February 2011 Trip Report From TCD

[bord1niowa......Curt 79]

I love that show too. I have been educated on some things for ebay. I would never have bought an old 7 up cooler for $35 till seeing that show...boy, am I glad I did....:rofl2:

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Let's continue on with the report.

But, first, let's pause for a moment to evaluate how we are doing.

As I began this post, this thread has been viewed 4314 times.

I am impressed!

This thread is less than a week old.

When I lurked before joining fortfiends.net, I saw that no trip report had been viewed even a thousand times.

That was kind of discouraging.

I thought maybe not many folks were interested in this site.

But I was sure wrong about that!

And, I am particularly happy about the fact that there is now another trip report thread that has exceeded 1000 views, and is well on its way to 2000.

Way to go Fiends!

And, for those of you guests viewing this report, let me suggest to you that you join up as a member. The thing i did not realize when I was lurking is that there is a huge members-only section to this board. HUGE! With a Community Board that is very active and very funny. But only registered members can see it. Registration is free. So, what are you waiting for? Plus if you register, you can post a comment or ask a question. Right here on this trip report. And you will get a personal response from TCD!

Just do it!

Now, where were we?

Ah yes, in the MK.

We are going to try something new.

It is the Tangled meet and greet.

Have you seen the movie Tangled?

If not, you really ought to.

It is a great movie.

Funny.

But with a positive message.

So, they have converted and area over near the teacups to be a meet and greet area for the movie.

The girls had checked it out on Friday afternoon, and saw that it was quite popular.

They also scouted out how the line worked.

And it works very well.

They let small groups in to this area at appointed times.

You have to line up outside before the appointed time.

This could involve a wait of an hour or so.

But, your whole group does not have to wait in the line.

So, that is nice.

We got in line, and took turns going off in pairs to shops and such.

And in no time it was our turn.

Here is a look at the set-up:

There are the TCD twins towering over all of the much younger Tangled fans.

They were just going to stand in line to meet the characters, but a friendly cast member insisted that they step up to the table and join in the coloring activity.

After the kids colored for a while, Rapunzel herself emerged:

She had a satchel in her hand, and was looking for somewhere to hide it:

Please make note of the young African American gentleman in the background of this photo. He was the star of the show, in my opinion. He kind of directed the traffic before the characters arrived, and he was hilarious. Kind of like a young Tracey Morgan. If this guy is ever working when you visit, stand around and listen to him, he is a real hoot!

Rapunzel decides the hide the satchel she is carrying under the table where all the kids are:

As soon as she has the satchel safely hidden, Flynn Rider comes running out:

Flynn is in a tizzy because his satchel is missing.

Rapunzel encourages all the little girls to join her in lying about having any knowledge of the satchel's whereabouts.

I pause here to ask exactly what is Disney trying to teach the young women of our nation here?

There is clever banter between Rapunzel and Flynn:

Rapunzel makes Flynn beg for his satchel:

Again, I pause to ask, exactly what are they teaching these young women?

There is more drama:

After Flynn has begged enough that Rapunzel is satisfied that she has humiliated him enough, she finally gives the poor man what he is asking for.

Rapunzel reminds me of Mrs. TCD.

I wanted to tell Flynn: "welcome to my world."

Then all of the kids join them in a dance around the table followed by a chance to meet the characters personally and pose for photos.

So basically, what we have here is a lesson on Girl Power!

I know all too well that this is how things work in the real world, but it was still kind of shocking to me to see it acted out this way.

I have plenty more.

So be sure to check back!

TCD

[kampfirekim 260]

I'm the first reply to this installment? Cool. Can I keep my Fiend Card then?

Lie to the man... then humiliate him. Got it. It's being taught by Disney right there in MK so it has to be a proper teaching right? I'll make sure not to miss this in July. :dance:

[rdancemom... Pam 113]

After Flynn has begged enough that Rapunzel is satisfied that she has humiliated him enough, she finally gives the poor man what he is asking for.

Rapunzel reminds me of Mrs. TCD.

I wanted to tell Flynn: "welcome to my world."

Then all of the kids join them in a dance around the table followed by a chance to meet the characters personally and pose for photos.

So basically, what we have here is a lesson on Girl Power!

I know all too well that this is how things work in the real world, but it was still kind of shocking to me to see it acted out this way.

:rofl2: :rofl3: :rofl2:

I am a huge fan of Girl Power... but maybe... just maybe... this is really the beginning of an indoctrination process for the boys so they know how to properly treat our princesses when it is their turn... it's obvious to me that this lesson is aimed at the boys in the crowd not the girls... :shh:

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

Hey TCD great report!

I just wanted to add that I read somewhere that the tarps/walls around the back of Cinderella's Castle are to block the view of the fantasy land construction from people eating at Cinderella's Royal Table. And when you call to make a reservation there they tell you that you're view will be blocked, so I guess that makes sense. They're using the tarps to prevent people from looking out instead of in.

Looking forward to the next installment.

WBI

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Hey TCD great report!

I just wanted to add that I read somewhere that the tarps/walls around the back of Cinderella's Castle are to block the view of the fantasy land construction from people eating at Cinderella's Royal Table. And when you call to make a reservation there they tell you that you're view will be blocked, so I guess that makes sense. They're using the tarps to prevent people from looking out instead of in.

Looking forward to the next installment.

WBI

Ooh - tricky. That would make sense though. Short of Dumbo, there isn't really anywhere else you can get that high up to be able to get a good view of the construction.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I'm the first reply to this installment? Cool. Can I keep my Fiend Card then?

Lie to the man... then humiliate him. Got it. It's being taught by Disney right there in MK so it has to be a proper teaching right? I'll make sure not to miss this in July. :dance:

Of course you can keep your Fiend card.

I think you have a lifetime non-revocable one anyway.

Yep, Disney is just teaching the girls the way things are in the real world.

I don't know if you have seen the movie, but I should add that old Flynn is lucky that they took Rapunzel's frying pan away.

:rofl2: :rofl3: :rofl2:

I am a huge fan of Girl Power... but maybe... just maybe... this is really the beginning of an indoctrination process for the boys so they know how to properly treat our princesses when it is their turn... it's obvious to me that this lesson is aimed at the boys in the crowd not the girls... :shh:

OMG

You are right.

Being of the male persuasion I didn't catch this.

Girls know from an early age that they are really running the show. This show really is more to indoctrinate the boys that they had better just get used to it. I mean, the sooner they learn this, the easier they will have it out in the real world.

Hey TCD great report!

I just wanted to add that I read somewhere that the tarps/walls around the back of Cinderella's Castle are to block the view of the fantasy land construction from people eating at Cinderella's Royal Table. And when you call to make a reservation there they tell you that you're view will be blocked, so I guess that makes sense. They're using the tarps to prevent people from looking out instead of in.

Looking forward to the next installment.

WBI

Well, duh!

I didn't think of that.

Makes perfect sense now that you mention it.

I bet you can get quite a view from the Castle of what is going on in Fantasyland.

Thanks for checking in, and I have another short update coming up.

TCD

[We4mickey 6]

Lovin all the pics TCD! Lots of great info as usual. Keep it comin!

[caveat lector 181]

I get a kick out of the Old Man. It's surprising, but not really I guess, how much him & Rick know about history in general. They get some pretty serious historical items coming through there.

I find the show to be educational as well as fun.

Outstanding show! Rick seems to know a little about everything! His breadth of knowledge is astounding. Just wonder how much is done via internet and editing. If none, it's even more impressive.

[kampfirekim 260]

Of course you can keep your Fiend card.

I think you have a lifetime non-revocable one anyway.

Yep, Disney is just teaching the girls the way things are in the real world.

I don't know if you have seen the movie, but I should add that old Flynn is lucky that they took Rapunzel's frying pan away.

TCD

Yes, I did see it. In fact I own it. As a mom of boys only... I'm not so sure how I feel about girl power now.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

That last update was a little short.

I am trying to get this report finished, so I will squeeze in an update when I can.

We left off with us enjoying the Tangled attraction.

I recommend it, especially if you have young girls in your party.

But, the boys will like it too.

They really do a great job with this.

It is a lot of fun.

It's just the subliminal messages I could do without.

From here, we used our Space Mountain Fastpasses, and picked up another for later on.

We visited the Laugh Floor, and then decided to take a break.

It was crowded, and we decided to come back later, as the MK was open to midnight today.

Here's a Space Mountain photo for you:

I can never figure out where they take your picture on that ride, so I always am caught in a random and candid pose.

When we got to the boat dock, we found that they had combined the WL and FW route, although the sign did not say so:

There was definitely some type of problem with the boats.

We waited a long time.

And still no boat.

But, no worries.

The castmember broke out a box of bubbles:

So, it was all good.

I don't mind waiting for hours, as long as I get some bubbles to compensate me for my time.

Seriously, though, we had to wait a long time for the boat. And, then we had to stop at WL on the way.

They must have known this was coming.

Thus the peremptory free bubble distribution.

But, we made it back to the Fort eventually.

We hung out for the afternoon.

We saw Stacktester's limo and driver parked across from the 300 loop playground:

But, Donnie was not around.

He must have been off chasing a married woman or something.

And, he must have just asked his driver to wait for him.

We did a last bit of looping as the sun sank low in the sky.

I tried to get a photo of this camper with a boat parked at his site.

But, my wisecracker daughter photo-bombed me:

When I re-took the shot, the low light and the moving golf cart made it blurry:

These folks on the 800 loop, who have been there since at least Halloween had some nice Valentine's Day decorations:

Here is a phenomenon that I have never understood:

And this guy/woman is from Canada, too.

Who thinks this is a good idea?

All kidding aside, I don't get it.

If you are a man, what in the world are you trying to say by having a set of steel balls dangling from the back of your truck?

If you are a woman, same question.

I honestly do not get it!

Does this impress anyone?

Not me.

And, to those of you with such ornaments on your vehicle- please take no offense. I am just sharing my opinion. And, I may be missing the point of all of this entirely. So if you are one of these guys or ladies, feel free to enjoy your steel balls. This is America, and while I may not agree with your choice of expression, I absolutely believe in your right to express yourself.

Here is a nice sunset over the 900 loop:

We ate at the site.

I made a modified version of Pirate Jeff's Macaroni and Cheese.

Hey is Pirate Jeff reading along?

If so, hey Pirate Jeff!!!

We went back to the Magic Kingdom later in the evening. The temperature had really dropped, and it was not very crowded at all. We used our Space Mountain Fastpasses, and found another set on top of a trashcan in the gift shop at the exit. This is something that has happened to us before. That is a nice thing to do if you have extra Fastpasses, and we have done it too. Either give them to someone, or leave them somewhere where someone will find them and be able to use them.

So, here are two more Space Mountain photos.

Again I have been caught completely off guard by the well-hidden secret camera:

After our second ride, there was no need for Fastpasses anymore. There was no line. The girls rode a couple of more times, and then we hit the Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder Mountain. By about 11 it was very cold. Probably near freezing. So, we headed back to the Fort.

And, that completes our Saturday.

We still have all of Sunday to cover, and Monday morning, too.

So, be sure to check back.

TCD

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

I don't get the steel balls either but to each their own :rofl2: Love your candid Space Mountain photos. I'm just surprised that after all your trips you still haven't figured out when they take the picture :rofl2:

Free bubbles, it just doesn't get better than that :banana:

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

I can never figure out where they take your picture on that ride, so I always am caught in a random and candid pose.

:rofl2:

The castmember broke out a box of bubbles:

Oh no, not the dreaded BUBBLES!!!!

I recall more than a few threads "somewhere else" where people absolutely lost their minds at the concept of anyone blowing bubbles in line for any reason.

So glad folks here don't take themselves quite so seriously.

These folks on the 800 loop, who have been there since at least Halloween had some nice Valentine's Day decorations:

I remember their Christmas display - also very nice. Gotta say I've never seen such extravagant decorations for Valentine's Day - who knew they even made them?

As for the truck "ornaments"....

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Lovin all the pics TCD! Lots of great info as usual. Keep it comin!

Thanks, Lynn.

Will do.

Outstanding show! Rick seems to know a little about everything! His breadth of knowledge is astounding. Just wonder how much is done via internet and editing. If none, it's even more impressive.

Agreed.

But I figure that there had got to be a lot of editing. There is no way Rick knows everything off the top of his head. The show would be pretty bad if Rick didn't know anything about an item being presented. That said, I'm sure Rick knows a lot, and they make the whole thing very entertaining. There is another show I've seen a couple of times on another channel where the pawn shop is in Detroit. That show is not nearly as entertaining. But, I figure the Detroit pawn shop is more like a real pawn shop than the one in Pawn Stars.

Yes, I did see it. In fact I own it. As a mom of boys only... I'm not so sure how I feel about girl power now.

Well, the way I look at it is you are doing your boys a favor letting them know early on that the ladies are in charge in this life.

Like my daughters used to say: "Girls rule. Boys drool."

Truer words have never been spoken.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I don't get the steel balls either but to each their own :rofl2: Love your candid Space Mountain photos. I'm just surprised that after all your trips you still haven't figured out when they take the picture :rofl2:

Free bubbles, it just doesn't get better than that :banana:

I know.

One of these days, I am going to figure out the Space Mountain thing. Then I am going to pose for my photo!

And right-o about the free bubbles.

Free anything is good at Disney.

And, did you notice what a nice, big bottle they gave out?

Oh no, not the dreaded BUBBLES!!!!

I recall more than a few threads "somewhere else" where people absolutely lost their minds at the concept of anyone blowing bubbles in line for any reason.

So glad folks here don't take themselves quite so seriously.

You are right.

I remember.

I was surprised to see a castmember passing them out.

One thing I thought about was whether it was a good idea to be handing out bottles of liquid slippery soap to kids in an area where a slip could cause a pretty serious injury.

I don't think anyone ran this idea by Risk Management.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

All was quiet when we arrived back to our site on Saturday night.

The folks across the way had set up an outdoor movie screen earlier in the night.

And it looked like they were preparing for a big blast.

But, whatever they did, it was all over by the time we arrived at around midnight.

That is usually the case.

It takes some pretty hard core partiers to stay up late at the Fort night after night.

Especially when it is cold.

I was up and out on patrol early Sunday morning.

I took a shot of the River Country Wagon sitting behind the Settlement Trading Post.

It has been here for almost a year now:

That wagon reminded me to go check and see if anything was happening over at River Country.

Nothing was.

Here are your standard shots taken through or over the fence:

Those blue tanks are still there:

Nothing new around the big pool with the slides:

Here we are looking toward the pavilion. You can see the weather vane up top:

I took a look over around the dock used by the fishing guides. There are no new stakes or any evidence of anything new going on around here.

Here we are looking toward the Contemporary Resort. According to the leaked plans discovered by WBI, there may be new buildings constructed in this area some day:

Did you notice the bird perched in the middle of the photo above?

Here is another shot. The bird is still there. And, you can see the top of the Contemporary Resort:

The wetlands here are beautiful. It would be a shame if any of this is ever removed:

Here we see a resort launch cruising by, with Discovery Island in the background. The bird is still in this shot, too:

Here's a better shot of Discovery Island. Look how all of the trees are shedding their leaves getting ready for Spring to arrive:

Bottom line: There is no sign of any new construction in the Settlement area.

Next stop, we will take a good look around the Outpost, and the old Kennel building to see if anything is happening there.

TCD

[caveat lector 181]

..... There is another show I've seen a couple of times on another channel where the pawn shop is in Detroit. That show is not nearly as entertaining. But, I figure the Detroit pawn shop is more like a real pawn shop than the one in Pawn Stars.

TCD

Yep, I watch that one too. Hard core pawn. I often wonder if any of those customers see themselves on TV and are embarassed. Several have to come from the shallow end of the gene pool. :rofl2:

[Judy in Texas 150]

I don't get the steel balls either but to each their own :rofl2:

I see them quite often in Texas... not always steel... some are flesh colored rubber ones. The truck owner must be trying to compensate for some perceived lack?

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

I see them quite often in Texas... not always steel... some are flesh colored rubber ones. The truck owner must be trying to compensate for some perceived lack?

That has to be it :rofl2:

[anolefan 8]

Here is a nice sunset over the 900 loop:

TCD

Nice shot!

I know I've been described as "sheltered" but the steel balls gross me out. Not sure why...or maybe they are just disgusting looking, either way they do.

[AuburnChris 193]

My favorite part of this picture is the bumper sticker. This must be the Obvious family's campsite.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

...This must be the Obvious family's campsite.

[Santa ... Shannon 160]

Umm, something is amiss. TCD went to the Laugh Floor and was not tagged with being That Guy? I know the park was crowded but surely there wasn't another dotty old hapless fellow that could trump our TCD?!!

[Lou... 3,118]

Here's what you can end up with if you know when they'll snap the picture. We knew when it would happen and agreed beforehand to all have the same expression.

It's me, my daughter and two grandsons on Rock' N' Roller Coaster.

[LONE-STAR 370]

Pawn stars is great we watch it every week I like Rick. As for the truck balls they are every where in Texas ( none on are trucks but they don't bother me) I think the point to the truck balls is it is a obvious way of saying your truck has balls. Not the driver.