Another Auld Lang Syne: The TCD Gang Rings in 2014 @ The Fort!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Congrats on the paper FP score.  SCORE!   I am a little worried about how the FP+ and Disabilities Access changes are going to affect G.  Hopefully we will be able to find a way to make it work for him.

 

Charging stations are good as I am inclined to drain a camera battery in no time flat, however, I am not going to search for chameleons on my vacation.  Unless someone is taking a long time in the Rapunzel Potty and I'm left waiting.

 

I'm not sure about the new Disability Access thing- but I do hope that things don't change too much for you in that area.  I think you will be fine.

 

I agree that hunting for chameleons is probably not the best use of vacation time-but with three daughters I have found myself waiting outside of WDW restrooms quite a bit.  I'd rather look for chameleons than at certain ladies not from this land.

 

Andrew, thanks for the old KTTW card trick a few weeks back. I posted on another topic here on how bad I feel for people who live far away and plan one day at Epcot only to have to choose TT or sorin. We brought some old cards and were able to hit both attractions in the same day with a paper fast pass and a MB one. I think when they allow 3 attractions per day at any park (ex: BTMRR, Sorin and TOT) it will be a lot better. The two tier choices at epocot and DHS really sucks. When are the FP machines leaving Epcot and DHS? I found 6 other old cards :). We are heading back for Presidents' Day weekend for 3 days. Can't wait since we a fanatic AP holders now. Keep those FP cards and save them for your grand kids. They will probably be worth something on eBay by then

 

Glad that tip worked for you.  Sadly, the opportunity to use old KTTW cards for paper FP's is now done.  Forever it looks like.

 

Since you have MB's make sure to make your FP+ reservations for President's Day weekend now- that's a busy time and it looks like there is limited availability for some of the FP+'s.

 

There are no legacy FP machines left anywhere in WDW. EPCOT and DHS shut theirs down this week. Everything is FP+ now.

 

A moment of silence for our dear departed friend.

 

Thanks, I guess we got lucky a few weeks back. I wish I knew so I could have gotten a picture with a few of the old girls

 

Yup.  I guess paper FP's are no more.  It occurred to me that I should have used some of those old KTTW cards to collect a complete set of the paper FP's.  A set of those might be worth something some day.  However, based on what I've seen old Disney crap sell for on EBay, probably not much.

 

I had a feeling that your old friend that you were going to say good bye too was the fast pass machines............so.......so........so......sad...........I mentioned to my boys that the machines were gone and that WDW was now "ruined" (I know, over dramatic!!!) We consoled ourselves with the fact that Disneyland still has their FP machines. One perk out there is, you can grab one in DL and then run across to the California Adventure and grab another. Since the parks are small in size and right next to each other its easy to go between the two. We haven't decided yet, whether we are doing DL or WDW in August, however, If we go to DL we can still enjoy FP's!!!

 

I need to make a comment about the photo you posted about the couple texting (possibly each other!!) while pushing their stroller. What struck me with that photo (and made me sad) was that the little girl in the stroller was pointing at something. Here that family is walking down Main Street USA and instead of enjoying that moment with their child and talking with their child and sharing her excitement with whatever she is pointing at (probably the castle) they are immersed in their phones. When I see people like that I would like to shake them and tell them to wake up, live in the moment, enjoy the people around you!!!! UGH!!!

 

It is funny to see the various layers of clothing/outerwear people are wearing!!! I remember on a November trip we had years ago and people around us were in hats and mittens and we were in shorts. I got a great pic of my Mom while we were waiting for the MK to open. She was wearing a t-shirt and surrounded by people looking like they were headed to the ski slope!! So funny!!

 

Heidi

 

Great post.  I forgot about Disneyland.  That is all the more reason for me to plan a trip there sooner rather than later.

 

And, about the parents with smartphones- great observation.  It's not just parents though.  If you look around out in public, and not just at WDW, it is sad to see what goes on.  We have a strict rule that phones won't be used or even looked at when we sit down as a family for a meal, whether at home or out at a restaurant.  But, every time we go out to eat someplace, and I look around, it's amazing to see how many people never put there darned phones down.  I even see couples who look like they're out on a date both on their phones instead of talking to each other.  I think I shared this story in a previous trip report, but there was a time recently when I was sitting outside the Meadow Trading Post early one morning sipping some coffee and watching the world go by.  A young dad walks by with a couple of kids, who are excited about seeing some squirrels and are pointing them out to dad, who has his head down looking at his phone and is doing his best to ignore the kids.  At 8 am.  On a weekend.  What could possibly be so darned important on that phone that the guy needs to ignore his kids?  What are kids who grow up with those kind of interactions going to be like as adults?  I guess we'll find out.

 

I would agree with you but on our November trip I felt like I spent the whole trip looking at my phone because of the new fast pass plus system which I really don't like.

 

Yes, there's that.

 

And it's bad.  Everyone is looking at their phones and trying to walk. Especially those with giant strollers. If it wasn't so sad it would be funny.

 

Sad. I correctly predicted in my July TR that it would be the last time I help FPs. And it's true.

 

Of course, now I'm just hoping that I can get thru the snow to the Fort tomorrow!

 

I remember your prediction.  At the time, I thought it couldn't happen that fast. They're still "testing."  But it turns out you were right.

 

I saw some bad things about Georgia traffic on the news last night.  Really awful.  I hope you are able to make it out of there and get to the Fort today!  Be careful.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

We are still in the Rapunzel restroom area.

 

Look, there's her tower:

 

 

It's nice to look at and all, but I still can't believe they built all of this, and it's just restrooms.

 

Granted, there restrooms are nice, so I appreciate that.  They're right over there:

 

 

You can see that everyone is still bundled up.  I thought it was great.  I can remember the last time we were by this way, and how hot it was.  Today, it's like the air conditioner is on. 

 

Even though I am puzzled by all the effort and expense expended just to build a couple of restrooms, I do admit that this area looks a whole lot better than it used to.  This whole stretch between Small World and Peter Pan looks much better:

 

 

One thing that surprised me though, is how congested it sill is along that stretch of the park.  We had just walked through there, and it's as bad, and maybe worse, as it's ever been. Almost gridlock.  It doesn't help that they have chains and posts in front of Small World, and have the queue starting out there.  Who thought that was a good idea?  And why is it necessary?  I guess the standby line is long now since people can use FP+ on Small World.  Which raises my next question.  What person in his right mind would waste one of his three FP+ selections for the day on Small World?  One of these days I think I should stand by the FP+ return line and ask these people what is wrong with them.

 

I took that last photo as I was leaving the seating area next to the Rapunzel restrooms, as I did, something caught my eye.  It was this deer portrait painted above the Peter Pan queue:

 

 

If you ever visit the "Where in the World" thread here on ff.net, you'll recognize that deer.  I posted a photo of it there, and even some Disney experts had a hard time placing it.  I know I had never noticed that deer there before, which is why I took these photos:

 

 

 

So, why is there a deer there?

 

What does it have to do with Peter Pan?

 

As DIT pointed out on the Where in the World? thread, maybe the deer is there as theming for Fantasyland.  If you look up and notice it, it would be one of the first things you see as you walk into Fantasyland after leaving Liberty Square.  Part of New Fantasyland is called the Enchanted Forest.  That's where you'll fine Gaston's Tavern.  Gaston uses antlers in all of his decorating.  And that deer has antlers.  There you go.

 

It was time for us to head to the Haunted Mansion to use our FP+'s.  So we headed there.  We stopped over here on the bridge that crosses the new brook to see if we could see any of Pascal's friends from this vantage point:

 

 

Nope.

 

Our HM FP+ return time began at 2:40, here's us heading in via the FP+ queue at 2:46 pm.  All of those poor folks to our left are in the stand-by queue:

 

 

Those people are in for a long wait.  Everyone in the stand-by queue now has to go through the interactive graveyard, while guests with FP+ just walk up to the mansion's doors.

 

We walked straight through the queue without stopping, and right into the stretching room, which was full.  We were the last people to enter.  I thought everyone knows where the exit door to the stretching room is, but I guess they don't.  We walked over and stood in front of it.  So, when the door opened, we were the first out.  And we just cut in front of all those suckers staring at the ceiling.  Dummies.

 

Here's a free tip so you won't be a dummy- there are two stretching rooms- and the exit door is in a different place in both of them.  But, for both rooms, look for the portrait of the lady with the umbrella.  The door is under her.  Trust me- stand under her.  You'll be the first ones out of the room.  You can thank me later.

 

So, we did HM.

 

Now what?

 

Our Space FP+ wasn't good until 4:35, and we had missed our Big Thunder FP+.

 

But I remembered something.  When I ran into Jason and Sil over our New Year's trip, Jason mentioned how he had been able to reschedule FP+ times for rides even after the return time had passed.  So, unlike paper FP's, missing a FP+ didn't mean your FP was wasted.  I asked one of the girls to check.  Sure enough, she was able to reschedule our expired Big Thunder FP+ for a time that was good right now.  Strange.  Earlier, when we tried for a new time, there was nothing.  Now, we could go right away?   What's up with that?  I don't know.  All I know is that we now had another FP+ to use, so we headed that way.

 

This next set of photos was taken a little after 3 pm. This first one shows that there's a CM holding a sign showing where the MH standby queue begins:

 

 

If you recognize that area, the CM is about half-way between where the you normally enter the HM queue and the River Boat entrance.  Here's another photo:

 

 

People were getting in that line.

 

That had to be at least an hour wait for HM.

 

But, there they go:

 

 

I unintentionally took a photo of something really interesting in that last photo. Do you see that little girl in the pink sweatshirt sitting there in the background?  She is eating a Mickey Premium Bar.  And, look at her face.  And her clothes.  Completely clean.  How strange.  When my kids were that age, I shudder to think of what they would look like if I turned them loose on a Mickey bar like that.

 

Another thing that was weird is that this time of day, people would normally be lined up along the streets waiting for the parade.  But there is no parade right now- there's a new one coming in March.  So, they just up and have no parades for the next two months or so.  OK.

 

After we passed those stockades that everyone must stop and take a photo of, we came to a construction wall which blocked our access to the little ramp that we always would walk down when heading this way.  The whole thing was blocked off with a wooden wall.  We had to walk around.  When we got to the other side, they didn't have anything blocking the view of what they're doing.  It looks like they're ripping out the wall next to the ramp.  Maybe making it wider.  That's a good thing I guess.  If you've ever walked that ramp and met some genius coming the other way with a double stroller and looking at his smartphone, you would agree:

 

 

 

This next photo is really blurry.  I think because it was taken looking directly into the sun, but it's the only one I have that shows there is scaffolding and fabric encasing the tower outside of the Tiki Room:

 

 

We got to BTMRR a couple of minutes before our new FP+ return time.  We stood out front, off to the side, so we wouldn't be those people that we always encounter who stand in front of and block the FP return line while they wait for their FP return time to arrive.  What is wrong with those people?  But, then I noticed something.  There was a line off to the right that you had to wait in before you could walk up to the FP+ scanners.  This is us getting in that line:

 

 

So Disney spent a billion dollars, and now we have to stand in line to use our FP's?  Nice.  The problem is that instead of showing the CM at the FP return entrance your FP's, which one person could do for an entire group, each individual must stop and scan his MB.  One at a time.  And, inevitably, there are problems.  We've had it happed to us.  On our last trip, for some reason, my MB wouldn't scan properly at RNRC.  The three girls' all worked fine, but for some reason mine didn't.  Just on this ride.  The CM wouldn't let me pass.  Which meant everyone behind me had to wait.  I explained that we were a group of four, and we had all made the FP+ reservation together. Sorry, said the CM.  But if I could show her my reservation on my phone, she'd let me in.  So, I had to pull up the app and show her.  That took time.  In the meantime, nobody behind me could pass.  Well, multiply that times a hundred, maybe a thousand, and that's what we have at the FP+ entrances.  How magical.

 

The FP+ line was long- but it kept moving.  I snapped a couple of photos in the queue thinking I could use them in the Where in the World thread, but I figured they would be too easy.  I think this is the only place in WDW where you're going to see explosives like this:

 

 

 

When we finished with Big Thunder, we checked to see if we could move up our Space Mountain FP+ time.  No dice.  We couldn't move it to a later time either.  It said nothing else was available.

 

So we decided to head over to Hollywood Studios and get working on those paper FP's.

 

On the way out, we came to a construction wall they had up around Casey's Corner.  I couldn't see over it, but I could reach my camera over it to get these photos:

 

 

 

Wow.

 

What are they doing?

 

It looks like they have the pavement broken up.  And look at that stack of blocks.  I guess they're going to build some planters and put down some new pavement?

 

There sure is a lot of stuff torn up and under construction here at the MK.  But, that's kind of what they do in the slow months like January and February. 

 

Here we are at 4:11 pm, ready to catch the Hollywood Studios bus directly from the MK bus stop, not the TTC:

 

 

Now that's a new development that's good.  It's much better than the old way, which required a ride over to the TTC and catching the bus there.

 

I was hoping that we would get to ride in one of the new articulated buses, as they had some parked here at another bus stop.  But, there was no need.  We were the only guests on this bus.

 

Next up, we go hard at DHS.

 

TCD

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

On Sunday evening of WWW, a bunch of us were in the stand-by line for HM.  Some people not of our land pushed past us in line and then the rest of their group of 20 complained that we had separated them from the rest of the group.  We were not pleased!!! But, in  order not to let it spoil our magical evening, we let them all past us. 

 

However, once we got in the stretching room, my group grabbed me and headed over to stand under the lady with the umbrella.  We got on the ride much sooner than all the people who pushed past us! 

 

FUEGO!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

On Sunday evening of WWW, a bunch of us were in the stand-by line for HM.  Some people not of our land pushed past us in line and then the rest of their group of 20 complained that we had separated them from the rest of the group.  We were not pleased!!! But, in  order not to let it spoil our magical evening, we let them all past us. 

 

However, once we got in the stretching room, my group grabbed me and headed over to stand under the lady with the umbrella.  We got on the ride much sooner than all the people who pushed past us! 

 

FUEGO!

 

That is the way it's done!

 

Nice job Wild Womenz!

 

Stick it to the people not from this land.

 

Fuego.

 

TCD

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

We like February at WDW bc the lines are very manageable, but there are tradeoffs like you said...

-lots of refurbs,scrims, etc.

People who push past the WW in line suck monkey butt and i would like to take their stupid flag and shove it right.......

[devores 382]

They are tearing up allot at the MK right now. Its an effort to increase capacity and ease congestion.

 

The tree in front of Crystal Palace is gone, and has been for some time. The planter in front of the bathrooms by Tomorrowland terrace is gone as well and the are removing the grassy area in front of Caseys (the area you took a photo of).

 

They have also started theming the bypass area behind MS. This is supposed to open up as a permanent bypass.  

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

We like February at WDW bc the lines are very manageable, but there are tradeoffs like you said...

-lots of refurbs,scrims, etc.

People who push past the WW in line suck monkey butt and i would like to take their stupid flag and shove it right.......

 

In addition to the stuff I posted photos of, all of Splash Mountain was closed down too.  That's a lot of stuff getting worked on all at the same time.

 

LOL at the flag shoving.  That's an idea that might actually put a stop to it.  But, those people not from this land just can't help themselves.  They are, after all, not from this land.  They don't understand our strange customs like waiting your turn and personal space. And bathing.  FUEGO.

 

They are tearing up allot at the MK right now. Its an effort to increase capacity and ease congestion.

 

The tree in front of Crystal Palace is gone, and has been for some time. The planter in front of the bathrooms by Tomorrowland terrace is gone as well and the are removing the grassy area in front of Caseys (the area you took a photo of).

 

They have also started theming the bypass area behind MS. This is supposed to open up as a permanent bypass.  

 

OK, so this is to increase capacity and ease congestion? 

 

How about building some more attractions at Epcot or DHS so guests will go there?  Then maybe not so many people will be trying to cram in to the MK.  Those blue aliens at AK won't do any good.  Plus, they're not even going to be here until 2017.  Three years!

 

I didn't notice the missing tree.  Great.  They ought to just cut down the rest and be done with it. 

 

TCD

[dvccamper 32]

I applaud you for your rule on no phones at the dinner table, home or out. We have the same rule, it's non negotiable. Friends of my daughters have been over to the house and they never take their eyes off their phones. It drives me insane and I have told my girls they better not be like that when they visit others homes, it is far too rude.

As far as the situation you had at RNRC when you had to show her your fast passes I read somewhere to screen shot your fast passes so you can pull them up quickly instead of waiting for their foolish app to load. That's what I have done for our upcoming trip.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I applaud you for your rule on no phones at the dinner table, home or out. We have the same rule, it's non negotiable. Friends of my daughters have been over to the house and they never take their eyes off their phones. It drives me insane and I have told my girls they better not be like that when they visit others homes, it is far too rude.

As far as the situation you had at RNRC when you had to show her your fast passes I read somewhere to screen shot your fast passes so you can pull them up quickly instead of waiting for their foolish app to load. That's what I have done for our upcoming trip.

 

It's a brave new world.  When I've visited one of my college daughters, we usually end up going out for a meal, and most of the time a friend or two will tag along. College kids never put their phones down.  There's always a text or something else they need to look at.  It's strange.

 

About the screen-shots, I do that now too.  In fact, I'll usually go ahead and have it right on my phone so I can show it immediately in case of a problem.  But, I overheard someone complaining about how a CM wouldn't accept a screen shot- they wanted the guy to pull up the app and show it.  Makes sense.  You could completely change your reservations after the screen shot was taken.  On the other hand, I've seen a lot of CM's just wave people through.  There are a lot of bugs in the system, and CM's seem to handle those bugs differently.  The CM that we encountered at RNRC told me that if I couldn't show her the reservation on my phone, I would have to go and find a FP+ CM to resolve the issue.  That is an experience that would not have met my expectations. Luckily, I was able to pull it up on my phone.

 

TCD

[caveat lector 181]

.....

Our HM FP+ return time began at 2:40, here's us heading in via the FP+ queue at 2:46 pm.  All of those poor folks to our left are in the stand-by queue:

 

 

Those people are in for a long wait.  Everyone in the stand-by queue now has to go through the interactive graveyard, while guests with FP+ just walk up to the mansion's doors.

TCD

The lady in glasses on the left appears to be considering the merits of FP+ for future trips

[Starbuc71 162]

 

OK, so this is to increase capacity and ease congestion? 

 

How about building some more attractions at Epcot or DHS so guests will go there?  Then maybe not so many people will be trying to cram in to the MK.  Those blue aliens at AK won't do any good.  Plus, they're not even going to be here until 2017.  Three years!

 

I didn't notice the missing tree.  Great.  They ought to just cut down the rest and be done with it. 

 

TCD

My wife read somewhere lately that ever since pleasure island totally changed, there really is not much to do at Disney at night except go to the magic kingdom. You would know better than I but doesn't AKA usually close before 8, same with DHS and Epcot you are usually forced out at 9. This article was stating that Disney should do some things at other parks to promote more night time activities and bring the crowds down at MK. I think Disney had done this on purpose with the rate hike at only the MK, but who knows. I'll have to dig for that article. A late night parade at Epcot would bring people there

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

We made it safe!!!! Whooo hoooo!

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

Yay!!!   I've been thinking about you and praying the trip went wonderful!  Have a GREAT time!! :)

[dblr....Rennie 224]

We made it safe!!!! Whooo hoooo!

 

Great news!!!!!!!!!! Glad you are there safe, now just sit back and enjoy

[fortpartyof4 108]

 

OK, so this is to increase capacity and ease congestion? 

 

How about building some more attractions at Epcot or DHS so guests will go there?  Then maybe not so many people will be trying to cram in to the MK.  Those blue aliens at AK won't do any good.  Plus, they're not even going to be here until 2017.  Three years!

 

I didn't notice the missing tree.  Great.  They ought to just cut down the rest and be done with it. 

 

TCD

My wife read somewhere lately that ever since pleasure island totally changed, there really is not much to do at Disney at night except go to the magic kingdom. You would know better than I but doesn't AKA usually close before 8, same with DHS and Epcot you are usually forced out at 9. This article was stating that Disney should do some things at other parks to promote more night time activities and bring the crowds down at MK. I think Disney had done this on purpose with the rate hike at only the MK, but who knows. I'll have to dig for that article. A late night parade at Epcot would bring people there

 

Agree!

 

I've noticed that a lot of the "not from this land" tourists like to stay out late.  They would almost always have guests who would visit parks that stayed open later.  Anything, as long as it had transportation available to get back to your room, would be good.  

 

DHS is the perfect place to capitalize on that.  

[Laura 17]

I am still trying to figure out what kind of stroller that was the phone couple were pushing. I wanted one that looked close to that and it was upwards of $800.00!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

The lady in glasses on the left appears to be considering the merits of FP+ for future trips

 

LOL!

 

You're right!

 

Look, I turned on the special mind reader filter on my photos, and we can see exactly what she is thinking:

 

 

 

My wife read somewhere lately that ever since pleasure island totally changed, there really is not much to do at Disney at night except go to the magic kingdom. You would know better than I but doesn't AKA usually close before 8, same with DHS and Epcot you are usually forced out at 9. This article was stating that Disney should do some things at other parks to promote more night time activities and bring the crowds down at MK. I think Disney had done this on purpose with the rate hike at only the MK, but who knows. I'll have to dig for that article. A late night parade at Epcot would bring people there

 

Well, Epcot does have Illuminations- but after that, nothing. 

 

Have you heard that in addition to building Blue Alien Land, they are also developing a night time show for AK?  That will definitely help get more guests there at night.

 

But, I don't expect Disney to intentionally try to move guests out of the MK- look at what they're doing- they're making more room for the crowds.  I'm sure the last thing they want to do is turn a guest away.  So, chop down some trees, make a parking lot into a guest area, rip up some useless landscaping- whatever it takes to pack a few more money-paying customers in.

 

We made it safe!!!! Whooo hoooo!

 

Wow, you had a long day.

 

But, you made it!

 

Enjoy!

 

Agree!

 

I've noticed that a lot of the "not from this land" tourists like to stay out late.  They would almost always have guests who would visit parks that stayed open later.  Anything, as long as it had transportation available to get back to your room, would be good.  

 

DHS is the perfect place to capitalize on that.  

 

This is something about Disney I don't understand.  They sell alcohol at those other parks.  Why not keep them open later, and sell some more booze.  I think they'd get a lot of guests there just for that.

 

I am still trying to figure out what kind of stroller that was the phone couple were pushing. I wanted one that looked close to that and it was upwards of $800.00!

 

Good question.

 

You made me curious.

 

So, I zoomed in on one of the photos that the couple is in, and I can see the name of the stroller:

 

 

That says Stokke.

 

Never heard of it.

 

But it sounds expensive, doesn't it?

 

I guess your $800 stroller would be chump change to these folks:

 

 

A thousand bucks for a stroller?

 

Are you kidding me?

 

Why?

 

Back in my day, I had a folding umbrella stroller I got at Toys R Us or Walmart.  Probably cost me $30.  If that.  The thing was awful. A pain to push.  And rickety.  But it got the job done.

 

I would never dream of spending a thousand bucks on a stroller.

 

TCD

[Laura 17]

hey!Nice Job!  That was my guess but the picture looked different and I could not zoom in like you did. Yeah, 1K for a stroller is like 10 nights at the Fort! I hear they fold up nice for loading on the Train though...... 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

hey!Nice Job!  That was my guess but the picture looked different and I could not zoom in like you did. Yeah, 1K for a stroller is like 10 nights at the Fort! I hear they fold up nice for loading on the Train though...... 

 

I don't deny that stroller is nice.  You can reposition the part where the kid rides to face forward or backward, and tilt it a lot of different ways.

 

I'm sure it's sturdy and will last a long time.

 

But a thousand bucks?

 

Come on!

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

We left off with us on the bus from the MK to DHS.

 

If you paid attention to that photo of the FP's I posted earlier, you would know that we had FP's for TOT that were good from 4:35 to 5:35, for RNRC that were good from 4:55-5:55, and for Toy Story from 9:15 to 10:00.

 

There's a big gap there between the RNRC and Toy Story FP's.  I wasn't sure what we would do there.  I knew that we would spend part of it eating dinner.  but, that still left a lot of time.  We would figure that out later.

 

We left the MK at around 4:15, and were inside DHS by 4:30.  So, we headed right back to TOT.

 

The standby wait time was an hour.  But we walked right in.  We did not stop walking until we were in the pre-show room.  That was quick.

 

Things didn't proceed as quickly once we got in the basement room.  It was 4:51 when I snapped this photo, just as we were reaching the part of the queue where they get you in place to board:

 

 

When we moved up, we saw the problem- one of the elevators was not operating, and they were taking people from the other queue and putting them in one of our queue's elevators every other sequence.

 

Still, not too bad.

 

Here's a photo of the setting sun taken from the top of the ride:

 

 

We made it to the top a second time, so here's another sun photo for good measure:

 

 

When we headed out of TOT, the plan was to take a second ride.  We had another set of FP's.  But, the standby line was no all the way out and around the normal entrance.  Maybe more than one elevator wasn't working. That was going to slow everything down.  And we had two RNRC FP's each that needed to be used by no later than 5:55, so we headed there instead.

 

We did ride RNRC twice.  The first time, we got the back row:

 

 

The second time, we got the middle.

 

We were done by 5:30, and if we ran, we could have made it to TOT for another ride.  But, it wasn't worth running for.

 

We discussed what to do next.

 

The decision was unanimous.

 

We all agreed to go to the Fort to get a GAG.

 

Which meant another bus ride.

 

And then another one back to DHS.

 

But, that's how we roll.

 

And that's exactly what we did.

 

We took the Wilderness Lodge/FW bus, but got off at the Lodge.  Then got the Fort bus from there.  That's the way to do it.  That way, you don't have to ride a bus all the way through the Fort, just a non-stop ride from the Lodge to the Settlement

 

As we exited the bus at the Fort, I ran right into Gwen, who was waiting there for a bus back to the 1600 loop.  What are the chances of that happening?  Well it did.  Good to see you, Gwen.

 

I know that there were several other Fiends at the Fort.  But, we weren't sure until just before we came that we would make it here.  And the plan was to eat and run.  So, I didn't get to meet any more Fiends.

 

The funny thing is, though, that waiting right there with Gwen was a guy that I know from real life.  I was shocked to see him.  He was shocked to see me.  We did the whole what are you doing here thing.  But then I had to run.  The twins had walked on ahead.  And we needed to order our food.

 

So, we ordered our GAG, and ate it right there on the porch.  It was getting steadily colder once the sun went down, and by the time we were done, we were all cold.  And we still had more than an hour to kill before those last Toy Story FP's were good.  Twin #2 voted to leave and go home.  Twin #1 said she wasn't against that idea.  But I put my foot down.  This might be the last time that we would ever be able to ride Toy Story back to back like this, and we weren't going to pass that up. 

 

So, I said, let's go to the Wilderness Lodge and get warmed up by a fire.

 

You may have noticed there are no photos from this part of the report.  I had nothing to take a photo of.  It was dark out, and we ate some chicken.  No big Christmas tree or other decorations.  And nothing new.  But we were definitely there.  Ask Gwen if you don't believe me.

 

We took the bus back to the Lodge.  And headed in.

 

There's a little seating area on one of the levels that overlooks the main lobby that we've hung out in before- it has a couple of chairs and a fireplace.  That's what I had in mind.  Of course, someone was there when we got there.  So we grabbed some rocking chairs around the corner, and took in the view of the lobby:

 

 

That photo was taken at 8:08 pm, but you can see that the Whispering Canyon restaurant across the way is full.

 

Also, there were few seats open in front of the big fireplace in the lobby:

 

 

We were right on the level with these big lights that hang over the lobby:

 

 

There was plenty of open seating around the spring that bubbles up from the lobby floor- everyone was hogging the fireplace chairs:

 

 

Just a few minutes after we got settled in, we saw the people who were in the little seating nook with the private fireplace get up.  So we snagged it.  This is what I'm talking about:

 

 

That empty seat you see there next to Twin #2 is where I sat.  Twin #1 got a couch that was next to where I was standing to take that photo.  Very cozy.  And warm.  Nobody wanted to leave once we got there.  Including me.

 

But, I pried the girls away a little before 9 so we could make our way back to DHS.

 

That's a lot of hopping we did for just a day trip.  Maybe more than anyone should.  But this was a special occasion-and we had two FP's each for Toy Story.

 

We had about 5 minutes to kill when we got near the Toy Story Entrance.  It was cold out, so we ducked in to the One Man's Dream Exhibit.  It's been a while since we were in there. I wondered if that big model of New Fantasyland was still in there.  I always enjoy looking at it.  It was.

 

This is the model, with me standing all the way to the right and looking from that side- you can see the Little Mermaid ride and the Beast's castle.  Remember that roof I pointed out on the other side of the construction fence when we were on the BOG bridge?  You can see that there is going to be a separate, apparently free standing little building there to the left of the big hill.  You can also see, closer to us, a big roof right up against the mountain.  What I am trying to figure out is where will the ride entrance be?:

 

 

Looking over to the right, you can see the tents that are part of Storybook Circus.  You can also see a big hill on the ride.  There's a small house there on the lower left, and the silhouettes of people right above that.  If you follow up from that point, you can see some darker silhouettes closer to the side of the mountain- I think that might be where guests will enter.  You can also see that free standing building there on the left- is that Snow White's house?:

 

 

Now, I've walked over to the left, and we're looking from the other side of the model- that cottage with the thatched roof is there on the left, and you can see that wooden bridge that pointed out earlier.  The thing that was bugging me, was I wanted to see more of a side view, but there was a small velvet rope up to keep guests away from the model:

 

 

We were just about the only people in here, though.  But there was a CM walking around.  Then, that CM announced that the next show was about to begin, and she let the few guests who wanted to go in go, and she went into the theater with them.  So, I seized the opportunity and stepped over that velvet rope and walked up the side of the model.  I had a better view of Maurice's cottage and the Be Our Guest restaurant, and Gaston's Tavern. Those walls they built in what seemed to be the middle of the path make sense when viewed from this perspective:

 

 

The model is very accurate- but the bridge that leads to BOG is a bit different on the model- that broken arch and the gargoyles aren't here- and their are banners on the light poles:

 

 

You can see some of the Mine Train tracks and in the bottom right corner, the cottage, in that last photo.

 

I tried to get some good shots of the side view of the ride, but just as I did, I heard the voice of the CM who has gone in the theater say, excuse me sir, but you can't be in there.  So, I just snapped this photo and got out:

 

 

Busted. 

 

It's too bad too.  Because I could see some glowing jewels when I looked into that large mine opening.  But, I couldn't get a photo of them.

 

I walked back over to the right side, and got this last photo.  In this one, you can see the buildings across from the Little Mermaid entrance which we now know are a DVC sales center and a pickle stand.  Two things the MK really needed:

 

 

After all of that, it was time for us to ride Toy Story.

 

So we had to go.

 

But, wait, look what's on display in here:

 

 

 

I love that poster.  And I don't remember there being one in here.  But, it could have been here all along.

 

I didn't have time to think about it, we had to go ride our ride.

 

Next up, we visit the Toy Story gang.

 

And we will wrap up another TCD TR.

 

TCD

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

I corrobarate everything you said!  It was great seeing you.

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

Way to put your foot down!

TSM FPs are like Wonka Golden Tickets.

[kampfirekim 260]

Cool beans on the ToT photo!  I am afraid to have my camera out on that ride b/c it is highly likely I would drop it and it would whack me in the head when the elevator is snatched back up.. or some scenario like that. 

 

Score on the rockers by the fire!  One of my favorite spots at our honeymoon hotel.  :)

[Heidi-meetsTCD@TSM 5]

I have never noticed the picture of the deer neat Peter Pans Flight. It does seem like it is out of place!

 

The new restroom area is quite an area for sure!

 

Yes, that Fort Wilderness poster/sign has been in One Mans Dream for as long as I can remember.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Way to put your foot down!

TSM FPs are like Wonka Golden Tickets.

 

True.  And those were the last TSM FP's we would ever have in our possession.  No way was I going to leave just because we were a little cold and tired.

 

Cool beans on the ToT photo!  I am afraid to have my camera out on that ride b/c it is highly likely I would drop it and it would whack me in the head when the elevator is snatched back up.. or some scenario like that. 

 

Score on the rockers by the fire!  One of my favorite spots at our honeymoon hotel.   :)

 

You raise a good point- loose objects could fly around on TOT.  I've always wanted to not buckle my seatbelt and see what would happen.  The CM's always check, but a lot of times, they don't check very well.

 

I forgot that you and H spent your honeymoon at WL.  There is rarely anyone in that spot.  Which I appreciate.

 

I have never noticed the picture of the deer neat Peter Pans Flight. It does seem like it is out of place!

 

The new restroom area is quite an area for sure!

 

Yes, that Fort Wilderness poster/sign has been in One Mans Dream for as long as I can remember.

 

Next time I'm at the MK, I'm going to look around more carefully and see if there are any other animal portraits along that stretch.  Maybe I would get some clue as to what they were thinking about that deer portrait if I look what else they put up there.

 

So that poster has been there the whole time?  I remember they had a display with old WDW memorabilia, including old tickets and maps, which I did not see on this visit.  I thought maybe they had done some redecorating- things seemed different in that room.  Of course, I could be mistaken, I knew we weren't going to be there long, and I was focused on that model.  After the CM yelled at me, I got out of there quick.

 

TCD