BEL13VE in Magic: The TCD Gang Rings in 2013 at The Fort

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

LOVE the parade photos! The soldiers are my favorite. We used to go to MVMCP a lot and I miss it.

Those CM's on skates had a tough job, it's not easy to rollerblade for that long! They must have strong legs! I rollerblade a little bit, and went ice skating for the first time in many, many years this Dec. My calves were throbbing afterward! Those skate-skis look pretty cool though - I'd like to try that out.

Sorry to do this again, but that shot you took of that cow is well, um, a bad angle. Or maybe it's just my bad mind.

I totally missed that, but now that you mention it:

Wowsah.

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I LOVE parades at the MK. They reduce the wait times at the good attractions.

[campingdawgs 4]

I'm in! I usually just read along, but I was told I have to post, too. :) It was nice to meet you, Lou! And nice to see you again, Andrew! Thanks for the spike!

~Kim

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I LOVE parades at the MK. They reduce the wait times at the good attractions.

That's how I used to think. But, then my girls discovered that they like to watch the parades. Go figure. Now we watch a lot of parades. Not a big deal for me as long as I have a Fastpass for something in my pocket.

I'm in! I usually just read along, but I was told I have to post, too. :) It was nice to meet you, Lou! And nice to see you again, Andrew! Thanks for the spike!

~Kim

Good job posting!

It was good to see y'all again. As I told you, Lou was very impressed with your door lock.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

After the parade, we headed straight back to the Beast's castle.

Where we found a line extending from the restaurant entrance out across the bridge.

But, we've waited on that line before.

And it moves quick.

So we waited.

Here's the Beast's castle. I snapped this photo at 1:23 right as we got in line:

This is a look back at the Mine Train ride from where we stood:

There's the Ariel ride over there:

And the waterfall over there:

A gargoyle:

The forest:

I guess my point is that if you have to wait in line, this isn't a bad place to do it.

Plus, there was a guy with a tattoo on his head right in front of us:

He was letting his hair grow, so it was hard to figure out what the heck that is on there. The girls all said it was a brain. I don't have a better guess:

But, WTF?

I get it, you want a tattoo on your head.

But why not something cool like an eagle or something?

Why a brain?

If I looked straight ahead, I had to look at the head tattoo, so I spent my time admiring Maurice's cottage:

And, I got a photo of the TCD twins:

At 1:34, we were almost allowed in those big doors. We had been in line 11 minutes:

We timed this pretty good, because there were a bunch of people behind us:

At 1:35, we were ushered in:

Where we found another line:

But, so what?

There was lots to look at in here:

I thought we had done pretty good with our time, but it was 1:44 when I took this photo, so now we had been in line 21 minutes:

We were stuck in the armor room for a while, but that gave us a chance to memorize the menus:

And admire the armor:

Finally, we got into the room with the self service kiosks. This was supposed to simplify and expedite the ordering process. Well, I guess the average guest is too stupid to figure out how to use these things, as they had a CM posted at each of the self service kiosks to help the guests. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of making these things self service? :

This is a light fixture in the ordering room. I had plenty of time to admire it while the family in front of me decided to read the whole menu and make their selections after they arrived at the self serve kiosk. I had to take a really deep breath and count to 10 when the got to the dessert menu. They had to debate their choices carefully. Oy:

But, by 1:54 we were seated at our table right by the big window with the snow scene, and I headed off to the drink machines to fetch our drinks:

Just as I got back with the drinks, our food arrived. That was pretty good. It had taken us 1/2 hour from the time we lined up to sitting and eating. I think that's pretty good.

And the food is definitely worth the wait.

I had a bowl of the French Onion soup and split a turkey sandwich with Twin #1. That was some good stuff!

This is our new go to place.

Don't let the line outside deter you.

It moves pretty quick, and you cannot beat the food or atmosphere.

Next up, we will use those Space Mountain Fastpasses, and then figure out the rest of our day.

TCD

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

Scrooge McDuck. Nice.

The toy soldiers seem pretty cool too.

We'll definitely have to see that in Dec. 2013.

[mommy rainbo.....Bo 41]

Is this the same parade as the one at MVMCP? If so, it looks like they have made several changes since we've seen it. Or maybe it just looks different in the daytime.

It looked like the exact parade I saw on Dec 6 MVMCP. It was cool to see it in the daylight.

[Specularius 102]

That was the same parade we saw on the 28th.

[stefa70 205]

I enjoyed the pooper-picker-upper photos. Go figure.

I like that parade but have not seen it in the daytime. Good pics, except for Clarabelle. :bugeyes:

I also like tattoos, not on the head......but like rock star tattoos.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Scrooge McDuck. Nice.

The toy soldiers seem pretty cool too.

We'll definitely have to see that in Dec. 2013.

It's definitely worth taking the time to see.

It looked like the exact parade I saw on Dec 6 MVMCP. It was cool to see it in the daylight.

Thanks for confirming that. That is what I had heard, but I wasn't sure if it was the same.

That was the same parade we saw on the 28th.

True. They played this from the 22nd through the 1st.

I enjoyed the pooper-picker-upper photos. Go figure.

I like that parade but have not seen it in the daytime. Good pics, except for Clarabelle. :bugeyes:

I also like tattoos, not on the head......but like rock star tattoos.

I thought someone would like those.

I never noticed anything out of the ordinary about Clarabelle. I have to blame FP4 for pointing that out.

I have no problem with people who have tats. It's a free country. But, too many people fail to think about how this will be with them forever.

TCD

[HappyCamper...Deb 61]

Great TR so far. Glad to see pictures INSIDE of Be Our Guest. We never made it past the "guards", since we could get a reservation for 12 during the holiday. (Yeah, we waited and lost out). I love the gargoyle guy poles across the bridge too. Very cool!

Tattoo brain guy? Probably needs to advertise, in case his actions speak otherwise.

Oh, and thanks again for the Spike!! Still think Lou is an imaginary fiend...Keep hearing that he was "just here"....yeah, ok...

Keep the photos coming. :yay:

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

I have no problem with people who have tats. It's a free country. But, too many people fail to think about how this will be with them forever.

TCD

I think the way a person carries themselves depends on how the tattoos look on them. I do think people should think about the length of time they will have the tat and the placement of said tat as well... Certain spots on women in particular don't actually look attractive, I discovered this when playing around with Henna.

[alexwyattmommy 181]

That restaurant is definitely on my "it's okay to wait for it" list. Thanks for the parade photos. It may be the only time I get to see that parade.

[ftwildernessguy 778]

Personally, I would never get a tat, but I have asked FWGirl to have my name tattooed somewhere on her body, but she refuses, preferring to keep her options open.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

I think the Halloween parade is awesome too. I think that one is my favorite. As far as I know, they don't run that one other than for the Halloween parties.

Yup, MNSSHP only, and I agree it's my favorite parade too.

Is this the same parade as the one at MVMCP? If so, it looks like they have made several changes since we've seen it. Or maybe it just looks different in the daytime.

Definitely looks different in the daytime! I hadn't really recognized the few "recycled" floats the last time we saw it during MVMCP a couple of years ago.

[YENSIDCAMPER 66]

Love the parade pictures. Glad to know the line moves that fast it will be a must do for us when the next trip comes around. I was glad to see that Fort Sled in the parade, do you know if it tours the Fort or not? I have only ever seen it parked by the petting zoo in a shed.

[Beckers 1,136]

I enjoyed the pooper-picker-upper photos. Go figure.

We went to the Thanksgiving Day parade in Philly and a highlight for us was the horse that was like the 3 thing in the parade took a massive, massive dump. It was very entertaining watching people either step in it because they weren't aware of it, walking backwards or didn't want to break formation. Some people where cheering when poop was squished lol

[magnoliafig 51]

Love the pictures. Can't wait until we get there. I might be readjusting our lunches to keep hitting BOG.

[kampfirekim 260]

Haven't been to a MK Christmas parade since 1989. BUT.. the marching soldiers were my fave. Glad to see they're still marching! :)

[Momoffive aka Loretta 34]

We went to the Thanksgiving Day parade in Philly and a highlight for us was the horse that was like the 3 thing in the parade took a massive, massive dump. It was very entertaining watching people either step in it because they weren't aware of it, walking backwards or didn't want to break formation. Some people where cheering when poop was squished lol

OMG just about spit my tea all over the computer! That's a visual I won't soon forget. LOL!!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Great TR so far. Glad to see pictures INSIDE of Be Our Guest. We never made it past the "guards", since we could get a reservation for 12 during the holiday. (Yeah, we waited and lost out). I love the gargoyle guy poles across the bridge too. Very cool!

Tattoo brain guy? Probably needs to advertise, in case his actions speak otherwise.

Oh, and thanks again for the Spike!! Still think Lou is an imaginary fiend...Keep hearing that he was "just here"....yeah, ok...

Keep the photos coming. :yay:

You are most welcome for the spike. Sorry you didn't get to meet Lou. He and I personally came by your site. At least we got to meet briefly at Lorna's. Lou had already fled the scene by then.

The next time you go, even with a big party, try lunch at BOG. For now, I think most people see that line and don't bother. The times we have gone, we have never been in line more than 20 minutes. And the food comes out almost instantly after that. You can't beat it.

I think the way a person carries themselves depends on how the tattoos look on them. I do think people should think about the length of time they will have the tat and the placement of said tat as well... Certain spots on women in particular don't actually look attractive, I discovered this when playing around with Henna.

You are right.

The other problem with tattoos is they never look good on old, saggy bodies, and unfortunately, that is how most bodies eventually end up.

That restaurant is definitely on my "it's okay to wait for it" list. Thanks for the parade photos. It may be the only time I get to see that parade.

You can see that parade at the MVMCP's, which run plenty of times in November and December.

And, BOG is definitely worth a short wait.

Personally, I would never get a tat, but I have asked FWGirl to have my name tattooed somewhere on her body, but she refuses, preferring to keep her options open.

Maybe if you shortened your name?

Fort Wilderness Guy is kind of long- that's a lot of ink.

Yup, MNSSHP only, and I agree it's my favorite parade too.

Definitely looks different in the daytime! I hadn't really recognized the few "recycled" floats the last time we saw it during MVMCP a couple of years ago.

I thought that was the case with the Halloween parade. I think that one should only be shown at night anyway.

They do a good job with plugging those recycled floats in to the parade. I am sure most guests don't catch it. And, there really is nothing wrong with them re-decorating and re-using old floats.

Love the parade pictures. Glad to know the line moves that fast it will be a must do for us when the next trip comes around. I was glad to see that Fort Sled in the parade, do you know if it tours the Fort or not? I have only ever seen it parked by the petting zoo in a shed.

Oh yeah they use that sleigh at the Fort. They have three of them, and they use them from after Thanksgiving up through NYE. They were running the entire time we were at the Fort, and from what I saw, they were quite busy.

We went to the Thanksgiving Day parade in Philly and a highlight for us was the horse that was like the 3 thing in the parade took a massive, massive dump. It was very entertaining watching people either step in it because they weren't aware of it, walking backwards or didn't want to break formation. Some people where cheering when poop was squished lol

As you know, I grew up across the river from Philly, so I have no problem picturing this scene. I would have been watching the pile of horse poop and cheering right along with everyone else.

I could go for a cheesesteak right about now.

Love the pictures. Can't wait until we get there. I might be readjusting our lunches to keep hitting BOG.

Sounds like a good plan to me.

BOG is my new favorite lunch place in all of WDW.

Haven't been to a MK Christmas parade since 1989. BUT.. the marching soldiers were my fave. Glad to see they're still marching! :)

Wow, that's a long time.

As far as I know, those soldiers, the reindeer, and Santa have been there since the beginning. And, I don't expect them to change those parts.

OMG just about spit my tea all over the computer! That's a visual I won't soon forget. LOL!!

LOL, indeed.

Philly is a special place.

TCD

[shoreline99 137]

Sounds like a good plan to me.

BOG is my new favorite lunch place in all of WDW.

We hope to try it next month. Any idea how bad the lines are during the regular lunch hours? Or do they do a decent job of keeping people moving through there?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Here we go.

After lunch, we headed over to Space Mountain and used the Fastpasses I had grabbed before the parade. Perfect:

It was past 3 by the time we finished, and it was time for us to head to our next destination.

The three main things we wanted to do on this trip were to ride Test Track, see the MK Christmas Parade, and the Osborne Lights. We were already two-thirds of the way there.

We had someplace special in mind for dinner, and if we made it there, we might pop back to the MK, so I decided to hunt down some Fastpasses we might be able to use later.

This was the situation at the Little Mermaid Fastpass machine at 3:20 pm:

Whoa. 100 minutes for standby? I don't beli3ve that, but that's what it says.

The Fastpass return time was from 7 to 8. We might be able to use those, so I got us some.

On our way out, we stopped for a photo on Main Street. This photo was taken at 3:29 pm. Remember that:

We were on our way to Hollywood Studios.

We debated how to get there the quickest.

The girls suggested walking to the Contemporary and catching the bus from there.

But, that bus stops at the Polynesian and GF before it heads to DHS.

That wouldn't be very quick.

So, I said let's take the Express monorail to the TTC and catch a DHS bus from there.

We never do that.

But, the girls agreed.

So that's what we did.

The Express Monorail pulled up just as we got to the platform.

And, for the first time in a long time, went right to the TTC without stopping "for clearance."

Then we hoofed it down the ramp to the bus stop.

Where we found a DHS bus that was still loading.

We hurried on.

We were the last guests on the bus, and had to stand right up there by the driver.

He was a very friendly fellow who went by the name of Sal.

He said the last guests on the bus had to lead the bus in a Christmas Carol.

I hoped someone would get on behind us.

But no.

So Sal said what will it be.

I thought a bit.

What's a short, easy Christmas Carol?

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer!

I started us off.

The whole bus sang.

That was fun.

Sal said how about another?

We sang Jingle Bells.

The whole bus sang again.

The twins said lets go for broke and sing the 12 days of Christmas.

So we did.

Sal belted out the 5 Golden Rings part.

We just finished when we got to the Hollywood Studios entrance.

Fun.

And here we are:

That photo was taken at 4:00 pm. Did you remember the time of the last MK photo like I asked you to?

It was 3:29.

So, we made it from Main Street to DHS in 1/2 hour.

That's pretty good.

And, before we leave that last photo, is it me, or is that tree crooked?

We had some time to kill before the Osborne Lights would start, so I grabbed us some TOT Fastpasses, and we headed to the animation class.

I think these sycamore trees are cool:

This next photo is a fail. There was a lady waiting for the class dressed in a really elaborate Chesire Cat get-up. She is the pink thing you see in the center of this photo:

I wish I had gotten a better photo of her, you would have liked it.

We made it in to our class with no problem. Our animator was Brian- who is our favorite. Brian usually lets the audience make suggestions and then has everyone vote. But today he said we were drawing Jiminy Cricket. No debate, that's just the way it was.

Here's Brian's finished drawing:

And this is mine:

Here are Twin #1's and Twin #2's in that order:

The twins really laughed at mine. But, now that I look at it, I don't know why. I think it's pretty good.

Next, we hit TOT- the sun was setting and the building looked cool in that light:

I was going to use this photo for the Where in The World thread, but I think it would have been too easy:

In the boiler room, I noticed a sticker on a piece of the equipment, and took this photo, thinking I would use it for the Where in the World thread, but it turns out to be something a guest stuck there:

This shows some of the detail on one of the walls in the boiler room. It's a pretty neat queue:

Here's our ride photo:

From TOT, we headed over to the Osborne Lights.

We arrived pre-lighting, so we would get to see the lighting ceremony again:

Here are some shots from before the lighting:

And these show the same areas with the lights lit:

We love the canopy that they have hanging over the side street, but check out the crowds. It sure would be nice to visit the Osborne Lights some time when it isn't this crowded, but when would that be? :

Hey, there's Santa Goofy!:

Here's a crowd shot:

And some reindeer:

Do you know about the cat that they hide in the lights?

The story goes that Mrs. Osborne once accidentally included a Halloween decoration in her Christmas lights. So, now they include that lit up cat every year, but they hide it somewhere in the decorations and you have to hunt for it. We've never been able to find it. Until tonight:

We goofed around trying to take a group shot.

This is the best one:

A couple father/daughter shots:

And one last one with just the twins:

And with that, we had our fill of the Osborne Lights.

And, it was now about 6:30, and time for us to make a decision about where we would eat dinner and what we would do with the rest of our evening.

So, we hopped.

I'll tell you where to in the next update.

TCD

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

So as you are in the back of that space mountain car I have to ask.... was it a bumpy ride? I also got the back seat on my ride. It was so bumpy that I had to clench my teeth to keep from biting my tongue off.... is this normal?

[campingdawgs 4]

I really wanted to try BOG, but our favorite is Columbia Harbour House and they wouldn't go for something new. Maybe over Spring Break. We never made it to the Osborne Lights, either. Next year. And as many times as we have been to WDW, we have never done the animation class. For a long time I never knew it existed. We will have to give it a try. My girls would love it!