pulling up information and making the kiosks work.  So, it's way worse. It takes longer.  And Disney has to pay all those extra people.  No problem for Disney, they'll just raise ticket and food prices to cover the extra payroll.

 

Also, I'm not sure that just one person can go to the kiosk and make reservations for a group.  I think everyone needs to be there.  Showing up with MB's in your hand sends up red flags. They need to scan each MB at the kiosk.  Every one.  Even if you could send a runner, that means that the rest of the group can't be going on something that requires a MB, because the runner will have them.

 

And, if you say fine- you don't need to use the kiosks, then I hope you're happy with those 3 FP+'s you booked, because you can't get a 4th from the ap.  Only at the kiosks.  That way, they can keep tighter control over the limited FP+ inventory.  And the line starts over there.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Andrew, don't be ridiculous.  It cost over a Billion dollars.  It simply must work better than you say.  Right?   

[Duane 152]

 

I really like all the details in the queue.  It's like I'm in Nepal:

 

 

 

 

 

The girls in Nepal really wear short shorts....!

[superloopers 2]

I don't mind the FP+ so much, but we only really visit Disney during the slower times.

[jmaul 65]

Andrew, don't be ridiculous.  It cost over a Billion dollars.  It simply must work better than you say.  Right?   

 

Crap.  I'm sorry.  When I was there April 17th, we broke FP+.  It's all my fault.

 

I'll have the details in my next TR installment.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

 

Also, I'm not sure that just one person can go to the kiosk and make reservations for a group.  I think everyone needs to be there.  Showing up with MB's in your hand sends up red flags. They need to scan each MB at the kiosk.  Every one.  Even if you could send a runner, that means that the rest of the group can't be going on something that requires a MB, because the runner will have them.

 

And, if you say fine- you don't need to use the kiosks, then I hope you're happy with those 3 FP+'s you booked, because you can't get a 4th from the ap.  

 

 

That's just not right.  We should be able to go to MDE and get the FPs for the group.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Andrew, don't be ridiculous.  It cost over a Billion dollars.  It simply must work better than you say.  Right?

 

Sorry. 

 

I need one of the lovers of FP+ to step in here and tell me how wonderful this all is, because I'm not feeling it at the moment.

 

The thing that the defenders of this program ignore is how it used to be before this mess.

 

For more than ten years, we enjoyed the old FastPass system.  You go to the attraction, and get your FP.  They did not enforce the return times, which was a wonderful thing.

 

We never had to wait in line for anything.

 

We could ride our favorite attractions several times a day without waiting if that's what we wanted to do.

 

If the FP's were gone for the day, then we did something else.  No big deal.  All the parks had attractions that you could walk on with no wait.

 

Now that is all gone.

 

True, I can get 3 FP+'s per day with very little effort.

 

But, the 4th FP+ is just window dressing, and the side effect of this program is that rides that never had lines now do.  50 minutes for Small World? On a slow weekend in May?  Are you kidding me?

 

The girls in Nepal really wear short shorts....!

 

Do they?

 

So, this blonde lady must be Nepalese? :

 

 

 

 

I don't mind the FP+ so much, but we only really visit Disney during the slower times.

 

What slower times?

 

The first weekend in May is about a slow a time as you can get.

 

And the lines were horrendous.

 

Crap.  I'm sorry.  When I was there April 17th, we broke FP+.  It's all my fault.

 

I'll have the details in my next TR installment.

 

You'd better keep quiet about that.

 

Do you want Disney sending you a bill for a Billion dollars?

 

That's just not right.  We should be able to go to MDE and get the FPs for the group.

 

There's a lot of things not right about this mess.

 

The 4th FP is just a publicity stunt.

 

They shrewdly announced it to quell the complaints from everyone about being limited to three FP+'s

 

So now, if you want the 4th, your party can all stand in about a 20 minute line and be helped by a kid with access to the kiosk.

 

If you want something good- forget it.

 

If you want something in another park- tough luck- go over there and stand in their line and be helped by a different kid.

 

If you want something pretty good, they might be able to accommodate you if it's not a busy day.  But be prepared for something 3 or 4 hours down the line.  They need to keep you in the parks spending money on food and drinks.

 

If you have that much time to kill, may I suggest the Anna and Elsa line? They post that it will take 4 hours, but others will tell you that it won't take that long.  If so, then why don't they post the real wait time?

 

What I'm trying to say is that this new system is a total mess.

 

TCD

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

TCD,

 

Thanks for all the reporting, we haven't tried the FP+ yet but I've been keeping up with it and I'm not looking forward to it at all. 

 

We were like you and many others, we knew how to work the old system and could fill our days with tons of rides we actually wanted to ride and we didn't have to book them 30-60 days in advance.  I really don't like how they've turned a Disney vacation into a trip that requires a detailed itinerary that has to be planned in advance.  Dinner reservations were bad enough but now I have to do rides too, WTF.

 

And another thing, we've always had a rule that Disney was a phone free zone.  We never took our phones with us into the parks, we liked being disconnected, we looked at details and made conversation with each other and strangers while in line, but if we have to carry our phones it's going to be difficult to disconnect and not check our phones.  We really don't like that part, I know I don't have to have a phone to take advantage of the MDE+ but if it helps us avoid another line at a kiosk we'll bring it.

 

On another note, I've been to Paris twice and really like it and recommend it to everyone!  The French weren't near as bad as I had expected, actually I don't think we had any bad experiences in France or Italy.  If you learn a few French greetings and customs they don't treat you as a rude American. lol

 

I agree with GDF-Kelly, I'm pro-world traveling.

 

WBI

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

 

I agree with GDF-Kelly, I'm pro-world traveling.

 

 

I'm pro-world traveling too.  As long as it's in the Caribbean.  Gotta have my warm weather and view of the ocean, preferably from an aft balcony cabin!

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

 

On another note, I've been to Paris twice and really like it and recommend it to everyone!  The French weren't near as bad as I had expected, actually I don't think we had any bad experiences in France or Italy.  If you learn a few French greetings and customs they don't treat you as a rude American. lol

 

I agree with GDF-Kelly, I'm pro-world traveling.

 

 

I went to Paris in 1981 for a long weekend.  It was horrible.  I would try my high school French  - they would respond in English with an insulted glare.  The gendarmes even gave us wrong directions.

 

When I was in college, my boyfriend told me we would marry in Austria and honeymoon in Paris.  I told him no way was I ever going back to Paris.  (Nope, never did marry him.)

 

Oh, and don't get me started on the hole in the floor they called a toilet.  That is not a euphemism.  There was a hole in the floor.  And a curtain.  Nope, no way.

 

I am hoping they have come a long way since then and Twin #1 has a great time.  But I am happy to never go there again.

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

BTW, anyone thinking conspiracy?

 

The president spends billions on a health care system and the computers don't do what they are supposed to.

 

WDW spends millions on MDE and FP+ and people seem to be complaining that it isn't nearly as user friendly as thye were lead to believe.

 

Did they use the same programmers??

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I went to Paris in 2008, pre Z. The best part.... it was a free trip! See Mr. GDF and I were crazy enough to take a group of high school students to Italy and Greece that year. I handpicked the kids though, and he and I got to go for free. I even got to bring my little brother who was the age of the kids 17-18 for half price. It was awesome, and I'm still close with those kids and some of their parents to this day. We just went to a wedding of one of them and we're going to another this summer. They've all graduated from college and moved on to great things. But I digress.... to prepare me for that trip, they sent me to Paris, also for free. I enjoyed it. But I also enjoyed Italy and Greece with 12 teens, 3 adults, and a tour guide. Maybe I'm crazy. I will tell you something though.... there is joy in witnessing young people "see history" and really get it. Awesome memories. 

 

Thanks for the Josh and GDF shout out. He's posted some wait time charts pre and post FP+. Have you seen them? Pretty interesting. 

[BigTom 76]

Paris is six hours ahead of us.

 

So, as I was drinking my coffee this morning, I got this text from Twin #1:

 

 

Here's a photo of her sandwich (or whatever they call sandwiches in France) :

 

 

I have to admit that looks pretty good.

 

She's touring the city today.

 

I'm feeling an Eifel Tower photo coming up.

 

TCD

You got her trained good, one of the first post was about food.

[dvccamper 32]

All I can picture with those macaws flying over people's heads is the pooping factor.  I don't think that would make for a very magical experience.

 

That actually reminds me of a funny story I will share because it's Disney related.  When my older two girls were little we went for their first ride on Thunder Mountain.  My oldest made the height requirement but the next one just missed it.  Well she pitched a royal fit.  I took her over to the exit of the ride so we could look for the others riding and she continued to pitch her little temper tantrum.  It was horrible.

 

All of a sudden she stops and looks up at me like 'What just happened?'  A bird had pooped square on the top of her head.  I had to stifle my laughter but I thought what goes around, comes around.