Strange Things

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Y'all are just weird.

And we are all now stalkers.

 

Weird.  Strange.

 

Tomato. Tomahto.

 

Is it stalking to take a photo of someone who is just hanging out at the airport?

 

Um..................... thank you?

 

You are welcome.

 

I meant that from the bottom of my heart.

 

TCD

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

http://youtu.be/veaJCc0Z41w

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

http://youtu.be/veaJCc0Z41w

 

Hmmm.

 

I like that.

 

I may amend the title of this TR.

 

TCD

[Cortezcapt (Derek) 156]

A little late but I'm in. Though I'm questioning why I started reading this I was laughing as I started to type this till I realized I was singing Alanis Morissette in my head. Now its stuck there like Its a Small World! A big thank you to whoever started that, Beckers I think.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

A little late but I'm in. Though I'm questioning why I started reading this I was laughing as I started to type this till I realized I was singing Alanis Morissette in my head. Now its stuck there like Its a Small World! A big thank you to whoever started that, Beckers I think.

 

Just when you thought this strange trip report couldn't get any stranger!

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Well, this sure is a strange trip report.

 

It's strange, and it hasn't even really started yet.

 

Let's get it going now.

 

I'll begin with a short day trip we took at the end of Twin #'2's spring break.  She had to head back to school on March 16, but we had time to pop over to WDW for a day trip on Saturday the 14th.  Twin #1 was already back in Gainesville, and she had plans for the weekend, so it was just going to be me and Twin #2.  I made last minute FP+ reservations using the four passes we have in the family.  That meant we could have two sets of three FP+'s in two different parks if we wanted to.  It had been a long time since Twin #2 had been to AK, so we decided that we would start there.  We also agreed to not try for rope drop, but to leave a little later in the morning and maybe start out at around noon, and finish up later at the MK to see Wishes from the new FP+ viewing area.

 

So, I made our FP+ reservations for AK and MK, and we headed over.

 

Sometimes I don't follow the rules about parking, and this was one of those days.  Since we would be finishing at the MK, I wanted to park somewhere where we could get back to the car without too much trouble.  The Wilderness Lodge works for that.  Don't tell anyone, but I parked there.

 

Which is how I got this photo of this strange family as we waited for the AK bus:

 

 

What we have there is an entire family of rule breakers.  Skateboards are not allowed at WDW resorts.  And the mom has a baby in the baby seat with no helmet.  That's strange and stupid.

 

The TCD bus luck was on that morning, and we were not there for five minutes before the AK bus arrived.  The WL AK bus apparently now shares with the Contemporary Resort, and they had already picked up there.  So, it was a straight shot for us to the AK.  Winning.

 

On the way in to the AK bus stop, we passed a huge construction project:

 

 

Maybe it doesn't look like a huge construction project to you, but look at the guys in the bucket under the crane at the top right of the frame in these photos:

 

 

 

What we are looking at here is the skeleton of the new Avatar attraction which is being built at AK.  It's a strange attraction based on a strange movie, which makes it the perfect thing to include in this strange trip report.

 

Speaking of strange, wouldn't you know it that the first thing we ran into in the park was this strange bush?:

 

 

 

 

I wanted to stay and keep watching the strange bush, as I'm pretty sure that it was planning to capture and devour a kid that was nearby starting at it.  But, we had a schedule to keep today, and we couldn't stay for the fun.

 

Next stop was the new carved roots for the Tree of Life, as Twin #2 hadn't seen them yet.

 

I had to check on something that was asked after I posted some photos of these roots in another thread.  There was a question about whether there was a carving of a baby elephant under the trunk of the big elephant.  I got a photo of the root in question:

 

 

At first glance, I thought that was, indeed, a baby elephant.  Maybe you did too.

 

But look again:

 

 

The "baby elephant" doesn't have elephant ears.  And it has a baby something on its back.  I think that's an aardvark or an anteater, or some such critter.  Not a baby elephant.

 

A baby elephant would have made sense.

 

An aardvark?

 

That's strange.

 

And in keeping with our theme.

 

As we turned to leave, there was a commotion in the air.  It was those macaws that they have flying around the park.  I tried to get a photo, but this is all I got:

 

 

I did catch one of the birds in that shot, but you probably need some purple crayon assistance to see it:

 

 

We had a FP+ appointment for Expedition Everest which was nearly expired, so we needed to move.

 

But, I couldn't resist stopping in the dining area behind the Flame Tree BBQ for a quick look around.  The Flame Tree is currently closed, but they still are letting guests walk in to the seating area:

 

 

This is one of my favorite views in AK:

 

 

There's a lot of construction going on around that little lake, and they have fences and screening up so guests can't see it:

 

 

But, the screens aren't too tall to stop a guest from reaching his arm over and snapping a photo or two:

 

 

If you look across the lake there, you'll see that the banks of the lake are all dug up.  We are guessing that they are creating viewing areas for guests to watch the Rivers of Light show which is coming to this park sometime before the turn of the century.

 

The dining pavilion we like to eat at is still over there behind the bushes. But there's no BBQ or onion rings for us to eat there today:

 

 

As you can see, we arrived at EE at 11:57 am, where there was a 60 minute wait.  Not for us, though.  This is a park where FP+ works pretty well.  In we went:

 

 

The bird on a stick was working here the last time we were here, but it wasn't today.  But, we did have a guy on our train holding out a selfie stick:

 

 

Here's the purple crayon enhanced version of that photo:

 

 

So what, you say?

 

Well, I say that the rides weren't designed with the idea that some jackwagon would be holding a phone or camera on a stick extended out from the ride vehicle.  What happens if that thing hits a rock when the coaster is speeding through a cave, and goes flying into the head of a passenger on the train?

 

Someone asked on a recent thread if selfie sticks were a thing at WDW.  Well, we just saw one on EE, and here's another one on our way to the next ride:

 

 

We had a thread here a while back where people posted photos of weathervanes around WDW.  I don't remember seeing a photo of this dinosaur weather vane which is on the roof of Restaurantosaurus:

 

 

Remember how it was 11:57 when we entered the queue for EE? If my camera could take photos of the digital FP signs at WDW, you would see from this photo that it was 12:18 pm when we bypassed a 30 minute line at Dinosaur:

 

 

If you're just hitting a park to use FP+'s, that's a strategy that you will want to use.  Arrive at the end of the your first FP+ window, then you can immediately go to your next FP+ ride, and you'll have some time between it and your third to do a less busy attraction.

 

Here's our Dinosaur ride photo.  They have made it lighter and less scary in there.  Nobody on our car was scared:

 

 

When we headed over to Dinosaur, we noted that there was a 1 pm showing of the Nemo musical.  That would be a perfect thing for us to do before heading to the safari ride.  So we did.  We got great seats showing up 15 minutes before the show with no FP+:

 

 

After Nemo, it was time for our Safari FP+.  On the way there, we had to dodge many gigantic strollers and other obstacles.  This one was one of my favorites:

 

 

Check out that lady.  She must think she's going on an actual safari.  What's with the backpack and all that other gear on top of that giant stroller?

 

I'll only share a few safari photos.

 

Like this one of this big Ankole/Watusi  bull doing a code yellow there in front of everyone:

 

 

It was a beautiful day on the savanna:

 

 

Some of the zebra were back at the end scene:

 

 

And then it was time for us to hop.

 

We headed out to the Epcot bus, and walked right up and onto the bus as it was loading.  At 2:43, exactly three hours after we entered the park, we were on our way to Epcot:

 

 

In that three hours, we had ridden EE, Dinosaur and the Safari.  Plus we saw Nemo.   We did all the best stuff in the park with no waits.  And now we're leaving.

I've noticed this poster on the WDW buses a few times lately:

 

 

Speaking of strange things, what the heck is that all about?

 

It's a show where a kid from the future rides around on a mechanical ostrich?  Is that right?

 

Strange.

 

TCD

[Family of Bears 98]

Hold up.

When is flame tree reopening?

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

I heard a while lot of "strange" and figured y'all were calling me.

Ooh.. I might have even made page 2.

Talk about strange!

[LONE-STAR 370]

Miles from Tomorrowland is actually a good show and the ostrich name that he rides on is merck.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

This is what I get for being busy! Did you talk to Josh? Tell him your famous too?

[lklasing 16]

I'm in!  Looking forward to more strangeness.  :)

[sherryberry 35]

I'm down for a trip report about strange things. Bring it!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

And BTW, when I saw the title of this thread, I thought it would be about Dave.

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

Man... I'm late.  But I'm here :)

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

There are a lot of strange things afoot.

Next thing you're going to tell me you went into Satan's coffee shop when you got to MK.

I don't know if i can take this.

Where is Bill and Ted's phone booth when you need it?

I need to go back in time and have some MSB cinnamon roll comfort food.

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Strange is good

[parrothead7368 aka Norm 101]

I'm from Rhode Island. Smallest state in the country and yet we still run into people we know all over the country. Count me in. 

 

 

A little late, but I'm here and Jason remember, Rhode Island is "The biggest little state in the Union", at least that is what it said on the side of our busses when I was in college.

 

Best Regards,

Norm

[Memphis 105]

Talk about strange. What was I doing from 308PM yesterday until now that keep me from seeing a TCD trip report?  Well IDK but I'm here now.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Hold up.

When is flame tree reopening?

 

Spring.

 

Please Pardon Our Crumbs

In an effort to better your experience, Flame Tree Barbecue is currently closed for refurbishment, with a planned re-opening scheduled in Spring 2015. We apologize for any inconvenience.

 

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/animal-kingdom/flame-tree-barbecue/

 

In Disney-speak that means it could be anywhere between now and the first day of summer.

 

I heard a while lot of "strange" and figured y'all were calling me.

Ooh.. I might have even made page 2.

Talk about strange!

 

Wow.

 

The title of this thread is like shining the Bat Signal.

 

The Fiends all show up when we start talking about strange things.

 

Miles from Tomorrowland is actually a good show and the ostrich name that he rides on is merck.

 

What the Fort?

 

And you let your daughter watch that?

 

I thought nothing would ever top the obviously drug influenced H.R. Pufnstuf show of my youth.

 

This is what I get for being busy! Did you talk to Josh? Tell him your famous too?

 

I did not speak to Josh.  At the time, I wasn't sure it was him.  He looked a lot stranger in person than I expected.  The last thing I wanted to do is approach some derpy looking stranger and ask if he was Josh.

 

I'm in!  Looking forward to more strangeness.   :)

 

There will be no lack of strange things happening in this TR.

 

I'm down for a trip report about strange things. Bring it!

 

It looks like that Bat Signal analogy was dead on.

 

And BTW, when I saw the title of this thread, I thought it would be about Dave.

 

I understand why.

 

But when it comes to strange things, your boyfriend trumps your brother.

 

Man... I'm late.  But I'm here :)

 

Oh, you're not late.

 

The strangeness is just getting started.

 

There are a lot of strange things afoot.

Next thing you're going to tell me you went into Satan's coffee shop when you got to MK.

I don't know if i can take this.

Where is Bill and Ted's phone booth when you need it?

I need to go back in time and have some MSB cinnamon roll comfort food.

 

Hold on.

 

This is a strange trip report.

 

Not a Bat S*** crazy TR.

 

There were no visits to Satan's Coffee Shop.

 

At least none that I will publically admit to.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Strange is good

 

That could be the Fiend motto.

 

A little late, but I'm here and Jason remember, Rhode Island is "The biggest little state in the Union", at least that is what it said on the side of our busses when I was in college.

 

Best Regards,

Norm

 

So a Jersey guy went to college in RI?  How did that go?  Strange, right?

 

Talk about strange. What was I doing from 308PM yesterday until now that keep me from seeing a TCD trip report?  Well IDK but I'm here now.

 

Yeah, that is strange.

 

Glad you finally made it here.

 

TCD

[keith_h 420]

Come on, she met the man of her dreams and then his beautiful wife..

 

The only line in the song that is actually irony.

 

Baldrick, have you no idea what "irony" is?

 

Yes, it's like "goldy" and "bronzy" only it's made out of iron.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

The only line in the song that is actually irony.

 

Baldrick, have you no idea what "irony" is?

 

Yes, it's like "goldy" and "bronzy" only it's made out of iron.

 

Is it strange that I have no earthly idea who Baldrick is?

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Well, I just realized that I made two major goofs in the first full update I posted to this strange TR.

 

First, I forgot to mention that while Twin #2 and I were waiting for the AK bus at WL, we got a text from Twin #1 asking what we were doing that day.  She knew there was a good chance we'd be hitting WDW, but we hadn't invited her, as she had longstanding plans to go to the beach in St. Augustine with her roommate and some other friends.  Well, it turned out that her roommate had "gone out" the night before, and was praying at the porcelain altar that morning, when they were already supposed to be on the road.  Twin #1 was a bit ticked about that.  We told her to come on, and she did.  We will be meeting up with her shortly.

 

Second, I forgot to mention something really important about someone we ran into at AK.  On the way out of AK that afternoon, almost near the exit, I saw a familiar face.  She recognized me, and I stopped to say hello.  It was Feisty!  You know, from site 114 at the Fort?  She was waiting to meet up with a friend there at AK.  She has been wintering in an RV park near WDW, and said she'd be around for a few more weeks.  She is heading home in April in anticipation of the birth of her first great-grandchild.  Not grandchild.  Great-grandchild.  Wow.  Anyway, it's good to know that Feisty is alive and well, and still feisty.  Isn't it strange that I just ran into her like that?

 

TCD

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

The only line in the song that is actually irony.

 

Baldrick, have you no idea what "irony" is?

 

Yes, it's like "goldy" and "bronzy" only it's made out of iron.

 

I would give you 5 up arrows for this if I could.

 

TCD - the guy on the left is Baldrick. 

 

 

The guy on the right is Black Adder.

 

(Classic British sitcom - I have the entire series on DVD.)

[keith_h 420]

Is it strange that I have no earthly idea who Baldrick is?

 

TCD

 

Even stranger that I am acquainted with someone who doesn't know Blackadder.