A Shining New Era is Tiptoeing Nearer for the TCD Gang

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Sorry there wasn't an update yesterday.

 

But, if you are one of the few still reading this very long TR, then you may be happy to know that I was out gathering more content.  This new era generates a lot.  And the TR continues.

 

For now, though, it is still Saturday, October 4, and we are in Germany.  I am finishing my bier, and then we will be continuing our journey around the World Showcase.

 

We left off with a photo of the bird emerging from the big clock in Germany to let me know that it was 6 pm.  The bird:

 

 

No bird:

 

 

Maybe that's not a big deal to you, but I never knew a bird came out of those doors like that.

 

Here's Karamell-Küche is glowing as the sun sinks lower in the sky.  As I sat here enjoying, I got to wondering what is on the second floor of that building?  There appears to be a lot of space up there.  And, look how tall the buildings around the clock in the first two photos are.  I wonder if there are offices or store rooms or even a secret lounge up there?:

 

 

More guests walked by.  The concert must have ended, and they are making their way around the World Showcase.  Let's see what kind of people watching we can do here:

 

 

OK- in that photo I see a lumberjack, and a girl with blue tape on her legs and a Darth Vader helmet with Mickey Ears.  And, the Big Bama fan is even over there on the left in the background.  What a wide variety of people we have here to watch.  By the way- that girl with the blue tape must have been participating in one of the weekend's race events  That blue tape is all the rage with runners.  Exactly what random blue tape is supposed to do, I don't know.  But, someone is making a buck off of selling it to runners.

 

Even though I would have enjoyed sitting a while longer, I knew I needed to get moving, so I stood up, and got serious with finishing my bier.  After I stood, I noticed that I had been sitting in front of a Nikon Picture Spot sign.  I remember when signs like this used to be sponsored by Kodak.  I didn't even know that the signs still existed, but here's one:

 

 

Isn't that nice?  A family posing for a photo in front of the Germany pavilion.  I figured the photo must be really old, so I took a closer look.  Maybe the people would have on funny looking clothes, and we could all laugh about that:

 

 

Uh.

 

What's this?

 

Two adult males and two kids?

 

A couple of brothers taking their kids to Epcot?  Their wives must be enjoying tea over at the Grand Floridian.  Or maybe they're at the spa?  Or shopping?

 

I guess that's what it is.  Something like that.

 

I wonder how long that photo has been there.

 

I also now want to find the other Nikon Photo Stops.

 

I have a lot of thoughts about this.  Maybe I could say something clever.

 

But, I think it would be best if we just moved along.

 

Here's the view across the lake from where I had been sitting:

 

 

Do you see that big blue hump behind the Canada pavilion?

 

Do you know what that is?

 

That's the ride building for Soarin'.  But, we are supposed to pretend that it blends in with the sky and we can't see it ruining the forced perspective:

 

 

I remember that there were people who got angry when they built Soarin'.  To me, it's not that big a deal.

 

It was time to go, so I went. 

 

As I headed out of Germany, I could see that the crowds were a bit thicker:

 

 

Did you notice that there are two Castmembers over to the left in that last photo- in polo shirts?  I wonder what roles they have. 

 

Before I saw the line at the Germany booth, I had thought about stopping for a bratwurst.  But, not today:

 

 

The Singapore line wasn't long.  But, there's probably a good reason for that.  So, I kept going:

 

 

There used to be a fun thread here on Fort Fiends called "Where in the World" where people posted photos of things in Disney World, and we had to try and guess where the photo was taken.  But, that thread is currently in a state of hibernation because the person who posted the last photo stumped everyone.  If that thread wasn't comatose, I would have posted this next photo there:

 

 

If I hadn't been the one who took that photo, I would have been stumped as to its location.  It looks like Animal Kingdom to me.  But, the directional signs don't fit.  Do you see the shape of the Coke bottle up top?  This sign is right next to that Coke stand there in Epcot- I think it's called the Refreshment Outpost.

 

Hey look- an LSU fan.  With an old illegal jersey.  The crowd you see is there to watch the Chinese acrobats, who were performing as I strolled by:

 

 

The food booths along here were also crowded.  Nothing like chomping on a kimchi dog while watching Chinese acrobats.  But, the lines were too long for me, so I kept on going.

 

Now we're in Norway.  On Saturday, October 4.  It was very crowded here too:

 

 

At the time, I thought that this was the last day that Maelstrom would ever operate.  So, I thought about riding it on the last day.  But, I didn't have a FP+, and the wait time was 45 minutes:

 

 

 

I had just ridden it twice in the past few weeks, so that was good enough for me.  

 

Instead, I took some of the last photos you will ever see of the boats popping through the opening of the rocks on their way over the falls:

 

 

 

 

As it turns out, I was off by a day.

 

This was not the last day Maelstrom would operate.

 

It was the day before the last day.

 

So, good thing I didn't waste my time standing in line.

 

But, that did end up being the last time I'll ever see Maelstrom.

 

That ride is now shut down for a year and a half.

 

Who knows where we are all going to be when it reopens with a new Frozen theme?

 

Who knows if anyone will even care about Anna and Elsa then?

 

I think this is a big mistake.

 

But, nobody asked me.

 

There's another item on the menu at the Farm Fresh booth that I want to try. But, that wasn't going to happen tonight:

 

 

I was nearing the end of my lap around the World Showcase.  And so far, all I had gotten to eat was those Tostones.  Whatever they were.

 

I wanted to get a couple more items before I left.  That wasn't looking promising.  I came up with Plan B, which would be a hot dog from Casey's at the MK.   But, I didn't give up on Plan A.  I kept on walking.

 

The Margarita Booth in Mexico was generating a lot of sales-look at that line:

 

 

The line for the Mexico food booth was also very long:

 

 

The people in charge of the Mexico pavilion know what's up.  They give the people what they want.  They're always busy.

 

Australia was packed too:

 

 

Looked like it was going to be a hot dog for me.  Or the Terra booth.  I was starting to get worried.

 

Then New Zealand happened.  It doesn't seem quite right to me that there should be both an Australia and a New Zealand booth.  That's too much from the land down under.  One is all they need.  But, the New Zealand booth had just what I was looking for.  A short line.  After seeing the menu,  the short line was no surprise:

 

 

That's some strange stuff.

 

I figured I could handle a venison sausage.  So that's what I got:

 

 

You want to know what it tasted like?

 

Take a Jimmy Dean brown and serve sausage and heat it up.  Then take some salad with a sweet/fruity salad dressing and plop that sausage on top.  There you go.

 

Not awful.

 

But, who eats salad with a sausage?  Or something called pickled mushrooms?

 

The view from my lakeside trashcan/table was good:

 

 

It's always interesting to see how many boats and barges they have to position in the lake every afternoon for Illuminations:

 

 

I wonder what that's like for the CM's who have to do this every day.

 

At this point, we have just two food booths left.  Patagonia and Terra.

 

So, I hoped Patagonia had something I could eat:

 

 

Before we get to that, let me ask you something.

 

Have you ever heard of Patagonia?

 

I know there's a clothing line with that name.  I only know that because one of the TCD girls wanted a jacket from there for Christmas last year.

 

But, did you that there's a place called Patagonia?

 

I didn't.

 

Never heard of it.

 

It's the name of the southern tip of South America.  Which is shared by Argentina and Chile. 

 

I never knew that.

 

So, the Food and Wine Festival is educational.

 

I knew from prior visits to this year's Food and Wine Festival that they had meat on a stick at this booth.  I had seen it.  I wasn't sure what kind of meat it was, but I was willing to give it a go.  I knew there would be no meat at Terra.  Probably no sticks either.  So Patagonia it was.  Here I am in line- I think you can see the menu over there and that it tells us that they are selling grilled beef skewers. That works for me:

 

 

And here's my meat on a stick.  I didn't know they were going to pour that green stuff on it.  But, I wasn't surprised:

 

 

Luckily, the green stuff didn't have a strong flavor.  So, the meat on a stick was a win.

 

I was glad I didn't have to have a hot dog.

 

We still have one more booth to walk past before this lap around the World Showcase will be done:  Terra.

 

Remember how every booth we've seen in this report for this Saturday evening was busy?  Some of them were mobbed even.  What about Terra?  Do you wonder how busy they were?

 

I did too.

 

So I took a photo.

 

But, you'll have to wait for the next update to see it, as we are once again at the photo limit.

 

TCD

[CampMImi 22]

Sailor Moon?

How do you know about Sailor Moon?

My oldest daughter (now age 23) was geeked about Sailor Moon when she was in Kindergarten. She was even Sailor Moon for Halloween.

Is Sailor Moon still a thing? I didn't know.

 

 

My oldest daughter, 21, liked Sailor Moon and it depends on who you ask if it is still a thing or not.

 

 

 

 

And, I just noticed that the girl over there to the right in that photo you posted is gnawing on a turkey leg. Nice.

 

These photos are from the week before (October 4th).

TCD

 

Turkey leg = Gross and I was Roll Tiding for the Arkansas game.  Ugh that Ole Miss game was a hot mess.  But it was ok because Clemson shut out the Wolfpack so all eyes were there! 

 

 

[ajcjmom 8]

We went to Food and Wine last Saturday and we noticed the crowd levels also.

 

Busy but not horrible.

 

I do know that CM's are blacked out on Saturday's during F&W. My guess is that since CM's could not get friends in the park, no drunk vikings!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

My oldest daughter, 21, liked Sailor Moon and it depends on who you ask if it is still a thing or not.

 

 

 

 

Turkey leg = Gross and I was Roll Tiding for the Arkansas game.  Ugh that Ole Miss game was a hot mess.  But it was ok because Clemson shut out the Wolfpack so all eyes were there! 

 

So your daughter is a few years younger than my oldest.  As far as I know, Sailor Moon is no longer a thing.  At least not in my world.

 

Clemson?  Wolfpack?  Who?  Not when the SEC is playing.

 

We went to Food and Wine last Saturday and we noticed the crowd levels also.

 

Busy but not horrible.

 

I do know that CM's are blacked out on Saturday's during F&W. My guess is that since CM's could not get friends in the park, no drunk vikings!

 

I didn't know CM's were blacked out on Saturday.

 

So, what day do I need to show up to see the drunk Vikings?

 

TCD

[ajcjmom 8]

So your daughter is a few years younger than my oldest. As far as I know, Sailor Moon is no longer a thing. At least not in my world.

Clemson? Wolfpack? Who? Not when the SEC is playing.

I didn't know CM's were blacked out on Saturday.

So, what day do I need to show up to see the drunk Vikings?

TCD

Maybe Friday night? We had a couple of paper tickets for a couple friends because my dad could not get anybody in the park. CM's can get in on Saturday, just no friends using their main gate.

[The Troll 67]

I agree with you about the name of the Haunted Mansion gift shop. "Master Gracey's Mementos" would have been an awesome name. Would reflect the backstory of the ride, which few casual visitors are aware of. The chosen name sucks. Remember death? For real?

 

I disagree with you that there is such a thing as a free lunch. That offends my libertarian eyes.

 

Fantastic report.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Maybe Friday night? We had a couple of paper tickets for a couple friends because my dad could not get anybody in the park. CM's can get in on Saturday, just no friends using their main gate.

 

OK.  I thought that my daughters used their Main Gate passes on a Saturday.  But, they didn't bring guests in. 

 

I am going to have to go back on another Saturday to research this.

 

I agree with you about the name of the Haunted Mansion gift shop. "Master Gracey's Mementos" would have been an awesome name. Would reflect the backstory of the ride, which few casual visitors are aware of. The chosen name sucks. Remember death? For real?

 

I disagree with you that there is such a thing as a free lunch. That offends my libertarian eyes.

 

Fantastic report.

 

Thanks, Norm.

 

Does the fact that you have come out from under your bridge and posted mean that you are contemplating a Fort trip?  It seems like it's about that time.

 

You are right about the free lunch. It was free to me, but it really wasn't free.  Somebody did, in fact, pay a high price for it.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Wow, page 60.

 

This is officially the longest TCD TR ever.

 

And, there is still more bonus content.  So, we are going to keep on going.

 

We left off in Epcot on Saturday, October 4.  I was on my way out.

 

This is the Terra booth at 6:36 pm on a Saturday evening.  Every other Food and Wine booth around the World Showcase had long lines.  Some very long, but there is not a single customer at Terra:

 

 

Somebody done goofed on this booth.

 

It's funny to stand there and watch guests come up and read the menu board.  Who the heck wants to eat a CraB'less CraB cake?

 

Word on the street is that Epcot should be avoided on Saturday evenings during the Food and Wine Festival, but it didn't seem very crowded as I headed out:

 

 

There are times of the year where this space would be wall to wall people. This was not one of those times:

 

 

This photo shows the wait times at 6:42 pm on Saturday, October 4th:

 

 

Test Track at 80 minutes is high, but 45 minutes for Soarin' is a lot better than it would be during a truly busy time.  The Maelstrom wait time had grown to 80 minutes, but that was a unique situation, which, sadly, will never be an issue again.  Look at the other wait times- see how some are as short as 5 minutes?  And those are rides that offer FP+.  Isn't it magical how you can now skip those 5 minute lines?

 

Here's a nice Hidden Mickey.  What do you want to bet that in a few weeks, they're going to add some poinsettias and maybe a Christmas tree or two here?:

 

 

This is a pretty good golf ball picture, if I do say so myself:

 

 

Moon from monorail station:

 

 

At the Epcot monorail station, the TCD gang always goes to the very last monorail car.  Most of the time, people are too lazy to walk that far, and we will get the car to ourselves, or at least it won't be packed.  Tonight, though, they had a rope blocking access to the last car. I couldn't figure out why:

 

 

Something was up. There was a lady in a CM costume sitting in there:

 

 

What the Fort?  I wondered to myself.  They kept the rope up, and didn't let any guests get in that car.

 

So, I got to ride in a crowded car.

 

But, I had a nice place to stand next to the window, which provided a nice view of the Four Seasons resort popping out of the trees- you can see it just to the right of center in this photo:

 

 

Being crammed in the monorail car had one advantage.  I was right next to the door when it opened, and was able to beat everyone down the ramp on the way out.  I didn't want to stop to take this next photo, so it's blurry, but it explained why that last monorail car was off limits.  That CM was a custodial CM, and hanging from her trash can was a container of that powder that they sprinkle on Code V's at Disney World. They used to use the exact same stuff at my elementary school decades ago, and the smell of that powder is something that you'll never forget.  I think it's worse than the smell of what they sprinkle it on:

 

 

So, mystery solved.  It was what they call a Code V at WDW.  (a guest hurled on the monorail).  I feel sorry for the guests who were boarding that car as the CM with the magic throw-up powder was exiting.  I'll bet that car smelled interesting.

 

I needed to get to the MK.

 

Normally, I would head right up the Express Monorail ramp and be on my way.  But, there was a long line down the ramp, and a full Epcot monorail's worth of guests behind me.  That meant another cramped riding experience:

 

 

Plus, now I was thinking about that magic throw-up powder.

 

I normally am not a ferry person.  But, I looked that way and saw no line, plus a ferry on the way:

 

 

I chose the ferry, and headed that way.

 

Apparently, there had been some waits here earlier today, and they turned the kids loose with some sidewalk chalk:

 

 

Does anyone know how many of these gigantic ferry boats they have at WDW?

 

There was one parked over to the side here:

 

 

I walked over for a better look.  I was also hoping for a glimpse of the construction going on at the Polynesian Resort.  But, all I could see over there was this giant crane:

 

 

The parked ferry boat is the Richard F. Irvine:

 

 

The Polynesian Construction mess was right past the parked ferry:

 

 

The ferry which was approaching is the Admiral Joe Fowler:

 

 

The guests on board came off, and we got on.

 

And, we were on our way.

 

It was getting kind of dark, but I got a close look at the new DVC bungalows they're building in the Seven Seas Lagoon, just off of the Polynesian Resort beach:

 

 

 

I still can't believe how close together they built these.  I didn't know they would have decks outside, but they do.  The decks are nice, but they're not going to be very private:

 

 

The size and placement of the bungalows completely wrecks what used to be an awesome view from the beach of the Polynesian Resort:

 

 

Also, these end units are very close to the ferry docks.  Those ferry whistles will be a heck of a wake-up call:

 

 

This is the new DVC building built at the Grand Floridian. They did a much better job getting this new construction to blend in with its surroundings:

 

 

Sunset over the Polynesian Resort (marred by crane and bungalows) :

 

 

A lone bird flying over the Seven Seas Lagoon:

 

 

Our destination:

 

 

The ferry which had been parked at the MK was now heading our way:

 

 

I'm not sure if you can read the name, but that's the General Joe Potter:

 

 

So, in this post, we've seen the Richard F. Irvine, The Admiral Joe Fowler, and the General Joe Potter.  Can anyone tell me the names of the other WDW ferry boats?

 

We need to stop here because we're at the photo limit.

 

Next up, the MK and the hunt for Twin #1.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I'm surprised the CDC didn't quarantine that monorail. 

[LONE-STAR 370]

Oh that smell v powder. Oh it's childhood horror. Or actually its kind of funny that you never forget that smell from so long ago. A few months ago when I took my little girl to see where she was going to go to school I showed her where I made them use v powder in the hall as a kid. She thought it was funny.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I bet the 5 minute waits were really walk ons.

Gross about the puke in the monorail. Hopefully that doesn't happen often.

Is any beach left at the Poly?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I'm surprised the CDC didn't quarantine that monorail. 

 

All kidding aside, I wonder if they've considered changing their Code V policies?  There's some scary stuff out there, and I'm willing to bet that the magic V powder isn't formulated to address those concerns.

 

Oh that smell v powder. Oh it's childhood horror. Or actually its kind of funny that you never forget that smell from so long ago. A few months ago when I took my little girl to see where she was going to go to school I showed her where I made them use v powder in the hall as a kid. She thought it was funny.

 

That's pretty cool that your daughter is going to the same elementary school that you did.

 

I'll bet that doesn't happen very often these days.

 

I bet the 5 minute waits were really walk ons.

Gross about the puke in the monorail. Hopefully that doesn't happen often.

Is any beach left at the Poly?

 

I'll bet those attractions were walk-ons too.  And, I'll also bet those were the choices for anyone seeking a 4th FP+ at Epcot after 10 am or so that morning.

 

Code V's happen a lot.  I'll spare you the gory details from the twins.  Regular CM's are not to deal with the V.  A special CM has to be called to show up with the magic powder.

 

I haven't been out to the Polynesian beach since all the construction started.  I'm not sure it is accessible by guests.  I expect the beach itself is still there, and will be something nice for the rich folks to look at from the non-Magic Kingdom view side of their bungalows.

 

TCD

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

Code V. Better than a Code Brown.

Hey, I could come up with more great mottos and catch phrases and sell my services to ad agencies.

Anyway, the venison sausage looked good. Not as good as the sausage that I sometimes cook up during deer season.....but it will do.

45 minutes for Soarin? I have never seen it that short during an evening in February.

I like the new era. I do wonder when there will be another TCD gang Fort stay though. Bring on some more.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Code V. Better than a Code Brown.

Hey, I could come up with more great mottos and catch phrases and sell my services to ad agencies.

Don't quit your day job.

Anyway, the venison sausage looked good. Not as good as the sausage that I sometimes cook up during deer season.....but it will do.

If you want to bring some of that sausage to the Fort, I'll be happy to sample it and let you know which one is better.

45 minutes for Soarin? I have never seen it that short during an evening in February.

I thought that was strange too. The only thing I can think of to explain it is that Maelstrom was siphoning off guests.

I like the new era. I do wonder when there will be another TCD gang Fort stay though. Bring on some more.

I am always working on the next Fort stay. The twins have not had luck securing a discount. I am getting ready to pull the trigger on a full price (gasp) stay.

TCD

[dblr....Rennie 224]

I am always working on the next Fort stay. The twins have not had luck securing a discount. I am getting ready to pull the trigger on a full price (gasp) stay.

TCD

 

I thought you might try to score a discounted stay in a cabin.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I thought you might try to score a discounted stay in a cabin.

 

All options are being considered.

 

There are some tremendous deals on some of the deluxe resorts, but a full price stay at the Fort is still cheaper than some of those.

 

TCD

[fowlandfishmommy 10]

All options are being considered.

 

There are some tremendous deals on some of the deluxe resorts, but a full price stay at the Fort is still cheaper than some of those.

 

TCD

 

We've had the conversation on here before about 3 kids in a regular room.  This may be what people start doing more often because of the day bed option.  Is that in all deluxe resorts?  How do you find these said tremendous deals???  My boys would absolutely flip out if they got to stay in the AKL!!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

We've had the conversation on here before about 3 kids in a regular room.  This may be what people start doing more often because of the day bed option.  Is that in all deluxe resorts?  How do you find these said tremendous deals???  My boys would absolutely flip out if they got to stay in the AKL!!

 

These tremendous deals are on "The Hub," which is the Castmembers only site that CM's can use to book resort stays.  They currently have discounts as high as 65% off of rack rates, but those are very limited.  But the twins are on the job.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

OK, let's get the bonus content from Saturday October 4 finished.

 

We left off aboard the Admiral Joe Fowler.

 

And we were looking at the General Joe Potter:

 

 

I asked at the end of the last update if anyone could name the other MK ferries.  Remember that we saw the Richard F. Irvine docked at the TTC dock before we left.

 

That was a trick question.  Because, there are only 3 of these ferries.  One of the Boat Pilots told me that.

 

Here is a lovely photo of the Polynesian Resort crane and at sunset:

 

 

And a last look at the General Joe Potter sailing into the sunset and toward the crane:

 

 

There goes the monorail- I'm not sure if that's the one I would have been on had I waited in that line.  It didn't matter at this point:

 

 

This was my first time riding the ferry since they completed the construction of the second MK ferry dock.  I'm still not sure why they added this, but here it is:

 

 

This shows how it completely blocks access for the Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness boats from this side of the breakwater:

 

 

Remember, we started our day here at the MK for rope drop, and now I am watching the sun set. It was a beautiful day:

 

 

The Grand Floridian at sunset:

 

 

Docking:

 

 

The new dock:

 

 

Heading in to the MK, I stopped for a photo of the train station.  There are definitely less Halloween decorations on it this year.  I don't know why they didn't hang some orange banners on the construction fence up there:

 

 

From the ferry ride and entry area of the MK, I didn't think it would be very busy here tonight, but it was.  I took this blurry photo at 7:25 pm:

 

 

I headed back to Adventureland and found Twin #1 on duty at the Enchanted Tiki Room.  She was on the mic giving the welcome, the show is about to start spiel:

 

 

She nailed it.

 

After the two robotic birds did the preshow, Twin #1 then moved over to the entry area, and said her lines about entering the theater:

 

 

Since she was in the preshow area at the moment, she wasn't supposed to go in to the theater to begin the show-that was another CM's job at the moment, but the CM switched with her so I could see Twin #1 wake up Jose.

 

There is no flash photography allowed in the Tiki Room, so this is what I got:

 

 

That was cool.

 

I am not a huge fan of the Tiki Room, but it's one attraction that I remember from visiting WDW as a kid.  And, now here's my daughter working in it.  And doing a great job.

 

Magical.

 

During the bird show, Twin #1 ducked out to go to her next post.

 

One of the things she likes about her role is that she moves around to a new post every 45 minutes.

 

I looked for her around the Tiki birds, but couldn't find her.

 

A CM told me that she was now at the entrance to Aladdin's Magic Carpets, and indeed she was:

 

 

What was surprising to me was how many guests came up to her to ask questions. Like, where is the Pirates ride?  And what ride is this?  And all other kinds of dumb stuff I never would have thought guests would ask.

 

She did a great job with all of the guests.

 

I also got to meet a couple more of her coworkers, who were simply great young ladies.  These two are both international CM's from New Zealand:

 

 

This is something that I didn't know- there are a large number of young people from all kinds of countries who come and work at Disney for a year.  These young folks are the same age as Twin #1 and an unexpected benefit of her participation in the college program is that she is making friends from around the world. Twin #1 loves to travel, and has already asked about traveling to New Zealand some time to meet up with some of her new friends.  How cool is that?

 

After a while, I decided that I needed to get moving and stop bothering Twin #1 at work, so I headed on out.

 

I left the MK and headed home from there.

 

At the time, I wasn't sure when I would be back, but I was sure it wouldn't be too long.

 

I turns out I was right about that.

 

I was back at WDW on Thursday, October 16, and will share bonus content from that visit in the next update.

 

TCD

[dblr....Rennie 224]

Pretty soon you might need to do a change of address, as much as you are at Disney. I can see the mail now TCD c/o Walt Disney World,,,,, sounds good to me!!!!!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Pretty soon you might need to do a change of address, as much as you are at Disney. I can see the mail now TCD c/o Walt Disney World,,,,, sounds good to me!!!!!

 

It sure seems that way to me too.

 

I didn't expect the new era to be like this.  I envisioned some long weekends and other trips to the Fort.  But, the girls work all the time, so popping over for day trips works better.

 

TCD

[Beckers 1,136]

I like the tiki room, cheesey yet somehow enjoyable.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I like the tiki room, cheesey yet somehow enjoyable.

 

Good for you.

 

Twin #1 strangely likes it more now than she did before she started to work there.

 

She gets very defensive if anyone criticizes it.

 

I always liked it too, but I've seen it quite a lot lately, and I could use a nice break from it.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I like the tiki room, cheesey yet somehow enjoyable.

 

I like it too.  I can't tell you why, as it's a mystery to me, but it is somehow sort of soothing. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Because I believe in giving the people what they want, I'm not going to make you wait for the next update.

 

It's coming at you right now.

 

We had an unexpected development last week.

 

The oldest TCD DD had a short fall break at school. Just a long weekend, really.  The original plan was that I was going to meet up with her in Tallahassee on Friday, and we were going to go see the College Game Day taping and the FSU v. Notre Dame game on Saturday night.  The cost of that trip with game tickets and a hotel stay was quite high, plus we each would have a 4 hour drive to get there from opposite directons.  As we talked about this, my oldest suggested that we skip the game, and she would fly home instead.  She hadn't been home in a while, and she could hang out with us, and we would go over and visit her sisters.  That would all cost less than a weekend in Tallahassee, and neither one of us would have to make a long drive.  So, the plan changed, and my oldest flew in on Wednesday night.

 

Which meant we needed to go to Disney on Thursday.

 

So we did.

 

Both of the twins had to work that evening, so the plan was to spend the morning and afternoon together, and then the twins would head to work.  My oldest and I would then head over to Epcot, and finish the day at the Food and Wine Festival, which she hasn't visited yet this year.

 

The last time I saw the twins, we discussed how we had not been taking full advantage of their CM discounts for dining, and we talked about going back to Trail's End for breakfast.

 

So that's where we started our day.

 

Getting to WDW and picking up the twins so we could make our ADR was kind of hectic, so I hadn't yet broken out my camera.  We were running late, so I dropped the girls off at the Settlement, and went and parked at the Outpost, and took a bus back.  I didn't break out the camera then either.

 

When I got to Trail's End, the girls had already started on their first plates, so there was not time for photos then.  I needed to catch up.  And I did.

 

We had a very enjoyable meal.

 

And I didn't take a single photo.

 

When we were done, I broke out the camera.

 

And that's where this bonus content will begin.

 

On the porch outside of Trail's End on Thursday, October 16. 

 

Let's check on the checkerboard and rocking chair situation:

 

 

OK- we have a checkerboard.  That's good.  And some rocking chairs. One of them looks weird, though.  And note there are only two.  That might be a problem.  Or maybe not.  Surely there are more further down the porch.

 

Nope:

 

 

How about around the corner?

 

Yup:

 

 

But, there's only two here.

 

So that's four total.

 

On the whole porch.

 

Not good.

 

Not good at all.

 

The minor construction work on Pioneer Hall is complete:

 

 

The covered wagon is still missing from out front of the Settlement Trading Post.  But, they're letting the bushes grow high so we forget about the wagon:

 

 

Has anyone seen Guardians of the Galaxy?  I wish they had done something like what Rocket did with Groot with the Lawnmower Tree:

 

 

Sadly, I don't think anyone did.

 

I don't know why these golf carts were parked up there- there were empty spaces in the lot:

 

 

I didn't know Paul Feinbaum had time to visit the Fort, but this has to be his cart:

 

 

Just wow:

 

 

One of the tetherball courts at the beach was intact:

 

 

One was not:

 

 

There's a couple of kids playing on the beach, and an adult up to her knees in the water:

 

 

Good job, mom.

 

Hey-they took out the first row of seats on this boat and put up a handicap sign:

 

 

 

 

I wonder if they've done that in all the boats?

 

We were on the Discovery Island side of the boat, which means I had to take some shipwreck photos. Here it comes:

 

 

There it is:

 

 

The last time we looked at this, we figured out the new sign on the side of the shipwreck said Lady Useppa.  Now, it looks like part of the sign is covered up:

 

 

If those bushes keep growing, we won't need to worry about the sign, as nobody will see anything:

 

 

From just past the island- the shipwreck is all but invisible.  It's in that clump of bushes just to the right of center in this photo:

 

 

After we passed over the water bridge, our Boat Pilot turned to the left, behind the little island that we typically pass on the way to the MK. That provided me with this view of some secret equipment kept on that island:

 

 

As we came around the island, I saw the reason for our little detour- one of the ferries was leaving and heading backstage:

 

 

There it goes:

 

 

Wow, it was a beautiful day:

 

 

And here we are:

 

 

It was not crowded, and the weather was beautiful:

 

 

We were king of in a hurry.

 

I had gone on My Disney Experience the night before, and by checking one at a time, was able to score four FP+'s for the Mine Train.  Which shows you that this was not a busy day.  The reason is that it was a MNSSHP night, and the MK would be closing to guests without party tickets at 7 pm.  That makes a lot of guests choose another park.  Which, makes it not busy.  The only problem with my Mine Train FP+'s is that I could only get two at the same time, and the other two were for later in the day.  But, that's not a problem for me, because I have advanced FP+ hacking skills.  So, all four of us got to ride with just two FP+ reservations.  If you want to know how, PM me, and I'll tell you.  This requires advanced FP+ skills, though.

 

For my first time ever, I got front row of the Mine Train.  The twins had already ridden in the front row, so they let their big sister and I have it.  Our view before we left the vault:

 

 

I always take a photo of the buzzards at the first lift hill. This time, I took a photo of the props on the other side:

 

 

The view from the front is better than it is from the back:

 

 

Hey, there's the squid weathervane from King Triton's DVC booth across from the Mermaid Ride, and there's Prince Eric's castle:

 

 

I hate to stop right here in the middle of a ride, but that's the 30th photo for this update.

 

You'll have to wait for the next update to finish the ride.

 

TCD