Error Message: TCD's Spring Break 2012 Trip Report!

[Starbuc71 162]

The boat didn't bother me.

But this next sight scared me silly.

Guess what I found on the 1600 loop?

HIPPIES!!!

Yikes! :

I did not see or hear any accordians, so it was not as bad as it could have been.

You won't believe what I saw next.

You have heard of those Occupy people, right?

You know, Occupy Wall Street?

There is a group Occupying Tampa. They have been there six months.

There is also a group Occupying Tallahassee.

Do you have an Occupy group in your town?

Well, guess where they are now?

The 1600 loop!

You think I'm lying?

See for yourself:

I found one of the campers on this site and asked him what the Fort they were protesting. He said they were demanding the return of peacocks, the railroad, and steak fries in the Giddyap And Go. I thought those were all very valid requests, so I wished him well. I will check on this the next time I'm at the Fort and let you know how they're doing.

After seeing the Occupy site, we all agreed that nothing else we might see would top that, so we headed back to our site.

On a visit to the comfort station a bit later, I saw this family trying to figure out how to cut through to the comfort station without getting soaked by the sprinklers:

It was much funnier in person.

Trust me on that.

I forgot about the hippie wagon. I knew that would make your trip. I never saw them either. Maybe a fellow fiend brought it and just parked it there to freak you out...lol

I couldn't belive that occupy group. I had to drive the wife by that site to show the rules at the fort in full effect. I think the other perk to a premium site is not only having a bigger site (sometimes), but keeping some of the crazzies out also.

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

O boy! Hippies! Now that's a TR. :jumpforjoy

[LONE-STAR 370]

Just finished reading 14 pages on my iPad. Now my eyes hurt???

[Lou... 3,118]

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

TCD, your imagination astounds me!

I'm jealous of your backstage tour. So glad Lou took you!

Very happy that the occupy people weren't camping beside me. Besides being such an eyesore, I'm thinking these people were also loud and unruly. I bet they drank from the green hose, too.

Looking forward to your next update!

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Cool update TCD!!

[CKCK 45]

Woo hoo

[stefa70 205]

:rofl2: The Lord works in mysterious ways.....I've noticed there seems to be a hippie on almost every trip you make.

Maybe you should just embrace your inner hippie and take up the accordion. Just stay away from those roll your own cigarettes.

[Lou... 3,118]

Just thought I'd throw my two cents in.

As TCD, (Andrew) wrote, we've been meaning to do something for a long time, but for one reason or another, it just didn't happen. It was worth switching my work days around so that we could finally meet up. After all, he is a Rock Star.

Our first stop at the Team Disney building was fun. It's quite famous because of it's unique design and huge sundial which neither TCD or I could figure out how it works. We tried to go inside it, but couldn't find an open door. It's huge.

The building is restricted to CMs and their guests for official business, touring, or lunch at the CM cafeteria. It's a very interesting place to visit even if you can't go inside.

We had a very nice lunch amid all of the salaried CMs. We ate at a table over looking one of the refecting ponds surrounding the building.

If you want to know more about one of the largest sundials in the world inside the Team Disney Building, follow the link below

http://www.fsec.ucf....tion/disney.htm

My favorite building at WDW is the Casting building right down the street, which we also visited.

The rotunda (top right) when you first enter is total Disney and surrounds you with gold leaf Disney characters.

The very long, inclined hall way (bottom right) that leads up to the employment area is lined on both sides with hand painted historical Disney scenes.

I recall being mesmerized by those the very first time I walked that what seemed to be a never ending walk up to the employment desk

Die hard Disney fans would really appreciate the subjects of the paintings. Some include Walt. It's great Disney stuff.

Even the waiting area is interesting. There is a very detailed large model of the Cinderella Castle in the center.

Disney does the pre-employment portion of becoming a CM like nobody else.

If you visit, look closely for all the small details.

[caveat lector 181]

How about that. First, we get a multi installment submission from TCD. Then we get a mini trip report hijack from Lou. It's like Christmas in April.

Rock on my friends!!!!!!

[MicknMin...Holly 54]

Thanks for the pictures, Lou! It looks like a beautiful place!

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Great pictures Lou!! One of these years I'll visit that casting place myself.

[Gots2pitt.. Jeff 64]

Just thought I'd throw my two cents in.

What The Fort? I thought Lou didn't read trip reports.. he must have ESP and could read TCD's thoughts as he was typing so he didn't have to read it.

[ftwildernessguy 778]

I just have a couple things to say about the sing a long song DVD. I seriously doubt the cover photo was taken at FW. Looks like a set at a bad high school play. Gotta love the bowl haircut on the kid with the yellow jacket. I hope the girl isn't gonna rely on that crappy plastic canteen for survival. Looks like she made a trip to Dollar Tree for that piece of equipment. That tent. Come on. There is no way those kids are gonna fit in that with Goofy and Mickey and their gigantic heads. Not to mention it looks like it isn't going to survive the night anyway. Who the heck put that thing up, anyway? Oh wait a minute - it must have been Goofy for one of his many instructional films. Mickey obviously has no eye for safety as he has the Coleman lantern dangerously close to that pitiful tent. Not exactly certain why he needs the lantern anyway since it looks like nightfall isn't coming for a few hours anyway. Of course, he may be doing everybody a favor by burning that fire trap down. Gotta love the mouse's outfit, though. I'm heading out to the geek store tomorrow and see if I can pick up a similar one. And I'll see if they have a stylish plaid vest for FWGirl while I'm there.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

As long as the report has already been hijacked......Lou, what's with the new profile? Says you joined today, and this was your first post.

[Lou... 3,118]

As long as the report has already been hijacked......Lou, what's with the new profile? Says you joined today, and this was your first post.

I had technical difficulties with my original account. It wouldn't allow me to respond or do much of anything else.

Until it gets straightened out, I'm using a second account with the same user name.

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

I had technical difficulties with my original account. It wouldn't allow me to respond or do much of anything else.

Until it gets straightened out, I'm using a second account with the same user name.

That's good to know, I was worried that you had maxed out your warning points! :rofl2:

[Lou... 3,118]

That's good to know, I was worried that you had maxed out your warning points! :rofl2:

Hmm, you may be on to something Cherie.

Looks like I fooled the admins.

Who knew that 100 was the max number?

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

:rofl3:

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Well, I found my answer at least

[kampfirekim 260]

Cool! I always wondering what the casting building looked like on the inside! Thanks Lou! :)

[shoreline99 137]

There's a great book Called 'Building a Dream: The Art of Disney Architecture' that has a lot of beautiful photos of the casting buiding (and many others). At least the original edition does. A new, updated second edition came out last fall:

http://www.amazon.com/Building-Dream-Architecture-Welcome-Editions/dp/1423129180/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333972783&sr=8-1

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Great pictures from your tour with Lou. It looks like you had a blast.

I have to admit that I am very sad about the coffee mugs. I hope they have restocked by the time I'm back at the Fort. I've wanted one ever since I saw pictures of them.

Thanks.

According to my source in the Meadow Trading Post, they are going to be getting some more of the ceramic mugs. Although I am thankful they are now getting so many Fort themed items to sell, whoever is making the decisions about how much to stock is a bit of a moron. No offense.

Great updates as always (but that is just standard for TCD). For the record I am not always Captain Obvious.. normally I am the more non-superhero-ish G2P. :) Thank you for pointing out lesser points of interest (that are definitely interesting). Oh and Cartman is a character in South Park (a cartoon on TV).

South Park. I have heard of it. That is on the forbidden list at the TCD home, so I have never seen it.

Really.

I forgot about the hippie wagon. I knew that would make your trip. I never saw them either. Maybe a fellow fiend brought it and just parked it there to freak you out...lol

I couldn't belive that occupy group. I had to drive the wife by that site to show the rules at the fort in full effect. I think the other perk to a premium site is not only having a bigger site (sometimes), but keeping some of the crazzies out also.

Glad you got to see the hippies and the Occupy 1600 Loop folks first hand. The photos do neither site justice. I forgot to mention that there were more tents on the occupy site earlier in my trip, but I didn't get a photo because the occupants were all over the place the first few times I went by. I wasn't sure what kind of weapons they had, so I didn't want to have a confrontation with them about me taking photos of their encampment. So, I had to wait until they were out picketing to get my photo.

O boy! Hippies! Now that's a TR. :jumpforjoy

Hippies?

Why did it have to be hippies?

Just finished reading 14 pages on my iPad. Now my eyes hurt???

Sorry, Michael.

But, let that be a lesson to you.

You need to check in more often.

I need one of those signs.

TCD, your imagination astounds me!

I'm jealous of your backstage tour. So glad Lou took you!

Very happy that the occupy people weren't camping beside me. Besides being such an eyesore, I'm thinking these people were also loud and unruly. I bet they drank from the green hose, too.

Looking forward to your next update!

What imagination?

I just take photos and make some observations.

There is no imagination required.

And, believe it or not, the occupy people really weren't that noisy or unruly. At least not that I ever noticed. They seemed to be gone from their site a lot.

Woo hoo

Woo hoo, indeed.

:rofl2: The Lord works in mysterious ways.....I've noticed there seems to be a hippie on almost every trip you make.

Maybe you should just embrace your inner hippie and take up the accordion. Just stay away from those roll your own cigarettes.

I know.

I have developed a very keen sense of hippie-dar, and I always seem to find them.

It has served me well. As long as I know where they are I can keep an eye on them.

No hippie is going to sneak up on me.

Just thought I'd throw my two cents in.

As TCD, (Andrew) wrote, we've been meaning to do something for a long time, but for one reason or another, it just didn't happen. It was worth switching my work days around so that we could finally meet up. After all, he is a Rock Star.

Our first stop at the Team Disney building was fun. It's quite famous because of it's unique design and huge sundial which neither TCD or I could figure out how it works. We tried to go inside it, but couldn't find an open door. It's huge.

The building is restricted to CMs and their guests for official business, touring, or lunch at the CM cafeteria. It's a very interesting place to visit even if you can't go inside.

We had a very nice lunch amid all of the salaried CMs. We ate at a table over looking one of the refecting ponds surrounding the building.

If you want to know more about one of the largest sundials in the world inside the Team Disney Building, follow the link below

http://www.fsec.ucf....tion/disney.htm

My favorite building at WDW is the Casting building right down the street, which we also visited.

The rotunda (top right) when you first enter is total Disney and surrounds you with gold leaf Disney characters.

The very long, inclined hall way (bottom right) that leads up to the employment area is lined on both sides with hand painted historical Disney scenes.

I recall being mesmerized by those the very first time I walked that what seemed to be a never ending walk up to the employment desk

Die hard Disney fans would really appreciate the subjects of the paintings. Some include Walt. It's great Disney stuff.

Even the waiting area is interesting. There is a very detailed large model of the Cinderella Castle in the center.

Disney does the pre-employment portion of becoming a CM like nobody else.

If you visit, look closely for all the small details.

Thanks for chiming in, Lou.

I was impressed very much by both the Team Disney and Casting buildings. There is so much detail in both.

As I mentioned, even though Lou did not take me anywhere that was technically off limits, I did not want to cause any problem for him by snapping a bunch of photos. But, I wish I had taken some photos of all the details in the casting building. Even the door knobs for the door that you first enter are themed!

Those two buildings stand in sharp contrast to the true backstage buildings for the MK. They are as un-Disney, generic and industrial as they can be. I found that to be very interesting.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

How about that. First, we get a multi installment submission from TCD. Then we get a mini trip report hijack from Lou. It's like Christmas in April.

Rock on my friends!!!!!!

Thanks.

But, I still can't multi-quote more than ten quotes in a post.

What kind of way is that to treat a Rock Star?

What The Fort? I thought Lou didn't read trip reports.. he must have ESP and could read TCD's thoughts as he was typing so he didn't have to read it.

You might be right.

I always figured that Lou just made random posts.

Occasionally, they seem to be on topic.

Kind of like the broken clock analogy- even a broken clock is right twice a day.

I just have a couple things to say about the sing a long song DVD. I seriously doubt the cover photo was taken at FW. Looks like a set at a bad high school play. Gotta love the bowl haircut on the kid with the yellow jacket. I hope the girl isn't gonna rely on that crappy plastic canteen for survival. Looks like she made a trip to Dollar Tree for that piece of equipment. That tent. Come on. There is no way those kids are gonna fit in that with Goofy and Mickey and their gigantic heads. Not to mention it looks like it isn't going to survive the night anyway. Who the heck put that thing up, anyway? Oh wait a minute - it must have been Goofy for one of his many instructional films. Mickey obviously has no eye for safety as he has the Coleman lantern dangerously close to that pitiful tent. Not exactly certain why he needs the lantern anyway since it looks like nightfall isn't coming for a few hours anyway. Of course, he may be doing everybody a favor by burning that fire trap down. Gotta love the mouse's outfit, though. I'm heading out to the geek store tomorrow and see if I can pick up a similar one. And I'll see if they have a stylish plaid vest for FWGirl while I'm there.

I know this is going to sound ironic coming from me, but you are overthinking this.

I can't argue your points, though.

One slight clarification- if you watch the video, it is pretty clear that Donald is the one responsible for setting up the tent.

And that crack on bowl haircuts is going to hurt Donnie's feelings.

As long as the report has already been hijacked......Lou, what's with the new profile? Says you joined today, and this was your first post.

Good catch, Dave.

Very strange.

Very strange, indeed.

I had technical difficulties with my original account. It wouldn't allow me to respond or do much of anything else.

Until it gets straightened out, I'm using a second account with the same user name.

Suspicious.

Cool! I always wondering what the casting building looked like on the inside! Thanks Lou! :)

As cool as those photos are, the actual item is much cooler in person. From the moment you see that building, through the time you open the door and walk in, and then walk the long, sloped, corridor up to the reception area, a message is conveyed. It is interesting to think that all castmembers began their relationship with WDW here. The message is: This is Walt Disney World, we do things differently here.

There's a great book Called 'Building a Dream: The Art of Disney Architecture' that has a lot of beautiful photos of the casting buiding (and many others). At least the original edition does. A new, updated second edition came out last fall:

http://www.amazon.co...33972783&sr=8-1

Thanks for that link.

That looks like a great book.

But kind of expensive!

TCD

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

My 16yodd and i have decided we want to chuck everything and go work for WDW. Great photos, Lou!