A Night at the Movies with the TCD Gang

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

The TCD gang had some business to take care of at WDW.

 

Twin #2 received an ominous letter from WDW a couple of weeks ago.  She had neglected to turn in and item that was issued to her while she was working for the Disney College Program, and she needed to return it, or pay for it, or she would be in BIG TROUBLE.  I'm paraphrasing, of course, but that's basically what the letter said.

 

It turns out that she had not returned a belt that went with one of the uniforms she was issued.  She had the option of returning it, or paying $11.  If she didn't, she would be placed on the naughty list, and would not be able to be rehired by the company. 

 

She didn't know the belt was missing, and didn't think she had it.  But she looked, and she did.  No problem.  The letter gave her and address to mail it to, and everything would be forgiven.

 

But, she was worried about mailing it.  What if they said they never go it?

 

Sounded like a good excuse for a trip.

 

She allegedly does not have any classes on Fridays.

 

So the plan was for her to drive from Tallahassee to Twin #1's apartment in Gainesville on Thursday night, January 29th, and then for them to head down to WDW on Friday, the 30th.

 

It would just be a day trip.

 

Then I got involved.

 

What if I could get a deal on a one night stay at WDW?  I had been seeing adds for Florida Resident and Passholder discounts.  I checked on those.  At first, there were no deals on any of the value resorts.  But, I kept looking, and out of nowhere, a room at All Star Movies appeared.  A was able to book one of their preferred rooms for a total of $118.15, including tax.  Done.

 

Now we were going to spend a night at the movies!

 

The girls proceeded as planned.  They hit WDW early on Friday to turn in the belt and then meet up with friends from their programs who were "playing in the parks" that day.

 

I headed over later.

 

The plan was for me to check in to the hotel, and for us to meet there before heading off to the MK, where I had booked us FP+ reservations as well as a dinner reservation.

 

I arrived around 2:30 pm, and checked in.

 

We've stayed at all the All Stars many times, but I can't remember the last time we stayed at All Star Movies.  It had been a while.

 

I can't say that I had ever noticed the big mural they have painted behind the check-in desks before, but I noticed it today:

 

 

You can see the Grauman's Chinese Theater there on the left.  A replica of it has been hiding behind that giant hat at Hollywood Studios for the past 14 years, and is now returning into view as the hat is being removed.  The small tower you see to the right center of the photo is a depiction of the Carthay Circle Theater, which was where the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs movie premiered back in 1937.  A big replica of the Carthay Circle Theater serves as the "castle" for Disney's California Adventure park, and there's also a large replica of it at Hollywood Studios.  It never ceases to amaze me how much detail there is in everything Disney builds.

 

Check in went fine.  We ended up with a first floor room in the Fantasia building, which is what I had asked for.  The room was ready, and the plan was for me to head there and wait for the twins to show up. 

 

But, as is often the case, the plans changed.  The twins texted me and said they were in the MK and were going to stay there and watch the Festival of Fantasy parade.  They didn't need to come by the room.  Their car was already parked there at the hotel, as they had begun their day there and used Disney transportation for their earlier adventures.

 

So, I headed out to the bus stops. It was 2:35.  There was a chance I could make it to the MK before the 3 pm parade made its way to Main Street.

 

Have you ever heard the phrase "TCD luck?"  That refers to the fact that the mode of transportation I need always materializes exactly when I need it. 

 

Well, the TCD luck was broken this afternoon.

 

I stood at the MK bus stop and watched three Animal Kingdom buses come and go.  And two Downtown Disney buses.  And two Hollywood Studios buses.  Epcot buses too,  Everything but a MK bus.  It was crazy.  I texted the girls a couple of times while this was going on.  Finally, when a third Downtown Disney bus pulled up, I texted them and told them not to bother saving me a seat for the parade:

 

 

It was almost 3:15 before a MK bus finally showed.  I am not sure what the problem was, but there was a problem.

 

I made sure I was the first one off of the bus, and made it through the bag check and scanners quickly.

 

I was walking in to the park at 3:34, almost exactly one hour from when I lined up at the All Star Movies bus stop.  The dragon was just rounding the flagpole area in Town Square:

 

 

I could tell she was about to blow some fire, so I took my shot:

 

 

The second to the last float was coming around as I headed behind the crowds and up the street:

 

 

The Goofy bench was missing around the holidays, but it's back in place now:

 

 

I saw some photos last week that showed Mickey and Minnie riding in a car at the end of the FOF parade.  Word was that their balloon float popped.

 

But, they were back in the balloon today:

 

 

No sooner had that balloon passed than the Main Street balloon vendors swooped in:

 

 

I knew the twins were sitting somewhere across from the Emporium for the parade, but I couldn't find them.  Coincidentally, I found two of Twin #2's former roommates.  Both of them had extended their DCP programs, and are still working at WDW.  They were looking for the twins too.  The twins showed up, and the girls had some catching up to do.  I gave them some space, and enjoyed the view up Main Street.  If you look carefully, you can see that there are men in a yellow car suspended from that crane by the castle.  Whatever work they're doing, they're doing while the park is open.  I am not sure exactly what they're doing, as all of the lights are off of the castle.  You can also get a good look at the big scrim they have in front of the jewelry store:

 

 

I didn't know for sure that this trip would be happening until the night before.  But, I got on to MDE the night before, and was able to score us a 7:25 ADR for the Plaza Restaurant.  Then I worked in some FP+ reservations around that.  It turns out that it would have been better for us to eat earlier, so I went to the Plaza hostess stand to see if we could move that reservation up.  The hostess told us she couldn't move the reservation, but chances seemed good that we could check in early and be seated when a table came open.  We decided that we would try that at around 5:30.

 

While there, I held my camera over the construction wall in front of the Plaza and snapped a few shots.

 

This is what is going on on the other side of the wall:

 

 

Wow, there's a lot going on in this area.  I see new walkways, and those low walls look like they'll be a great place to sit.

 

Another look- more walkways and lamps:

 

 

This is the same area, but turned to the left.  Main Street is just over those walls you see toward the back.  It looks like the areas inside those low walls are filled with dirt and will be landscaped:

 

 

In this photo, you can see that there are wrought iron fences installed on those low walls that I thought would make a nice place to sit.  I guess they're not for sitting after all:

 

 

I am not sure what those circular paved areas are- the paved area looks too narrow to be a walkway.  I can't imagine guests with their giant strollers having to navigate those circles.

 

This is another shot looking toward the part of Main Street that used to be a bridge over the moat:

 

 

This shot is taken from the other side of Main Street, in front of Casey's Corner- this area looks the same as the area we were just looking at, and you can see they've gotten further with the wrought iron fences here:

 

 

This is one last shot from over the fence near the Plaza:

 

 

This shot was taken from the side of the area of the terrace where they host the Fireworks dessert parties.  The area on the other side of the terrace used to slope down to the water.  Now, it's filled in and level:

 

 

It appears that they are leaving a big part of the moat here, and that the sea serpent topiary is going to survive:

 

 

The first FP+'s I lined up were for Space Mountain.

 

We arrived to find this line for the FP+ scanners:

 

 

Obviously, something was wrong.

 

Don't you love this new technology?

 

We eventually made it to the scanners.

 

Twin #2 and I went first.

 

We both got the dreaded blue light.

 

The charming CM on duty said that our Magic Bands were blank.

 

Oy vey.

 

I had to pull out my phone and show him the screencap I did showing our FP+ reservations.

 

Then he asked me to pull them up on the app so he could see that too.

 

In the meantime, other guests were also getting blue lights.

 

The problem was them, not me.

 

The other CM there was letting guests with the blue lights through.  They have a button there they can push to make the blue light turn green, and all is fine after that.

 

I told the CM that I shouldn't have to stand there and pull up the app, and to please let us through like the other CM was doing.

 

He said OK.

 

Jeez.

 

I don't know what was going on there, but, unfortunately, this wasn't the last time we would be dealing with that issue tonight.

 

For now, though, we rode:

 

 

Last week, fellow Fiend Devores made a post telling us about a new photobooth in the Space Mountain arcade.  It works on the photopass system.  We hunted it down:

 

 

And had some fun:

 

 

There's a big monitor on the outside of the booth that shows what's going on inside.  We attracted a small audience who enjoyed the antics:

 

 

Here's an interesting sight.  A guy with two dogs.  He also was puffing on an electronic cigarette, but he put it down when he saw me with my camera. His e-cig is in his hand.  And he's also wearing two Magic Bands.  This guy definitely was up to something:

 

 

After our delayed ride on Space Mountain, we thought it would be good to go ahead and get dinner out of the way.  We might be needing to pay a visit to guest relations, and who knew how long that might take?

 

So, we went and checked in at the Plaza. It was a good thing we had the ADR, as they were turning guests without them away:

 

 

These windows above the Plaza are for offices.  I've heard that Phil Holmes' (the guy with the portrait in the Beauty and the Beast gift shop) office is above the Plaza.  I wonder if those are his office windows?:

 

 

The checking in early worked great for us, as they had a table for us in just a few minutes.  We were seated right by this window.  It would be cool to be in here while the fireworks were going off:

 

 

This was my first time ever eating at the Plaza.

 

The twins had been in here a couple of times recently and loved it.  Many Fiends have written good things about the Plaza, but still, this was my first time here.

 

I was surprised by how small it was.  This is the main dining area:

 

 

The area to the left of what's shown in this photo is smaller than the area depicted.  I thought the dining area was deeper, and went behind some of the Main Street shops. But, there isn't much to this place.

 

I had a hard time deciding what to get.  I've heard their burgers are good, but I'm a sucker for a good Club Sandwich.  The girls had tried the Club Sandwiches before and said they were good, so I went with that:

 

 

Yes, those are steak fries.

 

Like they used to serve with the Giddyap and Go's at the Fort.

 

Twin #1 also got a Club.  Twin #2 went with the meatloaf, and asked to substitute fries for the mashed potatoes:

 

 

We enjoyed our meal thoroughly.   I especially enjoyed the fries.

 

We finished in time to make our Haunted Mansion FP+ return time.

 

So we will be heading that way next.

 

TCD

[wdwpoohbear...Jennifer 40]

First, now back to read.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I'm in! 

[BeckersDadJohn 44]

In.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Second, and I've read it!  Oops, make that fourth.  Two people posted while I was reading.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

 

These windows above the Plaza are for offices.  I've heard that Phil Holmes' (the guy with the portrait in the Beauty and the Beast gift shop) office is above the Plaza.  I wonder if those are his office windows?:

 

 

 

That may very well be the location of Phil's offices.  To the left of the Plaza Restaurant is a CM gate.  In November we saw him entering the MK through that gate.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

OK, I'll comment now.

 

I've seen the Space FP line backed up like that a few times. It also happens at BTMRR. 

 

I'm excited to see when the hub is finished. I think it will look pretty good. 

 

We also enjoyed The Plaza, and it's not much more expensive than the CS places. 

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

 

We also enjoyed The Plaza, and it's not much more expensive than the CS places. 

 

And it accepts TIW!

[Helmsey......Todd 134]

In!
Yummy steak fries!

[ependydad...Doug 176]

In in. I love all of the background info in your reports!

[Memphis 105]

I'm in.  Glad Disney got their $11 belt back.  With as much as they pay the CP kids I know they could not afford the loss.  

[Beckers 1,136]

I'm in!

[Specularius 102]

I do not like seeing all that construction. 

[dblr....Rennie 224]

I'm in also!!!!!!!

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

In!  First page bragging rights!

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

I am hoping that once all the walls are down around the "moat", TCD will be forced to take another trip and we will be treated to before and after photos. :D

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

I'm in and I read everything.

 

I'm surprised you've never eaten at the Plaza, but I guess I've only been there once.  We really liked it, especially how you could sit and eat in a relatively quiet area and watch the crowds and madness right outside.

 

WBI

[momof3kids-Yvonne 594]

I am in!

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

First page! hopefully :D

[lklasing 16]

Page 1!!!!!!   :dance:

 

 

Ok, now that I've gone through and read, I can't believe y'all were down there last weekend!  I really hate to have missed y'all.  I didn't check to see if you would be there, just figuring that now that the girls' CPs were over, that you wouldn't.  Should have known.

 

I love how Twin #2 "allegedly" doesn't have classes on Friday.  Sounds about like some of the allegations I periodically get from out west.

 

Was one of the 2 dogs wearing a cone of shame?

 

We had the same problem with the blue FP once, when we definitely had FPs for Peter Pan.  She believed me when I showed her the screen shot I had thankfully taken.  Lots of other people were having the same problem too.  But it only happened once on our last trip and we used FP a LOT, so I figured that wasn't too bad.

 

Looking forward to more report!

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

I got the "blue" light when I tried to ride Splash Mountain.  It worked for all my kids, but then not for me.  While i was working that out with the CM, my kids reported a bunch of people went through with blue lights.  

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

First, now back to read.

 

Nicely done.

 

That may very well be the location of Phil's offices.  To the left of the Plaza Restaurant is a CM gate.  In November we saw him entering the MK through that gate.

 

Cool.  I'd like to meet him some time.  If I ever do, I'm totally taking a selfie with him.

 

OK, I'll comment now.

 

I've seen the Space FP line backed up like that a few times. It also happens at BTMRR. 

 

I'm excited to see when the hub is finished. I think it will look pretty good. 

 

We also enjoyed The Plaza, and it's not much more expensive than the CS places. 

 

We've definitely encountered a back-up like that at Big Thunder, but never at Space.  There was something whacky with the FP+ readers that evening.

 

I agree with you about the hub.  I was initially against it.  But, now I just want them to get it done and opened.

 

You're right about the Plaza prices.  I'm pretty sure my Club Sandwich was cheaper than some of the lunch items on the BOG menu.

 

 

 

And it accepts TIW!

 

I wish I could get a TIW card for free like some people around here.

 

With the twins currently not being CM's, I had to pay (gasp) full price.

 

In!

Yummy steak fries!

 

Yummy is right!

 

In in. I love all of the background info in your reports!

 

I'm glad you like.

 

I enjoy finding out new and interesting things about the parks.  There's always some new tidbit to tell about.

 

I'm in.  Glad Disney got their $11 belt back.  With as much as they pay the CP kids I know they could not afford the loss.  

 

LOL. 

 

I left out that we also had to pay 30 something buck for a pair of gloves and a vest that Twin #1 left on the tram when she got stuck with parking duty over Christmas week.  That stunk because she didn't want to be there in the first place.

 

I do not like seeing all that construction. 

 

I don't like it either.  But, to be clear, you can't see the construction unless you are tall enough to see over the construction walls.  Those photos were taken with my camera reached over the wall.  I couldn't see over the walls myself.

 

What's not acceptable is that they've been at it for nearly a year.

 

I am hoping that once all the walls are down around the "moat", TCD will be forced to take another trip and we will be treated to before and after photos. :D

 

That sounds like a good excuse for a trip.

 

I'm in and I read everything.

 

I'm surprised you've never eaten at the Plaza, but I guess I've only been there once.  We really liked it, especially how you could sit and eat in a relatively quiet area and watch the crowds and madness right outside.

 

WBI

 

Glad that you're along for the ride, Nick.

 

I don't know why I had never been to the Plaza.  I'm pretty sure you have to have an ADR to go, and ADR's used to be pretty hard to come by unless you planned way in advance.

 

The $10 cancellation fee has helped to free up a lot of night before reservations.  I've had good luck with that a couple of times lately.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

First page! hopefully :D

 

You made it.

 

Congratulations.

 

 

Page 1!!!!!!   :dance:

 

 

Ok, now that I've gone through and read, I can't believe y'all were down there last weekend!  I really hate to have missed y'all.  I didn't check to see if you would be there, just figuring that now that the girls' CPs were over, that you wouldn't.  Should have known.

 

I love how Twin #2 "allegedly" doesn't have classes on Friday.  Sounds about like some of the allegations I periodically get from out west.

 

Was one of the 2 dogs wearing a cone of shame?

 

We had the same problem with the blue FP once, when we definitely had FPs for Peter Pan.  She believed me when I showed her the screen shot I had thankfully taken.  Lots of other people were having the same problem too.  But it only happened once on our last trip and we used FP a LOT, so I figured that wasn't too bad.

 

Looking forward to more report!

 

 

It would have been funny if we ran into each other!

 

The girls really miss Disney, so I think there will be a lot of day trips in the coming months.

 

You're right about those college classes.  It's awful suspicious how they get cancelled right before some major event.

 

Yes, one of those dogs is wearing a cone of shame.  Poor thing.  Seriously, what the heck were those two dogs doing in the MK?

 

We occasionally get the blue light, but we were getting them all night that evening.  And it wasn't just us.  Something was up.

 

I got the "blue" light when I tried to ride Splash Mountain.  It worked for all my kids, but then not for me.  While i was working that out with the CM, my kids reported a bunch of people went through with blue lights.  

 

I've found that when it's just one person in a group gets the blue light, the CM's let that go- it isn't worth the trouble for the CM to check.

 

When the whole group has blue lights, then that's a problem.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

For anyone wondering about the hub construction, I went back and found the post on the Disney Parks Blog from last year when they announced it:  http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2014/02/magic-kingdom-enhancements-include-special-viewing-area-new-pathways-gardens/

 

There's a computer animation on there that shows what the finished product is going to look like.

 

This is a screen cap I took of the video, which I marked up with my purple crayon:

 

 

Those round things I was wondering about appear to be decorative features which will be enclosed in the fenced in, landscaped areas.  I think these are the areas that will be used for FP+ fireworks viewing.  Those areas are supposed to be open by the end of this month.

 

TCD

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

 

Cool.  I'd like to meet him some time.  If I ever do, I'm totally taking a selfie with him.

 

TCD

 

Good luck on accomplishing that!  He was surrounded by an entourage, and, well, let me just say he exuded an air about him that you couldn't cut with a knife.

 

 

I wish I could get a TIW card for free like some people around here.

 

With the twins currently not being CM's, I had to pay (gasp) full price.

 

TCD

 

 

But even at full price it's still a great deal!