TCD's Pre-Halloween 2012 Trip Report

[stefa70 205]

Wow, I can't believe a tiny question about your grill table would turn into a shopping spree! Thanks TCD & FP4.

Now if you don't mind, I have a Christmas gift list.....

What? Too much? ^-^

Oh what I wouldn't give to see Rocky attack some rubber chickens! That's awesome!

It kind of looks like Six Bits saw you in that picture, did he?

They really did a great job on Fantasyland! I can't wait until it's finished.

You said the girls wanted to go the restroom so they could possibly meet up with Gaston.

Is Gaston known to hang out in the restroom? We have different rules than the men's room, but I guess he could adjust.

There can never be too many popcorn stands in WDW. There's something about Disney popcorn that can't be replicated. Also, that stand is extra cute. Looks like something my boys would build in the back yard.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Sir Lancelot: Look, my liege!

[trumpets play a fanfare as the camera cuts briefly to the sight of a majestic castle]

King Arthur: [in awe] Camelot!

Sir Galahad: [in awe] Camelot!

Sir Lancelot: [in awe] Camelot!

Patsy: [derisively] It's only a model!

King Arthur: Shh!

King Arthur: On second thought, let's not go to Camelot. It is a silly place.

Nicely done.

I will never look at the Beast's castle the same way again.

Wow, I can't believe a tiny question about your grill table would turn into a shopping spree! Thanks TCD & FP4.

Now if you don't mind, I have a Christmas gift list.....

What? Too much? ^-^

Oh what I wouldn't give to see Rocky attack some rubber chickens! That's awesome!

It kind of looks like Six Bits saw you in that picture, did he?

They really did a great job on Fantasyland! I can't wait until it's finished.

You said the girls wanted to go the restroom so they could possibly meet up with Gaston.

Is Gaston known to hang out in the restroom? We have different rules than the men's room, but I guess he could adjust.

There can never be too many popcorn stands in WDW. There's something about Disney popcorn that can't be replicated. Also, that stand is extra cute. Looks like something my boys would build in the back yard.

Good stuff, Stef.

I hope you get to see all the new Fantasyland stuff soon.

They really did do a great job with it.

You are right about Six Bits. He saw me, and gave me a wave of his hat. You can see that here:

And that reminds me- I meant to point out that the bench with Roy and Minnie was moved over here because of Halloween decorations.

TCD

[stefa70 205]

Good stuff, Stef.

I hope you get to see all the new Fantasyland stuff soon.

They really did do a great job with it.

You are right about Six Bits. He saw me, and gave me a wave of his hat. You can see that here:

And that reminds me- I meant to point out that the bench with Roy and Minnie was moved over here because of Halloween decorations.

TCD

We'll be back at the end of November.

I thought SB was tipping his hat at you! I got so distracted with him, I didn't even notice they had moved the Roy & Minnie bench. I didn't notice it when I was there last month either.

I'll try to pay better attention.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

We'll be back at the end of November.

I thought SB was tipping his hat at you! I got so distracted with him, I didn't even notice they had moved the Roy & Minnie bench. I didn't notice it when I was there last month either.

I'll try to pay better attention.

Don't worry about missing the bench- I didn't notice either- one of the twins pointed it out to me.

I was standing there for a couple of minutes to see if Six Bits would finish up his conversation with that guest so I could say hello. I waved to him, and he tipped his hat. Then I kind of gestured that I would talk to him later, and we went on. I tried to find him when we were heading out, but I didn't see him, so I didn't get to talk to him on this trip. It's good to see he's still around.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

It seems like this report is taking forever to write.

But, it is finally past noon on Friday, so we are moving along.

Ariel's village, or whatever it's called, is right next to Gaston's Tavern. We saw the towers from Ariel's ride when we were looking at Maurice's popcorn stand.

So, now we are in the queue for the Little Mermaid ride.

Stop a minute and take this in:

Look at this stuff.

Isn't it neat?

Wouldn't you think my . . . .

Oh wait.

Extra credit if you saw what I did there.

Seriously, though, take a moment to take that all in.

It's all new.

This used to be nothing.

Well, nothing but the rotting remains of the 20,000 Leagues ride.

Now, it's this.

It's pretty neat. Look at all the detail- the rocks-bricks-lights-buildings-all of it.

The queue takes you on a winding path through caves and waterfalls:

The surface that you walk on kind of feels sandy, and there are shells embedded in it:

In place of the fir trees in Belle's area, we have palm trees and tropical plants:

There is all kinds of stuff embedded in the cave walls- including barnacles and starfish:

One detail that I picked up on is that it seems like all the lamps along the queue are unique and different:

As we walk through the caves, we see lots of piles of "human stuff" presumably this is from shipwrecks:

We also come across this sign:

One interesting thing about this queue is that there are big holes in the ceiling. This will create some interesting issues on rainy days:

Some more human stuff:

Now, about that sign about the crabs- in some of the collections of human stuff, you can see things that are made of glass-like in the center of this stuff:

Images of crabs appear in these displays.

I'm not sure if you can see it, but there's a little crab in the bottom diamond on the left in this photo:

I think you can see him better in this photo, where he has moved to the center diamond:

When you see these crabs, they are carrying something in their claws. If it's human stuff, you are supposed to point at them, and they move away.

I tried it, but couldn't get the hang of it.

The girls, of course, were able to do it right away, and thought it was fun.

Most of the people in the queue ignored the crabs. The line was moving along at a pretty good pace, though, so you had to stop to try it, and not many people wanted to stop.

More treasure in the queue:

Another hole in the ceiling- this one has a boat oar in it:

The TCD twins in the queue:

As we move along the queue, we enter and leave different rooms. I think this gives them the flexibility to open some of the rooms but keep others closed, depending on crowds.

This room featured an animatronic Scuttle who talked to the guests and also interacted with things projected on the screen next to him:

In case you didn't notice, I would like to point out all the different types of lamps you can see in this room alone-none of them match.

This photo is from the same room. Here, Scuttle is interacting with the image of a hand which is projected up there on the screen next to him:

After the Scuttle room, we entered a room with high arched ceilings- I guess we are inside one of those towers that we saw outside. You can see that there are murals painted high up on the walls:

Here's a look at one of the murals:

And here's another:

I think these murals tell mythical stories about mermaids (which they refer to as sirens) and Leviathons.

As we leave that room, we walk past this scene. The girls say it's a recreation of the scene in the movie where Sebastian meets the Chef. I will take their word for it:

We paused for a group shot:

And, for good measure, here are a few photos of some of the various lamp fixtures inside the queue:

I am not going to post any photos from the ride itself, as I mentioned earlier, I don't think they do the ride justice.

So, here's one taken near the exit:

Everybody good with Ariel photos?

I would think so.

So, next up, it is time for lunch.

Which gave me a chance to check on something else I've been keeping my eye on.

We will head that way next.

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I miss the real SIx Bits. Does anyone know if Dipshits is still performing in the HDDR?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I miss the real SIx Bits. Does anyone know if Dipshits is still performing in the HDDR?

I saw him on Friday night of my trip there on the Pioneer Hall porch waiting with the rest of the cast to storm the room.

TCD

[stefa70 205]

I want extra credit but I have no idea what you saw?

Can I get an E for effort?!

"piles of human stuff" probably wasn't the best choice of words.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I want extra credit but I have no idea what you saw?

Can I get an E for effort?!

"piles of human stuff" probably wasn't the best choice of words.

Yes, you get an E for effort.

Go back and re-read those first few lines after that first photo and then think of a song you have heard Ariel sing. Maybe you need to watch the movie?

You are right about the piles of human stuff- not a good choice of words.

TCD

[momof3kids-Yvonne 594]

Now I have the song "Part of Your World" going through my head.

That's ok though because I love the song and it is making me smile to think of the Little Mermaid ride.

So much sadness and worries these last few days as evidenced from the Moral Support thread that I must say thank you for bringing a smile to me.

[Specularius 102]

...

Look at this stuff.

Isn't it neat?

Wouldn't you think my . . . .

Oh wait.

Extra credit if you saw what I did there.

...

TCD

This took me a while because I had to stop thinking this is coming from a masculine person and think feminine person. Then it all made sense! Great TR and so longing to be at the Fort.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Someone said things were slow here on ff.net today, so I will do my part and give you all something else to read.

As in one more update.

But this will be it for today.

This one will almost bring us out of the MK and back to the Fort for our GAG.

Almost.

We left off with our ride with Ariel.

When we were walking out, we noticed that there were people with real Fastpasses entering the Fastpass line.

We thought it might be interesting to get a Fastpass. One thing that we wanted to know was if the new stuff would be open this evening.

We still hadn't been in the restaurant, and we wanted to see it.

But, it was still closed.

We had heard that the dress rehearsals were closing each night by 6, so kind of thought that might be the case today too.

I suggested that we get a Fastpass- if the return time was after 6, we would have our answer.

The thing was, there was no Fastpass machine around.

So I asked the CM where the Fastpass machine was.

She told me over by Mickey's Philharmagic.

Really, I said?

Way over there?

Good thing we were heading that way.

But what is up with that?

It has to be a temporary thing.

When this thing opens, guests aren't going to like walking all the way over to the Little Mermaid, finding a long line, and the walking all the way back to Mickey's Philharmagic to get a Fastpass.

By the time we got to the Fastpass machine, it was 2:15. But the return time was 3:00 to 4:00. That was nice. We got our Fastpasses and headed to lunch.

I have been wanting to eat at Columbia Harbor House for a while. For whatever reason, it hasn't worked out.

But it did today.

We got ourselves a nice seat upstairs by the window, and I enjoyed a nice Lobster Roll.

Outside our window, we could see them hard at work at what they are calling new Fantasyland Restrooms, but what look like so much more.

Here's what we saw:

The buildings will all have interesting rooflines:

It sure looks like they are building some kind of tower behind that scaffolding and fabric screen:

There are rumors that this area is going to be a meet and greet area for Rapunzel. It kind of looks like the one they have in Disneyland, but so far, there is no official word as to what this area is going to be.

I find that strange.

Disney loves to hype things.

But, there have been no announcements about whatever it is that is being built here.

After lunch, it was already time for us to head back to Fantasyland.

There is some kind of work going on on the Small World exterior:

People were lined up for a 35 minute wait for Small World:

I don't hate this ride like some people do. Actually I only know one person who hates it. So, I'll correct that and say I don't hate this ride like Lou, but I will tell you that there is no way I would ever wait 35 minutes to ride it. Ever.

Peter Pan was an hour:

An hour!

And people were voluntarily getting on line.

To wait an hour for Peter Pan.

Wow.

You will never see me do that either.

Ever.

When we headed back to the Little Mermaid, we saw that something was going on around the Be Our Guest restaurant.

There were castmembers in purple vests doing stuff. Like, this fellow behind that arch there, he was setting up a computer:

The castmember who decided to tie his shoe right as I took this photo is dressed the way all the other CM's we had seen around here were dressed. These purple vest people were new.

So, I went up to question the guy in the purple vest.

I find the direct approach is often the best, so I asked him what he was doing.

He gave me some vague response like they were practicing.

I said why now?

He said he didn't know.

He said they had been doing this every day.

I said I was here yesterday, and there wasn't anyone around in a purple vest.

He didn't have anything to say about that.

But, I could tell he knew something.

He had been told not to talk.

That's OK, there were plenty of other people in purple vests.

I knew I could get one of them to spill the beans.

I targeted an older lady.

Have I mentioned that most ladies, especially older ones, cannot resist my charm?

This lady was one of them.

She spilled the beans fast.

It turns out that the Be Our Guest restaurant was going to be open that very night and serving food. And alcohol. But to a group of VIP's. Like management types. You know, like Phil Holmes. And probably the guy who painted Phil's portrait. You know, VIP's.

Well, now we knew.

That also meant no chance us peons would get anywhere near the place this afternoon.

Oh well.

Here's something cool.

A photo of the very first Little Mermaid Fastpasses ever issued:

I am not 100% sure if that is a true statement.

But, I haven't heard of the Fastpass machine being open before now.

Here we are back at the Little Mermaid entrance- this time we sped through the Fastpass lane:

Since we already saw a whole post full of photos of the Little Mermaid queue, I will spare you from those here.

We rode the ride again.

And still liked it.

Then it was time to head back to camp.

But first, the girls wanted to check on something.

Namely, where the heck was Gaston?

We hadn't seen him all afternoon.

What is up with that?

We found a CM wandering around the village and asked her.

She said Gaston would be showing up soon.

As in how soon, we asked.

She said in about ten minutes.

Twin #1 wanted to stay.

Twin #2 wanted to go.

And so did I.

Somehow, Twin #1 won that argument.

So we waited.

I agreed to wait because that CM seemed to know what she was talkiing about.

Plus, she had consulted this official document you see in her back pocket:

Yes, I took a photo of a castmember's butt.

But I had to, so I could zoom in on the photo on my camera screen and see what that document was.

It was this:

That looked pretty official.

So, we waited.

The CM told us where to wait.

So we waited there.

From where we were told to wait, I noticed something over on one of the roofs:

Do you see it?

How about now? :

It's a weather vane.

Looks like a moose.

Are there a lot of moose in France?

After our ten minute wait, look who shows up right where that CM told us to wait:

A crowd quickly forms.

As is to be expected when Gaston is around.

But our CM friend tells everyone to form a line behind the TCD twins.

That milling about stuff they were doing yesterday has already fallen by the wayside.

Gaston gave the girls a nice eyebrow raise:

And then chats them up. I made like a paparazzi:

After a lot of clowning around and outrageous statements, old Gaston finally posed with the girls:

A+ on that eyebrow raise!

The girls day was made.

And we headed on out.

First we stopped for just a moment on the bridge to admire the forest.

Did I mention that they have a soundtrack in there that plays animal sounds -likes birds chirping and stuff?

I thought it might be cool to make a video and record the sounds.

So I did.

The mic picked up lots of people talking, and the faint sound of the animals. And, there is a strange surprise at the end. Let me know what you think- go one- watch it- it''ll only take you 20 seconds and you will laugh at what you see at the end. I promise:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlAjEzA2hy0&feature=youtu.be

I think that's a good place to stop.

We will pick it back up with our return to the Fort.

Where we will check in on the party groups and the weekend warriors.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Now I have the song "Part of Your World" going through my head.

That's ok though because I love the song and it is making me smile to think of the Little Mermaid ride.

So much sadness and worries these last few days as evidenced from the Moral Support thread that I must say thank you for bringing a smile to me.

Good job.

Yep, those are the beginning lines to that song.

Which the twins sing quite often.

I'm glad that this report brought a smile to your face.

Whatever it is you're facing, it will get better.

Keep looking up.

This took me a while because I had to stop thinking this is coming from a masculine person and think feminine person. Then it all made sense! Great TR and so longing to be at the Fort.

Yeah, that's me.

One of those feminine guys.

How could I not be?

I was doomed.

Four sisters.

And now three daughters.

And Mrs. TCD.

That's four girls again.

If there is such a thing as recarnation, I must have been a pretty bad dude in my past life.

Actually, I kid.

I have lived like a king my whole life.

Well, like a king without a lot of money.

I am truly blessed.

TCD

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

There is a small chance I will be driving and tent camping to Colorado next summer with 6 children for my neice's wedding. I have put a table like that on my wish list and intend to look for toaster ovens when I garage sale.

Did you bake the tater tots in the toaster oven or heat them in the frying pan? They look very yummy!

That is not a cleft chin. He has either grown some stubble in a line to try to fool us that his chin is cleft, or, even worse, he has tried to draw on a cleft. Even with the awesome eyebrow raise, I give this Gaston a fail.

Looking forward to more updates tomorrow!

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

No one's got a swell cleft in his chin like Gaston!

(Since you got Part of your World stuck in my head, I thought I'd return the favor. :rofl2: )

[ImDownWithDisney 342]

Awesome TR as usual.

Who else saw the hidden mickey?

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

I did laugh at the end!

[Southern Blessings 4]

Wow, it took me forever to get caught up on this TR! Too much going on here, lol! Loving your TR, I can't wait to see the new Fantasyland in person!

[anolefan 8]

Awesome TR as usual.

Who else saw the hidden mickey?

Nice catch! I'm the worst hidden mickey finder there is. I never would have seen that.

TCD, great updates as usual. The details in the Ariel ride are really outstanding. I'm still recovering from the backside cast member shot :)

Looking forward to more updates.

[YENSIDCAMPER 66]

Awesome coverage of the New Fantasyland. It sure is taking a long time on those bathrooms. Thanks for the excellent reporting.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

There is a small chance I will be driving and tent camping to Colorado next summer with 6 children for my neice's wedding. I have put a table like that on my wish list and intend to look for toaster ovens when I garage sale. Did you bake the tater tots in the toaster oven or heat them in the frying pan? They look very yummy!

That is not a cleft chin. He has either grown some stubble in a line to try to fool us that his chin is cleft, or, even worse, he has tried to draw on a cleft. Even with the awesome eyebrow raise, I give this Gaston a fail.

Looking forward to more updates tomorrow!

1. Yes, the tots were cooked in the toaster oven. I can pile a full bag onto the little pan, and they come out great.

2. I totally did not notice that smudge on Gaston's chin. Considering he had just come out to greet people in his village, I think the smudge was supposed to be there and it is supposed to be a fake chin cleft. You are too hard of a grader, though, that eye brow totally makes up for the fake cleft.

No one's got a swell cleft in his chin like Gaston!

(Since you got Part of your World stuck in my head, I thought I'd return the favor. :rofl2: )

Thanks for that.

And who knew the cleft was fake?

Awesome TR as usual.

Who else saw the hidden mickey?

Great catch!

I did not see it until you pointed it out.

And we were looking for Hidden Mickeys.

There is also supposed to be a tribute to the old 20K ride somewhere in the queue. We couldn't find it. I asked a CM about it, and now know its general location, so we will hopefully find it on the next visit.

I did laugh at the end!

Good.

That is a funny kid I have there.

As I often say: that one ain't right.

Wow, it took me forever to get caught up on this TR! Too much going on here, lol! Loving your TR, I can't wait to see the new Fantasyland in person!

Thanks for reading it all.

Believe it or not, I have more Fantasyland stuff to report.

Including a Hidden Mickey that we did find.

Nice catch! I'm the worst hidden mickey finder there is. I never would have seen that.

TCD, great updates as usual. The details in the Ariel ride are really outstanding. I'm still recovering from the backside cast member shot :)

Looking forward to more updates.

Thanks.

And don't worry, there will be more updates.

Awesome coverage of the New Fantasyland. It sure is taking a long time on those bathrooms. Thanks for the excellent reporting.

Thanks.

Whatever it is they are putting in over there has to be more than just bathrooms. It will be great to have that space there, no matter what it is they are putting in.

You are right- it is taking long. But they have been working steadily on it. I have not heard when they plan on opening the area- but it seems like they may be shooting for when the expansion officially opens in December.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Speaking of Hidden Mickeys, I meant to comment on this one from the Little Mermaid queue:

Look at that rock sticking up there on the left- that's a Hidden Mickey there near the top of that rock, right?

TCD

[SCTigerCock 171]

Awesome TR as usual.

Who else saw the hidden mickey?

Where?

Are we talking the coral on the side?

I don't do hidden mickey's well. HELP!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Where?

Are we talking the coral on the side?

I don't do hidden mickey's well. HELP!

A little to the left and up from the bottom right corner, look for a circle with two little circles above it.

Let me know if I need to break out the purple crayon.

TCD

[stefa70 205]

Epic fail. I haven't seen the Little Mermaid since it came out. Remember, I raised one boy. He wasn't a fan of Ariel.

If you're not going to publically announce what you saw, send me a PM. It's making me crazy...ok, crazier.

Good job on the CM butt shot. Every TR should include a butt of some sort.