Strange Things

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

They must have had the interactive stuff shut down for some reason, as you should have seen it all if your were in there for 35 minutes.  The effects change, and could be missed if the line is moving quickly.

Sarah and i will be heading to Peter Pan early one morning during our trip.  I am not sure how long the line will be at that point.  Should I watch the video of the special stuff before we go so i can point it out to her as we go through the line?  Or wait and be surprised?

 

The struggle is real.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Sarah and i will be heading to Peter Pan early one morning during our trip.  I am not sure how long the line will be at that point.  Should I watch the video of the special stuff before we go so i can point it out to her as we go through the line?  Or wait and be surprised?

 

The struggle is real.

 

I say wait and be surprised.

 

Take you time in the queue.

 

There are special things that will happen at each of the bedroom scenes, and you will see the special shadow effect as you make your way through the queue.  I don't think you need to worry about missing those.

 

One thing people seem to miss is that there's something that happens in the hall as you leave the room, so don't rush through that.  Walk slow.  If there are guests in a rush behind you, let them pass you.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Did you ever complain about BOG to Disney?

 

Of course I did.

 

An email was sent first thing Monday morning, March 23.  I already received a call from a very nice CM apologizing for my less than magical experience, and I spent quite a bit of time explaining what I thought was wrong with what they're doing.

 

She confirmed my address and said she would be sending me something in the mail.

 

I sure hope it's not a Trespass Warning.

 

TCD

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Your photos are making me so excited to see F&GF again.

[dvccamper 32]

So I have to ask, since Mrs. TCD doesn't accompany you on most of your trips does she get an annual pass too or do you get a day ticket for her? I obviously have too much time on my hands today to even be wondering this.

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

Love the F&G pics

 

I have noticed that all the Annas look more true to character than all of the Elsas.

 

There will be no more need for you to check on the Iranian tanks in River Country bc I hear they are our buddies after today's deal.  Just FYI.

 

No need to risk Panther attack to check on those.

 

Yuri's disappearance is starting to become a bit worrisome.  Just sayin'.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Of course I did.

 

An email was sent first thing Monday morning, March 23.  I already received a call from a very nice CM apologizing for my less than magical experience, and I spent quite a bit of time explaining what I thought was wrong with what they're doing.

 

She confirmed my address and said she would be sending me something in the mail.

 

I sure hope it's not a Trespass Warning.

 

TCD

 

After my calls with a CM to discuss our issues, I didn't get any offers to send me anything in the mail.  Nothing.  Just a "sorry".  Well they can stick their sorrys in a pipe and smoke 'em.  

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Your photos are making me so excited to see F&GF again.

 

I'm glad you will get to see it soon.  They added some new topiaries this year.

 

So I have to ask, since Mrs. TCD doesn't accompany you on most of your trips does she get an annual pass too or do you get a day ticket for her? I obviously have too much time on my hands today to even be wondering this.

 

That's a good question.

 

Back in November, the twins volunteered to be extras for the taping of a Spanish TV New Year's Eve party at WDW.

 

I told about that here:

 

 

 

The TCD twins popped home for a quick visit on Tuesday.  Mrs. TCD made a home cooked meal, and did a couple of mountains of laundry.

 

There were some things that Twin #2 needed fixed on her car, and I wanted to bring it in to the place that we trust for those issues.  So we got that done during the day yesterday.

 

We had a quick dinner at one of their favorite local restaurants last night, and then they headed back to WDW.  They were home for just over 24 hours.

 

They had to get back to WDW because they had both signed up to be extras for something that was being taped at the MK last night.  They weren't sure what it was, but they were going to get two complimentary park hopper tickets each for being at the MK from midnight until 5 am.  They probably would have volunteered to do that for nothing.

 

I haven't spoken to them since we said goodbye last night, but this morning, there were some Snapchats that told the story:

 

 

Here's a clue to what was going on:

 

 

You can't read the whole wristband in that screenshot, but it says Fiesta de Año Nuevo.

 

Do you know your Spanish?

 

I believe that means New Year's Eve Party.

 

On November 20th!

 

As best I can tell, some Spanish-speaking media company was filming a New Year's Eve party at the MK last night.

 

As with most TV productions, there was a lot of standing around.  Good thing the twins are able to amuse themselves:

 

 

I'll bet guests at the Fort were wondering why fireworks were going off after midnight at the MK last night:

 

 

Various musical groups performed. The twins didn't know who any of them were:

 

 

It got pretty late:

 

 

I would guess it was about this time that the girls realized that maybe this wasn't worth two free parkhopper tickets:

 

 

This was the last shot I saw that had a time on it, but there was video after this, so they weren't quite done here:

 

 

I hope they made it through the night and are sleeping it off now.

 

This new era sure is something.

 

If any of you will be watching a TV show on a Spanish-speaking TV station for Fiesta de Año Nuevo, look for the TCD twins.

 

TCD

 

Well, we were finally able to cash in one of the complimentary tickets they got for Mrs. TCD to use on this visit.

 

That's how we did it.

 

Love the F&G pics

 

I have noticed that all the Annas look more true to character than all of the Elsas.

 

There will be no more need for you to check on the Iranian tanks in River Country bc I hear they are our buddies after today's deal.  Just FYI.

 

No need to risk Panther attack to check on those.

 

Yuri's disappearance is starting to become a bit worrisome.  Just sayin'.

 

Yuri's absence is not worrisome.  It's awesome.  The only time I want to see him again is when they start building the new River Country DVC.

After my calls with a CM to discuss our issues, I didn't get any offers to send me anything in the mail. Nothing. Just a "sorry". Well they can stick their sorrys in a pipe and smoke 'em.

Well that SMB. Since my complaint centered on not getting a good value for my money, I am hoping that I'm getting a gift card, or voucher, or a coupon, or something.

Maybe I wont get anything, but the CM did verify my address and asked me to send a copy of my receipt (which I did). I don't think I'm getting a full refund, as she could have done that on my credit card.

Time will tell.

 

TCD

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

I say wait and be surprised.

 

Take you time in the queue.

 

There are special things that will happen at each of the bedroom scenes, and you will see the special shadow effect as you make your way through the queue.  I don't think you need to worry about missing those.

 

One thing people seem to miss is that there's something that happens in the hall as you leave the room, so don't rush through that.  Walk slow.  If there are guests in a rush behind you, let them pass you.

 

TCD

Thank you!!!

[shoreline99 137]

I have noticed that all the Annas look more true to character than all of the Elsas.

 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

 

There's a lot not to like in that photo.

 

Yikes.

 

TCD

[bhall 115]

When was that? 

 

They must have had the interactive stuff shut down for some reason, as you should have seen it all if your were in there for 35 minutes.  The effects change, and could be missed if the line is moving quickly.

 

I think they did a pretty good job with this queue.

 

 

 

TCD

It was Saturday, March 7th at 9 PM or a little after (I think).  The fireworks were going off while in line.  The line wasn't moving that fast at all.  My wife was surprised I wanted to go into this ride at all and I said there's some neat stuff to see in the line.  We saw nothing....

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Well, if you're enjoying this strange trip report, I have some more strangeness for you in the form of a bonus update for today.

 

But, the reason I'm posting it is I don't think I'm going to be posting one tomorrow, and certainly won't be posting over the weekend.

 

So, enjoy the bonus, and I'll be back at it Monday.  And maybe I'll gather some more material over the weekend.

 

We left off aboard the Highway in the Sky inbound to Epcot.

 

That big tent-like thing you see on the other side of the flower beds here is the butterfly garden:

 

 

Even though this was the second day of Spring (March 21), are still some trees around which haven't gotten with it and started sprouting their leaves.  Here's a couple here:

 

 

Speaking of strange things-check out the stuff growing on this tree, which is in the area of the Land pavilion:

 

 

The monorail gives you a good look at the big golf ball:

 

 

It doesn't look too awfully busy here today:

 

 

And we're in:

 

 

Way back at the beginning of this report, I told you how we kept running into folks with connections to the Fiends.

 

Remember?

 

I saw GDF's boyfriend (and his other girlfriend) at the airport.

 

And I saw Feisty at Animal Kingdom.

 

Well, does anyone recognize this CM over by the park maps?:

 

 

Does anyone here remember her?

 

That is Miss Sundee.

 

She was a BFD at the Fort back in the day.

 

Back before they got those stupid fake cowboys who currently sing at the campfire, Miss Sundee was the star.  And that woman made you sing.  She would not take no for an answer.  She was awesome.

 

She also sometimes seemed to be the only CM working- she'd be tending the fires, and singing, and slinging hot dogs at the Chuckwagon. 

 

And sometimes she worked at the Bike Barn.

 

And then she left.

 

I said hello to her, and that it was good to see her.

 

She told me that she had been working at the clubhouse at Saratoga Springs for the last few years, but now was working here at Epcot.

 

How do you like that?

 

Strange.

 

Then we headed on in to the park.

 

But first a Photopass CM offered to take our photo.  And I'm glad he did, because this is the only group photo we have from this visit.  If it looks weird, it's because I swiped it off one of the twins' Instagram accounts:

 

 

BTW- that pose was the photographer's idea, not ours.

 

Here's another shot of the Chip, Dale and Donald topiaries:

 

 

We stopped in the butterfly garden, and saw more plants than butterflies:

 

 

Mrs. TCD and our oldest DD needed to see the Anna and Elsa topiaries:

 

 

And, then we had to march all the way back to France, since someone wanted a photo of the Cinderella topiary back there.  Something strange was going on in France:

 

 

There was a crew there filming something:

 

 

Let's take a closer look at that:

 

 

That lady has one of those strawberry macaron things in her hand- and she was feeding it to the male actor.

 

I wonder what for?

 

Let me know if you ever see this footage anywhere.

 

After marching all the way to France, we marched all the way back towards the Living Seas.  We used one of our FP+'s on the Nemo ride. 

 

We walked past the urban garden display.   The chickens in this coop are fake:

 

 

This is the Flower and Garden Festival, so here's some flowers and a garden:

 

 

They have a display near the Imagination pavilion themed on the new movie Inside Out:

 

 

 

 

It was here that I noticed I had missed a call on my phone and had a voicemail.  From a number in the 407 area code.  What could that be? I listened to the voice mail.  It was from the manager of the All Star Movies Resort.  She was "reaching out" to me to apologize for the trouble I had at check in and with my Magic Band at the MK the day before, and had looked at my MDE account and saw that we would be visiting Epcot this afternoon, and she had taken the liberty of adding two "anything" FP+'s on to our account, which we could use for any two FP+ attractions in addition to the FP+'s I had already reserved.

 

Well, good for her.

 

I hadn't even spoken to her or complained to any manager at All Star Movies.  It must have been the manager CM who helped me at the MK who contacted her.  The extra FP+'s didn't excuse their ineptness, but it was a very nice gesture, and I appreciated it.

 

The only problem was that we had already decided that Epcot was too hot that afternoon that we weren't going to be hanging around much longer.

 

We did ride Nemo.

 

And our next FP+ was for Spaceship Earth.

 

But first the girls wanted to look a the merchandise for sale in the Festival Center, which is all the way over in the old Wonders of Life pavilion.  So we had to head there.

 

I had heard about this prehistoric plant display they have over by the Universe of Energy, but was not prepared for how underwhelming it was:

 

 

We spent a little money on merchandise, and then headed to Spaceship Earth.

 

Then we had a group meeting, and decided that it was time for a break.

 

Mrs. TCD wasn't planning to spend the night, and neither was our oldest DD.

 

So, we headed out to the parking lot, where we found our coach awaiting:

 

 

How do you like that bus wrap?

 

I think it's pretty cool.

 

Back at the hotel, Mrs. TCD and big sister split for home.

 

And the twins and I chilled in the room. There was some talk of hitting the pool, but the nice AC in the room got the job done.

 

At some point, we discussed and decided on our evening plans.

 

We all agreed to hit the Fort for a GAG.

 

Winning.

 

Since transportation from All Stars to the Fort would take a while, I decided to drive.

 

We parked at the Outpost, and hopped a purple bus.

 

Which gave us a look at a very crowded group camping area:

 

 

 

 

There was not one open space in the little parking lot they have back there:

 

 

I would post some Trail's End photos here.

 

But my camera died.

 

The electric outlets in All Star Movies SMB, and electric devices are loose when you plug them in.  My camera battery didn't fully charge the night before because of that.  And now I had a dead camera.

 

So just imagine us sitting at a picnic table with a big bucket of chicken.

 

After dinner, the twins took a bus to Hollywood Studios, and I took the car back to All Star Movies and put the leftover chicken in the fridge.

 

We decided to see the 2nd Fantasmic show, and while the first one was going on, we hit TOT.  The posted wait time was 40 minutes, but we figured that was a lie, and it was.  We walked right up through the queue and right in to one of the preshow rooms. The boiler room part of the queue wasn't crowded either.  They are getting really bad about exaggerating the wait times.

 

We got great seats for Fantasmic.  This was our first time seeing it since we saw it at Disneyland.  We all agreed that WDW's version is better.

 

One strange thing happened, though.

 

The big boat didn't come out at the end.

 

Instead, the characters that are normally are on the boat just stood on the island and waved streamers.

 

Strange.

 

After Fantasmic, we bused over to the MK, and entered in time to see Pete's dragon making his final run down Main Street:

 

 

I was able to take that photo as my camera apparently had enough juice to turn on and take one more photo.

 

The MK was having EMH's that night, and we were resort guests.

 

The weather was perfect, and the crowds weren't too bad.

 

But, we didn't stay long.

 

We were all tired, and had been up early.

 

So, we called it a night.

 

We will be heading home in the morning.

 

But not before I take an early morning tour of the Fort.

 

With a fully charged camera.

 

That will be on Monday.

 

Have a great weekend.

 

And Happy Easter.

 

TCD

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

Okay, any suggestions on how to make sure stuff charges at the All Star Resorts?  Because if my 19yo can't charge her phone, she will be a very unhappy camper.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Okay, any suggestions on how to make sure stuff charges at the All Star Resorts?  Because if my 19yo can't charge her phone, she will be a very unhappy camper.

 

Some of the outlets are fine.  You can tell which ones are loose.  The ones by the sink seemed to be fine (but not the best place to leave a phone), and there was also a powers strip next to the TV that worked fine.  Just make sure stuff is snug when it's plugged in.  if it isn't try one of the other outlets in the room.

 

TCD

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

Happy Easter!

 

Looking forward to the morning Fort pics as usual.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

One of the old time Fiends posted a pic of Miss Sundee on Facebook recently....might have been BigDisneyDaddy.  Anyways, I think I only saw her in person once.  Yet another thing from Fort days of old that is gone.  

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Happy Easter to you too!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

That was nice of the manager to give you FPs for your issue. I think you're right though, it's the answer for everything now.

I'm hoping your Saturday morning plans might involve a trip to the Fort!

[keith_h 420]

 

But, the reason I'm posting it is I don't think I'm going to be posting one tomorrow, and certainly won't be posting over the weekend.

 

So, enjoy the bonus, and I'll be back at it Monday.  And maybe I'll gather some more material over the weekend.

 

 

This means we have an extra day that we can use to hijack the thread.  Enjoy your weekend.  :cheers: 

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Have a Happy Easter.

 

Where does one buy pickle and cotton ball trees?

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

The riverboat in Fantasmic is currently being refurbished from what I have read in other places.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Wow, when you titled this Strange Things, you weren't kidding.

 

Strawberry macaron feeding = very strange indeed!

 

I need to remember to ride the monorail through Epcot next month.  That's a great view of F&G and it'll be my very first time seeing it.  Seeing your photos is making me think much of my park time this trip may end up being at Epcot.  :)

 

 
Those two experiences don't sound very magical at all. Could you imagine if that was your first trip to WDW? 

 

Even being an annual passholder that would have really driven me nuts, and they give you a fast pass and think that makes it all better?

 

WBI

 

^THIS^ exactly

 

 

She confirmed my address and said she would be sending me something in the mail.

 

I sure hope it's not a Trespass Warning.

 

TCD

 

:rofl2:

 

 
Yuri's absence is not worrisome.  It's awesome.  The only time I want to see him again is when they start building the new River Country DVC.

 

Bite your tongue!!

 

And have a terrific weekend - Happy Easter.  :)

[ependydad...Doug 176]

The electric outlets in All Star Movies SMB, and electric devices are loose when you plug them in.  My camera battery didn't fully charge the night before because of that.  And now I had a dead camera.

 

TCD

 

The outlets in our room at Port Orleans Riverside were the same way this past trip. Very aggravating, but fortunately we got charges each night.

[Family of Bears 98]

Does anyone else find it creepy that a cast member can "take a look at our mde account" and stalk us?!?!

Nice. But creepy.