Southern Fried in Mickey's World Updated 12/31 - Page 6 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Thank goodness the pixies are back in town for you two! What a wonderful start and saving 45 bucks!! That's awesome!! I am loving your tour so far!! I can't wait to hear more!!
Sorry about your room. I guess we've been lucky as all out rooms have been clean.
That family was just plain rude. They weren't going to get in any sooner.
The tour sounds very interesting and I like all your pictures. I hope the rain holds off.
Liz
Sounds like the beginning of a great tour and especially with a great guide in Kaitlyn who is providing so much great information! The nerve of that one family blocking your group from entering the park as they have to be the first ones in at 9am. A complete disregard for everyone!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Love some of your shots!
Can’t believe that family and how early they were staked out, and how unwilling they were to move!
Great deal with the bus rather than the expense of the Minnie Van!
Thanks! I think the family may have been unaware of tours, and then the breakfast folks entered through the other turnstiles. So I'm sure our little group was causing some confusion. We were so happy that the bus worked out and saved us money, too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
What a great start to your tour!
That family getting into the park, though - ugh! I can understand it to a certain extent when you've turned up stupidly early and think you'll be the first in the park, just to get your plans scuppered. You should have seen all the people literally running into the cruise terminal in New York City, only to discover they weren't the first people in, as they let the back to back cruisers in first! Their faces were a picture....
I would love to have seen those folks' faces when they realized others had beat them on board. I've never had the need to be the first in the park or on the ship, but I know there are folks who get a thrill out of that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DMA
$45 for a Minnie Van is outrageous! Glad the bus worked out in your favor.
The tour sounds wonderful so far!
We were there right after the prices went up and it was unbelievably expense. So thankful that the buses were running early.
Glad the bus worked out for you as that's a steep price for the Minnie Van. That family is certainly not starting the day off magically Great pictures so far!
We were very happy when we realized the bus would get us there in time. We've only made park opening a few times over the years, but I know so people feel that getting in first is the only way to tour.
Quote:
Originally Posted by purplegal
Love all your pictures and how empty the park is. I bet they could offer tours early in the morning just for people to take pictures.
Now that is a great idea! Photo taking tours before the park opens. I might pay for that one.
Wow...amazing photos of the MK! What a treat to practically have the place to yourself!
I stood for a moment just looking around before I moved up for my turn to take photos. So cool!
Quote:
Originally Posted by NanaTink
Wow, your shots are wonderful! Love the pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns, and of course the white pumpkin snow man!
I love that tour, it's been so long since we've done it. Very sad it will probably be a while before we will get to ride the train again!
How rude of that family to try to block the entrance. I don't understand the strong desire to 'be the first'.
Luke loves that white pumpkin snow man! I think I got another photo of it on another day at his request. We've had a couple of trips were the train was down, but this is going to be much longer, I fear. There were families waiting at every single open touch point.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pris
It sounds like it was fortuitous that the Minnie Van app froze up on Luke. $45 is awful! Lucky the bus was coming and yea for the WDW app that let you check it out. Good start to the tour. Here's hoping the rain held off for you.
Definitely fortuitous that Luke's app froze. At the beginning of the trip, I checked the DME app every morning as we left the room to see when the buses were arriving. It's a neat addition to the app.
Sorry for the rough first day! The towels in the room - YUCK. Makes you wonder if they even cleaned the room.
Hope day 2 is better and that the rain holds off.
The housekeeping manager did come in and inspect the entire room, and I must say he was quite thorough. That made me feel better. Day 2 is going to be much better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tara O'Hara
Thank goodness the pixies are back in town for you two! What a wonderful start and saving 45 bucks!! That's awesome!! I am loving your tour so far!! I can't wait to hear more!!
We felt plenty of pixie dust when the app cleared and we didn't have a Minnie Van coming. The bus worked out so well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Glad you made the early start to the park, and it was free! What a great start to your tour! Love all the pictures!
We said later that doing this our first full day in the park was wise as we weren't up to such an early start later in the trip.
Sorry about your room. I guess we've been lucky as all out rooms have been clean.
That family was just plain rude. They weren't going to get in any sooner.
The tour sounds very interesting and I like all your pictures. I hope the rain holds off.
Liz
We have never had a room like this before. New to us and hopefully, only a one time thing. I really think the family was confused as to who all was in the tour. But I can't imagine other folks pushing them out of the way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperDave
Sounds like the beginning of a great tour and especially with a great guide in Kaitlyn who is providing so much great information! The nerve of that one family blocking your group from entering the park as they have to be the first ones in at 9am. A complete disregard for everyone!
Kaitlyn was awesome! So much to remember and to present informatively and entertainingly.
I have thought about doing this tour- but I am so glad that you & Luke decided to do it. Love the photos of MK being empty, especially my favorite is the pumpkins with the castle in the background!
(The sweatshirt was there for us May 17th - May 22nd, so maybe it didn't come out until after your May trip. But you are right it wanted to be seen by you, to keep you warm! lol)
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Kate in PA All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them- Walt Disney
Once at the Round House, which here at WDW is NOT round, we climbed down from the Roy E. Disney. When we had all debarked, Kaitlyn cautioned us about certain safety perimeters, basically where we could go and where we could not. As we moved over to the Roger E. Broggie steam engine, she added another warning, “Engines are Hot.” She cautioned that every surface on the engine is hot, and on those areas that are not painted are so hot that paint won’t stick. At this point she began taking groups of 3 to 5 up into the cab of the Roger E. Broggie to continue the tour. Luke and I began exploring the area within the given safety perimeters. Initially, I’m the photographer and I’ll let you know when Luke takes the camera. We’ll do quite a bit of meandering and photographing as we were in the next to last group to check out the cab.
The Round House serves both the Magic Kingdom’s steam engines and the monorail trains. A monorail train was just heading out to start its day of transporting WDW guests.
I turned my attention temporarily back to the Roger E. Broggie, capturing it and its light from the side.
I heard a train whistle and realized the Roy E. Disney was beginning to exit the area on its way back into the park.
I now moved in front of the engine for a head on shot, and even asked Luke stand nearby.
I could tell that Luke was getting antsy to take photos, so I handed the camera over to the train enthusiast in this family. He took another side shot and then one of the tender before we headed back to where the gates were still up on the Round House.
We neither one remember getting an unobstructed view into the Round House on our first tour back in 2007. We weren’t allowed to enter the building, but that is why I have a big lens on my camera. I had to crane my neck a bit to see in as Luke was pointing things out to me. In one you will see our view of the Lilly Belle, which at this point in the day was not running. We were smart in heading here so quickly because shortly after we left, the gates were brought back down.
Luke had me pose beside the engine, too. I was leery of getting too close as where I was it was easy to feel the heat coming off it.
In the next several photos, Luke’s attention to detail makes for some incredible photos of the engine. Trust me, when I say, I was getting my own private tour as Luke was explaining everything he was photographing. Later toward the end of our time back here, Kaitlyn will repeat almost everything Luke had told me. He knows trains!
Finally, it was our time to enter the cab where it was so hot that my hair frizzed and turned very wavy. Luke’s attention to detail continued here. First up is the engineer’s view followed by the fireman’s view.
Kaitlyn explained the functions of certain parts plus the tasks that keep the engineer and fireman busy running the train.
Our time in the cab lasted no more than 10 minutes, and we were thankfully to exit on the other side for the last group because even though it was already a warm day, it was cooler than the cab had been. I love the photo Luke got of the vacant tracks.
When the last group was done, Kaitlyn had us line up on the right side of the engine to watch as the fireman got ready to light the engine using a large ball of cotton. Quite impressive and a bit wild! The first photos are taken with my cell phone.
The next photos are the same moments but taken by Luke using the camera.
Now it was time for us to board the Roger E. Broggie for our return to the park.
But there was one more lesson for us to learn on how steam work to move the train. We both tried with the camera and my cell phone to catch this next moment, but we both missed it. Before beginning the trek back into the park the engine pulled the cars out of the Round House and stopped well before the crossing to allow the steam in the boiler to build up until it released the steam as a “Blow Off.” Think tea kettle only much louder and much bigger. First photos of the "Blow Off" are from my cell phone.
The next photos are again taken by Luke using the camera.
What a nice tour and something I'd be interested in! I know how much Luke loves his trains as he built a whole setup of them in one room up on the wall circling around a few years ago! He knows them well and he was probably as good of a guide for this as Kaitlyn was! Love the roundhouse photos as something you don't get to see except on a tour. I never realized the monorails were staged here as well. Never thought where they left from.
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
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What a nice tour and something I'd be interested in! I know how much Luke loves his trains as he built a whole setup of them in one room up on the wall circling around a few years ago! He knows them well and he was probably as good of a guide for this as Kaitlyn was! Love the roundhouse photos as something you don't get to see except on a tour. I never realized the monorails were staged here as well. Never thought where they left from.
As far as trains go, Luke knows a lot, but we both were surprised by how much we learned about Walt Disney and his trains. And it's not over yet, we still have another hour.
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What a wonderful start and 
saving 45 bucks!! That's awesome!! I am loving your tour so far!! I can't wait to hear more!!
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Pixie Dust
A complete disregard for everyone!
I can understand it to a certain extent when you've turned up stupidly early and think you'll be the first in the park, just to get your plans scuppered. You should have seen all the people literally running into the cruise terminal in New York City, only to discover they weren't the first people in, as they let the back to back cruisers in first! 
Great pictures so far!
There were families waiting at every single open touch point. 
At this point she began taking groups of 3 to 5 up into the cab of the Roger E. Broggie to continue the tour. Luke and I began exploring the area within the given safety perimeters. Initially, I’m the photographer and I’ll let you know when Luke takes the camera. We’ll do quite a bit of meandering and photographing as we were in the next to last group to check out the cab.
He knows trains! 
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