A Shining New Era is Tiptoeing Nearer for the TCD Gang

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

This video of the DL Paris parade gives a really good look at the Fairy Godmothers on wheels.

Notice that they don't bend from the neck down. I'm betting that the gowns have a solid frame underneath them from the neck down and the CMs step into them.

And of course we all know that the wand is a control.

My guess is that it might be a custom Segway.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLzgSErQOWs

 

 

That's a great video.

 

I only watched the first couple minutes of it, but you are right- that is the way the fairies in the MK parade move.  The French ones seem to have a lot larger of a role in the parade, though, and much more elaborate choreography.

 

It is interesting to watch them.  They do not seem to have any balance issues, and there really aren't any noticeable motions that they make to show how they make their motorized contraptions work.

 

The costume must be heavy if they needed a tractor to pull one little old fairy.

 

TCD

[LONE-STAR 370]

One cool thing about this new era is that the TCD twins are seeing and doing things that even after all of our many visits to WDW they have never done.

 

Twin #2 had Tuesday off, so she went with a friend to find Twin #1 at the MK.

 

They stopped to watch the Festival of Fantasy parade, and noticed a new float had been added:

 

 

Can I get a "What The Fort?" from the congregation?

 

TCD

What the Fort

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

LOL.

 

Good one.

 

I think we need a close-up of that photo- it makes my laugh:

 

 

TCD

WTF!!!

That looks like a pushback. You know. The tugs/tractors that pushback airplanes from the gates.

How heavy is that dress?

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

This video of the DL Paris parade gives a really good look at the Fairy Godmothers on wheels.

Notice that they don't bend from the neck down. I'm betting that the gowns have a solid frame underneath them from the neck down and the CMs step into them.

And of course we all know that the wand is a control.

My guess is that it might be a custom Segway.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLzgSErQOWs

Pretty cool. Maybe the control it with their feet or they can move under the dress. It does look like the frame comes all the way up.

One thing that struck me is that they announce the start of the parade in English. I wonder if the CMs speak English?

Also, is there a CP for Disneyland Paris?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

What the Fort

 

You can say that again.

 

WTF!!!

That looks like a pushback. You know. The tugs/tractors that pushback airplanes from the gates.

How heavy is that dress?

 

I figure they have that tractor backstage to move the big parade floats around.  And when the fairy couldn't move, they called Bubba out to save the day.  To me that was an odd choice.  The parade would have been fine with just two fairies, or they could have pulled them all.  They really don't have a major role.  They are right before the dragon.  Everyone is going to be looking at the dragon anyway.

 

Pretty cool. Maybe the control it with their feet or they can move under the dress. It does look like the frame comes all the way up.

One thing that struck me is that they announce the start of the parade in English. I wonder if the CMs speak English?

Also, is there a CP for Disneyland Paris?

 

I think Lou was right about the wands controlling their movement, but there might be foot pedals for something too.

 

I know that Disneyland has the College Program.  I don't think Disneyland Paris does.  If they did, I think the twins would have mentioned it.  There are opportunities for the CP kids to audition for roles in the overseas parks.  One of Twin #1's roommates could make a good Tinkerbell, and they're looking for one to work in Tokyo.  How cool would that be?

 

TCD

[Lou... 3,118]

but there might be foot pedals for something too.

 

 

If it is a Segway, or variation thereof, you control some of the actions by shifting your weight.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

If it is a Segway, or variation thereof, you control some of the actions by shifting your weight.

 

I don't think it's a Segway.  They don't tip or rock back and forth the way Segways do. And with that frame under their dresses, they don't seem to be able to do much weight shifting. The bases are very wide, and it looks like there are a bunch of small wheels beneath the platform the ladies stand on.  I hope for their sakes that these things can't tip over as easily as Segways can.  Although, I guess those cages around them would provide some protection in a fall.  Whatever they use, those women are very good at not making it look difficult to maneuver around, when I'll bet it is very complicated.

 

TCD

[wendinator 109]

My tractor identification skills aren't that good, but it looks like the same tractor I saw them use to tow a snail at the MSEP. August 18, 2010.

 

http://youtu.be/h3QiqIyznUg

[Lou... 3,118]

 tow a snail

 

That's funny.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

My tractor identification skills aren't that good, but it looks like the same tractor I saw them use to tow a snail at the MSEP. August 18, 2010.

 

http://youtu.be/h3QiqIyznUg

 

Excellent job!

 

I am going to put this on my list of WDW jobs to apply for when I retire.

 

Parade Tractor Guy.

 

 

That's funny.

 

Agreed.

 

Good job.

 

TCD

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

Don't recall when, but I have seen the tractor tow parade floats before also.

[Memphis 105]

I think the ladies on the video are on a Segway type vehicle.  Watch around 50 to 60 second mark they are leaning like you do on a Segway.  The lean is most noticeable  when they start or stop.  When moving at a steady slow pace the lean is very slight.

 

Take a look at this 

 

Also have to think the breakdown occurred "on stage"  and the tow job was the best they could come up with to not totally expose the act.   I just can't believe they towed her out from backstage with the tractor just to have her in the show . 

[Lou... 3,118]

 

 

 

 

Interesting photo Memphis.

 

If I was asked to design the contraption that the Fairy Godmothers use, I would have started with the Segway and adapted it. Why reinvent the wheel?

But when you have those knucklehead Imagineers that think that they're real engineers, you never know.

Considering that it broke down, it's probably a Disney designed vehicle.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Don't recall when, but I have seen the tractor tow parade floats before also.

 

I'll bet they move the floats around backstage with these tractors.  I imagine it's a bit of a production to get the drivers in the floats, and it's probably easier to just move them around with the tractor.

 

I think the ladies on the video are on a Segway type vehicle.  Watch around 50 to 60 second mark they are leaning like you do on a Segway.  The lean is most noticeable  when they start or stop.  When moving at a steady slow pace the lean is very slight.

 

Take a look at this 

 

Also have to think the breakdown occurred "on stage"  and the tow job was the best they could come up with to not totally expose the act.   I just can't believe they towed her out from backstage with the tractor just to have her in the show . 

 

Great post, Harold.

 

That hands-free Segway looks dangerous!  Which got me to thinking- shouldn't those fairies in the parades have helmets?  Which made me look at the video Lou posted again.  And, now that I've looked, I think those fairies do have helmets on underneath their wigs!  Their hair is helmet-shaped.

 

And, I think you're right about the breakdown happening "on stage."  I mentioned in a previous post that I recalled these fairies were walking the first time I saw the parade. I went back to look at my photos, and sure enough, this one shows it clearly:

 

 

You can see the blue fairy's feet clearly there.

 

So, if they had a known malfunction in the equipment pre-parade, these fairies could have just come out without the mechanical contraptions under their dresses.

 

 

Interesting photo Memphis.

 

If I was asked to design the contraption that the Fairy Godmothers use, I would have started with the Segway and adapted it. Why reinvent the wheel?

But when you have those knucklehead Imagineers that think that they're real engineers, you never know.

Considering that it broke down, it's probably a Disney designed vehicle.

 

LOL.

 

Good one.

 

TCD

[Heidi-meetsTCD@TSM 5]

Just want to say a BIG congratulation to twin #1!!!! That is so exciting!! What a neat opportunity for both of them, having grown up going to Disney and now getting to work there! What a dream!!

 

I can see why twin #2 (and twin #1, I am sure too) is making her mark and impressing her supervisors. What an asset she is to the company! I am sure she is a breath of fresh air to all of the guests who ask her a question and she can answer them with CORRECT information!! So many CM's (probably like the twins roommate who had never been to Disney until she came down for the college program) just don't know the answer or even worse, think they do, and give wrong information!! I remember our first trip to Disneyland a few years ago and everything was new to us. I asked a CM (at the tip board of all places!!) what time we needed to get a spot for Fantasmic and she had no clue!! She had never been to the show!!! Not sure why she was working at the tip board, because I truly think she was new and had never been to DL before!

 

Oh and I have to tell you.....I am not sure if it was in this trip report or your other one.....but you had photos of the National Park t-shirts and wondered why the heck they were selling those at Disney........well they are not now!! That must have been a record for the shortest time a product was on a Disney shelf!! Less than two weeks ago when we were there, we made a trip to the Fort (we stayed elsewhere) just to buy a couple t-shirts since we are National Park junkies.......there were NO T-shirts!!! I asked a CM about them and she looked at me like I had two heads!!! She said they had nothing like that! I said, "well I know you did have some, because I saw pictures on them in this store on-line". She then said that she actually did remember them, but said they were pulled off the shelf shortly after they were put out!! I asked another CM about them and he confirmed that they were pulled pretty quick!!  I started laughing to myself, thinking......the POWER of a TCD report!! TCD mentions in his report that it is a bit odd that Disney is selling National Park merchandise and it is all pulled soon after!!! LOL!!!   Well, we didn't get any t-shirts, but we had a nice Fort visit!!

 

Heidi

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

 I have seen that tractor several times just riding a long behind the parade not towing anything. 

[Beckers 1,136]

The could have at least beadazzled the tow strap and made it look pretty.

[FunFinder265....Cody 36]

....those knucklehead Imagineers that think that they're real engineers, you never know.

Considering that it broke down, it's probably a Disney designed vehicle.

 

Excellent. That was funny.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Just want to say a BIG congratulation to twin #1!!!! That is so exciting!! What a neat opportunity for both of them, having grown up going to Disney and now getting to work there! What a dream!!

 

I can see why twin #2 (and twin #1, I am sure too) is making her mark and impressing her supervisors. What an asset she is to the company! I am sure she is a breath of fresh air to all of the guests who ask her a question and she can answer them with CORRECT information!! So many CM's (probably like the twins roommate who had never been to Disney until she came down for the college program) just don't know the answer or even worse, think they do, and give wrong information!! I remember our first trip to Disneyland a few years ago and everything was new to us. I asked a CM (at the tip board of all places!!) what time we needed to get a spot for Fantasmic and she had no clue!! She had never been to the show!!! Not sure why she was working at the tip board, because I truly think she was new and had never been to DL before!

 

Oh and I have to tell you.....I am not sure if it was in this trip report or your other one.....but you had photos of the National Park t-shirts and wondered why the heck they were selling those at Disney........well they are not now!! That must have been a record for the shortest time a product was on a Disney shelf!! Less than two weeks ago when we were there, we made a trip to the Fort (we stayed elsewhere) just to buy a couple t-shirts since we are National Park junkies.......there were NO T-shirts!!! I asked a CM about them and she looked at me like I had two heads!!! She said they had nothing like that! I said, "well I know you did have some, because I saw pictures on them in this store on-line". She then said that she actually did remember them, but said they were pulled off the shelf shortly after they were put out!! I asked another CM about them and he confirmed that they were pulled pretty quick!!  I started laughing to myself, thinking......the POWER of a TCD report!! TCD mentions in his report that it is a bit odd that Disney is selling National Park merchandise and it is all pulled soon after!!! LOL!!!   Well, we didn't get any t-shirts, but we had a nice Fort visit!!

 

Heidi

 

The twins' familiarity with WDW has definitely worked in their favor. I also think it makes them appreciate the College Program more than most of their counterparts.  Twin #1 loves the fact that she gets to go to work through the Utilidors every single day.  With her CM ID, she's free to wander them after work.  She likes finding a random staircase, and going up it and popping out somewhere in the MK.  A lot of times she says she's somewhere completely different than where she thought she'd be.  She said the real interesting parts are not part of the tours that Disney conducts.

 

Wow, y'all went all the way to the Fort for those t-shirts, and then they were gone?  That's crazy that they were only on display for around a month.  I just posted an update on the Trading Post t-shirt situation here: http://www.fortfiends.net/forum/topic/13459-fort-merchandise-mission-for-a-fiend-on-the-scene/?p=391518  Someday, I'd love to meet the person who decides what to sell in the Trading Posts.  There's some really odd stuff that ends up there.

 

 

 I have seen that tractor several times just riding a long behind the parade not towing anything. 

 

I've never noticed it before, but I'll bet it is "on stage" a lot.

 

The could have at least beadazzled the tow strap and made it look pretty.

 

LOL.

 

And the tractor driver needs a snazzy costume. 

 

Excellent. That was funny.

 

Lou has a great sense of humor.

 

He should post on TR's more often.

 

TCD

[fladogfan aka Gretchen 259]

TCD!  What an interesting trip report.  When you started it back in May I was away from fortfiends and didn't start reading again until July or August.  Saw how many pages are in this report so waited to start it until after catching up on other reports.  WooHoo  Today  I'm all the way to page 8 and am thoroughly enjoying the read.   This is like having a box of See's candy and eating it slowly one piece a day.  I'm :heartsmiley:  it!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

TCD!  What an interesting trip report.  When you started it back in May I was away from fortfiends and didn't start reading again until July or August.  Saw how many pages are in this report so waited to start it until after catching up on other reports.  WooHoo  Today  I'm all the way to page 8 and am thoroughly enjoying the read.   This is like having a box of See's candy and eating it slowly one piece a day.  I'm :heartsmiley:  it!

 

Page 8?  You have a lot of reading to do!

 

Thanks for reading and commenting!

 

I hope you enjoy the rest of the report.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

There's a little tarnish on the shine of this new era, but I think it will all work out.

 

Twin #2 let me in on a little drama that went down in her apartment over the past two weeks.  One of her roommates was very homesick, and hated her quick service food and beverage role. She kept calling in sick, and a few weeks ago, she was terminated and sent home.  Then there were 5 girls in a 6 girl apartment. One girl ended up with her own room and bathroom.  It was good to be her.  For about a week.  A week after the original roommate left, the girls come home to the apartment to find that a new roommate has moved in.  No advance notice.  No asking if that would be OK.  They just found her there.

 

So where did she come from? This girl is the survivor of some fallout that occurred because she turned in her previous roommates for having alcohol in their apartment.  They had six girls in that apartment too.  Three of the girls in that apartment were terminated.  Two who were not involved were not.  But, they were not happy with the whistleblower, and she was not happy with them.  So, she asked to be moved to a new apartment, and Twin #2's apartment was the lucky recipient.  They have tried to make the best of it, but this new girl is not very nice or friendly.  And the kicker is that she is incredibly inconsiderate.  She's that type of roommate who makes a big mess in the kitchen and doesn't clean it up.  This hasn't had a huge impact on Twin #2, but the poor girl that has to share her room with the new girl isn't very happy with the situation.  The good news is that the new girl is in it for the money, so she works as much as she can, and is not in the apartment as much as the other girls.  Apparently, the new girl has caused some problems at the place she works, and shared with one of the roommates that she herself is at risk of being terminated.  So, the problem may resolve itself soon.

 

I heard all of this while sitting and talking with the twins over the weekend.  Twin #1 observed that the Disney College Program Housing is like jail.  The residents have no say about who lives in their cells.  It's not very fair.  Especially since there are many rule violations that could end up in all of the residents of an apartment being in trouble.

 

Aside from that, everything is good. 

 

TCD

[lklasing 16]

Wow about all that roommate drama!  That sounds like a tough situation.  I'm glad that Twin #2 isn't sharing a room with the new girl.  Based on what she told her roommate, I bet she's not there too much longer.

 

Love hearing all about the CP, even the stuff that's not as much fun for the participants.  Your girls have such great attitudes that they seem to take about everything in stride.

[fladogfan aka Gretchen 259]

I'm up to page 30, get a few pages read every day. 

Your TRs are so full of info and fun even if they are months (or years ) old still worth the reading.

My godson and his girlfriend were at the 24 hour MK party.  Didn't see him in any of your photos but sent the TR on to him, maybe he can see himself.  Think he was dressed as Baloo (sp).

 

Wondering if the 40% cast discount at TE breakfast is still in effect.

 

Reading a TR after it's finished is like 'finding' the Harry Potter books and being able to read them all straight through.  Not having the anticipation of waiting for the next book or installment of a TR to come out is missing.  But reading them ...is still fun.

[Heidi-meetsTCD@TSM 5]

The twins' familiarity with WDW has definitely worked in their favor. I also think it makes them appreciate the College Program more than most of their counterparts.  Twin #1 loves the fact that she gets to go to work through the Utilidors every single day.  With her CM ID, she's free to wander them after work.  She likes finding a random staircase, and going up it and popping out somewhere in the MK.  A lot of times she says she's somewhere completely different than where she thought she'd be.  She said the real interesting parts are not part of the tours that Disney conducts.

 

Wow, y'all went all the way to the Fort for those t-shirts, and then they were gone?  That's crazy that they were only on display for around a month.  I just posted an update on the Trading Post t-shirt situation here: http://www.fortfiends.net/forum/topic/13459-fort-merchandise-mission-for-a-fiend-on-the-scene/?p=391518  Someday, I'd love to meet the person who decides what to sell in the Trading Posts.  There's some really odd stuff that ends up there.

 

 

Ha, ha, yes, we went to the fort just for those National Park t-shirts!! Normally we go to the fort and rent bikes and spend the day when we are staying at another resort, but we have reservations to stay in the cabins for a week in Jan. so I figured on this trip, we would just skip the fort. Its all good though! I LOVE the fort and there is NOTHING like walking into the Trading Post, taking a deep breath and looking around!

 

Thanks for the link, I will check it out!

 

So sorry to read about the roommate drama.......UGH!! My biggest worry for my boys going to college was who they would get for a roommate and if they would be nice!! Luckily it has worked out fine for my guys. I hope that this girl doesn't cause any further problems and at LEAST starts to clean up after herself!!! Best of luck to your daughter!

 

Heidi