Nothing Fancy-Just a Good Old 4th of July at the Fort TCD TR

[fowlandfishmommy 10]

We don't have cable either but we have Amazon Prime and Netflix on our TV we use it through our Wii.  We haven't missed cable!

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Great update, TCD.

 

I'm reading complaints on FaceBook about this party.  Too many drunks, insane lines, food running out, too much pushing and shoving, people having to be rescued out of crowds by CMs. People contacted Disney to complain and had their ticket costs refunded.  I hope you had a better experience overall.

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

The photobomb pic is classic.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I had Hulu but dropped it as it was annoying me. I so have Amazon Prime though. Between the free shipping, movies, tv, and music I get my money's worth out of it and then some. 

 

They give a free trial of Amazon Prime to college kids.  We got hooked that way.  The account is in one of the girls' names, as I think we only had to pay half-price for the membership.  The free two day shipping is sweet-especially during the holidays.

 

Nightmare before Christmas was DD favorite movie as a very small child. She watched it everyday.

 

This is surprising to me.  It seems so creepy.  I'm going to have to watch it some time.

 

I have never let my children watch Nightmare Before Christmas. Maybe we should try it. Great update as usual, TCD!

 

Same here.

 

Adam was obsessed with it for a while. It's a little odd but I enjoy it

 

Wow.  Another kid who loved it.  This is very surprising to me.

 

Another fan here!  Love Tim Burton movies...

 

Really?  Even Edward Scissorhands?

 

Great picture of you and the girls with your faces painted......PRICELESS!!!!!!!!

 

Yup, that's a good one.

 

There are a couple of other priceless shots in the next update.

 

We don't have cable either but we have Amazon Prime and Netflix on our TV we use it through our Wii.  We haven't missed cable!

 

The Wii?  We have one of those that no one is using.  I may have to give this a try.

 

Great update, TCD.

 

I'm reading complaints on FaceBook about this party.  Too many drunks, insane lines, food running out, too much pushing and shoving, people having to be rescued out of crowds by CMs. People contacted Disney to complain and had their ticket costs refunded.  I hope you had a better experience overall.

 

Thanks.

 

The complaints about this party seem to be growing.  Some beyond anything that actually happened.  I didn't see any drunks.  At the free event, there were plenty of drunk off duty CM's, just like at the first 24 hour party.  I suspect that's why there weren't any CM discounts for this event. 

 

And being rescued out of a crowd?  I can't even imagine what that could be referring to.  We were in a big crowd for the opening show, but there was no pushing or shoving, and I have no idea who would be in need of rescuing.  Do you have a link for this one?

 

The photobomb pic is classic.

 

I have a lot of practice.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I have a few more photos from Villains Unleashed.

 

We left off a the hyenas.  It was about 11:20.  The fireworks were at 11:45.  We knew that we had very little chance of getting a spot on Hollywood Blvd. for the fireworks.  So, we thought we'd try to ride Tower of Terror, and then find a spot somewhere on that street to watch the fireworks.

 

We headed that way, crossing Hollywood Blvd.   It was wall to wall people.  No way would we get a spot anyplace near the stage.

 

As we headed toward Tower of Terror, we noticed a Photopass photographer posing some girls for some kind of magic shot.  There was no one waiting, so we gave it a try.

 

This is a new one:

 

 

He took a few of those.

 

Then he said he had another new one.  He told Twin #2 how to pose:

 

 

I asked him what this magic shot was.  He said it was Zazu.

 

Zazu?

 

Is he a villain?

 

I asked if I could get one.

 

He said sure.

 

I thought up my own pose.  And killed it:

 

 

Then I asked the guy- why Zazu?  He said, you know, Jafar's bird?  I said that's Iago.  Oh, he said, he had been saying it wrong all night.  LOL.

 

All of this photopass fun took some time.  So we never made it to Tower of Terror.

 

Seeing how busy it was, we decided that our best strategy would be to head to near the entrance and watch the fireworks from there.  Then, we could head on out and be in front of the crowd.

 

We headed down Hollywood Blvd.  There wasn't any space available here anyway:

 

 

We kept walking and found some space right near the first gift shop.  This is the view looking up the street, with the stage way back there at the end:

 

 

The new band they brought in for this event was still playing as we waited for 12:45 to arrive.  They sounded exactly like Mulch, Sweat and Sheers.  But, it wasn't them.  This band was called Bernie Briquette and Brimstone.  So funny.

 

I believe that I have mentioned my disdain for this band in the past.  My gripe is that, no matter what the event is, they play the same stupid 10-12 songs.  And, between the songs, they never shut up.  They think they're funny.  But, they're annoying.  I don't want to hear some marginally talented middle age guy shouting at the crowd for applause.  This isn't some rock concert- it's a hard ticket villains event.  What are these guys even doing here?

 

Getting back to our view-it wasn't too bad.  But, go back to that last photo and find the one guy wearing Glow with the Show ears.  Here's a hint- look in the bottom right corner.  You didn't see him at first, right?  Neither did I.  Then he and his buddy stood up, and moved to the center of the street, right in front of us:

 

 

Classic.

 

At least he didn't have a kid on his shoulders.

 

And, Glow with the Show ears are better than Brazilian Jester's hats.

 

The Glow boys didn't really block our view too much.  The fireworks are up high:

 

 

 

You see what does block the view?  All of those buildings lining the street.   But, if you get too close, then the stage and hat block the view.  I saw some videos posted of these fireworks taken from outside of the park, and you can actually see the fireworks better from there.  But, you can see those Glow with the Show hats pretty good from where we were.

 

And that was it.

 

Our time was up.

 

Time to get out.

 

We were parked in the parking lot, so that was a good idea.

 

The were passing out goodie bags on the way out.  They were just those small Disney Parks bags they use in the gift shops.  This is what was inside:

 

 

The two rectangular items up top are signature cards.  You can also see we got one piece of chocolate, and a couple of buttons.  An identical Maleficent button was passed out free at the last 24 hour event in May.

 

This is what was on the back of the Star Wars card:

 

 

This is what was on the back of the Guardians of the Galaxy card:

 

 

In addition to the bag, we also got a large signature card.  Here are photos of the front and back:

 

 

 

We headed out, and the traffic leaving the park was heavy, and stopped at times, but it only took us 10 or so minutes to get out of the parking lot.

 

So there you have it.

 

Was it worth $70?

 

Not by a long shot.

 

Was it the worst thing we've ever experienced at Disney?

 

Not by a long shot.

 

I got a survey from Disney asking about this event last week.  I took screen shots of some of the questions and my responses.  I'll share those in the next update.

 

TCD

[alexwyattmommy 181]

The signature card is cool.  I'm not sure if I would have been happy not getting to see/take photos with many villains because of the crowds.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

The signature card is cool.  I'm not sure if I would have been happy not getting to see/take photos with many villains because of the crowds.

 

From what I've seen on eBay, one sucker paid $50 for a set of the signature cards and the goody bag contents.  Then, there a bunch that didn't sell.

 

The meet and greet opportunities were a fail.  This is the one thing that is inexcusable.  Disney knew how many tickets they sold, and they knew how many meet and greets they had available, and how long those take for guests.  They dropped the ball big time there. My other major complaint is the Fantasmic pre-show.  With a little effort, they could have made that special for the guests.  But, they chose to try to scrape by with some cheap tweaks.  Not very smart when you're selling guests expensive tickets for a unique experience. 

 

TCD

[Lou... 3,118]

 

 

 

Who did you just call Looney?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Who did you just call Looney?

 

Touché

 

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

For anyone wondering if people are exaggerating about how bad some of the elements of Villains Unleashed were, here's a short video someone took of what was advertised as a special Fanstasmic preshow:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQasn7__s74

 

The guy dressed as Gaston (beginning at 4:08) is the same guy I had photos of from the opening show.  He's even stranger than I thought.  No wonder Belle stood him up.

 

Aside from the costumes, this is the same thing that happens before every Fanstasmic performance- this group comes out and has the audience scream, do the wave, ask them trivia questions, etc.

 

As for the re-branding of Mulch, Sweat and Sheers, here's a good video which illustrates my complaint about them:

 

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

 

What's wrong with that, you ask?

 

Nothing- if you like that kind of blaring music performed by marginally talented muscians.  But, as i asked earlier, what does this have to do with Villains?  And, there is no escaping this.  They are on the big stage in the middle of the park, and Disney blared that "music" over speakers throughout the park.  If you are in the park, you have to hear it.  It's not like you can close your ears.  And, if you are so inclined, you can hear this crap just about any day of the week with regular park admission.  This summer, that band has been performing as the Ice Cutters, or some other stupid name.  Same guys.  Same "music."  They should have paid me $70 to be subjected to that.

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

The Iago picture makes it worth it. LOL!

[Helmsey......Todd 134]

The picture of you and the bird....priceless. I hope that gets printed and framed somewhere :)

I will have to disagree about Mulch Sweat and Shears, there are some good musicians in that band. Get rid of the "manager" and you have a great band. Paul Smith has a pretty good music resume as well as working in event lighting for a while now.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

The Iago picture makes it worth it. LOL!

 

It's a good photo, but not worth $210+.

 

The picture of you and the bird....priceless. I hope that gets printed and framed somewhere :)

I will have to disagree about Mulch Sweat and Shears, there are some good musicians in that band. Get rid of the "manager" and you have a great band. Paul Smith has a pretty good music resume as well as working in event lighting for a while now.

 

 

How many times have you heard these guys perform?

 

Here's a video from 2011 (yes three years ago), or them doing the exact same songs that they do every single time they play.  Early in this video, the videographer scans the crowd- the only problem is that there is no crowd.  Yet, everyone up and down Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards has to hear this crap?:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff5bs-1TuNo

 

Enough already.

 

And, for $70 a head, how about a new band, or at least some new songs?

 

If they stuck these guys on a stage where people had a choice of whether or not to go and listen, I guarantee nobody would show up.

 

TCD

[TheLug 10]

BRAVO!!!! Amazing job! Love checking in once every few months :)

 

We have missed so much. Just got back from 5 days of Disney. We used our Hilton Grand Vacations Club and stayed at Parc Soleil.

 

WTFort is the BABH thing? I missed that and searched but cant find it.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

 

The complaints about this party seem to be growing.  Some beyond anything that actually happened.  I didn't see any drunks.  At the free event, there were plenty of drunk off duty CM's, just like at the first 24 hour party.  I suspect that's why there weren't any CM discounts for this event. 

 

And being rescued out of a crowd?  I can't even imagine what that could be referring to.  We were in a big crowd for the opening show, but there was no pushing or shoving, and I have no idea who would be in need of rescuing.  Do you have a link for this one?

 

 

Sorry, no link.  Saw on FB and to retrieve the link I'd have to go through hundreds, if not thousands, of posts.

 

Being rescued out of a crowd ... that had to do with getting out of the park after the fireworks.  A few hundred people stopped in front of them and several hundred people behind them pushing.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

BRAVO!!!! Amazing job! Love checking in once every few months :)

 

We have missed so much. Just got back from 5 days of Disney. We used our Hilton Grand Vacations Club and stayed at Parc Soleil.

 

WTFort is the BABH thing? I missed that and searched but cant find it.

Whoa!

The first 2014 post from The Lug!

Great to see a post from you, JW.

Parc Soleil? Never heard of it. What a name. Doesn't sound like the kind of place that a Lug would hang out.

The BABH?

You want to know about the BABH?

Where do I start?

Well, first of all, it's a bat house. A Big A** Bat House. That's where BABH comes from. It was built earlier this year. We've talked about it quite a bit on here, which you would have known if you stopped by more than once a year. Here's an earlier post about it:

 

There has been no official announcement of any kind from Disney.

Which isn't surprising.

But it's definitely a bat house. This exclusive photo of the building permit for it was posted earlier on Fort Fiends. You will see it nowhere else on the interwebz. Unless some guy from Alabama steals it and posts it on some other inferior site:

This bat house bears a striking resemblance to one of the bat houses built on the campus of the university of Florida, which looks like this:

As you can see, the University has posted warnings about the bats.

The Fort, of course, has not.

If you would like to read more about the University of Florida bat house, there's more information than you could possibly need to know here: http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/bats/

There is a rabies precaution page, which explains that a bat on the ground should never be touched, as these bats are more likely to carry rabies: http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/bats/rabies.htm

The Fort management, in its infinite wisdom, has done nothing to inform campers of the existence of the bat house or to stay away from the bats. There's a pet walk area right across the canal from the bat house. What if a camper or a dog comes across a bat on the ground?

It will be interesting to see what happens with the Fort Bat House.

TCD

So, that should bring you almost up to speed. The only other thing I wanted to share about the BABH is that there was an official communication of sorts which was put on car windshields during my Spring Break visit to the Fort- make sure you read this:

 

 

 

Isn't that something?

 

 

Sorry, no link.  Saw on FB and to retrieve the link I'd have to go through hundreds, if not thousands, of posts.

 

Being rescued out of a crowd ... that had to do with getting out of the park after the fireworks.  A few hundred people stopped in front of them and several hundred people behind them pushing.

Oh, I didn't think about that. We watched the fireworks from near the park exit, and were out of the park before that mess happened. I believe it. The park was overcrowded, and everyone was leaving at once. And, they had CM's stationed just outside the exits passing out those goody bags, which probably made the exodus slower than normal. Another miscalculation by the management.  What an unpleasant way to end an expensive and unpleasant night.

TCD

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Oh, I didn't think about that. We watched the fireworks from near the park exit, and were out of the park before that mess happened. I believe it. The park was overcrowded, and everyone was leaving at once. And, they had CM's stationed just outside the exits passing out those goody bags, which probably made the exodus slower than normal. Another miscalculation by the management.  What an unpleasant way to end an expensive and unpleasant night.

TCD

 

And apparently Disney vastly underestimated how many goody bags they needed.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

And apparently Disney vastly underestimated how many goody bags they needed.

 

So I've heard.  I guess we were lucky that we got ours.

 

Again, how could they have underestimated?  They know how many tickets they sold.  They know how many goody bags they had.  What's so hard to figure out?

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I said I was going to share some screen shots from the survey next, but I got some bonus photos from Twin #1 last night, so I figured I'd post them first.

 

This is Twin #1 with a guest in costume. I didn't recognize who the guy was supposed to be, but the girls said it was a character from Wreck-It-Ralph:

 

 

Twin #1 got a shot of me in front of the magic Glow with the Show mirror:

 

 

Twin #1's Frollo selfie:

 

 

The front of that bald Star Wars lady with a couple of the girls:

 

 

Another face painting shot:

 

 

The girls with a group of guests who came dressed as characters from Hercules:

 

 

The three girls together with their face paint:

 

 

Looking at these, you can see we had some fun at the party.  Not worth $70 a piece, but still some fun.

 

TCD

[Helmsey......Todd 134]

Sorry, I was speaking more about the musicians themselves then how they are used.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Sorry, I was speaking more about the musicians themselves then how they are used.

 

OK, then we probably don't really disagree.  The musicians themselves are adequate.  But, they are over-used, and their playlist is repetitive.  They have performed at every special event (New Year's Eve, 4th of July, Frozen Summer Fun) and at EMH's for years.  Disney gives them a new name, but it's the same music every time.

 

I'm sure there are people who love that kind of music, especially in small doses, but they shouldn't be set up on a stage, in the middle of the park, where there is no escaping hearing them.  And the shouting into microphones really needs to stop.

 

This particular event was advertised and promoted as something beyond an every day park experience.  Sticking these bozos up there to play the same old music that any repeat guest has heard over and over again is not special. It's cheap and lazy.  And, it didn't work.

 

TCD

[TheLug 10]

Ummmmm WTFort.... Seriously. Please collect the DEAD bat on your own with provided specimen bags?? Yeah lol Ill get right on that.

 

Parc Soleil is a Hilton Grand Vacations Club Resort. We bought into the club on our Honeymoon in Hawaii. We were looking at timeshares for some time, originally wanting Disney but being turned away due to the 50 year return policy. We want to be able to give it to Family when we kick the bucket. And as a plus we can stay at Disney resorts. We are staying at the Wilderness Lodge Villas in February.

 

It is nice. I miss my camping, but in this busy time on our life we have less and less time for setup and packing etc. So this is our vacationing at the moment. We love it right now!

 

I'll admit that I do come on here more than I post but I frequently run out of time reading your TR. It can take a full day of free time to do so, Then I have life to get back to. You should have a email list :) to notify !!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Ummmmm WTFort.... Seriously. Please collect the DEAD bat on your own with provided specimen bags? ? Yeah lol Ill get right on that.

LOL. Got you. That letter was this year's April Fool's joke. It's a fake.

What isn't fake is that Fort management has not made any kind of announcement about the BABH. They just built it, fenced off the bridge, and there it is.

 

Parc Soleil is a Hilton Grand Vacations Club Resort. We bought into the club on our Honeymoon in Hawaii. We were looking at timeshares for some time, originally wanting Disney but being turned away due to the 50 year return policy. We want to be able to give it to Family when we kick the bucket. And as a plus we can stay at Disney resorts. We are staying at the Wilderness Lodge Villas in February.

 

It is nice. I miss my camping, but in this busy time on our life we have less and less time for setup and packing etc. So this is our vacationing at the moment. We love it right now!

 

I'll admit that I do come on here more than I post but I frequently run out of time reading your TR. It can take a full day of free time to do so, Then I have life to get back to. You should have a email list :) to notify !!

Glad to hear that you're doing well.

Thanks for popping in. You should post more often.

TCD

[The Troll 67]

Bring on the comment card! I think it'll be Troll-worthy.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Bring on the comment card! I think it'll be Troll-worthy.

 

Yes sir.

 

Coming right up.

 

I am interested to see what The Troll thinks about the survey.

 

TCD