Fun, flowers and firsts THREAD 3 OF 7 About This Page:

[DopeyGirl]

Cheryl, you guys take such great photos!!! Mark sure is a good sport in playing along with the characters!!! Can't get my hubby to do that . . . he just does the obligatory "Stand there and smile" with our daughter.

I will have to use your photos as a lesson for him . . . . "See, honey, your photos with characters should be more like THIS!!!"

Looking forward to the next part . . .

[2princessmom]

Thanks for sharing all the tips you learned on your tour. I will keep my eye out for them! I am sorry about Mr. Obnoxious!

[Annabel]

A wonderful update Cheryl, am really enjoying your report. Lovely photos too. We came across similar people to that obnoxious guy - because they had kids they felt they could push in front of us when meeting the characters. Well done for standing your ground!

Annabel

[DreaminDizney1002]

[ QUOTE ]
It was while seeing Robin Hood that we met the first obnoxious person of the trip. We were in line and this guy obviously thought he could just bypass that. When we told him there was a queue, he just turned round and said “I’ve got kids”. Hmmm… yes and?

[/ QUOTE ]

I can totally relate to this experience as it happens to DH and I ALL THE TIME!!! This truly is my only source of frustration and aggravation at WDW - people who do not have kids have just as much right to interact with the characters as those with kids! Now, as a former preschool teacher - I do have patience and often let kids who just can't hold back go ahead of me....but I must get my Mickey fix too! Ok, rant over....just wanted to let you know that I can sympathize with you and Mark!

Great update, Cheryl! Can't wait for more!!

[chezp]

Tuesday 4 May: the Jungle Cruise – without a wait or the corny jokes and a surprise appearance from two Disney characters!



We stopped for a short while just as we got into Adventureland and talked about the architecture and how it gradually moves from small town America to jungle lands and where Walt got his inspiration from for Adventureland. I certainly didn’t know that Walt travelled to South America during World War Two and that was where the idea for Adventureland came from.



During a toilet break, I took the opportunity to question Mark about the work being done at the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea side and found out why it has lain dormant for so long. Apparently, it’s right above the Cast Members’ locker room, so to do anything with that area means re-locating the locker room, which they are now in the process of doing, but it’s a massive job. The ride had to be stopped a) because it was getting to be old-fashioned but more importantly b) because the movement of the submarines was starting to damage the lagoon. As to what will go there in its place, there was no clue, but more of that later…



From there, it was on to the Jungle Cruise and it was such a pleasure to go round it without the corny jokes, but with an informative guide, who pointed lots of things out to us. The animals are not proper audio animatronics. They are only programmed to do certain tasks, which may help to explain why this ride (which did used to be one of my favourites, so please don’t get me wrong when I say this) is now looking so out of date. I was glad we got to see this without queuing. As with Kilimanjaro Safaris, this is not a ride that I will queue 45 minutes for that’s how long the wait already was.



We had a brief stop at the Enchanted Tiki Rooms to find out that appearances are usually deceptive at WDW and the roof of that building is not thatched, as you might think. Then it was on to Pirates of the Caribbean, where we had a delightful interlude with Peter Pan and Wendy, who appeared with no warning just to interact with Mark, only to disappear again, just as quickly, disappointing the autograph hunters who rushed up to them. A really nice touch there.







Peter Pan and Wendy join in our Keys to the Kingdom tour



We learnt why Pirates is laid out as a story the way it is, how Walt was first taken round the ride, how it incorporates ideas from It’s a Small World and what was originally intended for that area. It was meant to be Big Thunder Mesa and a riverboat ride, both of which of course eventually arrived in form of Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.



We walked into Frontierland, again noticing how theming is used for a seemless transistion from one land to another. We stood and admired Splash Mountain and learnt about what it disguises (come on, I’m not going to tell you everything about the tour, otherwise you’ll never take it!) and how much water it uses, the answer is a lot less than the Jungle Cruise. I know, amazing but true!



We then passed through Frontierland down to Liberty Square, learning how the buildings depict different periods of American history. Again fascinating stuff and something I would never have imagined was thought of when this was all created. I just thought they picked the buildings because they looked nice!



It was time for our next trip on a Disney attraction and it was another that we hadn’t done this trip yet, so it worked out well for us. We stood outside the Haunted Mansion for some time and talked about the architecture and then moved on to the Haunted Mansion ride. We were given out challenge of finding three Hidden Mickey’s, one created by the Imagineers, one which was not intentional and one created by the Cast Members who work in the Haunted Mansion. Again, we went through the exit and our group had a stretching room all to itself. I am proud to say that I was able to spot all three Hidden Mickey’s, very unusual for me. Mark will tell you that I’m not the most observant person in the world most of the time!



It was time now for our lunch at Columbia Harbour House. I didn’t think we’d ever eaten here before, but Mark disputed that. I believe we came here, looked for something to eat and I couldn’t find anything I liked, so we didn’t bother. Anyway, we will be coming back here again. It’s a great place to eat, with some very different food to the usual fast food fare you get at the parks most of the time.



We all had to choose what we wanted for lunch before the tour started. I opted for the New England clam chowder and half a sandwich, the one with garlic hummus, tomato and spinach I think – it was vegetarian and sounded like my kind of thing anyway. Mark went for the cod, chicken and chips (fries). Mine was lovely and it was a great opportunity to question our guide and a fellow Cast Member, Dave, who joined him.



Topics we covered included Mission: Space and whether we should ride it or not (still no definite answer at the end of our conversation), when Stitch would open (October) and back to my favourite subject of the moment, 20,000 Under the Leagues. Dave told us that the latest rumours were that it could be made into a character greeting area. While that’s a nice idea, I would prefer to see an attraction going in there. I guess only time will tell, as to what does go in there.



All fuelled up again, we headed back out into Liberty Square, eventually managing to push the strollers always from the exit doors. Please people, will you think when you leave those things? Blocking the exit of the restaurant is not a good plan.



As we headed to Cinderella’s Castle, we learnt more about how forced perspective is used here as well. Do have a look at the bricks at some point and compare those higher up to those lower down. It’s amazing how they differ and I bet you never noticed that before either! We learnt about how the District of Reedy Creek was set up and why and how it operates today. If you ever wondered how they got planning permission for some of the great creations at WDW, the simple answer is they didn't, another benefit of Reedy Creek. Of course there is no way any of that would happen today. We discuss that as well, as you just wouldn't be able to buy up all the land that Walt acquired in Florida today, without attracting some serious media interest.



Of course, someone had to ask about the theory that Walt is cryogenically frozen in the Castle, to which the answer was “he’s not. If he was, we'd have defrosted him a long time ago!” A very good answer. In fact his ashes are in California.



Next: Heading underground into the utilidors…

[chezp]

Tuesday 4 May – part four: Heading underground into the utilidors…

We headed back down Main Street and into the Emporium, as we were finally about to go backstage, the bit I think all of us had been looking forward to the most. Before we did, we took a solemn pledge not to repeat any of what we saw, but I didn't actually say it, so I guess I'm covered. All the same, to preserve some magic and to persuade some of you to take the tour, I won't repeat all that we saw out here, but I will give you the potted highlights.

We exited into a car park, and like so much of Disney backstage, the Magic ends the second you step off stage. There is no transition from on stage back to real life. Let's just say as we stood there, we saw two or three reasons why children under the age of 16 are not allowed on this tour. I think you may be able to guess what I'm talking about here.

From there, we saw some of the admin areas and we learnt about the work of the costume and make-up departments. The costume department in the Magic Kingdom is the biggest at Disney World, which did surprise me. On an average shift there are 5,000 Cast Members at Magic Kingdom, but usually 6,000 at Epcot, so why does Magic Kingdom have the biggest costume department? Apparently, because the costumes, being the oldest, are also the most intricate. They learnt for future parks to keep the costumes more simple. As for make-up, when you see those beautiful princesses out and about, it's taken them about three hours to get ready beforehand, getting their hair and make-up in place, so do take a bit of extra time to admire how beautiful they all look. We also learnt about what's acceptable for Cast Members to wear in terms of things like shoes, jewellery and even sunglasses. All fascinating.

And then we began our descent into the utilidors, a name made up from the words “utility” and “corridors”. Okay, so really they are just a maze of corridors, nothing more than that, but all the same it's fascinating to see the work that goes on underneath your feet, that you just aren't aware of. It's an amazing place and we only got a small glimpse of it, but basically it's those utilidors which keep the park running so smoothly. I asked why utilidors were not put in at the other parks, as they seem like such a good idea, but it turned out it would cost a ridiculous amount at Epcot, so they installed a perimeter road instead (which we saw on our Undiscovered Future World tour in December 2002) and that was a lot cheaper, so they used that at both MGM and Animal Kingdom.

And that really is all I'm going to tell you about the utilidors. If you want to find out more, you will just have to take the tour, which I thoroughly recommend. Every Disney fan should go on it, as you learn so much about what they were thinking when the park was planned. There is so much you just don't appreciate and to me, this tour enhances the magic. It certainly doesn't destroy it, as I know some people fear, but you will probably see why no under 16’s are allowed on this tour. There are good reasons for that.

We surfaced on to the other side of Main Street and learnt about Tinkerbell’s flight before the fireworks, again something else I’m not going to go into, but there were some absolute gems of stories in there and then it was all over. My only complaint was that the time passed far too quickly and I would have liked an extra half an hour behind the scenes. I would also have preferred a smaller group, as we really didn't get a chance to know people like we did on the Backstage Safari tour.

I suspect that Keys To The Kingdom is now becoming a victim of its own success, as there were so many different tours put on that day. We ran into the least two other groups as we went round, so I think some limits on the numbers in the group and more spacing of each tour would improve the experience for everyone. Just a thought.

Once we finished Keys to the Kingdom, we had two choices. 1) We could either see the Share a Dream Come True parade or 2) we could go back to the Beach Club Villas for a swim at Stormalong Bay. Option two won out easily. Because of my insect bites (which were looking a lot better today) I hadn't been swimming at all so far this vacation, which I was really disappointed about, as I'm an avid swimmer at home, going two or three times a week.

We drove back to the Beach Club Villas and as we walked down from our room past the quiet pool at the Villas, I thought how crowded it looked and I think we both feared the worst for Stormalong Bay, but although that was busy, it was nowhere near as busy as we've seen it before when we've been at Christmas time. There was plenty of space in the pool and that was my main concern.

We found our favourite spot by the pool (it's upstairs in the gazebo) and although they were setting up for a private party later on, they told us that we could stay there the time being. It turned out that the party didn't start until 7.00, so we had no problems at all and were able to stay until we left.

We went swimming and I really enjoyed myself. Some parts of Stormalong Bay were pretty much deserted, absolutely lovely. After about half an hour in the water, we had had enough, so we retreated back to our sun loungers. It really was burning in the sun and I made sure to apply lots of sunscreen as I didn't want a repeat of the sunburn I'd already had on my back.

Within a few minutes, I was thirsty, so it was time for a visit to Hurricane Hanna's Grill for a cocktail. Mark told me to “surprise” him, so I told the bartender that and she asked what he usually drank. Once I told her that he usually drank beer, she suggested the Shipwreck. I'm not sure what was in it, but it tasted good and he drank all of it, which was a good sign.

After about another half an hour or so of sitting in the sun, we were both more than hot enough and never mind a tan, I was starting to go a lovely shade of red, so it was time to head back to our room. So much for sunscreen, although I will admit I didn't get any redder later on, which was a step forward.

Next: No you’re not getting our front rows seats – thank you!

[BritDisFan]

I'm just catching up on your TR Cheryl, I'm really pleased you enjoyed your Keys to the Kingdom tour, I am really tempted to book this for our trip next year but I'm worried that it would destroy the magic for me.

Karen

[ariel1]

thanks for more wonderful updates! the tour sounded really interesting- something to plan for a future trip. sorry about the guy who thought kids are some sort of character fastpass. some people! i, too, love how well mark hams it up with the characters. it makes the pictures so much more fun. thanks too for trying to worm out any info on the 20,000 leagues plans. good work, resident spy! i hope it's more than just a character greeting area. toontown hall is just up the road a bit from there. we don't need another. just my two cents. looking forward to more...

[Jennifer2003]

I want to take that tour so bad now! Thanks for a great report!

People look at me oddly too when I'm in line for a character and I don't have a kid with me!! Well guess what...I'm a 10 year old trapped in a 25 year old's body...so there!

[DrDolphin]

Another great installment Cheryl!! My Cheryl and I went on the Keys to the Kingdom tour last October and loved it!! It has made us a big fan of the backstage tours (trying to plan one for our borthday trip in October) and have even discussed doing KTTK again - since we were told that each CM has a book with 800 pages of info - so each tour can end up with different information each time.

[mac]

Great updates Cheryl! The "Keys" tour sounds great.

[imagineerwannabe]

Cheryl,

Principles of Supply and Demand would suggest Disney should raise the cost of "Keys to the Kingdom" since the demand is so great. I would love to go on this tour, but could not justify the cost (or find a place for my kids while my wife and I went).

[angelina]

The tour sounds really interesting, I bet having a good guide makes all the difference! Keep it coming!!!!

[chezp]

Tuesday 4 May – part five: No you’re not getting our front rows seats – thank you!



After a shower and ironing the dress that I was going to wear that night (another nice example of a home from home) we were off out again, walking over to Spoodles for our 6.00 PS.





The view over to the Boardwalk



We were seated almost as soon as we arrived and Mark requested a table by the kitchen and his request was instantly granted. It was a great viewing spot to see what was going on in the kitchen and how big the portions of food were.





The cooks at work at Spoodles



Having seen that, I decided to just go for an entree, but Mark got a Caesar salad for appetiser, which we ended up sharing. I had the grilled salmon with sweet onion risotto, red wine sauce and crispy onions, while Mark went for the seafood paella. Note that for those who don't eat meat like me, this is not an option. It includes chorizo, Italian sausage and when I asked, it cannot be made without the meat element. We both really enjoyed our meals and were fully stuffed afterwards, although Mark did feel that his entree perhaps wasn't worth the $26.99 we paid for it. The total, including tip, was $65.28.



Spoodles – average score: 8.15



Appetiser 8½ 8

Entrée 9 8½

Service 8 8½

Atmosphere 8½ 8

Value for money 7½ 7



Tonight we were heading for Magic Kingdom to see Spectromagic and Wishes, so it was off to catch the bus from the Boardwalk. We only had a couple of minutes to wait and we were off. We got to the Magic Kingdom is about 7.30, an hour before Spectromagic and already all the front row was taken all along Main Street and up to the hub in front of the Castle. Mark wanted to stop around the hub, but I refused, saying that if we were going to wait an hour for the parade, then I wanted to be in the front row, so we kept walking into Liberty Square and we finally found a front row spot near the Liberty Tree Tavern.



We got chatting to the couple behind us from New York, who were there with their three year old daughter. Between us and with some help from another family, we managed to stop anyone else barging in just before Spectromagic started. Some people have a real nerve. We had been there for nearly an hour and yet some people expected to roll up at the last minute and get the best seats in the house. I think not!



The parade was very magical and we did notice some changes to it as well, which was nice to see. There’s nothing worse than just seeing the same parade again and again. Despite having some problems getting the flash on the camera to charge, I still managed to get some good shots, so the front row seats were worth while.

















Continued in next post...

[chezp]

Continued from previous post...













Spectromagic



Having been standing for more than an hour, it took a while to get our circulation going again. We wanted to watch Wishes, but walked through Fantasyland and Tomorrowland to get back to the hub, just to get our legs functioning again.



Next: Wishes – as wonderful as we’ve been led to believe?