Two Saturdays in September with TCD

[fortpartyof4 108]

Going back a couple of posts, I would add to your list of inconsiderate folks the ones who put their children on their shoulders during parades, fireworks, shows, etc. I know you mentioned one of them here, the dude with the dirty diaper baby in your face. And, call me old-fashioned, but I try to teach my boys to offer their seat on the bus to any ladies who might get stuck in the aisle. Particularly young children, pregnant ladies, and older ones. I hardly ever see anyone do that any more.

ALL of your photos are fantastic! I really enjoyed the ones you took from the train station.

The slow family. Hilarious! I know them, too.

Those wider walkways were much needed, especially with all of the stroller traffic to get to that area.

Did you notice in the is photo, there is a lady taking a picture of you? I'll bet she is one of your fans. She said, "hey look, there is that TCD guy and his twins. I am gonna get a picture of him and post it online!" hahaha I think she's really photographing the well, but it sure looks funny.

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Very cool!!

I love the photo with Cinderella's castle in it. I probably won't make it back to the Fort til the beginning of December, it will be neat to see the decorations in the open parts of Fantasyland.

How about late december instead....

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Very cool that you got a preview. The last little impromptu preview I got to go into, I was quite disappointed, cause it was the revamp of Spaceship Earth. They took a GREAT attraction, and killed half of it., but anyway, it sounds like this is a really cool thing you get to see.

Another subject.

OK, unless I'm mistaken, that wire you mentioned on the light fixture is probably just a boring safety wire. If you look around the "World", look at hanging light fixtures, look at ceiling fans, look at the light fixtures on the ceiling of the comfort stations at the Fort, they all have an extra wire, probably mounted to solid wood or steel somewhere to keep the fixture from moving or falling in case it's primary attachment fails.

[Heidi-meetsTCD@TSM 5]

TCD,

Happy Birthday!!

So happy that you were able to fit in a couple of day trips, so we all have a new trip report to read!!

All that train stuff at the Lodge looked neat.

Heidi

[KeepSwimmingDory 2]

What a fun birthday!

Enjoyed the details, explanations & map from the FWRR meeting. Always enjoy relaxing at the Carolwood Pacific room. Great pictures of details from WL lobby.

Love all the details you found in the new areas. I'm a light fixture & trash can girl, so that was fun to see.

I noticed "55" on the sides of some of the Dumbo area carts. My brain relies on google so I cheated, but 1955 was the year Dumbo opened in Disneyland. Figured that number had some significance.

Can't wait for more!

Dory

[dvccamper 32]

Wow, love all the details you managed to capture! Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie and I would say they are doing a fantastic job remaining true to the movie. Not sure but the broken wagon wheel might be from when Maurice and Belle are locked in the cellar and Chip crashes the wagon in to rescue them.

[The Troll 67]

But this whole scene made me sad. Similar versions of it play out all the time in WDW. The selfishness of people these days is truly astounding. I don't know how or when it happened, but the common attitude of people these days seems to be "it's all about me." People think nothing of cutting in line. Or stopping right in the middle of walkways. Or taking flash photos when they are told not to. Or stopping in the middle of a row in a theater at one of the shows and refusing to move down the row, despite being asked nicely by castmembers to do so. Or holding up a giant tablet to record something when there are people trying to see from behind them. And on and on. It wasn't like this just a few years ago. But it sure is bad now. What happened?

Preach on, brother TCD! You, sir, are a TROLL at heart! For this, you get the Troll Award!

It is so ironic -- Leslie and I were just having this same very conversation a few days ago!

[mommy rainbo.....Bo 41]

You got a gift, from a princess. Wow the pixie dust was flying that day. Happy birthday TCD. Lucky dog. Lol

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Can't believe I forgot to do this...

Happy Birthday to TCD

He is lucky as can be

His TRs have much to see

His life is dusted by pixies.....

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Going back a couple of posts, I would add to your list of inconsiderate folks the ones who put their children on their shoulders during parades, fireworks, shows, etc. I know you mentioned one of them here, the dude with the dirty diaper baby in your face. And, call me old-fashioned, but I try to teach my boys to offer their seat on the bus to any ladies who might get stuck in the aisle. Particularly young children, pregnant ladies, and older ones. I hardly ever see anyone do that any more.

ALL of your photos are fantastic! I really enjoyed the ones you took from the train station.

The slow family. Hilarious! I know them, too.

Those wider walkways were much needed, especially with all of the stroller traffic to get to that area.

Did you notice in the is photo, there is a lady taking a picture of you? I'll bet she is one of your fans. She said, "hey look, there is that TCD guy and his twins. I am gonna get a picture of him and post it online!" hahaha I think she's really photographing the well, but it sure looks funny.

Yep. I am with you on the kids on shoulders. It usually isn't a problem for me, but for the twins, who are kind of on the short side, it can be bad sometimes. Many times we have been in the hub area to watch the Magic, Memories and You show, and we think we have a good spot only to have somebody hoist a kid up onto his shoulders right in front of us. It is really bad at the Hyperspace Hoopla on Star Wars weekends in DHS. People just don't care about anyone else anymore.

I didn't notice that lady with the camera. But, you are probably right. She was probably trying to get a photo to sell to People magazine or something.

Very cool that you got a preview. The last little impromptu preview I got to go into, I was quite disappointed, cause it was the revamp of Spaceship Earth. They took a GREAT attraction, and killed half of it., but anyway, it sounds like this is a really cool thing you get to see.

Another subject.

OK, unless I'm mistaken, that wire you mentioned on the light fixture is probably just a boring safety wire. If you look around the "World", look at hanging light fixtures, look at ceiling fans, look at the light fixtures on the ceiling of the comfort stations at the Fort, they all have an extra wire, probably mounted to solid wood or steel somewhere to keep the fixture from moving or falling in case it's primary attachment fails.

Yeah. Some of the previews we have been to have been lame. I remember when the new Nemo ride opened at The LIving Seas. They had a passholder preview for that. We waited a long time, and rode the ride, just like people had already been doing for the soft opening. We would have been better off going another day. The passholder preview for the new Fantasyland looks like it might be a little better organized.

I think you're right about the wires. I have seen those before, and suspected as much. I think these lamps may sway back and forth in a breeze, but that will be the extent of any movement, and the wires are probably there to make sure a fixture doesn't clobber somebody.

TCD,

Happy Birthday!!

So happy that you were able to fit in a couple of day trips, so we all have a new trip report to read!!

All that train stuff at the Lodge looked neat.

Heidi

Thanks, Heidi.

I could have spent more time looking at that train stuff, but we had places to go and people to see.

I didn't browse through the books that were on display, but I would have liked to.

What a fun birthday!

Enjoyed the details, explanations & map from the FWRR meeting. Always enjoy relaxing at the Carolwood Pacific room. Great pictures of details from WL lobby.

Love all the details you found in the new areas. I'm a light fixture & trash can girl, so that was fun to see.

I noticed "55" on the sides of some of the Dumbo area carts. My brain relies on google so I cheated, but 1955 was the year Dumbo opened in Disneyland. Figured that number had some significance.

Can't wait for more!

Dory

Thanks.

I was wondering about the 55's too. I figured they must be there for some reason. I don't know if you saw the earlier posts by Total Joker here on ff.net where he posted photos of the train cars in the new splash area which have various numbers on them as well. There are a lot of details in this new area which will be fun to discover over time.

Oh, and if you like light fixtures and trash cans, you will want to read the next update. I promise there will be some of each.

Wow, love all the details you managed to capture! Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie and I would say they are doing a fantastic job remaining true to the movie. Not sure but the broken wagon wheel might be from when Maurice and Belle are locked in the cellar and Chip crashes the wagon in to rescue them.

Thanks. I really do need to watch the whole movie again before we go back.

We are about to see some more details that I think are nods to the movie.

Preach on, brother TCD! You, sir, are a TROLL at heart! For this, you get the Troll Award!

It is so ironic -- Leslie and I were just having this same very conversation a few days ago!

Norm, the next time we find ourselves at the Fort togther, me you and Leslie need to sit down over a few beers and solve the world's problems. I'll invite Mrs. TCD too; she will fit right in.

You got a gift, from a princess. Wow the pixie dust was flying that day. Happy birthday TCD. Lucky dog. Lol

Yep. I sure did. I have a photo of it too.

But, that wasn't the best thing that happened on my birthday.

The best thing comes later in the story.

Can't believe I forgot to do this...

Happy Birthday to TCD

He is lucky as can be

His TRs have much to see

His life is dusted by pixies.....

Thanks.

A personalized birthday song!

Don't quit your day job.

TCD

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Thanks.

A personalized birthday song!

Don't quit your day job.

TCD

just be thankful I wasn't there to sing it to you in person.....

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Picking up where we left off, we are still in the queue for the Enchanted Tales with Belle attraction.

We are seeing lots of stuff for the very first time.

Here's another one of those broken carriage wheel lamps, and you can get a good look at one of the chimneys on the cottage, too:

Here's a look at some of the details you will find back here. Check out the rope work, the rocks and the landscaping:

Going back to the days of River Country, Disney has had mad fake rock making skills. They had the fake rock machine going overtime back here:

Check out the little mountain complete with grass growing on it there in the background of this photo of another one of the lamps with the wire:

Here's one more shot of the broken wheel lamp for the lamp fans:

They had a really cool water fountain here in the queue. I wanted to get a photo of it, but the whole time the line was moving, there was a girl trying to fill her water bottle from the fountain. You know how you aren't supposed to put your mouth on a water fountain? Then why do people think it's OK to put the mouth of their water bottles, which their filthy mouths have been on, and probably are still wet with their spit, right up to a water fountain? Ever hear of something called germs? Anyway the girl wasn't going to move, so this is my photo of the cool water fountains:

As we continued in the queue, and got closer to the building, we walked under the cover of a roof attached to the side of the cottage. I think this was supposed to represent us walking through a barn or chicken coop, because the pavement changed and looked like this:

Do you see that detail? That is chicken footprints, straw, and maybe pig footprints there in the pavement. As we walked along, I also saw an imprint of a corn cob and corn husks. I wasn't able to get photos of those. But they are there.

As we rounded the corner, we came to these stacks of buckets:

And then we turned the corner to the entrance door. Here, you can see that there is a waterwheel on the side of the building, and you can also catch a glimpse of the Beast's castle. Make sure you notice how the trees way up the mountain appear to have a dusting of snow:

You can also still see the construction of the mine train ride from here:

If you look close, you can even see the rails for the coaster:

You can also see the towers on Prince Eric's castle off in the distance:

These props are set off to the side of the entrance door:

As far as I can tell, the top of that rain barrel is solid, so that gutter must be fake, but they must have made some provision so water doesn't drip on guests when it rains:

For the trash can fans:

For what it's worth, those are the nicest faux wood trash cans I have ever seen.

Here's another look toward the Little Mermaid ride before we head in to the cottage:

And a closer look- you can also see the gargoyles on the bridge that leads to the Be Our Guest restaurant:

Here we are looking up the rocks to the Beast's castle. It really isn't that far up there, but it sure looks like it is way up in the sky:

We will be walking over this little stone bridge when we exit, There is no water in the little stream beneath it, but I think there will be water running through here when everything is done:

And, in case you haven't seen enough Beast castle, here's another photo of that:

Looking over toward the base of the mountain that the Beast's castle sits upon, we see what looks like a big cave entrance. I think this is the main entrance to the restaurant:

You may have noticed a statue near the entrance in that last photo. Here's a closer look at that:

And, here's one last look at the Little Mermaid ride buildings:

Up to this point, our progess in the queue has been very slow.

But, we have made our way to the door to enter the actual building.

Here we are:

I was looking forward to finally getting inside so we could get a look around.

As soon as we stepped in the door, though, the line, which had been at a crawl, moved really fast. We were told to keep moving, so I only had time to snap a few photos on the fly.

The first room you enter is set up to be the living area of the cottage. There is a set of stairs in there, so this is the main floor we are on. It is a small room, but there are a lot of props in it.

As I said, we didn't get a chance to stop and look, we had to keep on moving right through.

Here is what I did see . . .

A basket of fruit:

A chair in a corner with a painting above it:

A desk, which I presume belongs to Belle's father, Maurice, with books stacked up around it, and some plans he apparently was working on. I didn't get a chance to see what the plans were for. Hopefully not another DVC:

On the other wall, there was a wash basin, and you can see the stairs that lead to the second floor:

I will have to take a closer look at all of this in that room the next time we get to visit. But, on this visit, we just had that quick walk through.

We then entered a second room, which is supposed to be Maurice's workshop, where we stop again, and gather around this mirror:

The castmember tells us that this mirror is actually a portal that Maurice invented that is going to lead us to another place, or some such nonsense.

I got the feeling that something important was about to happen, so I flipped my camera over to video mode, and began to record.

I'm glad I did.

Because something really cool happened.

There isn't room for me to post the video link in this post.

So, I will post it in a separate one right after this.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I will give one spoiler alert here.

This video shows the coolest thing you will see in this attraction. So, if you want to be surprised when you visit, do not look.

As the castmember gives her spiel, the lights in the room dim:

And, then this happens:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIVy7mU8YH8&feature=youtu.be

We were not expecting that mirror to turn into a door.

That was pretty cool.

Good job on that, Disney.

After the little show, we are ushered into another room.

We can see that there is something going on in that room, and we can hear someone talking in a familiar voice.

We will pick it up from there in the next update.

TCD

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Standing by! :)

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Another great update! Love all the pics!

Standing by ... standing by ...

[KeepSwimmingDory 2]

Before I forget:

Thanks for the heads up about the Total Joker pictures. Haven't seen those yet and will look for them.

So excited to see it all!

Can't wait to see the video.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Standing by! :)

Another great update! Love all the pics!

Standing by ... standing by ...

Before I forget:

Thanks for the heads up about the Total Joker pictures. Haven't seen those yet and will look for them.

So excited to see it all!

Can't wait to see the video.

Thank you ladies for standing by. The video link should work now, if you want to take a look.

TCD

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

That is so cool!! Thank you for being prepared for it!! Hands down best update ever!!

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

the suspense.... the suspense...

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

That is so cool!! Thank you for being prepared for it!! Hands down best update ever!!

i have to agree!

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Wow to the video!

[Discamper 394]

Good Job TCD

[mommy rainbo.....Bo 41]

Very cool. I don't know if I will be able to keep this under my hat until our trip in Dec. What a neat thing to see. Can't wait for my daughter and hubby to see it.

[dvccamper 32]

Wow, that was so cool! At first I was a little underwhelmed with the cottage, I was thinking it was similar to the walk through Mickey's house. But wow, that's impressive.

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Sorry, double post.

ghost of KFK gets us all from time to time