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

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Fuego! I'm guessing the place is still slammed and the lunch lines are long. I've never seen crowds that bad.  

 

Here's what I don't get about a 4 hour wait.... that means people see a 3 hour wait and continue to get in line. Lots of people. 3 HOURS!!! 4 HOURS!!! Nothing is worth waiting that long, certainly not Test Track.

 

I'm with you- who in their right mind is going to get in line when there's a 2 hour wait?  But enough people did to push it to 3, and then 4.  Crazy.

 

That is about as crowded as I've ever seen it.  Stay tuned for some more crazy crowd shots.

 

But, with FP+, we had FP's for 3 rides without having to do any work.  That was pretty sweet.

 

 

 

Sorry.

 

I had to do my research on CUNWDW and also I was posting on the DVC Leaked Plans thread.  I'll get working on the update now.  There should be one posted before noon.

 

TCD

No problem at all! I saw your research...that took a few I'm sure.

 

Glad you understand.

 

it's not as easy to be TCD as it looks.

 

But it's always good to be TCD.

 

Four hours for Test Track?!?! That's how long my labor was with one of my kids. So I could have had a baby in the time it took for people to wait for a ride on New Year's Eve.

 

LOL.

 

Now that's funny right there.

 

FUEGO

 

Enough already.

 

Four Hours?

I would rather set my hair en fuego.

Fuego

 

I can't believe that it was really four hours.  But, I wasn't about to test it and see.

 

Ha ha! Best part of the entire update!

 

That European guy ruined your ride.

 

Someone explain to me the Fuego joke. I don't get it.

 

And please don't tell me it means "fire" in Spanish. I get that part.

 

GDF and BLM2003 got it right.

 

It comes from last NYE's TR.

 

You're as bad as Lou with your non-TR reading.

 

Last New Year's Eve TCD was in Epcot, and there were many annoying people yelling "Fuego!" during the fireworks.

 

Exactly right.

 

Very good.

 

That was the beginning of the "FUEGO" joke

 

Now, that's impressive work.

 

You found the old thread and everything.

 

Well done.

 

You're right.

 

That was where I first ran into the Fuego.

 

 

 

I hate to break this to you, Dude, but I am pretty sure he was staring at your daughter.  Sorry to burst your bubble.

 

FUEGO!

 

What the Fort?

 

You're right!

 

That dirty dog.

 

I should have popped him one.

 

TCD

[ImDownWithDisney 342]

I would lose my Fortin' mind in those crowds. Great TR, BTW. 

 

Finally, a + for the cluster that is FP+.

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

Just a reminder - WWW is this weekend and if I don't see you there I won't get to scream like a 13yo seeing Leif Garrett.  Oops - kids say I should now say JustIn Beiber.

 

You get the idea.

 

Hope to see you there!

[michele j 9]

Thank you for writing another great trip report.

 

And it does look like that young man is looking at your daughter.

[Mtnmanky...aka Leon 72]

I'm with you- who in their right mind is going to get in line when there's a 2 hour wait?  But enough people did to push it to 3, and then 4.  Crazy.

 

That is about as crowded as I've ever seen it.  Stay tuned for some more crazy crowd shots.

 

But, with FP+, we had FP's for 3 rides without having to do any work.  That was pretty sweet.

 

 

Glad you understand.

 

it's not as easy to be TCD as it looks.

 

But it's always good to be TCD.

 

 

LOL.

 

Now that's funny right there.

 

 

Enough already.

 

 

I can't believe that it was really four hours.  But, I wasn't about to test it and see.

 

 

GDF and BLM2003 got it right.

 

It comes from last NYE's TR.

 

You're as bad as Lou with your non-TR reading.

 

 

Exactly right.

 

Very good.

 

 

 

 

Now, that's impressive work.

 

You found the old thread and everything.

 

Well done.

 

You're right.

 

That was where I first ran into the Fuego.

 

 

 

 

What the Fort?

 

You're right!

 

That dirty dog.

 

I should have popped him one.

 

 

TCD

You go, Dad!

:popo:

[The Troll 67]

 

You're as bad as Lou with your non-TR reading.

 

No. Unlike Lou I am a self-described TCD trip report junkie. Trust me, I read all your reports. I remembered the fuego story after everyone retold it.

 

Interesting that the Urban Dictionary has an entry for it:

 

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Fuego

 

So perhaps the folks you encountered WERE from this land after all.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I would lose my Fortin' mind in those crowds. Great TR, BTW. 

 

Finally, a + for the cluster that is FP+.

 

If this was a once in a lifetime or even a big annual vacation, I would have lost my Fortin' mind in those crowds too.

 

But we knew what we were getting ourselves into.  We were in Epcot last NYE, and we've been there on many Food and Wine Festival weekends, so we know what it's like when it's crowded.

 

The only reason I wanted to go is to see how the FP+'s would work on a day like that.  They worked fine, so that is a +.  But, they were still in the testing phase, and only resort guests had access to the FP+ system.  I'm not sure how things would have gone if everyone in that mob had access to FP+.  Probably that would have been a minus.

 

Just a reminder - WWW is this weekend and if I don't see you there I won't get to scream like a 13yo seeing Leif Garrett.  Oops - kids say I should now say JustIn Beiber.

 

You get the idea.

 

Hope to see you there!

 

I will see what I can do.

 

At this time though, it looks like you're going to have to settle for Lou, Dave and TJ.

 

Thank you for writing another great trip report.

 

And it does look like that young man is looking at your daughter.

 

I know. The TCD girls are right- this shows you how clueless I am.

 

You go, Dad!

:popo:

 

Yeah, I'm a real tough guy.  Keep out of my way!

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I don't think I mentioned that instead of an RFID card, you can now use your MagicBand to scan and hold the design of your ride vehicle.

 

The interactive stuff they have in the big rooms your walk through after the ride seem to work better now.

 

The twins scanned their bands, and their vehicles showed up on the virtual race tracks.  These things are actually kind of cool:

 

 

The relative size of the vehicles is used for the images which appear on the track, so you can see Twin #2's giant car there on the left, and Twin #1's tiny one on the right:

 

 

I think all of this stuff they have here is kind of dumb, but it does seem to appeal to the younger people.  So, for them, the makeover of Test Track is an improvement.  I miss the old version.

 

As we left Test Track, we discussed lunch.

 

It seemed really busy.  We had narrowed it down to Fish and Chips, the Japan quick serve, or the Mexico quick serve. But before we trekked all the way through World Showcase, I suggested that we gauge the crowd situation by walking by the Electric Umbrella.  If the line was still out the door there, it would make sense to wait a bit longer before looking for lunch.  We had  FP+'s for Spaceship Earth that we could either use, or move to a time after lunch.  If the crowds were bad, we could do that, and then try again a bit later.

 

So that's what we did.

 

The line at the Electric Umbrella was worse than it had been earlier.  Not a good sign.

 

The girls suggested that we go over to Ice Station Cool and let their big sister try some of the new soda flavors they have over there.  I know it's not called Ice Station Cool anymore, but that's what we call it.  I haven't learned the new name yet.  And, for the record, we all miss the snow and the frozen cave man.

 

We enjoyed the new soda.  The floor was as sticky as ever.  Maybe stickier.  That place is kind of gross when you think about it.

 

After all that soda, it seemed like a good time for a restroom break.  So we went out the exit to the soda sample area, and in to that building right next door.  I don't know the name of this building, but we seem to use the restrooms there a lot. There used to be a pizza place in here that served pizzas shaped like Mickey's head.  They were personal size pizza's, but they were generous.  We would always get three, and the girls would eat the ears, and I would eat the heads.  That was the way we always did it.  Then the pizza place became an ice cream place.  And now it's a Starbucks.  Grrrrr.

 

Anyway, usually there is no one in that building anymore.

 

But today, it apparently was a designated flop zone:

 

 

What the For is going on here?

 

I guess people show up early at Epcot, and find a place to take a nap.  And they sleep for a while.  Why?  If you're going to do that, why don't you stay at your resort and take a real nap, and come over later?

 

This wasn't the only place in Epcot we saw people doing this.  You can see folks outside helping themselves to the grass.

 

And, they were letting folks lay on the grassy area on the Test Track side of the Mousegears gift shop.  Where the Cars playground was for the Flower and Garden show.

 

For some reason, the overwhelming majority of the people we saw doing this were people not from this land.

 

There were an awful lot of them.

 

In fact, I felt like we were in Miami.

 

Why were there so many people not from this land in Epcot?

 

It's like they all got a memo or something telling them to come.

 

After our comfort stop, we headed to Spaceship Earth.

 

If you've visited Epcot in the past few years, you know there's never a wait for this ride.  It's dumb that it's even a FP+ option.

 

Well today, we were glad to have the FP+.

 

This is the standby line, which we encountered as we walked around the side of the big golf ball:

 

 

The posted stand-by time was 60 minutes.

 

This is a look at the line as we sauntered in with our FP+'s:

 

 

Even with the FP+'s, we had to wait a couple of minutes as we walked in to the loading area.  That brief stop gave me a chance to snap a photo of this magnificent example of early 80's art work:

 

 

I rode with my oldest daughter, and the twins rode together.  I didn't get any good photos of the screens during the interactive part, but I did get this shot, which shows the twins with facial hair there off the coast of Washington/Oregon/California, and my oldest and I there around Hawaii:

 

 

I'm not sure if you know how this works, but when you start the ride, an interactive screen asks you to identify where you're from.  At the end of the ride, they show your photo up here on this screen, and then you turn into a small white dot, and your dot is placed on the map.  If you look at the map, you can see that Florida is a big white dot glob.  But, you can also see that there are an awful lot of white dots in Venezuela, Columbian and Brazil.  You can't see it in the photo, but Puerto Rico was a giant white glob too.

 

I guess all of those white dots tell us something.

 

Today was apparently and unofficial not from this land day at Epcot.

 

Fuego.

 

Anyway, by the time we headed out of Spaceship Earth, it was almost 3 pm.  We needed to have lunch.  And, if we had to wait, so be it.

 

We headed toward the World Showcase, still not sure what to expect.  We still hadn't settled on a place.  We had three choices because each of the girls had a preference. That meant I had to make the call.  Which I hate.  Those girls will compete over the most trivial things sometimes.

 

I noticed something odd as we reached the World Showcase.  The Epcot Christmas tree was missing:

 

 

The last time we saw it, the giant Epcot tree was in that fenced in area.  But today, it was gone. Why?

 

The big trees were still up in the other parks.  When and why was the Epcot tree taken down.  I guess maybe to make for better fireworks viewing.  But, I never knew they took it down early.

 

It was decision time.  Which meant I'd make one girl happy and two mad.  It's tough to be me sometimes.  But, it's always good.

 

I said let's try the Mexico place.  My reasoning was that it has a bigger seating area than over by the Fish and Chips stand, and maybe it would be less busy.

 

As we approached, it didn't look too bad.  The seating area looked full, but there weren't crowds standing around looking for seats, and the lines at the ordering stations didn't look too bad.

 

But, just before we walked in, we saw that there was a CM stationed at the entrance, and a line heading toward Norway where they were making guests wait before they could even approach the ordering stations.  That was a good way to stop a mob scene, but we didn't realize there was a line.

 

Oh well, I said, let's get in line- I'm sure it will move quick.

 

So we walked toward Norway to find the end of the line.

 

We were almost in Norway before we found the end.

 

Forget that.

 

If I had to guess, I would guess that it would take 45 minutes to an hour just to get a chance to order our lunch.

 

We huddled up.

 

If this line was that bad, then chances were that all of the quick serve places would be that bad.

 

We voted to bail.

 

But what about lunch?

 

I suggested that we go with one of our tried and true techniques- go to a resort with a quick serve we like, and eat lunch there.  The bus it to a park, and bus back to the Fort.

 

That began a new debate.  Twin #2 really wanted to go to the Polynesian so she could get those noodles she liked.  I suggested the Contemporary, as we could just take the boat back to the Fort.  My oldest wanted Port Orleans Riverside.  Twin #1 said Wilderness Lodge.  Four people.  Four different opinions.  I was leaning toward the Polynesian, but then Twin #1 pointed out what a pain it would be to get back to the Fort from there.  She was right.  So, I said let's go to Wilderness Lodge.  And we did.

 

From the Fort/Lodge bus stop, I got my first in-person view of the dirt on top of the big golf ball:

 

 

It sure does look like the top of the ball is crumpled.  But, I guess it's just dirt.  Why don't they clean the darn thing?

 

As I am writing this part of the report, I note that there's another photo gap.  I apologize for that, but for some reason, I don't have any photos of our lunch at the Lodge or bus ride back to the Fort.  But, that's what we did.

 

It was getting to be late afternoon by the time we finally got back to the Fort.

 

But that was fine.  We had no other plans for the day, except to make it to the MK for the fireworks at midnight.

 

So we hung around the site.

 

And we looped.

 

Here's a couple of photos from the 2000 loop, where they wanted to stick me.  This is site 2054, which was supposed to be hours.  You can see all the tents next door.  Some of the cars and golf carts are missing- maybe they're on a beer run:

 

 

This is the site on the other side of that one, looking back.  You can see they have three cars crammed in there.  There used to be a rule that you could only have one car at each campsite.  They relaxed that rule when they made the premium sites, and the rule became that it was OK to have more than one car, so long as all the wheels were on the paved part of the site.  When it's busy, though, they let everyone do what they want, and you get this:

 

 

All of the sites around 2054 had cars and golf carts crammed in like that.

 

Who wants to camp next to that?

 

Not me.

 

But the idiots in charge don't care.

 

They just care about money.

 

As long as you pay for your site, do whatever you want.  They don't care. They have their money.

 

What a way to run a business.

 

I was surprised to see how many people were camping in the group camping area:

 

 

It seems like there's always a group in there nowadays.

 

More money for Disney.

 

Pack 'em in!

 

I believe we came across this scene on the 1300 loop.  Notice the sign and reindeer food.  Well done:

 

 

A blurry War Eagle!:

 

 

The good old TCD site:

 

 

I'm pretty sure this site was on the 1600 loop.  I know some of those blow-ups are from the film Nightmare Before Christmas, but in my book those are Halloween decorations:

 

 

Before we knew it, evening was upon us.

 

Our plan was to pace ourselves.

 

We knew the MK would be jam packed, and that there would be no chance of riding any rides.  So, we figured we would head over there around 9:30 and give ourselves time to find a good fireworks spot.  We figured that if we arrived 2 hours before the fireworks, there would be something that would work- even the spot we were in the night before.  The girls were hoping to get up front near the castle and do some dancing before the fireworks.  That seemed doable. 

 

The plan was that we would eat a later dinner at the camper.

 

There was a bowl game on that we wanted to watch, but I had never gotten a call to come and get a cable box.  Since the trading post was right across the street, I decided to go and check and see where I was on the waiting list, or if they had forgotten to call me.  When I checked, I found that only two people on the waiting list ahead of me had been able to pick up boxes today.  I was 7th or 8th on the list, an at that pace, it didn't look like I'd get one at all this trip.  There were definitely games I wanted to watch tomorrow.  Too bad for me.  The CM was nice.  And apologetic.  But as I thought about it, this was unacceptable.  The idiots in charge changed the cable system so that non-digital TV's would no longer work without a box.  But the only boxes that work are the ones that the Fort lends out- you can't bring you own.  How much do you reckon one of those crappy little boxes costs?  Probably like $10 if that.  So, why don't they have enough to go around?  Saying it's busy is no excuse. They know it's busy.  And they charge double what a site costs during the slow times.  They are raking it in.  So I told the CM I was not having the experience I expected, and that I would like to speak to someone in charge about that.  She suggested that I call the front desk.

 

Have you ever called the "front desk?"  I have.  The phone is not answered by someone at the actual front desk of the Fort.  It's an answering service.  They pretend they're at the Fort, but they're not.  I was not going to call the front desk.  The CM's suggestion made me mad.  I told her I would not call the front desk.  I wanted to speak to the manager of the trading post.  I knew it wouldn't do any good, but I wanted to register my complaint, and let her know that this was not acceptable for the prices they charge.  The CM said she would go and get the manager.  She went in to the door on the right across from the restrooms.  Now I know where the manager's office is.

 

I waited.

 

And I waited.

 

This was not helping with me not enjoying the experience I expected.

 

Finally, a lady emerged from the office.  I had never seen her before in my life.  I guess she stays behind the door all the time.  She was carrying something.  I recognized it as one of the boxes that hold the cable boxes.  What the Fort?  She came up to me and introduced herself.  She was a nice as can be. The kind of person you can't help but like.  She said she had about a dozen of these boxes in her office, but she didn't think they worked.  She showed me how there were numbered labels on the remote and the cable box itself, and that the numbers didn't match.  She said that there had been a recent inventory, and the remotes and boxes did not get matched up properly, and she was told that these mismatched sets in her office wouldn't work.  That didn't make sense to me.  If I have an RCA TV, and RCA remote works on it.  Wouldn't all of the remotes work on the boxes.  Those labels were just put on there by the idiot Managers for inventory purposes.  She said I was welcome to take the box and try it.  I told her I was right across the street, and I would.  So I did.  And it worked fine.

 

Grrr.

 

There were a bunch of names after mine on the waiting list.  That meant that a dozen or so guests could have had cable boxes, but didn't, because the people in charge are clueless.

 

I went back and thanked the manager.  She was nice, afterall.

 

And I got to watch some football.

 

Next up, we venture to the MK.

 

TCD

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Good job on getting that cable box!

 

I'm anxious to see what the crowd was like in MK.

[The Troll 67]

You know...there is a long term solution to this cable box dilemma. It's called Walmart.

 

They sell a nifty Westinghouse 22" flat panel 1080p TV that would fit so nicely in that popup of yours for about $150 bucks.

 

And you'd get to watch those games in, you know, HD.

 

Just sayin'. Please don't work any TCD voodoo on me.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Good job on getting that cable box!

 

I'm anxious to see what the crowd was like in MK.

 

I'll tell you about the MK crowd in the next update.

 

Even I was surprised, and that isn't easy to do.

 

You know...there is a long term solution to this cable box dilemma. It's called Walmart.

 

They sell a nifty Westinghouse 22" flat panel 1080p TV that would fit so nicely in that popup of yours for about $150 bucks.

 

And you'd get to watch those games in, you know, HD.

 

Just sayin'. Please don't work any TCD voodoo on me.

 

LOL.

 

touché.

 

I actually have an extra digital TV that I sometimes bring.  But, I was traveling light on this trip, and just brought that little old small TV.  It gets the job done.  With a cable box that is.

 

I guess I'm going to cave and just bring the digital TV next time.

 

No voodoo will be worked.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Moving on.

 

It's still New Year's Eve.

 

Knowing how busy the MK would be, I fixed us some dinner at the camper.  I had some hot dogs and Mac and Cheese, so our final meal of 2013 was Pirate Jeff's (modified) Macaroni and Cheese.

 

We watched some football.

 

And looped.

 

We weren't in a rush.

 

We knew it would be busy at the MK, and we just planned to be there for the fireworks.

 

Last year, we were at Epcot for NYE, and hopped over to Hollywood Studios after.  If I am remembering right, Hollywood Studios had EMH that night, and was open until 3.  And it was deserted.  This year, Hollywood Studios had EMH again, but it was only open until 2.  So was the MK.  We talked about hopping to DHS after the fireworks.  I wasn't so sure about that idea, but since the DHS bus stop is now right there with the resort bus stops at the MK, it was a possibility.

 

The plan was to head down to the marina at 9:30.  It was important that we miss the Electric Water Pageant, as they stop the boats while that is being performed.  As you should know, the EWP hit the Fort at 9:45.

 

We were a few minutes late leaving the site, but we made it down the path to the marina with no problem.  In past years, the idiot rangers stopped golf carts from going down that path, and made guests with golf carts drive down toward the horse barn and park behind Pioneer Hall.  This year, they didn't do that.  But, when I got to the parking area, there were four or five idiot rangers with their light sticks directing everyone down behind Pioneer Hall anyway.  And this was despite the fact that there were plenty of open parking spaces in the golf cart parking area!  Idiots! 

 

So, I had to go park behind Pioneer Hall.  I heard the EWP coming.  We were screwed.

 

But, what could we do?  We parked in the back 40 and made our way to the marina.

 

As we approached, we could see that a MK boat was loading guests.

 

Maybe we could make it after all?

 

The EWP hadn't started.  They were behind schedule.

 

We ran.

 

The girls run faster than me.

 

It looked like we would make it.

 

I hoofed it.

 

Right as I hit the dock and was getting up a head of steam, someone called out "TCD!"

 

I turned.

 

I saw a smiling face.

 

It was dblr . . . Rennie from Fort Fiends.

 

I said hi.  He said hi.  I said I'd love to chat, but I have to catch that boat.

 

And I did.

 

That was the quickest Fiend meet and greet ever.

 

Nice to meet you Rennie.

 

We will need to have a real visit the next time.

 

So, we made the boat.

 

As soon as I stepped on, they cast off and pulled away from the dock.

 

They weren't messing around.

 

Or were they?

 

The boat backed up, and then headed around the backside of Discovery Island.

 

Smart, I thought- avoiding the EWP boats.

 

But, then the captain announced we would be making a stop at the Contemporary Resort before heading to the MK.

 

What The Fort?

 

I know this photo is blurry, but it shows our big MK boat docking at the Contemporary:

 

 

When we docked, about 20 people got up and exited the boat.  They had a giant cooler with them.

 

What The Fort?

 

Best I can figure, they were going on one of those Fireworks cruises and the MK boat driver offered them a lift so they wouldn't take up a whole resort boat.

 

That was nice of the captain.

 

I love it when CM's dispense pixie dust.

 

Aren't they the best?

 

Real nice of them.

 

They're getting paid by the hour.

 

What do they care if the rest of the guests on the boat are delayed in getting to the MK?

 

Pixie Dust indeed.

 

After those VIP's unloaded, we started to back up.

 

Right into the EWP:

 

 

Usually, the boats don't run in front of the EWP, but I guess this was a special night.

 

As we continued on to the MK, Twin #1 told me about an interesting text message she got.  A friend of hers was in the MK, and told her that people were just sitting in the middle of Main Street waiting for the fireworks.  That can't be true, I told her, the fireworks were still 2 hours away, they're not going to let people sit in the middle of the street.

 

We got to the MK, and had no problem getting in.  There was no line at bag check, and none at the scanners.

 

So far, so good.

 

Then we went in.

 

We headed toward Main Street.

 

When we got to the base of the street, right by the Christmas Tree, we encountered a huge mob of people.  And the mob wasn't moving.  There were no CM's around doing crowd control.  From what we could tell, it was total gridlock.

 

I said. let's see if the cut-through is open.

 

There were no CM's around saying if it was or wasn't.

 

Bad show, Disney.

 

When we got to the cut-through, there were CM's there with their light sticks, and it was open.

 

But, guests on Main Street had no way of knowing that.

 

The back-stage area was packed.

 

And, they had tables and chairs set up, and carts selling popcorn and all those light-up souvenirs.  It looked like people were just planning to sit back here to watch the fireworks.

 

I know these photos are blurry, but I had to take them on the sly.  You usually get yelled at for taking photos back here.  You can see some tables and chairs toward the right of this photo.  The entry to the MK next to the Plaza restaurant is up there straight ahead.  That tower/turret that you see with the white lights is a Main Street building- I think it's the ice cream parlor:

 

 

 

There were no CM's back here directing people to keep moving.  If we wanted to go through the exit by the Plaza restaurant, we could have.  But, they were also letting guests keep walking to the exit by Tomorrowland, and that's what we did.

 

They didn't let any CM's park in this lot tonight, so it was all open.  Over here, behind Tomorrowland, they had set up a bunch of benches.  Guests were sitting on these.  I guess they planned to stay put and watch the fireworks from here:

 

 

Crazy.

 

People were going to sit in that parking lot to watch the fireworks.

 

In hindsight, I should have stayed too.

 

I could have stood right under the place where Tinkerbill lands after his flight and gotten a good photo of him.

 

But, I didn't think of that at the time.

 

The girls were still hoping that we could finagle our way to a place in front of the castle for the dance party.

 

When we left the parking lot, we were all the way in Tomorrowland.  By the wall where they usually have the Buzz Lightyear meet and greet.

 

Crazy.

 

We headed toward the tea cups.  The plan was to take that bridge over to the castle.

 

No dice.

 

CM's stood in a solid line across the bridge.

 

Nobody could go in that way.

 

Even though there was plenty of space open on the bridge.

 

That stunk.

 

I guess they closed off the entire area two hours before the Fireworks.

 

If you were in, good for you.

 

If you were out, tough luck.

 

We were out.

 

Luckily, we had a plan B.

 

We headed through Fantasyland, took a left past Peter Pan, and headed to Frontierland.

 

That DJ who was lonely the night before was there on the platform next to the Country Bears.

 

Only, he wasn't lonely tonight:

 

 

How do those people not from this land say it?

 

Aye, Aye, Aye!

 

It was crowded.

 

The girls didn't care.

 

They danced.

 

But, we didn't think this would be a good place to watch the fireworks.

 

Twin #2 got on her phone and googled.

 

Someone said that over by the Big Thunder Mountain Exit is a good place to watch the fireworks.

 

Really?

 

I said let's check it out.

 

That was bad info.

 

We couldn't even see the castle from there.

 

On the way back there, we notice a lot of people congregating on that bridge that leads to the Big Thunder entrance.

 

There was still room there, and we could see a side view of the castle, so we agreed this would be the place.

 

We broke out the 2014 eyeglasses:

 

 

It was a pretty good place to watch:

 

 

 

And, I am pleased to report, the only person that I heard scream Fuego! was me.  And I only did that as an inside joke for the girls.  I guess all the Fuego fans confine themselves to Epcot.

 

After the fireworks, we headed right to Big Thunder, and it was a walk-on.  Nice.

 

Then we headed toward the castle, and the girls did some dancing.

 

At that point, we all agreed that trying to get to Hollywood Studios would be a bad idea.

 

Even if we caught the bus, the traffic would be horrendous.

 

So, we decided to head over to Tomorrowland- we would ride the People Mover and see how bad the wait for Space Mountain was.

 

As we headed that way, the DJ said to be sure to stop by Cosmic Rays (and another place whose name escapes me) for some hot cocoa and cookies.

 

I asked the girls if they heard that?

 

Hot cocoa and cookies?

 

That sounds like what they do at the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parties.

 

I said we should check it out- maybe their giving away free hot cocoa and cookies?

 

The girls thought that was crazy talk.  So did I.  But, we were heading that way, so why not check and see.

 

So, when we got to Cosmic Rays, we ducked inside.  And found CM's lined up at the counters giving away FREE hot cocoa and cookies.

 

FREE!

 

At the Magic Kingdom.

 

Look:

 

 

Have you ever heard of that?

 

I hadn't.

 

They had two kinds of FREE cookies.

 

Snickerdoodles.

 

And these wrapped Christmas tree ones:

 

 

Oh, and you see those hats?

 

Those were free too.

 

Big deal, you say?

 

Well, the same kind of cookies are sold for $4.95 a pop in the Meadow Trading Post:

 

 

I know what you're thinking.

 

You're thinking Disney had a bunch of leftover Christmas tree cookies, and they decided to get rid of them on New Year's Eve.

 

I thought that too.

 

But, still, getting something unexpected for FREE in the MK was nice.

 

Which makes me fell a little bad for what I'm about to say.  But, those cookies are nasty.  For one thing, they don't even have an expiration date printed on the label.  I believe the label said they came from New Jersey.  Who knows when they were manufactured?  I can't say they were stale, because I suspect that there are so many chemicals and preservatives in them that there's nothing there to go stale.

 

We opened one and all took a bite.  Nobody wanted a second bite.

 

Oh well.

 

It was still a nice surprise.

 

And the hot cocoa was good.

 

There wasn't a line for the People Mover.

 

So we hopped on.

 

We stopped on the track outside of Space Mountain.

 

And we sat there for a good five minutes.

 

I didn't care:

 

 

 

The camera says those photos were taken at 1:11 am.  It was definitely starting to thin out by then.

 

You see that fake palm tree there in the lower right of that last photo?  I read recently that those palm trees close up at night and open up in the morning.  Anyone ever heard that before?

 

After the People Mover, the wait for Space Mountain was still 30 minutes.  And it was getting close to 1:30.  Nobody really wanted to ride it that bad.

 

So, one more stop at the dance party around 1:30:

 

 

 

And then we headed out:

 

 

I wanted to get a photo of the Main Street garland, as this could be my last time seeing it.  A laser from the castle got me in this photo:

 

 

So, I tried again:

 

 

It doesn't look too crowded heading out.

 

But, wait.

 

This is the line of suckers guests waiting for the resort monorail:

 

 

I reckon some of those folks are paying big bucks to stay at the Polynesian and Grand Floridian.

 

We walked to our boat, which was waiting right there at the dock, and headed back to the Fort.

 

The Fort was dead when we got back.

 

No late partiers on the beach.

 

No golf carts in the parking area.

 

We were the last cart sitting in the field behind Pioneer Hall.

 

And we headed back to the camper and dropped.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Those cookies are preserved with the same stuff they soaked Walt's head in before putting it in the freezer.  They will NEVER go bad. 

[dblr....Rennie 224]

Nice New years Eve, I was glad I at least got to say hello, I already knew you were in a hurry. I also hope to get a chance to visit for awhile but our next trip will be around the 4th of July so look me up if your around the Fort then. The beer is always cold!!!!!!! Or coffee is hot if your on a early morning excursion.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Those cookies are preserved with the same stuff they soaked Walt's head in before putting it in the freezer.  They will NEVER go bad. 

 

Wow.

 

Good to know.

 

I'm going to keep them in my camper then.  I figure I don't have to worry about bugs eating them or anything. 

 

I'll save one for you.

 

Nice New years Eve, I was glad I at least got to say hello, I already knew you were in a hurry. I also hope to get a chance to visit for awhile but our next trip will be around the 4th of July so look me up if your around the Fort then. The beer is always cold!!!!!!! Or coffee is hot if your on a early morning excursion.

 

So, did you hang out on the beach for the fireworks?

 

How was it?

 

We used to watch from the beach every year.  Good times.

 

TCD

[dblr....Rennie 224]

 

 

 

 

So, did you hang out on the beach for the fireworks?

 

How was it?

 

We used to watch from the beach every year.  Good times.

 

TCD

 

Yes we did watch from the beach with a bunch of Fiends also got to watch a group in front of us who were modeling some very strange head ware for New Years, Jason said we should have tried to get photos but were not sure they would appreciate it. Jason & Sil asked if we could give them a ride back to their resort as the bus driver who they got to get to the Fort got lost and they were afraid with traffic the ride back would be worse. So the Fort to Allstar Sports then back to the Tree Houses in less then 30 minutes on New Years Eve we did good.

[fortpartyof4 108]

The small car your daughters designed on TT reminds me a little of Venelope's in Wreck it Ralph.

 

Holy crowds!  I guess at least they weren't sloppy drunk like the ones @ Epcot were last year?

 

Some of those guests taking naps in the Epcot building look like they're planking.  And that young ladies' undergarments are sticking out.  Sometimes these girls who wear the low-rise skinny jeans with their thong sticking out is almost as bad as the pants-on-the-ground look some boys like to sport.  Almost.

 

Should have gone for the snickerdoodle.  If they're the same ones they served at the last MVMCP I went to, they're good.  But that has been several years so I could be wrong there.  Don't bother with the "rice krispy" type treats that are all slathered with icing and candies, either.  Also gross.

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

They should contract with my DW to make the cookies.

The fireworks spot you ended up with looked like a good spot.

Did you bust a move by the DJ?

I bet there are pics of that somewhere.

Someone needs to bribe the Twins for those pics.

Fuego!

[Heidi-meetsTCD@TSM 5]

Holy crowds!!!! I had seen a bunch of photos on Facebook of the New years crowd, so I knew it was bad, I just cant imagine who in their right mind would wait hours for a ride!! CRAZY!!

I hope they clean Spaceship Earth soon! I don't want to see that black/dirty spot on my next trip!

I had never heard about the palm trees in Tomorrowland closing up at night and opening in the morning, but just last week, someone sent me a list of like 30+ little none facts about Disney. Most we actually knew, but we had never heard that about the palm trees! On that same list it also stated that even though its against the law several people a year scatter the ashes of their loved ones at Disney with a photo of the Haunted Mansion. My son piped up to say that he had read that people do leave the ashes of loved ones at the Haunted Mansion!!! That was a new one for me!!! Ugh!!

As far as the exit of Thunder Mountain being a good spot to see fireworks...it is! Its true you cant see the castle, but the view of the fireworks is super. The reason I know this is because, a few years ago, my boys and I were riding thunder mountain multiple times one night. There was no one there, so we kept riding around without getting off. After about ten rides, I got off for a break. It was right around 9:00 and as I was walking out a CM was at the exit. She told me that she always requests to have her break at 9:00 so she can stand outside and watch the fireworks. So I stood with her and we watched them together and the view was great!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Yes we did watch from the beach with a bunch of Fiends also got to watch a group in front of us who were modeling some very strange head ware for New Years, Jason said we should have tried to get photos but were not sure they would appreciate it. Jason & Sil asked if we could give them a ride back to their resort as the bus driver who they got to get to the Fort got lost and they were afraid with traffic the ride back would be worse. So the Fort to Allstar Sports then back to the Tree Houses in less then 30 minutes on New Years Eve we did good.

 

Glad to hear that the Fiends represented on the beach.

 

That's amazing that you were able to make it to the All Stars and then the Tree houses without getting stuck in traffic. Good job.

 

The small car your daughters designed on TT reminds me a little of Venelope's in Wreck it Ralph.

 

Holy crowds!  I guess at least they weren't sloppy drunk like the ones @ Epcot were last year?

 

Some of those guests taking naps in the Epcot building look like they're planking.  And that young ladies' undergarments are sticking out.  Sometimes these girls who wear the low-rise skinny jeans with their thong sticking out is almost as bad as the pants-on-the-ground look some boys like to sport.  Almost.

 

Should have gone for the snickerdoodle.  If they're the same ones they served at the last MVMCP I went to, they're good.  But that has been several years so I could be wrong there.  Don't bother with the "rice krispy" type treats that are all slathered with icing and candies, either.  Also gross.

 

You're right, there weren't any drunks at the MK.  I don't have anything against drinking, but it does get rather sloppy at Epcot.  I prefer the family friendly/American atmosphere at the MK.

 

We did get some snickerdoodles.  Those got eaten before I could get a photo.  They were OK.  They tasted like they were leftover from whenever the last Christmas party was.  Which, they probably were.

 

They should contract with my DW to make the cookies.

The fireworks spot you ended up with looked like a good spot.

Did you bust a move by the DJ?

I bet there are pics of that somewhere.

Someone needs to bribe the Twins for those pics.

Fuego!

 

To the best of my knowledge, there are no photos of me busting any moves.  The girls wouldn't want any of those showing up on their social media.

 

The fireworks spot was OK.  I'm still not sure where the best spot is to enjoy the perimeter fireworks show.

 

Holy crowds!!!! I had seen a bunch of photos on Facebook of the New years crowd, so I knew it was bad, I just cant imagine who in their right mind would wait hours for a ride!! CRAZY!!

I hope they clean Spaceship Earth soon! I don't want to see that black/dirty spot on my next trip!

I had never heard about the palm trees in Tomorrowland closing up at night and opening in the morning, but just last week, someone sent me a list of like 30+ little none facts about Disney. Most we actually knew, but we had never heard that about the palm trees! On that same list it also stated that even though its against the law several people a year scatter the ashes of their loved ones at Disney with a photo of the Haunted Mansion. My son piped up to say that he had read that people do leave the ashes of loved ones at the Haunted Mansion!!! That was a new one for me!!! Ugh!!

As far as the exit of Thunder Mountain being a good spot to see fireworks...it is! Its true you cant see the castle, but the view of the fireworks is super. The reason I know this is because, a few years ago, my boys and I were riding thunder mountain multiple times one night. There was no one there, so we kept riding around without getting off. After about ten rides, I got off for a break. It was right around 9:00 and as I was walking out a CM was at the exit. She told me that she always requests to have her break at 9:00 so she can stand outside and watch the fireworks. So I stood with her and we watched them together and the view was great!

 

That list of 30+ things you got sounds like the same list I'm talking about.  I think I had heard of most of them, but not about those palm trees.  I'm still not sure if it's even true.  Could be an urban myth. 

 

Too bad we didn't stay and watch the fireworks from Big Thunder Mountain.  We will have to check it out some time.

 

TCD

[devores 382]

The palm trees have not worked in years. They use to open and close to play with their story. A little detail allot of guests don't even know about.

 

This photo shows the trees now. See the difference?

 

 

The one on the right looks to be "opened" while the one on the left looks to be "closed".

 

The story goes these are power palms. They collect energy from the sun and when full, the orbs (coconuts) glow and are ready for harvest. When the orbs are harvested, the palm open, like the one on the right. (notice the orbs are missing and the platform is lower on that one).

 

They stopped working properly years ago so they stay in the current configuration.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

The palm trees have not worked in years. They use to open and close to play with their story. A little detail allot of guests don't even know about.

 

This photo shows the trees now. See the difference?

 

 

The one on the right looks to be "opened" while the one on the left looks to be "closed".

 

The story goes these are power palms. They collect energy from the sun and when full, the orbs (coconuts) glow and are ready for harvest. When the orbs are harvested, the palm open, like the one on the right. (notice the orbs are missing and the platform is lower on that one).

 

They stopped working properly years ago so they stay in the current configuration.

 

Wow!

 

I never knew that.

 

I remember someone had a photo of one of these in the Where in the World thread here on ff.net, and it stumped a lot of people.  I don't think many people even notice the trees.

 

I never knew they opened or closed, or had a story.

 

This is one of those little details that makes Disney such a special place.

 

TCD

[devores 382]

Everything at Disney has a reason and a story.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Everything at Disney has a reason and a story.

 

I forget that sometimes.

 

A lot of times, it's hard for the guest to know the story.  There is nothing that has ever called attention to these trees- how is the average guest supposed to know the story?  I consider myself much more informed than the average guest, and I've never heard a peep about these trees.

 

I know that all of the attractions have a "back-story."  There's an elaborate one for Expedition Everest, for example.  But, I think the majority of guests don't get it.

 

TCD

[Mtnmanky...aka Leon 72]

 

 

I know that all of the attractions have a "back-story."  There's an elaborate one for Expedition Everest, for example.  But, I think the majority of guests don't get it.

 

TCD

 

My favorite ride, but I'll bite.  What is the back story?