A Shining New Era is Tiptoeing Nearer for the TCD Gang

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

And we're back . . .

 

We left off with what ended up being our final ride on the Hollywood Studios Backlot Tour.  It's closed forever now.

 

I hope this isn't the last time I see Walt's plane:

 

 

In case you don't know, Walt himself flew in that plane, and on the tour you are told that Walt used that very plane to fly over central Florida back in the 1960's to look at tracts of land to buy for what was then called the Florida Project.  On one of these flights, Walt spotted a beautiful lake with an island in the middle of it.  That lake was Bay Lake, and that island was what we later knew as Discovery Island.

 

I sure hope that plane doesn't end up the same landfill where the Nautilus subs got buried.

 

As we looped toward the end of the ride, we could see that it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas on September 22:

 

 

 

You can see that the Osborne lights have been draped over this building:

 

 

The buildings on this end of the New York Street aren't covered yet- but you can see that there is a green construction wall mid-way down the street where the big Christmas tree will soon stand:

 

 

It was sad to think that we will never ride this ride again.  But, it has been neglected for so long that I'm glad to see that it will be put out of its misery.  Here's hoping that whatever they replace it with will be a good addition to the park.

 

From here, we headed out of the park, and met up with Twin #2.  The twins had some business to take care of at Disney University (the wanted to buy CM tickets for a MNSSHP), so we went backstage.  I looked for the truck and trailer for the calliope when we went past the monorail barn (according to some posts on this site, the truck and trailer had been parked there), and took a photo to show that it wasn't there.  The twins both told me simultaneously to not take any more photos backstage!  So I didn't.  I had never been in the Disney University building, and it was fun to go in there. I've seen photos of some of the props and decorations they have in there.  While waiting in a line to buy the tickets, it was fun for me to hear the girls talking to their fellow castmembers about their jobs. 

 

After that stop, we dropped Twin #2 off at her apartment, and then Twin #1 drove me to the body shop where we picked up Twin #1's car.  It had taken them 19 days to complete the repair, which I felt was pretty poor.  And, there are some minor problems with the work which means we have to take the car back there again!  Ugh.

 

After all of that, we met up again at the apartment complex, and headed to Epcot.  We got there around 6 pm, and the wait times weren't too bad:

 

 

That last photo was supposed to show that Test Track had a wait of 45 minutes.  I think you can see here that Soarin' was 40 minutes:

 

 

Something weird must have happened at Mission Space, as they had a 55 minute wait there:

 

 

We had FP+'s for Test Track, so we were good to go.  The single rider wait time was only 10 minutes:

 

 

We had a short wait, and then headed in to the design studio.  For a while, the FP+ return line skipped this.  I liked that better- but the girls like the design part:

 

 

The twins got to work designing something ridiculous:

 

 

 

 

Here's their finished product:

 

 

 

Ride photo:

 

 

Through the magic of FP+ hacks, I also had a FP+ we could use at Soarin'.  But, we skipped it and headed out into the World Showcase to take our second lap around the Food and Wine Festival.  Twin #2 had been at work when we took the first lap.  We had skipped some of the places we knew she would want to stop.  The first stop on the second lap was Canada, where we had the steak.  This is and expensive item, but it is really good:

 

 

We next stopped in Ireland, where I got a Fisherman's Pie, but no photo.  Sorry.

 

Then we stopped in France and got both a beef and a macaroni.  Again, no photo.  Sorry.

 

After France, we agreed that the next stop would be Germany, so we headed that way.  Along the way, we could hear the Pointer Sisters singing their big hit "Jump."  They sounded pretty good.

 

I took this photo as we passed by the theater.  The time stamp says I took the photo at 7:18, so this must have been the final number for the 6:45 performance:

 

 

There they are:

 

 

I wondered at the time how old the Pointer Sisters are.  According to Wikipedia, the two of them who still perform are 66 and 68, and they are now joined by a granddaughter who is in her 30's.  Good for them.  They still sound pretty good.  And the theater was full.  As we walked by, people were starting to get up to leave. That's bad timing on our part. This part of the World Showcase gets real crowded when a show lets out.  So, we picked up the pace and headed right to Germany.

 

Twin #2 and I love these:

 

 

My only complaint is that every year the pretzel roll gets smaller while the sausage gets longer and skinnier.  It's a disturbing site to see someone eat one.

 

Avert your eyes if you don't want to see what I mean.

 

Look:

 

 

I forgot to mention that it had started to rain. Thus the poncho.

 

I think it rained every single day in September this year.   Which isn't normal.  But it did.

 

After the brats, we stopped at the Refreshment Port for a drink, and then continued on.

 

We had 8 o'clock FP+'s for Maelstrom. In case you live under a rock, it's closing too.  So, this was going to be our day to say goodbye to two of our old favorites.

 

I thought at the time this would be my last time seeing the magnificent mural:

 

 

 

You see that Viking ship?

 

One of the Vikings has Mickey Ears:

 

 

After the ride, we actually sat and watched the movie.

 

I don't think we've done that in the past 10 years.

 

But we did today.

 

And you know what?

 

The movie isn't that bad.

 

I don't know why we always skipped it.

 

Goodbye Maelstrom.

 

It was just a bit past 8 when we finished.

 

We talked about staying for Illuminations.  But it was raining a bit.  And we all had stuff to do.

 

So, we left.

 

I dropped the girls off, and was back home before 11 pm.

 

I didn't know at the time that I would be back at WDW in less than a week.

 

But, I was.

 

Which means we ain't done.

 

TCD

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Another great update!

 

I'm glad I took lots of pics of the Backlot Tour last year.  Wish I had more of Maelstrom.

 

Glad we're not done!

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

Thanks for the last. Maelstrom and Backlot pics.

Good rides but updates and new rides are fine with me. The Backlot Tour was a shell of its former self anyway.

With all the talk about the osborne lights last year, it is good to see them going up again.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

No comments about the fisherman's pie or dishes in France? All are on my radar.

I love filet but hate mushrooms. The filet looks to be mostly mushrooms.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Another great update!

 

I'm glad I took lots of pics of the Backlot Tour last year.  Wish I had more of Maelstrom.

 

Glad we're not done!

 

Truthfully, I am not a huge fan of either of those attractions. But, still, I'm sad to see them go. The Backlot Tour was there from the day DHS opened.  We used to ride it every trip.  They could have saved it by keeping it updated.  But, it did take up a lot of space.  Hopefully something better is coming.  As for Maelstrom, it also seemed kind of worn.  Parts of it were still great, though. 

 

Thanks for the last. Maelstrom and Backlot pics.

Good rides but updates and new rides are fine with me. The Backlot Tour was a shell of its former self anyway.

With all the talk about the osborne lights last year, it is good to see them going up again.

 

Agreed. I would have a lot easier time accepting change if I had faith that something better was going to replace what they're taking away.  They've had a few misfires in that department lately.

 

I, also, am glad the Osborne lights will be back.  Soon, too.

 

No comments about the fisherman's pie or dishes in France? All are on my radar.

I love filet but hate mushrooms. The filet looks to be mostly mushrooms.

 

I gave my thoughts on the new mushroom pasta dish in France earlier in the report. I liked it, but it is VERY mushroomy.  The beef dish is something we had last year.  It's good.  A couple chunks of beef with a burgundy wine sauce over mashed potatoes.  Nothing spectacular, though. If you want a tasty beef dish, get the potato and leek waffle at Belgium.  I have a photo of that coming up.

 

The Fisherman's Pie is in my top 5. I get it every year.  I like it better when it's not as hot out.  It's a good dish for a cooler day.

 

The filet does have a lot of mushrooms.  Like more than enough to have mushrooms with every bite of steak. You could probably get them to leave the mushrooms off.  But, they add a lot to the dish.  Considering the cost, and all the other non-mushroom choices, you may want to skip it.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Since the site was down a few days this week, I'm going to try to post another update this afternoon.

 

Before we get to that, though, here's some news from Twin #2.  Last week, she got an invite to an exclusive Castmember party at Wandering Oaken's Trading Post:

 

 

She has been "temporarily" deployed there for almost two months, and worked really hard.  The managers decided to throw the CM's a party to reward them for their hard work.

 

They got the skating rink to themselves, and got free cupcakes and slushies.  Twin #2 loved it. The special performance was all 8 of the ice skaters that have been performing the shows in pairs came out and put on an extended show. Twin #2 learned that these CM's were on loan from Disney on Ice. They're going back there now. There's a rumor they might bring the rink back in the Spring.

 

According to the managers, this store made a profit of over $6 million dollars since it opened on July 5. That's a lot of Elsa dresses. They closed it down on Sunday, September 28th, and moved to a new location. For this week, Twin #2 is back to her original work assignment, but there's a chance she's going to be deployed back to Oakens 2.0.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

 

 

According to the managers, this store made a profit of over $6 million dollars since it opened on July 5. That's a lot of Elsa dresses. 

 

All I need to do is operate a Delsa dress kiosk in the parking lot at HS for a month and I could retire. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

All I need to do is operate a Delsa dress kiosk in the parking lot at HS for a month and I could retire. 

 

Hmmm.  A month in one location may not work.  I think you'd have to move around every couple of days.  Maybe skip the kiosk. Can't you get a Delsa wrap on your van?  A mobile shop might work.   You know, like a food truck?  But with Delsa dresses instead of food.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

As I said, it ain't over.

 

I ended up going back to WDW on Sunday, September 28th.  Twin #1 had two days off, and it was almost my birthday, so she said I should come hang out on one of the days.  I picked Sunday.  Twin #2 had to work in the afternoon- her last day at Oaken's.  I suggested that we hit Epcot for Food and Wine rope drop, maybe hop to the MK, and call it a day.   Twin #1 had another idea.  Sunday was the last day of Frozen Summer Fun at Hollywood Studios.  We could see the final parade, and then hop to Epcot.  That seemed like a lot of extra work, but I agreed. 

 

The plan was that Twin #2 would drive the both of them to DHS, and I would meet them there to watch the parade. Since Twin #2 had to work there that night, she would then have her car there to use to go back to her apartment after work.  That was a good plan.

 

I thought about heading over extra early and getting a breakfast sandwich at Trail's End. I knew there were some Fiends at the Fort, and thought that maybe I could say hello to a few.  I ended up not doing  that, but I did get to WDW a little early and parked at the Lodge.  I decided that if a Fort bus came first, I would ride over to the Fort, try to catch some Fiends,  and then head to DHS from there.  But, as I walked up to the bus stop, the Fort bus was leaving, and the DHS bus was just loading. That decided that.  Maybe I would get by the Fort later.  (spoiler alert- I did.  And I met a Fiend too-but that will come later).

 

The parade wasn't until 11, and I got to DHS a bit before 10.  I had made us some FP+ reservations for Epcot, as I didn't think we would stay at DHS for very long.  But, I did think we might want to come by later, so I headed down to the Premier theater to get some of those FP cards for the Frozen sing-a-long.  I found out that they had stopped using those cards as of that day, and from now on, the only FP's for the sing-a-long will come through the FP+ MDE system.  So, that was a fail.  Which was fine, since we probably didn't have time for the sing-a-long anyway.  So, for anyone thinking about getting one of those FP cards.  They don't have them anymore.

 

Since I was there early, I got the idea of saving us a good parade spot right on Hollywood Blvd.  The other times we've watched the parade, we were along the route they take after they do the little show on the stage.  So, this time I thought we'd watch the first part of the parade and maybe even see what they do on the stage.  As I passed by the hat, I saw someone had been very creative with some masking tape:

 

 

I had no idea what that was supposed to be. Later, I showed that photo to Twin #1, and she told me this is a snow monster that Elsa creates in the movie. I must have fallen asleep for that part- I don't remember it.

 

I was a little later than I should have been to get a perfect parade spot, but I did get a good curb spot in the shade at around 10:25.  This gave us a good view of the street and the construction wall around the future site of the Hollywood Studious Starbucks:

 

 

We were also right across from the big screen they've had up all summer.  This would give us a close-up view of anything going on up on the stage:

 

 

I hear that this big screen is already gone.  So you are looking at some of the last photos ever taken of it.

 

The girls texted me to let me know they were in the parking lot and heading in.  So I let them know where I was, and enjoyed the people watching.

 

For no reason I can think of, this woman was carrying around a giant home-made Olaf:

 

 

A guest who was seated near me jumped up and stopped the lady and asked if she could take a photo.  The lady with the home-made Olaf got all defensive and said that the girl could take a photo of the Olaf, but that she could not take a photo with Olaf.  Seriously.  That's what she said.  So, the girl got a nice picture of the lady with the Olaf:

 

 

I don't know what was going on here.  This lady had her own cart with a Duffy up top:

 

 

I wonder if anyone checked the local psych wards on Sunday?  There seem to have been a few escapes.

 

The girls arrived about now, and we all enjoyed a little pre-parade people watching.

 

If you have read this entire trip report, you may remember that way back on page 6, in post number 116, I shared how I was entrusted by Betty Shambles to hold her accordion before one of the Star Wars parades.  Well, guess who was right down the street?:

 

 

 

And it wasn't just Betty who was out working the crowd.  Today, we also had the famed police sketch artist, Pat Friskem:

 

 

We were seated beside a trash can.  Pat stopped right on the other side of the trash can, and studied two suspicious looking kids:

 

 

While that was going on, Betty strolled by:

 

 

She was playing her accordion today, so she didn't need me to hold it for her. But I was there if she needed me:

 

 

Now who is this guy?  A chef holding a bucket with a sign that says "Free Snowballs" :

 

 

I didn't get a photo, but two boys asked the chef for a snowball.  He dipped a cup into his bucket and poured water in their hands. They snowballs had melted!  Funny, right?

 

In the meantime, the sketch artist was still sketching:

 

 

Then he revealed his work:

 

 

Since there was a trashcan between us, I didn't get a good look at the kids on the other side, but I'm pretty sure that sketch artist was trying to be funny.  Or, I guess it is possible that those kids looked exactly like Chip and Dale.

 

There were no more parade spots along the street by now, but the people kept on coming in.  Check out the kid in the Olaf costume next to the mom with the giant stroller.  Who thought that was a good idea?:

 

 

Even though I'm partial to Betty Shambles, I would be lying if I said this next young lady didn't capture my attention as she strolled up the street:

 

 

 

Apparently, one of the kids/chipmunks on the other side of the trashcan had on a birthday button because the young lady stopped to chat with them.  She was quite funny, telling the birthday boy that he needed to be a gentleman and kiss her hand, and that if he would, then she would kiss his brother on the cheek.  You would think the kid would be all over that.  But, he refused.  She begged and begged, but he just wouldn't.  About now, I wished I had on a birthday button.  Finally, another Citizen of Hollywood arrived and told the lady to stop bothering the kid.  He reached into his vest, and handed the kid something and wished him a Happy Birthday!  To me it looked like a paper Fastpass.  Lucky kid.  Well, except for the looking like a chipmunk part:

 

 

Across the street, the sketch artist was looking for another suspect:

 

 

Hey look- there were only two Lights, Motor Action shows on Sunday:

 

 

The sketch artist worked quick. So quick that he was already erasing his latest drawing before I could get a photo. This time, he drew Goofy.  I tried to spot the person in the crowd who looked like Goofy, but had no luck:

 

 

Oh goody, the Icemen of the North are still here!  I made note of their performance times this evening so I could avoid them:

 

 

What do you want to bet that Mulch, Sweat and Shears are back on the DHS schedule now?  What a coincidence.

 

As parade time neared, the Citizens of Hollywood scattered:

 

 

I have not had the pleasure of meeting this young lady, and she was in a hurry today:

 

 

So who the heck is this guy, and why is he dressed like that?:

 

 

That was definitely the most Citizens of Hollywood we had ever seen out at one time.

 

They announced the parade was about to begin, and someone flipped the snow machine switch.  And down it came:

 

 

It was blowing out right above us.  I didn't know that they had it snow for the parade. They don't have snow machines down at the part we had watched the parade on the previous trips:

 

 

Did you notice how crowded it is?:

 

 

 

This is the last time any of us will be seeing this Frozen parade.  Looks like Twin #1 wasn't the only one who thought of making one last visit.

 

Next up, the parade!

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Here we go.  These might be the only photos you will ever see of the very last Frozen Summer Fun^TM  parade at DHS.

 

We are here to see the final performance of this parade.

 

Maybe it will come back at some future time.  But for now, this is it.

 

There was quite a crowd assembled.  We could see a bit of the stage from our seats, so we were in a good place to catch all of the action:

 

 

BTW- I hope that you didn't miss that really excited lady there on the left in that last photo.  Have you ever seen anyone so happy to see a parade?  Almost makes me sad that this is the final performance.

 

And here it comes.  First, we have "ice" skaters in pairs photographed against a lovely Starbucks construction wall backdrop:

 

 

It might have been my imagination, but it seemed to me that the skaters were skating with extra enthusiasm today:

 

 

 

Next we have the mysterious empty float.  The first time we saw this, we thought it was a mistake and that someone hadn't shown up for work that day.  But, it's just an empty float.  Always. Weird:

 

 

Next come the crazy skiers. These guys will be back at work in a month when the Christmas parties start at the Magic Kingdom:

 

 

I wonder if any of these guys ever thought when they were kids that one day they would be getting paid to ski on fake skis in a Disney parade:

 

 

Here come the ice cutters:

 

 

Too bad this is ending.  These guys have the choreography down:

 

 

Ice Cutter close up:

 

 

Marching routine:

 

 

I like the boots these guys wear.  I wonder if these will show up in the Castmember store?:

 

 

Next we have Kristoff.  The girls love him:

 

 

 

This float will be seen next month in the MVMCP parades:

 

 

Kristoff pulled out all the stops today.  He even ate a carrot:

 

 

You can see on the screen in the background of that last photo that the ice cutters have reached the stage area and are doing a dance number there.

 

The float driver made a face, but you can't see that in the reflection:

 

 

In case you didn't get enough roller skating from that first group,  here come the snowflake girls:

 

 

 

The other times we have watched this parade, Anna and Elsa rode in a horse-drawn carriage.  Today they're walking:

 

 

 

Anna was acting extremely dumb.  I did not get that from her character in the movie.  Here, Elsa is gesturing by touching her nose, and kind of rolling her eyes at Anna.  What's up with that?:

 

 

I have to admit that Elsa's dress is pretty sweet.  I understand why DIT wears one:

 

 

There was a group of children marching in this parade.  I don't know what the deal is with this-like how do these kids get chosen.  Doesn't matter now, as this is the last parade:

 

 

 

Then we had some flag bearers:

 

 

And then regular folks kept back by a rope:

 

 

I did a double take when I thought I spotted Delsa.  But it wasn't him.  Just some other guy in an Elsa dress.  Not the same:

 

 

So here's something I didn't know.  As the parade reached the stage, the mob behind the rope filled in the space in front of us.  There went our view of the stage.  Man, there were a lot of people here today:

 

 

 

That's the end of the parade.

 

Next comes a little show up on the stage.

 

And then we are bolting to Epcot.

 

TCD

[Lou... 3,118]

Next comes a little show up on the stage.

 

Calling it a little show is being overly generous as I'm sure you found out.

And some people paid extra to get closer to it.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Those people looked... Odd.

Interesting that A&E were walking. The crowd didn't fill in like that when we went.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Calling it a little show is being overly generous as I'm sure you found out.

And some people paid extra to get closer to it.

 

I guess I am feeling overly generous.  Maybe a quick skit is a more accurate description. 

 

Yes, I saw the people shoving the "free" Mickey Bars in their faces.

 

Those people looked... Odd.

Interesting that A&E were walking. The crowd didn't fill in like that when we went.

 

Not as good as a Star Wars weekend, but I'll take it.

 

Did A & E ride in the carriage to the stage when you saw them.  Before this, we had only seen them after they left the stage. I thought maybe they walked the first part and had the carriage waiting at the stage to take them away/

 

Hmmm.  Did that crowd fill in space right in front of the premium package guests?  They let people in that space for the fireworks.  Did that happen when you saw it?

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I guess I am feeling overly generous. Maybe a quick skit is a more accurate description.

Yes, I saw the people shoving the "free" Mickey Bars in their faces.

Not as good as a Star Wars weekend, but I'll take it.

Did A & E ride in the carriage to the stage when you saw them. Before this, we had only seen them after they left the stage. I thought maybe they walked the first part and had the carriage waiting at the stage to take them away/

Hmmm. Did that crowd fill in space right in front of the premium package guests? They let people in that space for the fireworks. Did that happen when you saw it?

TCD

When I saw it, they rode in the carriage before and after.

No one filled in.

[fladogfan aka Gretchen 259]

Glad to read more of this months long trip.  After I had caught up it was weird not to have this to read when the rest of forum was quiet.

[Beckers 1,136]

I wonder if Disney told homemade Olaf lady about the pics? And who in their right mind wants to drag around that thing?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

When I saw it, they rode in the carriage before and after.

No one filled in.

 

Hmmm.  I wonder if they had a problem with getting a horse there?  Or, maybe they have been skipping that part lately? 

 

I was surprised that they let the crowd follow behind the parade like that.  That meant all of those people would be standing in front of the stage and blocking the view of the premium package guests.  Since this was the last one, maybe they didn't care- they already got the money from all of those suckers guests.

 

Glad to read more of this months long trip.  After I had caught up it was weird not to have this to read when the rest of forum was quiet.

 

You will have plenty to read this week.

 

I wonder if Disney told homemade Olaf lady about the pics? And who in their right mind wants to drag around that thing?

 

I know there's a rule about guests in costumes not being allowed to pose for photos with guests.  I have never seen a rule about homemade Styrofoam snowmen.  But, maybe there is one.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

We left off with the last Frozen Summer Fun^TM parade having passed us by.

 

There was a little skit which would be performed on the stage, and we were welcome to follow behind this mob to get closer to see it:

 

 

But, for our viewing pleasure, there was a screen we could watch set up right across the street.  We have heard the skit when we watched the parade from further down the street.  It lasts just a few minutes, so watching it on TV seemed fine:

 

 

If you look under the Frozen Summer Fun sign there in the background, you can see the tops of Anna and Elsa's heads:

 

 

If you look now, you can see that they are interacting with an animated Olaf on the screen by the stage-the people closer to us in this photo are looking at the show on the screen.  Do any of them look like they're enjoying it?:

 

 

By 11:09 am, the little skit was over, and the princesses left the stage.  Time for us to go too:

 

 

Look at all of these guests streaming into DHS right after 11 am.  I hope they all have FP+ reservations:

 

 

It feels kind of crowded:

 

 

Good thing the gift shop was right behind us.  We popped in there, and took a nice air conditioned shortcut right to the park exit.  Then right on out, and straight to the boat to Epcot.  Since we have such great transportation luck, the boat was docked and loading guests as we approached.  We were the last guests to board, and they took off.

 

The boat ride from DHS to Epcot is not a fast mode of transportation.  But these boats have AC, and plenty of seating.  So no complaints. 

 

That last photo in DHS was taken at 11:09 am.  This next one was taken at 11:55 am.  That's 46 minutes.  In that time, we had left DHS, jumped on the boat, stopped at the Swolphin, Yacht and Beach Club, and Boardwalk resorts, and then docked at the International Gateway, made it through bag check and the scanners, and walked past the France and Brazil Food and Wine booths, arriving at Belgium, where we ordered and paid and were now waiting for our waffles to be made.  Not bad:

 

 

As a refresher, this is what they have for sale in Belgium:

 

 

This is the potato leek waffle.  It looks gross, but it's one of my favorite Food and Wine items:

 

 

This is the waffle with warm chocolate ganache and whipped cream:

 

 

In Morocco, we got a spicy shrimp roll.  I didn't take a photo.  It looks exactly like an egg roll.  If mine actually had shrimp in it, I missed them. 

 

Next, we stopped at Japan.  There was a drink here that the girls had told me about.  It's described on the menu above as Sparkling Peach Sake Gell.

 

This is that:

 

 

There was some interesting labeling on the can:

 

 

Do you see where it says this can is 6.1 oz?  This is some expensive stuff. I think this cost $7+.

 

I don't know why they are calling this "Gell" on the menu. The can says it's Sparkling Jelly Sake:

 

 

The nutritional information is helpful.

 

So, what is this stuff?

 

When you sip it, it tastes like peach soda.  Then, in your mouth, it kind of turns into a Jello-like substance.

 

Japan is a strange land.

 

But, I like the landscaping:

 

 

Moving along, we walked past the stage:

 

 

That sign says Hanson is performing tonight.

 

It was 12:18 as we walked by the stage.  The first show was not until 5:30.  I wonder if anyone will show up to watch?

 

In case there's a crowd, these folks have already lined up.  Five hours before the show.  To get front row:

 

 

Did you read that?

 

Those people are starting to line up five hours before a show by Hanson.

 

Who would do that?

 

We need to take a closer look:

 

 

Do you see that?

 

A hippie!

 

Of course it is.

 

But, what about the people behind this group?

 

Here they are:

 

 

Do you see that lady is wearing a Hanson t-shirt?

 

Where did she get that?

 

If I was Hanson, I would be a little afraid of her.

 

She's probably going to be sitting at one of their kitchen tables having a cup of coffee one morning.

 

We passed on the opportunity to wait five hours to see Hanson.

 

We kept on going all the way to Italy.  We haven't stopped here yet:

 

 

This is what they have there:

 

 

We tried the chicken:

 

 

And the ravioli:

 

 

The chicken is new.  And it's very good.

 

The ravioli is a new version.  In the past, it has had a meat sauce. This one had no meat.  I miss the meat.  But it was still good.

 

After Italy, we picked up speed and headed to Norway.

 

I had made us FP+ reservations for Maelstrom, and this would be our final ride ever on it.  Good thing I made those FP+ reservations:

 

 

You know what's lame about this ride?  The stand-by queue:

 

 

That is about a lame a stand-by queue as there is.

 

I've always liked this mural, though:

 

 

There's some strange stuff on it.  Like this Hippie/Viking/Oil Rig Worker:

 

 

And this kid beheading a fish.  Very disturbing.  Look at his face:

 

 

And then there's the troll peeking out of the water over here:

 

 

My favorite part of the ride is how the boats back up to this opening.  We were in the back row, so we could turn and look out:

 

 

We have had a lot of discussion in the TCD gang about what they're going to do with this ride.  The girls think that since it is going to take so long, they think Disney will be ripping everything out of the ride and starting from scratch.  I, on the other hand, think they will do what they always do- use the same building and track and just change the ride elements.  That's what they did with Buzz Lightyear and The Pooh ride in the MK, and Test Track in Epcot.  So,  I think we will ride on these boats and look out that rock opening again one day.  The girls think not.  Time will tell.

 

Well, that's 30 photos.

 

So, I'll have to save the CraB'less CraBcakes for the next update.  Yes, we're going to Terra.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I agree with you....I think Disney does the Maelstrom redo as inexpensively as possible.  There's nothing wrong with the building, track and boats as far as we know, so why rip them all out and start over?  Besides, if they were doing that, it would take 6 years. 

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

No kidding! I want to be living that dream - for ME! Ray and I talk all the time about bailing on our jobs when both girls are out of the house (and we're halfway there now!), moving to Orlando and getting jobs at WDW. I know that reality would undoubtedly be far different than my fantasy on that, but we're still really thinking about it.

Who's ray? Lol

[Beckers 1,136]

The drink from Japan sounds :barf:

I can't believe people were lined up that early for Hanson. Wow.

I agree with you, I think they will keep te current track.

[lklasing 16]

Who's ray? Lol

 

:rofl3:

[dvccamper 32]

So were you able to drink that whole can of whatever from Japan? It sounds disgusting.

[shoreline99 137]

I agree with you....I think Disney does the Maelstrom redo as inexpensively as possible.  There's nothing wrong with the building, track and boats as far as we know, so why rip them all out and start over?  Besides, if they were doing that, it would take 6 years. 

 

Just saw a video online of two of the boats heading down 528 this morning on a flatbed. Wow, that was quick.

[fladogfan aka Gretchen 259]

I vote they keep the same track and I hope they do.