Reading Trip reports

I enjoy reading the Disney newsgroups. Sometimes I learn something, sometimes I get a new perspective, sometimes I get a headache.

Recently, a Disney DVC member (as she kept reminding the readers) posted a very detailed 5-part trip report about her 5-day visit.

She complained about:

the resort,
the food,
the Cast Members,
the other guests,
the Disney bus transportation,
the parks,
the weather,
the local television news bumping scheduled shows to report on the severe flooding in the area,

ad nauseum.

And - wait for it - at the end of the last report, she can't wait to come back!

BTW: on her 1st day, she notes that in a phone call from her office, she approved the laying off of staff in her business ...

I wonder if those folks are enjoying her trip reports?

Destination: Dollywood

After much (much) discussion/whining, the hubby has agreed to take me to Dollywood!


Although I'd love to go in the fall, we're planning on a spring trip because the park hours are better.

Now, as all experienced Disney World-goers know, having a trip plan is essential, especially for the first visit. It doesn't have to be set in stone, but knowing what and where can save lots of time and trouble.

And oftentimes, unofficial info (from experienced park-goers) is much more informative and helpful than what you find on the official site.

So, I've been doing research or at least attempting it because other than the official site, there just isn't that much current information out there.

I have tried joining Yahoo groups, but there is absolutely nothing going in them (except for the spammers ... "I want to meet you"... "Please be my friend".)

I have read the Dollywood and Pigeon Forge Trip Advisory Forums which sometimes offer helpful hints, but most often it's folks complaining about the cost. They have obviously never visited certain Orlando attractions.

Anyhoo ... if there happens to be an experienced Dollywood-goer out there who will share advice, hints, and helpful do's and dont's, I would love to hear from you! Just drop a note to the comments section. TIA !!

Inside Hogwarts Castle

Who here is excited about Universal Orlando-Islands of Adventure's
Wizarding World of Harry Potter?

Me! Me! Me!

I've been watching that big building go up behind the fence for many, many months.

It's gotta be Hogwarts Castle!

But what will be inside?
Restaurants? Shops?

Bill Davis, Universal Orlando's president, may have given Orlando Sentinel writer Dwayne Bevil a big hint last October.

"When you get off that, you'll say 'Wow, how did they do that?' "

Whoa! A ride?!?

There are a couple of WWoHP rides rumored to be in the works: a Quidditch match (using the Dueling Dragons tracks) and a flying car (the Weasleys' Ford Anglia) through the Forbidden Forest.

Whatever it may be, I'm excited!

A Sad Day

Wayne Allwine,

Mickey's voice for 32 years,

has died.

Confession # 10: I Miss Food Rocks

Food Rocks (previously known as the Kitchen Kabaret) closed in January, 2004, to make room for Soarin'.

We never missed this 12-minute, er, concert when we were at Epcot. And if the Boy was with us, we might see it twice.

And I should mention two things: 1) the Boy was much older than you might think, and 2) this was the only animatronic attraction that Hubby never slept through.

Although Soarin' is absolutely worth the wait in line, I DO miss those hokey little characters singing those familiar, yet different, tunes:

Füd Wrapper (the host),

The Utensils - a collection of kitchen gadgets based on the band Queen ("Give Us Junk"),

The Refrigerator Police ("Every Egg You Break"),

the Peach Boys ("Good Nutrition"),

Pita Gabriel ("High Fiber"),

Chubby Cheddar ("Let's Exercise"),

Neil Moussaka ("Vegetables Are Good For You"),

The Sole of Rock 'n' Roll, a fish that strongly resembles the singer Cher,

a piano-playing "Little Richard" pineapple ("Tutti Frutti"),

and The Get-To-The-Point Sisters (a new version of "Respect")

Maybe these guys could be relocated, like over in the Wonders of Life building?

Wishful Thinking # 4: Magic Kingdom

The rumor is that Fantasyland will be undergoing a major refurbishment.

Yay! About time, too.

They've already started on Space Mountain.

Here's hoping that the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh will disappear and Mr Toad's Wild Ride will reappear.

I know. That's really wishful thinking.

I also hope that there might be plans for the old Skybucket station in Fantasyland. It would make a really cool restaurant. Or something.

And how about refilling the old 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea lagoon in Fantasyland for a Finding Nemo ride like the one at Disneyland ?

Flash Mountain

Dateline DisneyLand:

Disney has stopped scanning souvenir photos in its theme park rides for guests exposing themselves on camera.

The Disney company confirmed Tuesday (May 5th) that the employees "cast members" at Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure who had watched photo previews for inappropriate flashing have been reassigned to other duties.

Said a Disneyland spokesperson, "Actual inappropriate behavior by guests are rare."

These changes took affect Sunday at souvenir photo rides Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror, California Screamin', and Space Mountain.

Disney began screening ride photos 10 years ago to stop riders from exposing their breasts and making lewd gestures, which would be visible to all riders in the photo preview at the ride's exit.

I wonder when/if the policy at WDW will follow.

*Note: There is a website Flash Mountain that features these photos.

Also note: you must be over 18 to view them (yeah, right).

DisneySpeak

Yes, Disney has its own language.


Attraction: Ride or theater presentation

Audience: Crowd

Backstage: Behind the scenes, out of view of guests

Bull Pen: Queuing area

Cast Member: Disney employee (even Meg Crofton, WDW President, is a CM)

Character: Disney character impersonated by a CM

Costume: Work attire, uniform

Dark Ride: Indoor ride<

Day Guest: Any customer not staying a Disney resort

Face Character: A character that does not wear a head-covering costume.

General Public: Same as Day Guest

Guest: Customer

Hidden Mickeys: Frontal silhouette of Mickey's Head (3 circles) subtly placed, well, everywhere! There are some classic HM's featuring a side silhouette of Mickey.

In Rehearsal: An attraction that is operating though not officially open

Lead: Foreman or manager, the person in charge of an attraction

On Stage: In full view of guests

Preshow: The entertainment at an attraction prior to the feature presentation

Resort Guest: A customer staying at a Disney resort

Soft Opening: Opening a park or attraction before its stated opening time

Transitional Experience: An element of the queuing area and/or preshow that provides a story line

WDW Trivia

The name of the water tank located at Disney's Hollywood Studios is the Earffel Tower.

The hat size of the custom set of mouse ears adorning the water tower is 342.

Every plastic bench in AK is made of recycled milk jugs.

WDW has eliminated most of its insecticide use, replacing chemicals with predatory insects, many of which are bred at 'The Land' in Epcot.

The Rock 'N Roller coaster was built first and then the building was constructed around it.

The only public exhibit of Malayan Flying Foxes in North America is at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

The Country Bear Jamboree was the first major park attraction to debut at WDW and then copied for the other Disney parks.

Main Street, USA was inspired by Marceline, Missouri, where Walt grew up.

The Tree of Life (AK) is made of concrete, over a modified oil rig.

There are climate-controlled rocks on the safari, to encourage the lions to sit in view of the safari vehicles.

The village of Harambe is based on the Kenyan town of Lamu.

Spaceship Earth is made out of alucabond, a carbon-aluminum compound, which is easily cleaned and can withstand the Florida climate.

The Living Seas Aquarium is so large that Spaceship Earth (160 feet in diameter) would fit inside with room to spare.

The Body Wars film was directed by Leonard Nimoy, Mr. Spock in "Star Trek".

The National Geodetic Survey has a first order GPS station on the WDW property stamped as station RATWORLD.

Seven Seas Lagoon, a man-made lake, is 14 ft deep. Bay Lake, a natural lake, is 12 ft deep.

Christmas Day is the busiest day of the year at WDW.

The Maleficent dragon in "Fantasmic!" weighs a massive 32,000 lbs.

Sorcerer Mickey hat: The hat itself is 100 feet tall; The summit of the Icon reaches 122 feet; The hat size is 605 7/8; The hat weighs 156 tons.

The name of the talking tree at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is Wes Palm.

In 1967 the Florida legislature created the Reedy Creek Improvement District, having most of the powers of a county, to encompass the WDW property. The district has its own building code, supervises construction projects, and runs the fire department.

The original name of Discovery Island was Treasure Island.

At Typhoon lagoon, the home port of Miss Tilly (the stranded ship) is 'Safen Sound, FL .

The MK is 107 acres (the parking lot is another 125 acres); Epcot is 300 acres (the lake is 40 acres); DHS is 154 acres; DAK is 500 acres; Ft Wilderness is 600 acres. Disneyland (CA) is 80 acres.

The musical staff notes across the registration desk at Port Orleans Resort spell out the first verse of “When the Saints Go Marching In”.

The Coronado Springs Quiet Pools are the first on Disney property to use Bromine instead of Chlorine.

Phil Simms was the first celebrity to reply, "I'm going to Disney World!", in a series of television commercials.

WDW Mileage

Just so ya know:

--It is almost exactly TWO miles from Security at the front of DHS to the front turnstiles of Epcot.

--It's 1.32 miles from the Studios Security to Security at Epcot's International Gateway, via the path that runs past the BoardWalk.

--It is .59 miles from International Gateway to the front turnstiles of Epcot.

--It is .76 miles from the start of the path to the Studios (from the sign that says "Pathway to Studios" near the Swan/Dolphin bridge) to DHS security.

--It's .81 miles around Crescent Lake (the lake between Boardwalk & the Beach & Yacht Club Resorts).

--It's .39 miles from Security at Epcot's International Gateway to the BoardWalk Lobby.

--It's about .28 miles from the entrance of Animal Kingdom to the entrance of Kilimanjaro Safari.

WDW Trip Report, 2003

I was reading through some old files, trying to get an idea for a new post, when I came across this WDW Trip Report from March 10, 2003.

Ah, the Good Old Days!

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The little sister's birthday is looming. One of those that ends in 0. And begins with 5. Bro and I think: What better way to make her feel young when she's thinking about being 'old' than to spend a day at WDW?

So, on The Day, I call her at 7 am, tell her to put on the coffee, I'll be there and then we can go for a walk (a neat way to make sure she has on walking shoes).

Bro arrives about 7:45. We yell "Road trip"! and pile into his car. I 'innocently' ask him if the Alligator Farm (in St. Augustine) knows that we're coming. A diversionary tactic, which lasted until we passed that exit. Once we made the turn onto I-4 sis had a pretty good idea as to the destination, but which park? The jig was up when we turned in to the Disney-MGM Studios parking lot (her favorite of the 4 parks).

Sis went to Guest Services to renew her pass, and I went to another window to get her 'Birthday Button'.

Then we went to make an early PS at Hollywood & Vine, a particular favorite, but Bro has never been there (he favors The Prime Time) and Sis had only been there once for breakfast.

Now, neither of them likes the 'wild' rides, so I knew I wouldn't get to ride the Tower this time. Since the Great Movie Ride was closed, we went to see the newly refurbished Voyage of the Little Mermaid, which Bro hasn’t seen.

It's close to time for our lunch PS, so we get FastPasses for 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire-Play It!' and then stroll over to the Hollywood & Vine. I ask for a table in Tom's section, but he wasn't working that day. The characters have either noticed the Birthday Button or have been tipped off and they all make a special point of coming over to give Sis a hug. At the end of our meal, they bring out a birthday cupcake, balloon, and card signed by Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Chip & Dale and then everyone sings Happy Birthday. Sis is loving it!

After lunch it's off to the Animation Studio tour and we are first in line for the next tour. While waiting, Bro calls a friend who works there and the next thing we know she (and a supervisor) have come out to say hello and wish Sis a Happy Birthday.

After the tour it's time for our FastPasses at 'WWTBAM-PI!', and again we are the first in line there. Bro strikes up a conversation with CM Daisy (who notices the Birthday Button). Daisy tells us that we just missed seeing someone get the Million Points and indeed, we saw the lucky guy come out covered with streamers and carrying his new 'WWTBAM-PI' leather jacket. After taking our seats, Bro, who is sitting between us, nudges me and says, "I think something special might happen". We see CM Daisy talking to the camera tech and looking in our direction. Sure enough, when they do the camera check at the beginning of the show, when it comes to our section, they focus on Sis and say 'And here's Nancy celebrating her birthday!' Sis is bright pink, but loving it.

So, playing the first game, the contestant goes out fairly early, before the 1,000 point level. During the second game, at the 1000 point level, they do the board check... I'm Number 2! Wow! That's the best I've ever done! And it's a full house that day, too! Wouldn't you know, the guy misses the next question, so I'm thinking that's the show, but wait. The hostess says, "Would you like to play another game?" I have never seen them do 3 games at a sitting, and of course the audience goes 'YES!' So they check the board, and uh-oh, my seat number was at the top of the Board. I looked from the board to the number in front of me and back again. My brother kept elbowing me and saying, "It's you". I vaguely remember tromping on at least 3 people's feet trying to get out of the row (and apologizing like crazy). Well, to make this shorter, I was lucky to remember my name. One question I do remember, at about the 32,000 point level (sometime after the studio was darkened) was "Who is the Prime Minister of Canada?" I heard the whole audience go "Oohhhhnooo", but I knew the right answer! HAH! The section right behind me must've been all Canadians because they went crazy. So, at the 125,000-point level - a George Lopez show question comes up. EEEK. I don't watch it! Had it been a John Ritter show question, no problem. But anyway, took the 50-50 lifeline and then chose wrong. Oh well, got the 10 pins (and lanyard), baseball cap, polo shirt, and a wonderful experience!

How to top that?
With the Muppets, of course. After exiting the Muppet Theatre, we see Woody and Buzz over at Al's Toy Barn. Sis HAS to have her picture taken with them, so we go get in line with about 40 much smaller Buzz and Woody fans (Bro declined to stand in the line and found a place where he could take pictures). A CM notices the Birthday Button and has the whole line sing 'Happy Birthday'. Sis gets B & W to 'sign' her birthday card, too.

We wander back up front, past the Indiana Jones show. I get Bro to pull the rope at the well, but apparently it is not working.

Sis chooses the Rainforest Cafe for early dinner and we head over to Downtown Disney and get PS without a problem and a fairly short wait. This was my first time there and quite frankly I was a little under-whelmed by it. It seemed awfully 'close' inside and the food was just okay.

Now it's time to get serious. Yes, the siren call of Disney merchandise is beckoning and who couldn't possibly be within 50 miles of a Disney store and not go there. And the World of Disney is the Queen Mother of all Disney stores. Bro needs a new Mickey coffee mug. We emerge after over an hour in there with a lot more stuff than one new coffee mug and head home.