A Shining New Era is Tiptoeing Nearer for the TCD Gang

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Would you wear one if you knew for sure I wasn't there?  Or, if I promised not to take your photo?

 

TCD

 

Still no!  The only way I'd wear a costume is if WWW attended MNSSHP and we all wore costumes.  And you weren't there.

[Memphis 105]

We have seen rainbows in the park but not as well placed as in your picture.  The rainbow song has a great message and tune but they lost me with the nod to rap.  I know they are just trying to reach a broader audience but I have zero tolerance for that genre.  Note to video producer Don't put text on multi color background when there are other options.  

 

Love this report it just keeps on giving. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

That's all we listen to.  And while most people know that Nashville is the center of the country music industry....many people probably don't know that the Contemporary Christian music industry is primarily centered here as well....including 1 Girl Nation.  INC and I just went to see For King and Country as they kicked off their new tour at a local church a couple of weeks ago.  Their sister....Rebeca St James, used to be our neighbor.  Small world!  And as a Disney connection via the Candlelight Processional.....I see Steven Curtis Chapman at Publix quite a bit.  :)

 

Anyways...loved the video.  Thanks for sharing.   

 

That's cool that you get to see SC² so much.  He was one of my favorite performers at one of the Nights of Joy I attended at the MK back in the day.  What a talented man.

 

Beautiful rainbow...

 

I haven't tried the Chick'n yet. Maybe this weekend. I'll let you know how it it.

 

For all the Tim Burton fans  'The Nightmare Before Christmas' is on the Disney channel tonight,

 

Nightmare Before Christmas you say?

 

What a coincidence.

 

There's something related to that coming up in the next update.

 

_{Very cool rainbow pics.} 

 

_{I didn't listen to the rainbow song but I can tell you what a rainbow means.  It's a sign of God's promise that he will never destroy all flesh by flood again. (Genesis 9:13-15)}

 

Ah yes, good old Noah.

 

When you get the chance read the rest of that chapter.

 

Noah is a man who showed his faithful obedience to God.  So God spared Noah and his family.  And made that covenant about the rainbows.

 

And what's the first thing we hear Noah did when he got on land?  Planted himself a vineyard, made some wine, and got good and drunk. Passed out naked even.

 

They leave that part out in Sunday School.

 

Hey,

 

I am still reading along and I enjoyed all the Halloween costume pics.  I wish we could come visit during this time of the year but my biggest kid can't miss school.  He struggles enough when he's actually there.  We have a fall break but it's only 2 days long so that wouldn't work.  We will be there for Star Wars weekend, though.  Based on your reports it looks like there can been good people watching then, too. I just have to get brave and actually go to Hollywood Studios on the weekend.  It's so crowded! 

 

Beautiful rainbow. :)

 

If you get a chance to get to a Star Wars weekend, you need to go.  You're right about the people watching.  Yes, it's crowded, but if you know what you're doing and make a reasonable plan, it's a lot of fun.

 

If the rumors about a new Star Wars Land coming to Hollywood Studios are true, I can't help but think that there will be major changes to the Star Wars Weekends.  So, enjoy them while you can.

 

Scrump is the name of Lilo's doll. I do not recommend looking up the urban dictionary definition of Scrump. I was pretty certain that was the name so I googled.

 

I didn't know that the doll had a name.

 

So thanks for that.

 

But, you should have left out the Urban Dictionary part.

 

Of course I had to look.  And now I wish I didn't.  And not only that- whenever I go on that site I end up seeing a lot of things I didn't need to see.

 

Still no!  The only way I'd wear a costume is if WWW attended MNSSHP and we all wore costumes.  And you weren't there.

 

So, you're saying there is a chance?

 

 

We have seen rainbows in the park but not as well placed as in your picture.  The rainbow song has a great message and tune but they lost me with the nod to rap.  I know they are just trying to reach a broader audience but I have zero tolerance for that genre.  Note to video producer Don't put text on multi color background when there are other options.  

 

Love this report it just keeps on giving. 

 

I agree with you about the rap part of that song.  I had forgotten about it.  I remember the first time I heard the song that I had a negative reaction to it. It is laughably bad, and so unnecessary.  But, it's grown on me.  This song is obviously intended for the young folks.  Now, I just kind of tune the rap part out.

 

TCD

[Dalspot ... Karen 21]

Next time, I'm going to count the photos - I think you do this just for dramatic pause and keep us waiting.. :)

 

We thought perhaps there was a character around doing a meet and greet and that guests were swarming for that reason.  But, that wasn't it.  Then, we noticed that everyone was looking up toward the castle.  So we looked too.  Then we knew why they were all gathered here.  We saw one of the coolest things we've ever seen at Disney World.  And, I got a photo of it.  Which I will share in the next update, because we are at the photo limit for this one.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

 

Next time, I'm going to count the photos - I think you do this just for dramatic pause and keep us waiting.. :)

 

We thought perhaps there was a character around doing a meet and greet and that guests were swarming for that reason.  But, that wasn't it.  Then, we noticed that everyone was looking up toward the castle.  So we looked too.  Then we knew why they were all gathered here.  We saw one of the coolest things we've ever seen at Disney World.  And, I got a photo of it.  Which I will share in the next update, because we are at the photo limit for this one.

 

TCD

 

 

You are right.

 

But, I didn't keep everyone hanging for too long.  Go back to the bottom of the previous page (post #1120) and you'll see: http://www.fortfiends.net/forum/topic/12774-a-shining-new-era-is-tiptoeing-nearer-for-the-tcd-gang/?p=400407

 

TCD

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

 

So, you're saying there is a chance?

 

 

Maybe a .0001% chance.  Don't hold your breath, especially since we're discussing holding WWW in spring next year.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Maybe a .0001% chance.  Don't hold your breath, especially since we're discussing holding WWW in spring next year.

 

Awesome.

 

I can't wait to see what costume you choose to wear!

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Let's knock out another update before the weekend starts.

 

We're still at the Magic Kingdom.

 

We just saw the rainbow.

 

Then we headed toward the hub.

 

Something was going on there.

 

We could hear the music.

 

Hey, here's Anna and Kristoff.  Good job on those costumes:

 

 

This is what we heard- the rainy day cavalcade:

 

 

Which surprised us, since the sun was coming out, and there was a rainbow and all.

 

But, the folks in charge must have checked the weather, so they sent out the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It parade performers in raincoats.  And the characters got to ride in some of the old Main Street Vehicles.  Like here come Woody and Jessie:

 

 

You can see that the dancers from the parade still have their costumes on-they just threw on raincoats and boots:

 

 

Here come Mr. Incredible and Frozone.  Mrs. I should be in there too, but I don't see her:

 

 

And here's my favorite Main Street Vehicle- the double-decker bus, loaded with characters:

 

 

I like the rainy day cavalcade, but it's short.  In fact, that was the end of it.  We followed the rope down the street:

 

 

It was around 6 now, and we had come up with a plan for dinner.

 

We were going to the Fort to get a Giddyap and Go chicken dinner.

 

What a surprise.

 

We had one more place to stop on the way out.  This place provides prime people watching.  It's the line to meet Jack and Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas.  You can only meet them at the MNSSHP's.  Guests in the know get to the MK early and line up before the party starts. Right at 7, Jack and Sally come out, and the line moves quick.  Then the guests are free to go and enjoy the party.  Word on the street is that they've been coming out early this year.  So, that's even better.

 

Anyway, here's the group that was assembled in the Jack and Sally line:

 

 

Let's see what we have here- there's Mrs. I to the left of center.  And Ironman in front of her, closer to the camera.  Then, there's a young lady who will soon be regretting her choice of footwear, and Prince Eric traveling solo.  Nothing too surprising:

 

 

But wait.  Look there up above Eric.  See that guy leaning against the building.  Is he in a Minnie Mouse costume?:

 

 

Yes, he is.

 

I do not approve of that sort of thing.

 

That ain't right.

 

If I was in charge, I would not allow this.  No disrespecting Minnie.  Nobody wants to see that.

 

You want to dress up like a woman?  Fine. Get a Wonder Woman costume.  They must be on sale.  That's fine.  But, leave Minnie out of this.

 

Let's take another look, as some guests have shifted around.  Look- there's an Ursula:

 

 

She deserves a closer look:

 

 

That's a pretty good job.

 

But, what is that guy next to Ursula supposed to be?- the guy there in the gold top hat:

 

 

Are those Goofy ears?:

 

 

What's that all about?

 

I don't know.

 

You know what's strange?

 

I don't think there's a single Wonder Woman in that line.

 

Based on my previous observations, I would have expected a couple.

 

Strange.

 

Of course, the Fort boat was at the dock and loading as we approached.

 

It is good to be TCD.

 

We got seats in the back, where I like to sit.

 

Since the boat was there as we walked up, we had to go fast, and I missed out on taking a photo that I wanted to take.

 

But, I got lucky, and the guy I needed to take a photo of was kind enough to walk right past us on his way to the back of the boat.  Here you go- it's belt and suspenders guy.  You can never be too safe:

 

 

Did you know they put a new roof on the Fort/Lodge boat dock?  Well, they did, and here it is:

 

 

There's the crane over at the Polynesian.  You can see all the new waterfront bungalows lining the beach over there:

 

 

It is not possible for me to go past River Country without taking at least one photo, and here it is:

 

 

Here comes the Shoe Tree:

 

 

It has plenty of shoes:

 

 

Here's a look back at the Shoe Tree after we passed it.  I hope that this view never changes, but I take a photo of it every chance I get, because I am afraid that one day it will:

 

 

Clementine Beach looks fine. The last time we were here, there was a big pile of sand over by the volleyball net.  It's not there anymore:

 

 

The marina.  The sky looks like it's trying to clear up- but you can see that there are rain drops on the water:

 

 

Another look at the beautiful beach:

 

 

As we headed off the boat, we passed a long line of guests on their way to the MK for the party.  And, we passed this family in costumes.  I'm not sure who the girl in pink is supposed to be.  Also note that the guy with suspenders and the belt is racing past us.  That dude is a fast walker.  No wonder he has to take precautions to keep his pants up:

 

 

Hey look- that elaborate scrim they had put up around Pioneer Hall is gone. But there still is a construction fence. And those kids with their hula hoops had better get out of suspender and belt dude's way. He's obviously on a mission to get someplace fast, and he ain't stopping.  I sure hope for his sake that it's not the men's room.  It's going to take him while to get those trousers lowered with the suspenders and belt and all:

 

 

It looks like they changed the rails up on the porch. This has already been noted and pointed out by the keen observer DIT, but this was my first time seeing it:

 

 

We headed in to order our GAG.  Got the CM 20% discount too.  They've changed things up a bit in the display case. I think they could have done a better job with the chicken:

 

 

We kind of had a magical moment right after we ordered the chicken.  We were fixing a couple of drinks, and up walks the entire cast of the Hoop Dee Doo Revue.  With the construction out front, they were going to use the side door there by the drink machine to make their big entrance.  We were standing there, and they said howdy.  They were all in character, so I had a nice chat with Six Bits.  it wasn't the Bill Gates/Woody Allen one.  it was the other guy, who actually does a good job.  Dolly noticed that we had Food and Wine Festival Gift cards on our wrists, and proceeded to break character to ask us about what we had tried there.  She and Twin #1 then got into a conversation about an assignment the CM playing Dolly had to do for last year's Food and Wine Festival.  The topic of Twin #1 being a CP CM came up, and the cast was really nice to her, asking how she liked her assignment, and sharing a few stupid guest stories.  This went on for a few minutes, but then Six Bits said it was time to go, and he threw open the side door into Pioneer Hall, and the CM's hooted and hollered as they made their grand entrance.  That was a neat encounter.

 

We found a picnic table on the porch, and waited for our chicken.

 

After the beeper went off, I went to fetch it, and noticed no one was around the construction fence, so I snapped a couple of photos of the porch through a small opening in the fence.  The only thing different I noticed was the rails on the porch:

 

 

 

When I brought the chicken back to the table, a guy approached us.

 

I thought he was going to ask for a piece of chicken, but instead he told me that he recognized me.

 

It was Monte. I mean Not that Monte.  From Fort Fiends.  He just wanted to introduce himself.  Then he vanished.

 

Nice to meet you Not that Monte.  And Mrs. Not that Monte- she said hi too.

 

We enjoyed our chicken, and it rained a bit.

 

Then it was time to move.

 

It was time for us to head to the very last performance of the Frozen Summer Fun fireworks over at Hollywood Studios.

 

They will never be seen again.  At least not until some time next year, when they start thinking of how much money they made selling those premium viewing packages.

 

Anyway, that's where we're going next.

 

TCD

[dvccamper 32]

And what's the first thing we hear Noah did when he got on land?  Planted himself a vineyard, made some wine, and got good and drunk. Passed out naked even.

 

They leave that part out in Sunday School.

 

As if none of us have ever done that before

 

Believe me, they leave out a lot in Sunday School.

[daddyphat808 - Eric 16]

Love reading your TPs.   I could really go for a GAG for dinner!

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

Am I the only one that thinks of the Rainbow Connection when they see a rainbow?

 

http://youtu.be/jSFLZ-MzIhM

 

It's a classic!

 

And if you've never seen it performed at Jellyrolls you are missing out.

 

WBI
 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Double rainbow. GAG. HDDR cast chat. Good work.

[Beckers 1,136]

The HDdr cast chat is awesome, as is the rainbow!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

As if none of us have ever done that before

 

Believe me, they leave out a lot in Sunday School.

 

Good point.

 

It's a good thing they leave some of that stuff out.  There is an amazing amount of inappropriate content in there.

 

Love reading your TPs.   I could really go for a GAG for dinner!

 

Thanks.  And what's stopping you from driving to the Fort and getting a GAG?

 

Am I the only one that thinks of the Rainbow Connection when they see a rainbow?

 

http://youtu.be/jSFLZ-MzIhM

 

It's a classic!

 

And if you've never seen it performed at Jellyrolls you are missing out.

 

WBI

 

 

I've been to Jellyrolls a few times.  But, I don't recall them performing the Rainbow Connection there.  What makes is so good?

 

Double rainbow. GAG. HDDR cast chat. Good work.

 

Thanks.

 

That was a pretty magical night.

 

The HDdr cast chat is awesome, as is the rainbow!

 

Thank you too.  I would have loved to talk to that HDDR cast longer.  I'm sure they all have interesting stories to share.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

We left off on the porch of Crockett's Tavern, where we dug into our chicken and sides.

 

After we could eat no more, we packed up a giant bag of leftovers for Twin #1 to bring back to her apartment to share with her roommates, and we headed for the bus.

 

We had seen one of these signs earlier, and I decided I needed to get a photo of it.  They've had these on the buses since before the season started.  What an odd sign:

 

 

In case you can't make it out, that's Urban Meyer, Will Muschamp, and I think a USC Trojan.  Who's in?  Not any of them.  Of all the images they could have put on that sign, why did they choose a former Gators coach, the current Gators coach, and a mascot?  They couldn't possibly have been serious.

 

Since the Wilderness Lodge bus came first, we took that to the Lodge to catch the DHS bus.  At the Lodge, we ran into this guy:

 

 

Do you see that?

 

That is a cool costume.

 

But that guy is a moron.  it was 7:36 pm when I took that photo.  The MNSSHP started at 7, and he could have gotten in at 4.  Yet, here this guy is waiting for the MK bus at 7:36.  I hope he had fun.

 

Earlier, we had noted that the Frozen Fireworks were set for 8:45 tonight.  Which is an hour earlier than they were all summer.  I was surprised that they were early like that, and I questioned whether it would even be dark enough.  Apparently, I haven't been paying attention, as it was plenty dark when we arrived at the park and found a place to watch.  There was quite a crowd all the way up Hollywood Boulevard, so we found a spot off to the side, in the space near the old American Idol show.  This gave us a side view of the stage, but that was the best we could do:

 

 

Right before the show started, like clockwork, all of the dads hoisted their kids up on their shoulders:

 

 

That wasn't such a big deal, because we were too far from the stage to see the pre-fireworks show.  Plus, they had a big screen set up right by us:

 

 

We never hashtagged any photos to get on the screen before the show.  These are the last people who got that chance:

 

 

 

Do you see how the kids in the last photo don't have the Olaf with an umbrella on a stick?  They just have an Olaf.  No umbrella.  Not even a stick.  They had run out of the free Olaf fans.  Good thing I already have a bunch.  Those things will probably go for big dollars on eBay soon.

 

It ended up that the fireworks view from the side here is better than the view from right in front of the stage- the hat doesn't block the view from the side:

 

 

 

 

We got to see the final snowfall of the year for the stage area:

 

 

They were having an evening EMH here at DHS, which meant that Twin #2 would be working late.  Usually, when they close Oaken's Trading Post for the fireworks, it stays closed. But, for EMH nights, the staff has to stick around, and then they reopen the store.  We thought about going back there to see Twin #2, but it was too crowded, so we followed the crowds on out:

 

 

Twin #2 enjoyed working in Oaken's for the final night it would be open.  The managers threw a surprise party for the CM"s complete with a crock pot full of meatballs.  Twin #2 loved that:

 

 

 

And that was that.

 

The end of Frozen Summer Fun^TM, and we were there.

 

Twin #2 has since worked a few shifts in the new Oaken's location.  And she doesn't like it.  One of her big beefs is that they don't have the AC cranked down low like they did in the old place with the skating rink, and they leave the doors open to attract guests.  So, those poor CM's are dying in those sweaters.

 

That's all I have from my day trip on September 28th.

 

But, lucky for you, I had reason to make another trip the very next weekend.

 

Which means more bonus content for you.

 

TCD

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

 

 

I've been to Jellyrolls a few times.  But, I don't recall them performing the Rainbow Connection there.  What makes is so good?

 

 

TCD

 

There's two piano players that have been there since I started going back in 2005 and one of them is pretty skinny, so he'll actually sit on the piano, sing and move his arms around like puppet Kermit, its hilarious and those two guys are really good performers.

 

Here he is doing his Kermit impression, I think his name is Scotty.

 

 

On another note, Scotty is the only one I know that can play all the old Mario Brothers music, the place goes crazy when he does that.  I guess it's a good memory thing for all of us who grew up in that original Nintendo game era.

 

WBI

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

There's two piano players that have been there since I started going back in 2005 and one of them is pretty skinny, so he'll actually sit on the piano, sing and move his arms around like puppet Kermit, its hilarious and those two guys are really good performers.

 

Here he is doing his Kermit impression, I think his name is Scotty.

 

 

On another note, Scotty is the only one I know that can play all the old Mario Brothers music, the place goes crazy when he does that.  I guess it's a good memory thing for all of us who grew up in that original Nintendo game era.

 

WBI

 

Thanks for the explanation.

 

I was thinking about this, and realized my last visit to Jellyrolls was before 2005.  So, I haven't been in a while.  I need to do something about that.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Here comes some more bonus content.

 

If you've been carefully following along, you know that I visited WDW for a day trip on 9/28/14.  We got to ride Maelstrom and see the Frozen Summer Fun stuff for a final time.  I wasn't planning on coming back again for a few more weeks.

 

But, then the Disney Parks Blog had a contest giving away free tickets for a sneak preview of the new Alexander and the Very Bad Day movie, and darned if we didn't win tickets.  The sneak preview was for Saturday, October 4.  The movie would begin at noon, and guests were told that they could start checking in at noon.  I figured I would just meet the girls there.

 

But, they had other ideas.

 

Why not make a day of it?

 

Starting with a rope drop at the MK.  According to them, neither of them had done a rope drop in a while, and they both were up for it.  So, I agreed we would do it.

 

We met up early, and should have been there in plenty of time, but we made the mistake of meeting at the Wilderness Lodge and relying on the Disney Transportation System to get us someplace on time.  Of course, we waited for over 30 minutes for the MK bus. The helpful CM on duty explained that the Wilderness Lodge MK bus had been diverted to the Polynesian to help a guest with a wheel chair.  How magical for that guest.  How unmagical for us.

 

Instead of arriving with time to spare, we rushed up to the MK gates right at 8:45 am, in time to hear the Mayor welcome everyone.  We hadn't missed much, and stayed outside of the gates to watch the show.

 

This was a bit strange, since the train is currently not running, and they have a construction fence in front of the train station.  So, we could just see the top half of the Mayor:

 

 

Unless we somehow missed it, they skipped the whole Casey Junior song, and skipped right to the family of the day. The family of the day was introduced. I think they had a platform to stand on, as we can see more of them than we can the dancers on either side:

 

 

We didn't get a very good look at the characters, and they dispensed with the dancing, since no one would be able to see it anyway:

 

 

I kind of got a photo of the fireworks they shot off at the end of the countdown:

 

 

 

I appreciate that they still are doing the opening show, but it doesn't quite work without the train.  They ought to think of something to not have the actors and characters hiding behind that construction fence.

 

We were not at the front of the pack, and didn't really care to be.  We went through the scanners, and headed in from the left side.  As we entered, we discovered a meet and greet opportunity.  The performers from the show were coming down off the platform via the wheelchair ramp, and walking backstage from there.  If you're dying to meet the Frozen girls, you could stand over there and say a quick hello:

 

 

There go the Chipmunks:

 

 

And there's Snow White, Pluto, and Tiana:

 

 

The step-sisters:

 

 

And even the Big Cheese:

 

 

I had been able to book us three good FP+ rides for the morning, but was not able to get the Mine Train.  I was OK with that, but the twins wanted to go and ride it.  I was up for that- it would give us a chance to see what it's like if you don't rush there with the pack at rope drop.  So we headed back that way.

 

It wasn't 9:00 yet when they let us in to the park.  So, when we got to the Mine Train, the line of guests waiting to get in was lined up outside of the queue, and followed the outside perimeter of the ride, toward Storybook Circus.  We joined the line as it curved around toward Storybook circus.  That seemed long, but it really wasn't, as no one was in the actual queue yet.  At 9:00 am, they started letting guests enter the actual queue, and the line in front of us moved quickly.  I took this photo at 9:01.  We were now across from the Pooh entrance.  That lady over there is taking a selfie with an iPad. She is hashtag cool:

 

 

I took this next photo at 9:25 am as our train took us past the vultures rescued from the old Snow White ride:

 

 

So, stand-by had taken us a bit under 25 minutes at rope drop.  And we were behind the hard core rope droppers.  Not bad.

 

Ariel's mountain as seen from the Mine Train:

 

 

There's the Storybook Circus entrance:

 

 

The twins were in the very back row, and I was in the car in front of them.  Here's a photo I took over my shoulder:

 

 

Since we were in the back of the train, we didn't get to see inside the cottage when we stopped at the end.  Not that there was much to see with the reflection from the sun on the glass:

 

 

I've been trying to get a good photo of this last scene for a while. Looks like I will need to keep trying:

 

 

After the ride, we still had time before we needed to use our first FP+.  So the twins voted to get a coffee drink from the Main Street Bakery (which is not a Starbucks).  We got our drinks, and stepped outside to enjoy them and do a some people watching.

 

Uh-oh.  What's that over there on the street?:

 

 

I've often seen the CM's on horse poop duty, but I've never seen one actually have to do the deed:

 

 

 

I wanted to stay and carefully document this process, but the twins reminded me that we needed to get moving to our first ride, which was Big Thunder Mountain.

 

After Big Thunder was the Haunted Mansion.

 

On the way to Big Thunder, the girls asked to take a detour to go and see the new gift shop at the Haunted Mansion.  So, we skipped Big Thunder and went there.  The girls had both already gotten a chance to go in the store earlier that week, as they had been doing soft openings.  Today, however, it was closed.  But, I still enjoyed seeing it:

 

 

A closer look at the sign:

 

 

And a closer look at the eye on the sign:

 

 

So what's with the name?

 

Is Mori a character in the Haunted Mansion?

 

No.

 

Twin #2 said the name means remember death.

 

How nice.

 

I found this definition via Google:

 

Memento mori, or also memento mortis, “remember death”, is the Latin medieval designation of the theory and practice of the reflection on mortality, especially as a means of considering the vanity of earthly life and the transient nature of all earthly goods and pursuits.

 

They want me to remember the vanity of earthly life here in the middle of the Magic Kingdom?

 

Seems a bit incongruous to me.

 

I would have called it Master Gracey's Gift Shop.

 

What's wrong with that?

 

We stood here and chatted with the CM on duty for a while. She confirmed that they would not be opening the store today.  Too bad for me.

 

From here, we rode the ride.

 

And then it was around 10:15.

 

We knew we needed to head out for Downtown Disney by 11-ish.

 

So the subject of lunch had to be discussed.

 

Be Our Guest opens at 10:30.  We even confirmed that by looking at our times guide.

 

So, we decided to head there and get there by 10:30.  Based on past experience, and this not being too busy of a day, that would allow us to get in, eat, and be on our way by 11 or so.  Perfect.

 

So, there we went.

 

We arrived at about 10:25, and saw that the line was a bit long.  It came all the way across the bridge, and then curved and extended about half-way to Gaston's Tavern.  We've waited in longer lines than that.  Plus the restaurant wasn't even open yet. This would go fast. 

 

But, when we tried to join the line, the CM at the end of the line told us that the line was cut, and we couldn't get in line.

 

What?

 

He said that the restaurant had reached capacity and we could not get in the line.

 

What?

 

I asked him what was the deal.  He said that they were limiting the standby line, and we were out of luck.

 

We walked back up to the front of the line, and I took this photo at 10:30. The CM's stood across the bridge, and wouldn't let any guests pass:

 

 

One of the twins went and spoke to one of the CM's, CM to CM.  She came back and reported that they were running some kind of test today, and were only going to let guests with FP+ reservations in.  The CM did say they would reopen the stand-by line at some point, but couldn't say when.

 

We stood there for about 10 minutes trying to figure out what to do.  The line we wanted to stand in was all but gone by 10:40, and everyone was in the restaurant:

 

 

I thought for sure that at that point, they would reopen the line.  But they didn't. One of the twins went and asked one more time if one of the CM's could tell us whether the line would be reopened soon, but they all said they didn't know.

 

So, we weren't getting BOG for lunch today.

 

That wasn't very magical.  This day wasn't turning out to be so great.

 

Time for plan B.

 

Since we had to go to Downtown Disney anyway, I suggested that we try to go to Earl of Sandwich.

 

The twins liked that idea.

 

I didn't like the idea of having to drive there and find a parking space.   But, it was early.  Maybe it wouldn't be too bad.

 

My car was at the Lodge.  So we took the boat there.

 

Which meant we had to walk past the geyser and pool.

 

The geyser isn't geysering at the moment:

 

 

This is the area which used to be the kiddie pool and hot tubs- it is all ripped up.  The log building you see in the background is the bar- looks like they took the roof off of it:

 

 

I'm not sure exactly what they're doing, but things are pretty ripped up at the moment:

 

 

 

From the looks of things, my guess is that they're adding a splash zone like what we have at the Fort.

 

From inside the lobby, you wouldn't even know the pool is ripped up:

 

 

The Tower of Terror run was going on this weekend, so they had special transportation set up at the hotels.  This sign was posted at the exit from the Wilderness Lodge lobby:

 

 

I wasn't sure what route the Tower of Terror run took.  So far, we hadn't seen any evidence of it.  I was hoping not to find the race on our way to Downtown Disney. To be safe,  I decided that we would head out past the Fort, and take the Vacation Club road to get there.

 

And, that's where we will be heading next.

 

TCD

[dvccamper 32]

I had no idea they were ripping up the pool at the lodge. Any idea when it is reopening?

That stinks about only fast passes for BOG. I really hope they don't make that a new thing.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

So they have the pools at both the Poly and the WL ripped up at the same time?  Kind of limits the deluxe resort options in the MK area, unless you don't mind paying lots of money to live with construction.  

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I had no idea they were ripping up the pool at the lodge. Any idea when it is reopening?

That stinks about only fast passes for BOG. I really hope they don't make that a new thing.

 

See below for the projected date of the WL pool reopening.

 

I've heard rumors that BOG FP+'s are going to show up on MDE as one of the three FP+'s a guest can choose for the MK. 

 

I don't know what they're doing.  Why can't everyone just wait in one standby line?  Why do they have to fool with this?

 

So they have the pools at both the Poly and the WL ripped up at the same time?  Kind of limits the deluxe resort options in the MK area, unless you don't mind paying lots of money to live with construction.  

 

Yes they do.  The Polynesian pool has been closed since July 26th, and isn't going to reopen until March 31, 2015.

 

The Wilderness Lodge pool is scheduled to be closed from September 3 until November 27, according to the Great One: http://www.fortfiends.net/forum/topic/12989-wl-guests-mingling-with-fort-guests/?p=369828

 

The fact that they can close the main pools at two Deluxe resorts simultaneously supports the rumors that the occupancy levels at the Deluxe resorts is really bad.  This is the basis of the rumors that they are going to convert a bunch of the regular Wilderness Lodge rooms into DVC rooms.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

It's still Saturday morning, October 4.

 

I had driven over to spend the day with the twins and go to the free sneak peak of the new Disney movie, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. The movie was not released to theaters until October 10, so we were going to get to see it before anyone else.  And for free.  Free is good.

 

We had a not-so magical morning in the Magic Kingdom.  We were late for the opening show, but got to see most of it (minus the train) peeking over the top of the construction wall erected in front of the Train Station. There was no soft opening of the HM gift shop.  And, we got turned away from lunch at Be Our Guest, even though we arrived to get in the stand-by line before the restaurant was even open.  This was one of those days where things were not going our way.  Luckily for the TCD gang, we don't have many days like that. Actually, we never have days like that.  I just knew some Pixie Dust was coming soon.

 

As I mentioned in the last update, I was not looking forward to driving to Downtown Disney.  I had vowed not to do that until the construction going on there was done.  And, it was far from done.  But, it was early- before noon- and the traffic and parking couldn't be too bad, I thought.

 

So, we headed that way.

 

We passed the Fort, and I slowed down just past the driveway that leads to the overflow lot to snap this photo:

 

 

What's that, you ask?

 

That's the old entrance to the Osprey Ridge Golf Course.

 

It's been closed for a while.

 

The course was taken over by the Four Seasons, and is supposed to reopen as the Tranquilo Golf Club.  According to the Four Seasons website, the new course was supposed to open on September 29th:

 

 

But, here we were on October 4, and they're still working on the entrance sign.

 

I don't think it opened on September 29th.

 

I don't think it has opened yet.

 

What kind of business operates like that?

 

You build a multi-million dollar hotel, and advertise that you're going to open a new golf course to go with it, and then you don't, and you don't bother to update your information?

 

How do stupid people get so rich?

 

Anyway, they're working on the sign, so it will probably be open soon.  Maybe.  Or, maybe not.  Apparently, it's not that important.

 

Whatever.

 

I'm sure it will open one of these days.

 

We pressed on.

 

After I passed the French Quarter, I turned left onto Disney Vacation Club Way.  I wanted to bypass the mess I had witnessed the last time I drove past Downtown Disney on Buena Vista Drive.  I've noticed the Disney buses all use Disney Vacation Club way. Bus drivers know what's what, so that's how I went.

 

Everything went fine.  There was no traffic going that way, and we zipped right past Old Key West, and the Treehouses, and Saratoga Springs.  We then came to Downtown Disney, and hung a right.  I saw open parking spaces in the parking lot as we drove by, and I intended to turn in the first entrance we came to and claim one of those.  No such luck.  They had that entrance barricaded.  And, there were temporary signs directing us to turn to the left, across the street, to park.  I saw guests walking from over there, crossing all the way across in crosswalks.  No thanks.  I kept going, in heavy traffic, but we eventually came to an entrance that was open, and pulled in.  I turned to the right, and saw this parking lot was packed.  No open spaces.  Then, our first Pixie Dust arrived right on time.  As I headed down a packed aisle, a car toward the end of the aisle, closest to the shops, pulled out.  No one else saw it, and I got the space.  That is what I'm talking about!

 

Originally, my plan was to park close to Earl of Sandwich, and then move the car to the lot on the backside of the House of Blues.  But, after seeing the mess, we agreed that we would be moving around on foot.

 

We weren't far from Earl of Sandwich, and headed there.  We arrived right before noon, and found a long, long, line.  It snaked through the whole restaurant, and almost went out the door.  After we joined the line, it continue to grow, and did go out the door.  At least we were ahead of those people.  As we stood in line, we surveyed the restaurant,  and saw there were no open tables.  We decided to divide and conquer. One of us would go patrol for a table and claim it.  The others would stand in line to order.  The girls put me in charge of the table grabbing.  I gave them my order and some cash, and went to find a table.  I took this photo right before I left the line:

 

 

Even though it was chaotic, I remembered that Earl of Sandwich gives a discount to AAA members. I usually forget that.  So I gave the girls my card, and reminded them to show it.  They also thought that they might be eligible for a CM discount.  And they had their CM ID's for that.  I told them to use whatever gave us the biggest discount.

 

I got some more Pixie Dust when I went to look for a table.  On my first lap around the restaurant, I noticed a family at a four top getting ready to leave.  Once again, no one was around to fight me for it, so I got that table, and signaled to the girls that we were set.  Nice.

 

The line at EOS moves fast, and the girls soon were back at the table with a beeper and our drinks.

 

Twin #2 handed me back all of the cash I had given her.

 

"What's this," I asked?

 

She said that she didn't need the money.

 

"Why?"  I asked.

 

She then told me about some super duper Pixie Dust the girls had received while waiting in line.  The lady who was right ahead of us in line had struck up a conversation with them while they waited. She asked them how many people were in our party, and told them that she was about to head to the airport and had unused Disney Dining Plan credits that she wanted to give to us.  And, that is what she did. She stood there while the girls ordered, and handed the cashier her KTTW card, and this is our receipt:

 

 

I am here to tell you that there is such a thing as a free lunch, and we had just been blessed with a free lunch that would have set me back $34!

 

Woo Hoo!  Our bad day had certainly turned around.

 

It is good to be TCD.

 

I had the Holiday Sandwich.  On October 4.  I'm ahead of the game:

 

 

And, I wouldn't have enjoyed that delicious free sandwich if we hadn't been turned away at BOG.

 

Let that be a lesson to you.  Blessings are often disguised.

 

We had to eat quickly, and then we hoofed it all the way to the theater.  It was a long walk.  But, there was a lot to see.  Everywhere you look in Downtown Disney, something is under construction.  You can see that there are yellow barriers floating out there in the water around the Empress Lilly:

 

 

After we passed three or four Starbucks, we made it to the theater on time, and were handed coupons for free popcorn and a soft drink, which we didn't need, but we used anyway.  And then we found our seats. 

 

I think we were supposed to go and stand up by the screen for this photo op, but nobody did:

 

 

Then we watched the free movie.

 

We all loved it.  Especially me.  I haven't laughed out loud at a movie like that in a while.  I give it two thumbs up.

 

After the movie, we needed to head back to the car.  Twin #2 had brought her work costume with her, and we were going to drop her off at work.

 

As we headed back to the car, I enjoyed looking at the concept art they had hanging on the construction walls:

 

 

They are really spending some money on the improvements here.  Do you see in that last photo how it looks like there are elevated gardens above the food truck.  I think that's what these things they are building will ultimately be:

 

 

 

There is a really large building being built out over the water:

 

 

And, there is a smaller building being built just past the big one:

 

 

I believe the large building is going to be a new restaurant called the Boat House.  I don't know what the smaller building is going to be.

 

We got to the car, and got out of there.  The part of the parking lot we had parked in was now barricaded off, and they were using if for valet parking.  As we left, we saw hundreds of guests walking across the street via a crosswalk by the Hess Station.  I thought Disney would provide some kind of shuttle for the guests who had to park that far away.  Apparently, those guests have to walk.  That's a long walk.

 

Unless we have a really good reason to go, I'm going back to my plan of staying away from Downtown Disney until the construction is done.  Even though this visit was pretty magical.

 

As we headed to drop Twin #2 off, I found the UF v. Tennessee game on the radio.  I had looked up the score on my phone right after the movie, and the Gators were losing, and had done nothing on offense all day.  It looked like there would finally be a happy day in Knoxville.  But, by the time we got to the car and I got the radio on, the Gators had somehow pulled ahead, and were on the way to winning the game, and we heard the excitement as the Gators D intercepted the ball to end Tennessee's final drive.  It was great to hear Mick Hubert call the game.  And, the Gators won!  Twin #1 and I were quite happy.

 

After we dropped Twin #2 off, the plan was for Twin #1 and I to hit Epcot and visit some of the Food and Wine booths, before I dropped her off back at her apartment in time for her to go to work that evening.  It was EMH's in the MK that night, and she had to work that last shift.  She had worked really late the night before, and had gotten up early today for MK rope drop.  She told me she was tired, and would rather try to catch a quick nap before work rather than visit Epcot.  Plus, after lunch and popcorn, neither of us was hungry.

 

So, there was a change in plans.  I dropped Twin #1 off, and said I would come visit her at the MK later after she started work. 

 

I didn't have an apartment I could go to for a nap.  And, I had a few hours to kill.  I thought about visiting the Fort, but it was a hot afternoon, and that didn't sound fun.  Then, I decided I would go and visit Epcot anyway.  It was a Saturday afternoon, and the people watching around the World Showcase ought to be good.  So, I headed to Epcot.

 

It had been overcast all morning, but that had burned off, and some almost cool air had moved in. The weather was just perfect when I arrived to start my solo journey:

 

 

Thanks to the magical MDE initiative, guests are now able to stand in line at Spaceship Earth at 4:48 in the afternoon:

 

 

It was sunny and warm, but not too crowded for a Saturday afternoon on a Food and Wine weekend:

 

 

This was now my third day visiting during this year's Food and Wine Festival.  The first two days, there were no or very short lines at the food booths.  Not so today- this is the Scotland booth, and it has a long line:

 

 

But, I came here to try a couple of things, so that meant I was going to have to stand in line somewhere.  I decided that today would be the day I tried the new Puerto Rico booth:

 

 

I got at the end of this line:

 

 

A bit of the Flower and Garden Festival has rubbed off on the Food and Wine Festival, as some of the booths have plantings around them that coincide with the country represented.  Here, we have rice and some other crops which are allegedly grown in PR:

 

 

The PR line moved very very lento:

 

 

As I stood there, it dawned on me that I had no idea what I would order here.  And, that's when it further dawned on me that I had forgotten my passport.  So, I wasn't going to get a PR stamp today, even after waiting in this long line.

 

Phooey.

 

This PR booth, and the tables and area around it are very nice:

 

 

There was a sign posted there which listed what they have for sale at the booth.  My photo of it came out blurry, so here's the Puerto Rico passport page which I posted earlier, so you can see what I had to choose from:

 

 

As mentioned, I wasn't particularly hungry.  So, I decided that I would go with what they have listed there as Frituras.  I have no idea what that is, but the two bullet points beneath that word mention Bolitas de Papa, Crispy Fried Potato Balls, and Tostones, Fried Green Plantains with Mayo Ketchup.  The description was confusing, but I figured I could handle some potato balls and some plantains.  What could go wrong?

 

And, since it was 5 o'clock-ish, I figured I could have one or two drinks this afternoon.  That Gasolina Sangriiia Cocktail caught my eye. I've never (intentionally) drank gasoline before, nor have I ever, as far as I know, consumed sangria with three "I's," so I decided to go for that.

 

But, first I had to wait some more.

 

I surveyed the area to see where I might stop to eat my fried food and gasolina, and saw that a trash can top was available.  Perfect:

 

 

Hey- the monorail-cool!:

 

 

Finally, I got to order.  And, then I had to wait while the inefficient CM's slowly handed the items purchased by the guests in front of me to them:

 

 

After all of that, this is what I ended up with:

 

 

Do you see that?

 

There are three disks of some type of fried substance there, with what might be a slice of plantain in the middle.  What the Fort?

 

I tried a bite.

 

It's hard for me to describe the taste, because it basically tasted like nothing.  Maybe like the inside of a plain baked potato?  Only with less flavor.  If these things had been fried, it wasn't recently. They were not greasy.  If I had to guess, I would say that these patties had been baked in an oven.  Somehow, that plantain slice had no flavor either.  The mayo ketchup wasn't bad, but I think it was just mayonnaise and ketchup mixed together.  I don't know what made me expect something more.

 

The gasolina tasted like plain sangria.  With one "I."  I wasn't disappointed, but I also didn't feel like I had gotten anything unique.

 

Oh well, at least I had a nice spot to chew, chew, chew, and try to swallow whatever it was that I was eating.  The gasolina helped me to get it down:

 

 

I still have no idea what I ate.  My receipt said it was "Potato n Tostones"  Nothing about plantains on the receipt:

 

 

 

Also-note that Sangria is spelled with only one "I" there on the receipt.  Is it a typo on the passport?  Or is that how they spell sangria in PR?

 

This is the first thing that I have eaten at this year's Food and Wine Festival that I would not choose to eat again.  It was truly bad.  Way worse than the CraB'less CraB Cake.  Way worse than a Tofu cupcake.  So please remember that.

 

But, I will say that those things filled me up.  I imagined that they were soaking up all the gasolina and expanding in my stomach.  At least that's what it felt like.

 

Time to move on.

 

I headed through Great Britain.

 

It was busy, but not really as bad as I would have expected at around 5 on a beautiful Saturday afternoon:

 

 

 

I decided there was nothing that I wanted to stop for here, so I pressed on toward France.

 

We will continue with our walk around the World Showcase in the next update. 

 

TCD

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

Excellent Updates Señor TCD.

Gasolina and crapola fake plantaina.....no thanks

Whoa! whoaaaaaaaaaa! Double Rainbow!!!

What does it mean?!!!!

GAG? Master stroke.

Convo with Six Bits and Dolly.......excellent

Free Sammich? Excellent

No CM to CM courtesy table at BOG? Bogus

[CampMImi 22]

Any idea what a Tostone is?  Sounds.... crazy.  

 

I cannot wait to see that movie.  I remember reading that book to my girls when they were little ones.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Excellent Updates Señor TCD.

Gasolina and crapola fake plantaina.....no thanks

Whoa! whoaaaaaaaaaa! Double Rainbow!!!

What does it mean?!!!!

GAG? Master stroke.

Convo with Six Bits and Dolly.......excellent

Free Sammich? Excellent

No CM to CM courtesy table at BOG? Bogus

 

Good recap. Overall, the latest trip was most excellent.  Especially the free sandwich part.

 

Any idea what a Tostone is?  Sounds.... crazy.  

 

I cannot wait to see that movie.  I remember reading that book to my girls when they were little ones.

 

That's a very good question.

 

So, I turned to my friends at Google^TM.

 

And look where that led me: How to make perfect tostones in 5 simple steps http://nbclatino.com/2013/08/20/how-to-make-perfect-tostones-in-5-simple-steps/

 

These things are supposedly just fried plantains.  I've had those before- they are like a banana. 

 

Here's the photo that goes with that recipe:

 

 

Those look like what they gave me at the Puerto Rico booth.

 

But, why did my receipt say "Potato n Tostones?"

 

And, I'm telling you those things had zero plantains taste.

 

What The Fort?

 

TCD