It's The End of the World as We Know It-The TCD Gang's Last Fort Trip (BC)

[Brent... Just Brent 83]

The calliope was playing, but not that loudly. You could hear it, but the pre-parade music was so loud it was hard to pick out the tune. When it passed on the other end of Main Street you could hear it better. It was playing "When you Wish Upon a Star"

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

This video looks like it could have been shot from close to where you were standing TCD; possibly on the same day?

 

It didn't say anything about you getting a wet butt though so I am not sure:

 

http://youtu.be/bLowtb2_Dh8

 

Good job finding that!

 

Not only was it shot on the same day near where I was standing, but I am in the video. I have the blue and white umbrella, and you can see me here and throughout the video:

 

 

 

Had the videographer stuck around he/she would have gotten the wet butt on film.

 

The calliope was playing, but not that loudly. You could hear it, but the pre-parade music was so loud it was hard to pick out the tune. When it passed on the other end of Main Street you could hear it better. It was playing "When you Wish Upon a Star"

 

Thanks for the info.  I would expect the calliope to be very loud.  I wonder if it was just taped music?

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Time to move on with the bonus photos.

 

These are all still from our waterlogged day visit on July 1.

 

We left off with the People Mover, and 20 minutes to kill before our Space Mountain Fastpasses were good.

 

We noticed the crowds at Carousel of Progress, and said why not?

 

I like the Carousel of Progress.  I always have.  I remember riding on it back in the 70's, when the last scene promised us a fantastic and unbelievable future.  Now the ending is lame.

 

One thing I've never understood though, is whether we are supposed to be following one family from the turn of the century to modern times, or if there are supposed to be four separate families.  The narrator is definitely the same in each scene- but he doesn't seem to age. 

 

I found a pretty good setting on my camera that worked with no flash, and we had second row seats with no one behind us, so I got some good photos.  This one is from the first scene, where we meet the narrator, Jim, his wife, Sarah, and his children, Patricia and Jim:

 

 

I love all the details in these scenes.  It is amazing to think that there are many people alive today who lived through all of the changes depicted in the scenes.  Has there ever been a generation who has seen so much change in one lifetime?  I know that I haven't.

 

There is one detail in this first scene that has always confused me.  In the scene off on the left, there is a little girl helping Sarah with the laundry.  She isn't named, but she is definitely younger than Patty, who we also meet in this scene.  We never see that girl again.

 

Here are a couple of photos of Jim as we travel through time.  He doesn't seem to age, even though he is telling us about all the great new technology he and his family are enjoying:

 

 

 

As mentioned, all of the little details in each scene are fun to study:

 

 

I wonder if people really had this many canisters in their kitchens.  And I also wonder if people had wires all over their houses like shown in this scene when electricity was fist made available for home use:

 

 

Even when we get to the Halloween scene, Jim hasn't aged.  What the heck?:

 

 

In the last scene, Jim has lost his moustache, and seems to have aged a bit, but certainly not as much as the years covered in the previous scenes:

 

 

I think this last scene is supposed to just reflect today's times, and not some future scene, but the clothing worn by Patty looks very 80's if you ask me:

 

 

I wish that I could see the original ending scene that was here in the 70's.  I guess it's on YouTube somewhere. Somebody post a link if you have one.

 

And while we're at it, I would like to see the old props and things that used to be on display as you left Space Mountain.  I remember them showing how things would be in the future.  Not the lame remains of the FedEx sponsorship that we see now.

 

Here's my last COP photo:

 

 

It was finally time for Space Mountain.

 

The posted wait time was 90 minutes.  Earlier, when we walked by, it had been 120.  Yet, people were heading in to wait on the standby line:

 

 

Of course, we had to wait to use our Fastpasses for this lady who was trying to use expired Fastpasses.  Or maybe she was just early.  Either way, how stupid can you be?  Get out of the way!:

 

 

Since we had just noticed the train pass between the queue entry room and the actual mountain, I paid particular attention to what happens when we first entered the building.  I never really noticed or thought about how there are ramps that you descend immediately as you enter.  You go pretty low.  This big mural is on the wall there:

 

 

And, then you begin a long walk up a ramp through the mountain.  I knew the train passed overhead somewhere, but never realized that it is right at the beginning of the queue.

 

I don't think the posted wait time was exaggerated today- the stand-by line was solid all the way back to the entrance, and they were only letting Fastpass holders ride on the right side.  A lot of times, they mix folks up at the top of the ramp, and use both sides for the standby line.  Not today.  Good deal for Fastpass holders.  Bad deal for everyone else.

 

Twin #1 suggested that we do a Gator chomp for our photo.  The mad Brazilian kid in the back didn't get the memo:

 

 

True confession time. 

 

When I got the Space Mountain Fastpasses, I put Twin #2's pass in the machine too just to see what would happen.  To my surprise, it issued her a Fastpass.  With the old paper tickets, this would not have worked.  I wondered what would happen if I put the pass in again, so I did.  This time, it spit out one of those "This is not a Valid Fastpass" slips.  What that meant is that I had three Fastpasses, and one not a valid Fastpass.  By mistake, when we rode the first time, I handed the CM one valid Fastpass, and that invalid slip.  That meant that after our first ride, I still had two Space Mountain Fastpasses.  What would you do?  I know that most of you are rule followers, and I try to be, but we rode again.  So sorry to all of those waiting an hour and a half on standby.

 

So, we rode Space Mountain twice, with no wait.

 

When we emerged, the sky looked like it was trying to clear.

 

We planned to stick around for the 4th of July fireworks, so it was time to discuss what to do about dinner.

 

We examined our options- we could stay and eat someplace in the MK.  But, it was crowded and wet there.

 

I suggested that we could hop to another park for a while and eat there- but Twin #1 pointed out that it would be unlikely that we could ride any of the major attractions at another park this late on a rainy day.  Plus getting there would be a pain.  So, we decided that we should pick one of the MK resorts, and go eat there and take a little break out of the rain.

 

Twin #1 said what about a Giddyap and Go at the Fort?

 

I said you are a genius!

 

I'm always up for that.

 

So, we headed that way.

 

On the way out, we passed some of the special Brazilian CM's in their green shirts:

 

 

You can see that the sky is clearing up here, and the rain had stopped:

 

 

The sun was almost out, but nobody looked very happy about it:

 

 

 

On the way out, I wanted to stop for some Sorcerer of the Magic Kingdom cards.  Twin #1 did not.  She went in the gift shop, and I went in the fire station.  I was able to get three sets of cards, using Twin #2's pass as well.  This is also something that was not allowed with the paper passes.  Interesting.

 

This window is right outside the exit to the Fire House.  I'll bet not many guests ever see it:

 

 

As we were leaving, one of those research CM's asked if we would take a 3 or 4 minute poll.  I thought maybe they were going to give us a Magic Band or something, so we agreed.  We were taken into this little area next to guest services and seated in front of an ancient lap top computer:

 

 

 

The poll took way longer than 3 or 4 minutes, and was ridiculously repetitive. The CM came by after a while to see how we were doing.  I said fine, but pointed out that her estimate of 3-4 minutes was not very accurate.  I decided to flat out ask her if we would be getting Magic Bands to test or anything good for taking the poll.  She told us no.  Nothing.  Not even one Fastpass.  Fail.

 

At least I got to see this Chamber of Commerce sign, which I had never seen before:

 

 

After finding out that there was nothing in it for me,  I wanted to stop taking the poll. but Twin #1 pressed on. 

 

She enjoyed writing a rant in response to the question about the Limited Time Magic events at the MK:

 

 

There recently was an entry on the Disney Parks Blog allowing guests to vote on bringing back "long lost" characters.  Twin #1 says if they bring back Hercules, she gets credit.

 

After we finally finished the poll, we headed to the boat dock, and hopped the Fort boat.

 

The Grand Floridian DVC is really blending in with the resort- it has its roof and siding on, but still is wrapped in scaffolding:

 

 

The size of the MK bus area construction project is still surprising to me- it extends all the way to the water:

 

 

The water bridge is still cool:

 

 

When the monorail is passing over my boat, I can't not take a photo:

 

 

There's Wilderness Lodge.  They got this one right:

 

 

A couple of weeks ago, somebody asked about a rumor that there was construction equipment present at River Country.  From the lake, there was nothing new to see:

 

 

 

 

 

Stay tuned, and I'll have some River Country shots from the ground, too.  In case you're wondering- there was nothing new happening there.

 

We are at 30 photos, so we will stop here, and continue on with our boat ride in the next update.

 

TCD

[Discamper 394]

TCD this is from 1986

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9Cl0sjVjjQ&feature=player_embedded#t=397s

[DaveInTN 3,247]

 

There is one detail in this first scene that has always confused me.  In the scene off on the left, there is a little girl helping Sarah with the laundry.  She isn't named, but she is definitely younger than Patty, who we also meet in this scene.  We never see that girl again.

 

I can actually answer this one.  I had a source that once showed me film of the original scene that Walt designed for the NY Worlds Fair.  The little girl was named Ethel, and Sarah told her to go fetch the laundry off the line before the storm rolled in.  Ethel was hit by lightening, leading John to remark "Well, maybe someday we'll actually be able to put electricity to use for us, rather than having it kill and maim us".  Shortly after the opening of the Worlds Fair, viewers complained that their children were horrified by watching Ethel get fried, leading them to close the COP for a week to make revisions to that scene, resulting in what we see today. 

[BigTom 76]

Are we sure the wet butt was rain water or was it just someone who couldn't wait.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

TCD this is from 1986

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9Cl0sjVjjQ&feature=player_detailpage

 

Cool.  I don't think I ever saw this version.  This wasn't the original ending from the 70's, though.  The mom has a sweet desk top computer, and Jimmy is dressed like Michael Jackson.

 

 

I can actually answer this one.  I had a source that once showed me film of the original scene that Walt designed for the NY Worlds Fair.  The little girl was named Ethel, and Sarah told her to go fetch the laundry off the line before the storm rolled in.  Ethel was hit by lightening, leading John to remark "Well, maybe someday we'll actually be able to put electricity to use for us, rather than having it kill and maim us".  Shortly after the opening of the Worlds Fair, viewers complained that their children were horrified by watching Ethel get fried, leading them to close the COP for a week to make revisions to that scene, resulting in what we see today. 

 

Wow, I had no idea.  That explains it, though.

 

I think they ought to go back to the original opening sequence.  Todays' kids might like it.

 

Are we sure the wet butt was rain water or was it just someone who couldn't wait.

 

Busted.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I was thinking maybe I would get the bonus photos wrapped up today.

 

But, I'm not.

 

So, I am going to post a mini-update here, because I have a cool photo to share.

 

Then we will get back at it.

 

We left off on the boat to the Fort.

 

After passing River Country, we next passed by my old friend, the Shoe Tree.

 

The Shoe Tree has to be one of the most underappreciated features in all of Walt Disney World.

 

But, I never miss a chance to take a photo:

 

 

The crop looks good this year:

 

 

From this angle, you can see the Shoe Tree and Wilderness Lodge:

 

 

Even though we were having a temporary reprieve from the rain, Clementine's Beach was empty as we passed:

 

 

One last shoe tree pic:

 

 

I took that last one for a reason.

 

A week or so ago, this photo was posted on DisneyCamper's excellent thread of photos from the 70's and 80's:

 

 

As best we can tell, that photo depicts a boat full of high ranking Disney executives, including Roy Disney, touring Bay Lake some time in the 60's after the acquisition of the Disney World property.

 

Check out this version of the photo I took 45+ years later, with a bit of tinkering on the color:

 

 

I think that's pretty cool.  After that first photo was taken, four theme parks and thousands of resort rooms have been built on the property, but this little corner, which is said to have caught Walt's eye, remains unchanged.

 

That is why I love the Shoe Tree.

 

TCD

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

Thanks for sharing the shoetree area comparison.

 

I too love that little corner and hope it never changes.

 

You forgot the most important part of C.O.P. though.

 

Dad's voice is made famous in another classic.........and since this is a TCD TR, I am of course speaking of "A Christmas Story."

 

Dad in COP is voiced by Jean Shepherd, who also voiced grown-up Ralphie on "A Christmas Story."

 

Jean Shepherd also wrote the novel from which "A Christmas Story" is based upon.

 

The novel is called, "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash."

 

If you already knew that.  Great.

 

I still found a way to weave yet another "A Christmas Story" reference into a TCD TR.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

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

Dave's photo SMBP.

[Beckers 1,136]

I still found a way to weave yet another "A Christmas Story" reference into a TCD TR.

Just another reason why I like you!

And if you (Aaron) were on FB you could see the awesome pic Bill posted of his son from camp looking like Ralphie. It's a classic. But, you will just have to imagine it since you don't belong to time suck, I mean Facebook.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

 

Dad in COP is voiced by Jean Shepherd, who also voiced grown-up Ralphie on "A Christmas Story."

 

 

 

Holy crap!  How did that never occur to me??  All the times I sat in COP....and all the times I've seen the movie.  I can hear those voices like they are permanently burned into my brain.  And they are the same!!!  You just blew my mind and rocked my world.  I may be the only person on earth who didn't know that, but HOLY CRAP! 

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

Just another reason why I like you!

And if you (Aaron) were on FB you could see the awesome pic Bill posted of his son from camp looking like Ralphie. It's a classic. But, you will just have to imagine it since you don't belong to time suck, I mean Facebook.

 

Perhaps one of you could re-post it here?  :)

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Thanks for sharing the shoetree area comparison.

 

I too love that little corner and hope it never changes.

As has been discussed, the area in the left of the photo would be a giant DVD building, extending out into the lake, if the plans cooked up by the current geniuses in charge ever come to fruition.

 

You forgot the most important part of C.O.P. though.

 

Dad's voice is made famous in another classic.........and since this is a TCD TR, I am of course speaking of "A Christmas Story."

 

Dad in COP is voiced by Jean Shepherd, who also voiced grown-up Ralphie on "A Christmas Story."

 

Jean Shepherd also wrote the novel from which "A Christmas Story" is based upon.

 

The novel is called, "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash."

 

If you already knew that.  Great.

 

I still found a way to weave yet another "A Christmas Story" reference into a TCD TR.

 

Well done.

 

And you didn't even have to force it.

 

 

Yup, that's what they want to do.  Except the building will be taller. 

 

Unbelievable.  But I saw the plans with my own eyes.

 

 

Dave's photo SMBP.

 

 

Agreed.

 

Just another reason why I like you!

And if you (Aaron) were on FB you could see the awesome pic Bill posted of his son from camp looking like Ralphie. It's a classic. But, you will just have to imagine it since you don't belong to time suck, I mean Facebook.

 

Yeah, Aaron rocks!

 

Holy crap!  How did that never occur to me??  All the times I sat in COP....and all the times I've seen the movie.  I can hear those voices like they are permanently burned into my brain.  And they are the same!!!  You just blew my mind and rocked my world.  I may be the only person on earth who didn't know that, but HOLY CRAP!

 

Wow.  Who even knew that you had enough of a functioning mind to blow?

 

If it makes you feel any better, although I doubt that it will, I didn't know about this connection either.  I can do the same thing as you, though, comparing the voices in my mind, and they are indeed the same.

 

Perhaps one of you could re-post it here?  :)

Yeah, somebody swipe that photo and post it here like Jason did to Brent's photos.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Wow.  Who even knew that you had enough of a functioning mind to blow?

 

 

Surely by now one of your daughters has told you that you are not funny. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Surely by now one of your daughters has told you that you are not funny. 

 

All of them, as well as Mrs. TCD, have told me that many times.

 

My daughters have also specifically requested that I refrain from trying to be funny, because they find my efforts at humor to be annoying and embarrassing.

 

TCD

[kampfirekim 260]

Wet Butted One?

 

Good one!

 

 

TCD

 

Thank you.  I try.

 

 

1.   As one who loves C.O.P., I agree that the last scene is lame and is in desperate need of a makeover.

 

2..  Go Twin 1 Go!! Great rant.  She definitely gets Hercules bragging rights if he is ever brought back.

 

3.   Pro-Shoe Tree and Walt's eye-catching corner.  Booooo to the ones who want to change it.  Booooo!

 

 

Who knew I'd even get a Christmas Story trivia bonus! Awesome Sauce.  Flippin' Awesome.  ;D

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

All of them, as well as Mrs. TCD, have told me that many times.

 

My daughters have also specifically requested that I refrain from trying to be funny, because they find my efforts at humor to be annoying and embarrassing.

 

TCD

Well then keep it up!!  Cause as a parent, it is our JOB to embarrass the teenagers :)

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Well then keep it up!!  Cause as a parent, it is our JOB to embarrass the teenagers :)

 

It's the only thing in life I excel at.

[CKCK 45]

This is the TR that keeps on giving.  

 

There is a lot to comment on.  

 

So I will sum it up in two words...

 

woo

 

hoo

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

I think this last scene is supposed to just reflect today's times, and not some future scene, but the clothing worn by Patty looks very 80's if you ask me:

 

 

I owned a very similar sweater and those exact same ski boots in 1982.  

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

It's the only thing in life I excel at.

 

They are good at embarrassing you too, or do we need to remind you about the Harlem Shake?

[DaveInTN 3,247]

They are good at embarrassing you too, or do we need to remind you about the Harlem Shake?

 

Why do you assume I was embarrassed about that?  I happen to think I look hot in a granny wig. 

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

Holy crap!  How did that never occur to me??  All the times I sat in COP....and all the times I've seen the movie.  I can hear those voices like they are permanently burned into my brain.  And they are the same!!!  You just blew my mind and rocked my world.  I may be the only person on earth who didn't know that, but HOLY CRAP! 

 

You are welcome.

 

Signed,

 

Mr. Plethora of Useless Information

 

Why do you assume I was embarrassed about that?  I happen to think I look hot in a granny wig. 

 

I would wear that video as a badge of honor.