A Night at the Movies with the TCD Gang

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

If we cut through the International Gateway headed to the Boardwalk for dinner. What would be the better option to fully enjoy the sights of the Boardwalk area, walk or ride the boat?  We will be arriving in the evening and I have heard the Boardwalk is really neat at night.

 

If I was just going to the Boardwalk, I would walk.  Not everyone has TCD luck, so you could be at the Boardwalk before the boat even shows up at the Epcot dock.

 

The walk is easy and pleasant, with views of Epcot and the lake as you stroll.  I personally don't find the Boardwalk to be "really neat at night," but it's a nice enough place to visit.

 

TCD

[Beckers 1,136]

Too hard to quote but nice nod to the Lion King

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

To go from DHS to Epcot, would you take the boat or a bus?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Too hard to quote but nice nod to the Lion King

 

Glad to see someone's paying attention!  You got yourself an up arrow.

 

To go from DHS to Epcot, would you take the boat or a bus?

 

We always take the boat.  I like to enter through the International Gateway.  The bus probably would be quicker.  But, the bus drops you off in the parking lot near the main entrance.  You will have a lot more walking until you're in the park, and you will be in Future World.  If that's where you want to be-take the bus.

 

TCD

[Heidi-meetsTCD@TSM 5]

Andrew,

I am not all caught up yet, but have a few comments!

That was a beautiful sunset and great photos from the top of the Contemporary.

Is that splash area new at the All Star Movies? I don't remember it. I know years ago, there was a splash area at the "Winners Circle" in the Love Bug section. You did have photos of the winners circle, was the splash area still there?

Glad they let you park at the Contemporary. Have you been turned away there in the past? Three years ago (during the trip I met you at Toy Story Mania)on our trip that I was recovering from my second cancer surgery, I had a hard time standing on the buses and since I was dealing with one hot flash after another I didn't want to wait in the August heat for the next bus. So on that trip we parked at the Contemporary 3-4 times around 5:00-6:00 and walked into the Magic Kingdom. (I know you aren't supposed to!) Since that trip, we have parked there occasionally, including just recently on our January trip and we have never had a problem and are always welcomed in. Of course the times we are there are never peak times, so maybe that is why!

OK, now for my BIG news!!!! I received the candy cane today in the mail!!!! I was/am so excited. Here is my "candy cane review"!!!!!!

The peppermint smell is heavenly! It definitely has a MUCH stronger smell then the average candy cane.

After having a few licks, I can say that it has a stronger peppermint flavor then the average candy cane and was super yummy!

After taking a bite, I have to say that the texture was really different.....not sure how I can explain that any better, but it was almost grainy and not as smooth as a store bought candy cane.

My overall opinion.....I like it for sure and will enjoy every bite/lick......but, it is not as good as I expected after watching them being made on Guy F's show. They are NOT worth $14.00.

Andrew, you have completed a bucket list item for me in getting a chance to have an authentic Disneyland candy cane!!! Thank you SO MUCH!!!!!!

[Family of Bears 98]

OK, now for my BIG news!!!! I received the candy cane today in the mail!!!! I was/am so excited. Here is my "candy cane review"!!!!!!

The peppermint smell is heavenly! It definitely has a MUCH stronger smell then the average candy cane.

After having a few licks, I can say that it has a stronger peppermint flavor then the average candy cane and was super yummy!

After taking a bite, I have to say that the texture was really different.....not sure how I can explain that any better, but it was almost grainy and not as smooth as a store bought candy cane.

My overall opinion.....I like it for sure and will enjoy every bite/lick......but, it is not as good as I expected after watching them being made on Guy F's show. They are NOT worth $14.00.

Andrew, you have completed a bucket list item for me in getting a chance to have an authentic Disneyland candy cane!!! Thank you SO MUCH!!!!!!

Where's the like button?

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

What happened to my boyfriend's wait times? Where did the anticipated time go? I found it to be spot on vs. the posted time.

 

Don't hate on the Canada trout. 

 

Idea... the TCD crew should camp for Easter. 

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Starbucks!!!! Noooo!!! Lol!

I really enjoy the boat ride from Epcot to HS. I even like the boat ride from HS to Epcot.

Is that the first time you've seen the Pin Man?

We've seen him on several trips (at least three separate times) and he's always at Epcot's Mouse Gear store. Well at least when we've seen him. DD traded pins with him. He's really nice and has some unique pins. He won't trade some of his pins but he has a lot he will trade. He must be a local. I think I have a pic of him.

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

I knew I had one.

Does anyone know his story?

[The Troll 67]

 

The Disney pin collecting craze is over, sir. You might want to put that next to your vast collection of Beanie Babies and Pokemon cards.

 

I kid...I kid. Please, don't toilet paper my camper.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Andrew,

I am not all caught up yet, but have a few comments!

That was a beautiful sunset and great photos from the top of the Contemporary.

Is that splash area new at the All Star Movies? I don't remember it. I know years ago, there was a splash area at the "Winners Circle" in the Love Bug section. You did have photos of the winners circle, was the splash area still there?

Glad they let you park at the Contemporary. Have you been turned away there in the past? Three years ago (during the trip I met you at Toy Story Mania)on our trip that I was recovering from my second cancer surgery, I had a hard time standing on the buses and since I was dealing with one hot flash after another I didn't want to wait in the August heat for the next bus. So on that trip we parked at the Contemporary 3-4 times around 5:00-6:00 and walked into the Magic Kingdom. (I know you aren't supposed to!) Since that trip, we have parked there occasionally, including just recently on our January trip and we have never had a problem and are always welcomed in. Of course the times we are there are never peak times, so maybe that is why!

OK, now for my BIG news!!!! I received the candy cane today in the mail!!!! I was/am so excited. Here is my "candy cane review"!!!!!!

The peppermint smell is heavenly! It definitely has a MUCH stronger smell then the average candy cane.

After having a few licks, I can say that it has a stronger peppermint flavor then the average candy cane and was super yummy!

After taking a bite, I have to say that the texture was really different.....not sure how I can explain that any better, but it was almost grainy and not as smooth as a store bought candy cane.

My overall opinion.....I like it for sure and will enjoy every bite/lick......but, it is not as good as I expected after watching them being made on Guy F's show. They are NOT worth $14.00.

Andrew, you have completed a bucket list item for me in getting a chance to have an authentic Disneyland candy cane!!! Thank you SO MUCH!!!!!!

 

I am not sure how long that splash area has been there at All Star Movies, but it is kind of new.  I don't think they have the water play area in the Love Bug section anymore. 

 

I don't try to park at the Contemporary to visit the MK.  I know that they are on the look-out for that, and I get "free" parking at the parks as a passholder anyway.  I was once turned away from parking at the Polynesian, even though we were registered Fort guests at the time, and really were going there to eat (albeit at the quick serve).  Ever since then, I've stayed away from trying to park at the monorail resorts.  It stinks when you get all the way there and then have to leave and go and park somewhere else.  Not fun.

 

I am glad the candy cane got there. I copied your reply here over to my Disneyland Trip Report so it will be there for anyone reading about visiting Disneyland around Christmas.

 

 

Where's the like button?

 

The Fort Fiend like button is that little green arrow there in the bottom right corner.  You are allowed to hit that.  The red arrow makes bad things happen, so don't click on that.

 

What happened to my boyfriend's wait times? Where did the anticipated time go? I found it to be spot on vs. the posted time.

 

Don't hate on the Canada trout. 

 

Idea... the TCD crew should camp for Easter. 

 

I believe your boyfriend and his buddies got caught stealing WDW's data, and their source has been cut.  It's too bad, as that page is so much easier to reference than the unwieldy My Disney Experience App.

 

Sorry, but I am not a fan of the Canada trout.  It stinks up the place, and it isn't even that good.

 

The TCD gang spent last Easter in a townhouse in Seaside.  There's no way I'm getting Mrs. TCD to ditch that for the Fort.  If we go anywhere for Easter, it's probably going to be the beach again.

 

Starbucks!!!! Noooo!!! Lol!

I really enjoy the boat ride from Epcot to HS. I even like the boat ride from HS to Epcot.

Is that the first time you've seen the Pin Man?

We've seen him on several trips (at least three separate times) and he's always at Epcot's Mouse Gear store. Well at least when we've seen him. DD traded pins with him. He's really nice and has some unique pins. He won't trade some of his pins but he has a lot he will trade. He must be a local. I think I have a pic of him.

 

Yes, that's the first time I saw that pin man.  The twins knew of him and had seen him around.

 

I knew I had one.

Does anyone know his story?

 

Yikes.

 

I'm sure he's a perfectly nice man, but that guy gives off a very creepy vibe.

 

Something about him ain't quite right.

 

 

 

The Disney pin collecting craze is over, sir. You might want to put that next to your vast collection of Beanie Babies and Pokemon cards.

 

I kid...I kid. Please, don't toilet paper my camper.

 

I'd be more worried about the pin man paying me a visit than I would be about TP.

 

TCD

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

By the look of his tats I would say he is a WWII vet. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

By the look of his tats I would say he is a WWII vet. 

 

He's old, but I'm not sure he's that old.

 

Those are definitely some old tats, though.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Let's move on.

 

We left off on Saturday afternoon, January 31st.

 

We were trying to figure out how to get some vouchers so we could go in to the new Starbucks and get a free drink.

 

There were plenty of guests coming out the side door with drinks:

 

 

We went off to look for Twin #2's former roommate.

 

We headed toward Tower of Terror.

 

I took this photo of the gift shop that sits there on the right as you enter this part of Hollywood Studios:

 

 

I just learned recently that almost every building you see in Hollywood Studios has a real-life counterpart back in California.  There's a good blog that discusses all of this on the Yesterland site, if you're interested: http://www.yesterland.com/replicas3.html  This is the real building the gift shop was modeled after:

 

 

According to the blog article, the spiral fin you see at DHS is consistent with the original design of this building.

 

I know that there were places buried in snow on January 31, but it was a nice, warm and sunny day in Florida:

 

 

The reason I was looking at the DHS buildings on this trip is that I just realized that DHS has a replica of the Carthay Circle Theater, which is the primary feature in the recently renovated entry area of Disney's California Adventure Park.  This is the DHS version:

 

 

There's a photo of the real building (which no longer exists) inside this gift shop:

 

 

The reason this building is significant is this is the theater which hosted the premier of the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs movie back in 1935.

 

If you follow the trip report section of this board closely, you will know that that we did make it in to the new Starbucks.  The story is told in greater detail on this thread:

 

http://www.fortfiends.net/forum/topic/14769-tcd-at-starbucks-in-hollywood-studios-today-131/

 

We were ultimately handed vouchers by a Starbucks CM on the front porch of the new store:

 

 

It's interesting to note that the voucher says it's only to be used by current CM's, but they were handing them out to guests too.

 

We were caught on camera by some blogger:

 

 

That's me with the backpack.  I was talking to the CM behind the baked goods counter there. The TCD twins are there to my left.

 

As we waited for our drinks, I took a look around.

 

There is no seating in this store, and none on the covered porch outside:

 

 

Twin #1 took a photo like this to post on Instagram, so I tried to copy her and be cool so I could post this photo here:

 

 

There's the Sweet Spells store where Twin #2's former roommate was working today:

 

 

And here's another look at the hat:

 

 

I'll bet you folks who have snowdrifts outside your front door at the moment aren't familiar with what bananas growing on trees look like.  So, here's a photo for you:

 

 

We had FP+'s for Star Tours, so we were heading that way.  The Magicbands all worked fine there.  But, the FP return line was backed up all the way into the first room:

 

 

That's OK, though.  It gave me the chance to take some photos of the props along the FP line which we are usually walking by too fast to photograph:

 

 

 

 

Next, it was time for Tower of Terror.  You can see the letters from the Hollywood Hills at the top of this photo:

 

 

We had a bouncy car today, and made it to the top a few more times:

 

 

You can even see the Earful Tower in that shot.

 

After Tower of Terror, we saw some guests gathered at the Fantasmic exit door.  We figured that meant that what some fans call Characterpalooza was about to happen.

 

I enjoyed this side view of the Tower of Terror as we waited:

 

 

We stood and watched for a while. but decided that we would be better off going and using our Rock 'N Rollercoaster FP+'s instead.

 

The twins decided that it would be funny to give each other dirty looks for the ride photo.  And, they were right:

 

 

After RNRC, we checked on Characterpalooza again, and found that the gates were open, and it was on:

 

 

You can see Chip and Dale in that last photo.  Up the path from them were Aladdin, Pocahontas and the Evil Queen:

 

 

The twins met all of those characters, and Tiana too.  Rafiki was back there as well, but we skipped him.

 

Then I wanted to go and look at some things in the One Man's Dream display.

 

On the way there, I snapped this photo of the new Trolley Car Café (which has always been there, but was a gift shop) :

 

 

I'll bet you didn't know It is modeled after train electricity sub station in California:

 

 

http://www.yesterland.com/replicas2.html

 

Speaking of California, there were some things in the One Man's Dream that had more significance to me now that I've been to Disneyland.

 

We will take a look at some of those in the next update.

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

You think Josh's anticipated waits were Disney data? I've been wondering where they come from. If they are, it's pretty messed up that Disney chooses to post something different than the truth. 

 

I don't remember you guys ever doing Characterpalooza before, am I wrong? 

 

Starbucks. SMH

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

You think Josh's anticipated waits were Disney data? I've been wondering where they come from. If they are, it's pretty messed up that Disney chooses to post something different than the truth. 

 

I don't remember you guys ever doing Characterpalooza before, am I wrong? 

 

Starbucks. SMH

 

Wow.  Have you been ignoring your boyfriend?  He addressed this issue a couple of weeks ago on his forum: http://www.easywdw.com/forums/showthread.php?24827-EasyWDW-quot-Waits-quot-page-issue

 

In response to questions about what happened, he said:

 

Yeah, Disney cut the feed (unsurprisingly).

 

and:

 

Eh, a couple other sites published it and really shouldn't have. I'm not all that surprised.

 

So, he and some other Disney geeks had somehow gotten access to some official Disney wait-time information and made it available to the public.

 

Which means you're correct-Disney intentionally posts inaccurate wait times instead of actual wait times.

 

I agree- that is pretty messed up. But it wasn't surprising to see that confirmed-it's something I've seen first-hand for a long time.

 

You don't remember us doing Characterpalooza?

 

How could you forget this? :

 

 

 

http://www.fortfiends.net/forum/topic/14198-the-tcd-gang-jump-starts-christmas-an-early-november-fort-trip-report/?p=412673

 

We've done Characterpalooza since back in the days when it was in the Animation Building.

 

TCD

[lklasing 16]

I somehow missed that it was a thing that Josh's info went down while we were there.  I thought it was just me or my app that was wrong.  I really hate that they cut that off - it was very helpful in early January but just dead later in the month.  

 

That's too funny that you got busted with Starbucks.  Again.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

 I really hate that they cut that off - it was very helpful in early January but just dead later in the month.  

 

If I had known that these guys were getting their data straight from Disney,  I would have paid better attention.  I figured all along that they were just spitballing numbers.

 

How was it helpful?  Was there that much of a discrepancy between the posted and actual wait times?

 

TCD

[lklasing 16]

If I had known that these guys were getting their data straight from Disney,  I would have paid better attention.  I figured all along that they were just spitballing numbers.

 

How was it helpful?  Was there that much of a discrepancy between the posted and actual wait times?

 

TCD

 

Sometimes there was a pretty big difference.  Sometimes not.  But it mainly just made me more comfortable choosing to get in a line with a higher level of confidence that we had a real idea of how long it would be.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Sometimes there was a pretty big difference.  Sometimes not.  But it mainly just made me more comfortable choosing to get in a line with a higher level of confidence that we had a real idea of how long it would be.

 

That makes sense.

 

Too bad it's gone.

 

It won't affect me, as I try to avoid the lines in the first place.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

This post will include the last of the photos from the one night trip on January 30 and 31.  Make sure to read this post to the end, as there will be some news about bonus content.

 

We left off with me heading to see some things in the One Man's Dream exhibit. 

 

I took some more hat photos as I passed by.  Sorry there are so many , but this is kind of a historic event:

 

 

If you've been to Hollywood Studios, you've surely passed through this archway:

 

 

Have you ever paid attention to the carvings on it?  Like, do you see the Grauman's Chinese Theater there on the top right?:

 

 

Look what's in the top left corner:

 

 

Carthay Circle Theater.  It's an important part of Disney history.

 

Sorry, but I have more disassembled hat photos:

 

 

 

Now we're in the One Man's Dream exhibit.  I've passed this photo collage every time I've visited here, but it was much more significant to me now that I've visited Disneyland:

 

 

And, if you're reading this, Starbuc71, look at that photo with Walt in the Tiki Room.

 

Awesome.

 

I have never really paid attention to the model of Disneyland's castle before.  What I didn't know then that I know now is that this is actually a full scale life-sized replica of it:

 

 

There are some cool Disneyland photos over on that wall- look at that one with Walt and a Peter Pan flying boat:

 

 

More Disneyland posters and photos:

 

 

If you haven't been in here in a while, there's some new stuff- they took out the New Fantasyland displays and added some displays like this one, from the California Adventure re-do in 2012:

 

 

I didn't stay for the show and headed on out.

 

I saw more Disneyland stuff on the way:

 

 

Before the Plaza restaurant at Disneyland, there was the Red Wagon Inn:

 

 

Now it was time for us to head out.

 

Another hat photo:

 

 

It's going to be strange to see the whole Great Movie Ride building again:

 

 

These are the last two hat photos I'll have in this update.  I promise:

 

 

 

I never noticed that you could see the fake Carthay Circle Theater tower from the park entry area, but you sure can:

 

 

They have some new wraps they're using on the Disney buses.  We rode in one that was wrapped with Disney Infinity figures the night before, and this one has an Agent Carter wrap:

 

 

We left the park with the idea that we would eat and early dinner together and then hit the road.

 

Since it was right next door, we agreed to try the newly remodeled All Star Music food court.  I had seen a menu somewhere which stated that they offered the Create-Your-Own pasta here.  That's something that we have made special trips to the Port Orleans Riverside and Art of Animation resorts to enjoy, so we all were looking forward to trying it at All Star Music.

 

This is what we found when we got there:

 

 

Their version of the Create-Your-Own pasta is different from how it's done at POR and AOA.  Here,  you choose your pasta, and the CM scoops it onto your plate.  Then you pick your protein, and she plops that next to the pasta.  Then you pick your sauce.  That's it.  Thank you for playing.  Make sure to pay the cashier on the way out.

 

Not cool.

 

At POR and AOA, there's a CM there with containers of ingredients you can choose from, and then a chef sautés all of the ingredients for you, and you have a nice, fresh, made to order dish.  At All Star Music, you just have some pasta and precooked meat slapped on a plate and covered with some sauce.

 

You wouldn't know that from looking at the on-line menus:

 

Port Orleans Riverside:

 

 

Art of Animation:

 

 

All Star Music:

 

 

The All Star Music price is $.50 less.  But even so, it's not worth it. 

 

The food was still good, but it isn't something we will be back for.

 

After that, it was time to say goodbye.

 

The girls headed back to school, and I headed west.

 

And that was that.

 

At the time, I wasn't sure when we would be back to Disney again.

 

Little did I know it would be the next week. 

 

As in last weekend.

 

So, this TR will just keep on going until we run out of photos and things to talk about.

 

I'll kick off the first update from a February 8 day trip some time tomorrow.

 

TCD
 

[red...Susan 37]

Thank you for connecting the California Adventure buildings with the Disney Hollywood studio buildings. I have seen both places but did not connect them. I will pay more attention next trip.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

 

So, this TR will just keep on going until we run out of photos and things to talk about.

 

TCD

 

 

Ya'ay!   :popcorn:  We could keep talking forever! 

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

I Did Not Know PO Had Create Your Own Pasta. Do The Have Fettachini Alfredo?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Thank you for connecting the California Adventure buildings with the Disney Hollywood studio buildings. I have seen both places but did not connect them. I will pay more attention next trip.

 

I didn't know there was a  connection either.  That's a big fail on Disney's part.  They ought to have informational signs or something to explain this to guests.  Some (like me) would admire the work that went into designing and building the park.

 

Ya'ay!   :popcorn:  We could keep talking forever!

 

That's the truth.

 

I Did Not Know PO Had Create Your Own Pasta. Do The Have Fettachini Alfredo?

 

Sure, they have fettuccini noodles and alfredo sauce, so yes.  You can add chicken or shrimp to it, along with your choice of vegetables.

 

The twins like to have them mix half alfredo sauce with half pesto sauce for their pasta.

Just for you I went digging in the TCD archives, and found this old post:

 

One of the reasons we like POR is the make your own pasta station. Actually, the castmembers make it, you just choose the ingredients. Here is what you get to choose from:

There is a castmember there who will put all of your ingredients into a container and pass them on to the cook:

This is the cook at work- they start with fresh pasta, and then cook everything up in a skillet right in front of you:

There you have it- everything you need to know about the Create-Your-Own pasta at POR. And if you go make sure that you go to Port Orleans Riverside. Not Port Orleans French Quarter.  I know a guy who made that mistake and was not happy about it.

 

TCD