Hi folks..
I returned home recently after my bi-annual pilgrimage to WDW and experienced many things i thought would be of interest to our readers. I was on property for a week and came away with a head full of thoughts, which i feel a need to share with those who care the most...WDW Magic members!
So here goes....
I will start with the Magic Kingdom proper. I was stunned to see monorails' LIME and CORAL in operation on the MK line! I have not seen these "colors" in ages and thought they were no longer being used. Then again, this is off-season so the usual colors were probably being given a rest after the Summer Season. For those readers who are monorail inclined, the first 4 days i was there i saw Lime, Coral, Green, Blue, Black, Red, Gold, and Silver running with Pink, Orange and Yellow appearing towards the end of my weeks' visit. I'm still stunned to have seen/rode Lime and Coral! ( Yes, i'm a freak....)
Okay, once arriving at the Park itself the most notable sight to behold was the Train Station under reconstruction/rehab. The whole half of the building was bagged in green fabric tarps and construction workers were beavering away fully during Park hours. It looks like they were doind some major repairs or some major improvements to the place from what i saw. On Monday i visited again to see what progress had been made and a wall was now up that enclosed the first half of the Main Street loop. It was put up to house building equiptment and supplies, plus lighting rigs for nightime work. You could plainly see everything when atop the balcony that is excessable from the train platform.
Since this wall was covering a good portion of the Parade route from the Expo Hall to City Hall, it made for a very interesting Parade that afternoon to say the least! All the uppers and leads were in the streets as this was the first time these huge floats would have to make a 90 degree turn to clear the sidewalk and make it to the exit point behind the Firehouse. It was very interesting and entertaining in a way to see this unfold as nobody really knew what was going to happen! Everything starts out okay, but by the time the Aladdin Globe foat reaches the end of Main Street proper and starts to enter the circle, it gets hung up on the corner sidewalk. Well you just had to hold your breath as all heck breaks loose from a mangement standpoint as they try to direct the float driver who is probably sweating right about now, to trying to get the huge thing of the curb and back onto the road! After a couple of minutes they succeed, and the Parade continues to exit on cue pretty much with no other major misshaps. It was amazing to see how well those drivers can handle those giant complicated floats...literally turning them on a dime in this situation. Hopefully that wall will not be up for too long as the Parade just is'nt the same when it is forced to take this "shortcut" to exit.
The other thing i wanted to note about the SADCT Parade was a few days before the wall went up i saw it from FrontierLand and noticed some major issues with the characters appearences. I won't go into too much detail as i am a firm beleiver in "preserving the Magic" but in a nutshell some of the Parade characters looked very poor appearence wise. One of the dwarves ( Doc) had a very dirty and worn hat on ( a bit shocking as i have never witnessed this in a Park) and this was very obvious. Also, there was a older Louie doing meet n' greets in the Park that afternoon and he was well worn which was surprising to see. I also witnessed poor dressing in some other parades ( Stars n' Cars at MGM is one) where it seems the characters were not properly "checked" before going "onstage". I have read before that DW has this reputation lately of not caring well for the characters, and i did'nt beleive it until now. Usually everything looks spotless and gleaming in the furry department but it was'nt the case in the parades which was surprising to me.
Characters now....it seems to me that for the week i was there only a small handfull of characters were about in the Park. Everytime i was there through the course of the week i saw the exact same characters in mostly the same spots. Now i know about meet n' greets and such, but i would think Disney would realize that some folks visit the Park more then one time during there stay and that seeing different characters would be much more magical. Variety is the spice of life they say..it i have to agree in this case. When i last visiting the World in 2002, I saw dozens and dozens of characters each day. They were mixed around very well. This time however it was the same ones everytime: Mick, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy ( and a rare appearence by Max which was cool), Geppeto, Baloo and Louie and Peter Pan. Chip and Dale also appeared on some of the days, as well as Prince John. I really find it odd that Prince John is out so much when most folks have no clue as to who he is. I'm not complaining, as i LOVE Robin Hood and PJ was the star of that movie for me. It's just odd he is everywhere it seems...i kept bumping ito him contantly in both MK and AK. Strange.
Other Main Street highlights this week were meeting the Main Street performers. The Mayor, Fire Chief, and several flapper gals were entertaining passerbyers as well as a group of brass musicians dressed and train workers. I always enjoyed the streetmosphere players and rarely get to see them in action so this was nice to witness. They would entertain mainly in the morning when the crowds would be coming into the park after opening. There was also a street show consisting of some performers dressed in period costumes that arrived either on the horse trolly or the double decker bus. They sang along to a soundtrack broadcast in the zone area they were in ( upper Main St. near the Castle end) and were quite good. These sorts of things always add a lot of nice atmosphere to the place...keep it up!
Now onto the attractions...
The big news for me is that after all of these years, i have FINALLY seen COP!! YES!! Finally!
I tend to visit WDW off-season, and for ages now COP was always closed whenever i would be down there it seemed. I have now finally seen this gem of gems in the Disney Crown and i have to say it is WONDERFUL!! I LOVE COP!!!! The theme song along has me hooked ( Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow)...i was humming this throughout my trip. COP looked great...everything was working fine from what i could see and i sat front row at all 5 showings i went to. COP must not close!! EVER!! This thing is one of the last great AA Attractions and is Walt's own baby. I am proud to say that i am a avid COP fan and will do what i can to save it from being gutted. I LOVE this show!!! Crowds were very light though.....Disney needs to better promote what COP is exactly and get people in there to witness this wonderful and entertaining show. Wow it was good.....i am interested in hearing about how it's been changed over the years. I mean, i don't think Jean Shepard was around to do the orignal voice over way back in 64' so can anybody clue me in as to what COP was like before? Thanks in advance!
More attractions now..Timekeeper was listed in the color MK brochere but was not open the entire time i was there that i know of. This is yet another show that i have yet to have seen as it is always down when i visit. Oh well.....maybe next time, but from all the rumors i hear, there may not be a next time. As already reported, the inside of the entrance to the theatre is now a character meet and greet with Stitch, Buzz, and the Incredibles.
And speaking of Stitch...i saw SGE for the first time and after 4 viewings with various age groups i have come to the conclusion that it's a okay attraction. Note i say "Okay"......AE was far superior, we already know this. The CM's i was talking to later that day outside of the attraction agree that it sucks when compared to what was before it. They hear almost daily from Guests that AE was awesome and that is missed dearly. I don't mind SGE...it's novel and can be fun for folks that have not experiences anything like it before ( i will always remember my first experience in AE..i loved the unpredictible feeling of not knowing what was really going to happen, and the scary elements. It rocked!!). I have to say though that i think having the Stitch character attacted to this type of attraction can be missleading to parents. I am not one, but i witnessed several cases where children became seriously freaked by the effects, loud noises, and other goings on. On bus rides back to the hotel, a would overhear parents commenting on there days experiences and most had negative things to say about SGE. I think they felt that since a "kid character" was involved in the show, it was going to be a "kiddie" type show. Well, i enjoyed it but agree that it is now ways near as awesome as AE was. The Stitch AA was very lifelike and very cool though...i'm a big AA animation fan and seeing Stitch "walk" around and spit was neat.
Okay, other attractions now.....Pirates was fabulous and in great shape....everything working well. For those who still have your light-up "Magical Moments" pins i have good news for you: Yes, they still work!! My pin went nuts in several attractions ( Small World and Epcot's River of Time being the most active) so there's confirmation they can still be activated. My advice though it to be sure to bring a extra set of batteries. My set fizzled out after only 4/5 rides and it was a shame i could'nt have used it longer! Be sure to bring a extra set! You can buy replacement batteries for them at any Radio Shack for about $6+ for a set. Use # 2032.
Moving on now to one of my all-time favorite attractions ..The Country Bear Jamboree. As usual, i saw this show multiple times during my stay and have to say that the Henry that opens the show needs a restoration badly. His animations were fine, and his face was in good condition, but his body fur...exspecially his arms....were very badly worn out. He needs a new body fur makeover badly! Trixie was also looking mighty shabby, and her clothing was droopy. Melvin Moose was also in need of some attention. Again, all animations were working fine ( except Melvin) and these two were just in need of a cosmetic makeover.
Fans of Peter Pan's Flight will be delighted to hear that the tin foil that lines the inside of the volcano in Neverland is still there ( LOL!). Of all the attractions in all of the MK, PPF always had the longest line and the longest wait time. FLIK cards were readily in use during my week there...most attractions were using them to gage the correct wait times. Almost all attractions had the wait times posted incorrectly, but that's okay as in all cases you had to wait far less time! Crowds in general were light....i waited little or no time for everything including the major draws. The only rides that needed a FP was Pooh ( of course...sigh) and Pan.
This was my first time seeing Small World since the rehab earlier this year and i have to say it looks absolutely INCREDIBLE!! WOW!! They did a fantastic job resurrecting this! I adore the new facade and the animated clock tower and hourly display is wonderful! The place looked stunning both inside and out...i was elated to see that even the water was clean! What i GREAT rehab! They should all be this well done! I am wondering though if they tinkered with the layout inside though...the first room ( Europe) seems different then what i remember. It seems that many of the displays on the far left wall ( Holland, Ireland, for example) are now much lower for easier viewing. I remember them being higher up and you really had to crane your neck to see them. It could just be me though..... A few figures were not working, but when i would visit on another day often things were corrected. The female Irish Dancer doll was removed however the week i was there, perhaps for a repair? Regardless, SW was awesome to say the least. I can't beleive how bright and fresh it looks. Amazing!! I saw stuff in there i have never seen before...a job well done!!
I stopped by Cosmic Ray's to see my old pal Sonny Eclipse perform which is always a Lunch highlight for me. He was looking and sounding great...i love this guy! For Sonny fans, he is still there and looking good!!
The Noodle Station was open so i was able to finally sample some of there offerings and loved it! I think this will be my new snack shack now...mmmm..noodle bowls......
Speaking of food...i had a great time with my Disney Dining Plan offer i recieved with my trip. I was able to dine all over the place for free since i traveled off-season and enjoyed it very much. I was able to eat at many places i normally would'nt have been able to due to budget constraints and sample some fine food creations which was very nice! I spent most of my dining time in EPCOT ( my "home") but did try out the Noodle Station and loved it! I will definately be back there in the future! For those considering getting a Dining Plan, just DO IT. You will not be dissapointed. It is true that you will NOT go hungry as i stuffed myself silly and still had two table meals and a snack left in the end that i did'nt use. I will more then likely get one the next time i visit as it does save you a heap of money in the end i think.
Cindereallbration was a utter flop for me. I went to see it with a open mind, although i had already read it was nothing too special. I watched it and was really surprised at how "empty" it was. There was nothing really to it...it just seemed a excuse to trot out the Princesses, which is the hot trend now. I found it lame to be honest. It would have been better with some added attraction to embellish the performances. The performers were fine...i'm not downing them. The show format is what i'm on about. It needs..."something".
The castle looked beautiful all done up in gold. They should keep it that way for a while..it really looks nice! The gold characters could be done away with after the 50th and just keep the gold trim. Very sharp looking and it was a nice touch when the sun came out and made the wired glitter sparkle. "Wishes" was shown one night i was there and since it was quite windy due to the hurricane spinning off the FL coast, Tinkerbell did not fly that night. The show otherwise was good...the best part being when the castle becomes Mickey's sorcerer's hat with special lighting effects. Very neat. I do hope someday they bring the current DL show to FL...i LOVE that version!!
Well that's all i can think of at the moment in regards to the MK. If there is something in particular you are wondering about, feel free to ask and it may jog my memory.
For now i will post this and begin another segment about EPCOT. I have much to say about this!
I returned home recently after my bi-annual pilgrimage to WDW and experienced many things i thought would be of interest to our readers. I was on property for a week and came away with a head full of thoughts, which i feel a need to share with those who care the most...WDW Magic members!
So here goes....
I will start with the Magic Kingdom proper. I was stunned to see monorails' LIME and CORAL in operation on the MK line! I have not seen these "colors" in ages and thought they were no longer being used. Then again, this is off-season so the usual colors were probably being given a rest after the Summer Season. For those readers who are monorail inclined, the first 4 days i was there i saw Lime, Coral, Green, Blue, Black, Red, Gold, and Silver running with Pink, Orange and Yellow appearing towards the end of my weeks' visit. I'm still stunned to have seen/rode Lime and Coral! ( Yes, i'm a freak....)
Okay, once arriving at the Park itself the most notable sight to behold was the Train Station under reconstruction/rehab. The whole half of the building was bagged in green fabric tarps and construction workers were beavering away fully during Park hours. It looks like they were doind some major repairs or some major improvements to the place from what i saw. On Monday i visited again to see what progress had been made and a wall was now up that enclosed the first half of the Main Street loop. It was put up to house building equiptment and supplies, plus lighting rigs for nightime work. You could plainly see everything when atop the balcony that is excessable from the train platform.
Since this wall was covering a good portion of the Parade route from the Expo Hall to City Hall, it made for a very interesting Parade that afternoon to say the least! All the uppers and leads were in the streets as this was the first time these huge floats would have to make a 90 degree turn to clear the sidewalk and make it to the exit point behind the Firehouse. It was very interesting and entertaining in a way to see this unfold as nobody really knew what was going to happen! Everything starts out okay, but by the time the Aladdin Globe foat reaches the end of Main Street proper and starts to enter the circle, it gets hung up on the corner sidewalk. Well you just had to hold your breath as all heck breaks loose from a mangement standpoint as they try to direct the float driver who is probably sweating right about now, to trying to get the huge thing of the curb and back onto the road! After a couple of minutes they succeed, and the Parade continues to exit on cue pretty much with no other major misshaps. It was amazing to see how well those drivers can handle those giant complicated floats...literally turning them on a dime in this situation. Hopefully that wall will not be up for too long as the Parade just is'nt the same when it is forced to take this "shortcut" to exit.
The other thing i wanted to note about the SADCT Parade was a few days before the wall went up i saw it from FrontierLand and noticed some major issues with the characters appearences. I won't go into too much detail as i am a firm beleiver in "preserving the Magic" but in a nutshell some of the Parade characters looked very poor appearence wise. One of the dwarves ( Doc) had a very dirty and worn hat on ( a bit shocking as i have never witnessed this in a Park) and this was very obvious. Also, there was a older Louie doing meet n' greets in the Park that afternoon and he was well worn which was surprising to see. I also witnessed poor dressing in some other parades ( Stars n' Cars at MGM is one) where it seems the characters were not properly "checked" before going "onstage". I have read before that DW has this reputation lately of not caring well for the characters, and i did'nt beleive it until now. Usually everything looks spotless and gleaming in the furry department but it was'nt the case in the parades which was surprising to me.
Characters now....it seems to me that for the week i was there only a small handfull of characters were about in the Park. Everytime i was there through the course of the week i saw the exact same characters in mostly the same spots. Now i know about meet n' greets and such, but i would think Disney would realize that some folks visit the Park more then one time during there stay and that seeing different characters would be much more magical. Variety is the spice of life they say..it i have to agree in this case. When i last visiting the World in 2002, I saw dozens and dozens of characters each day. They were mixed around very well. This time however it was the same ones everytime: Mick, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy ( and a rare appearence by Max which was cool), Geppeto, Baloo and Louie and Peter Pan. Chip and Dale also appeared on some of the days, as well as Prince John. I really find it odd that Prince John is out so much when most folks have no clue as to who he is. I'm not complaining, as i LOVE Robin Hood and PJ was the star of that movie for me. It's just odd he is everywhere it seems...i kept bumping ito him contantly in both MK and AK. Strange.
Other Main Street highlights this week were meeting the Main Street performers. The Mayor, Fire Chief, and several flapper gals were entertaining passerbyers as well as a group of brass musicians dressed and train workers. I always enjoyed the streetmosphere players and rarely get to see them in action so this was nice to witness. They would entertain mainly in the morning when the crowds would be coming into the park after opening. There was also a street show consisting of some performers dressed in period costumes that arrived either on the horse trolly or the double decker bus. They sang along to a soundtrack broadcast in the zone area they were in ( upper Main St. near the Castle end) and were quite good. These sorts of things always add a lot of nice atmosphere to the place...keep it up!
Now onto the attractions...
The big news for me is that after all of these years, i have FINALLY seen COP!! YES!! Finally!
I tend to visit WDW off-season, and for ages now COP was always closed whenever i would be down there it seemed. I have now finally seen this gem of gems in the Disney Crown and i have to say it is WONDERFUL!! I LOVE COP!!!! The theme song along has me hooked ( Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow)...i was humming this throughout my trip. COP looked great...everything was working fine from what i could see and i sat front row at all 5 showings i went to. COP must not close!! EVER!! This thing is one of the last great AA Attractions and is Walt's own baby. I am proud to say that i am a avid COP fan and will do what i can to save it from being gutted. I LOVE this show!!! Crowds were very light though.....Disney needs to better promote what COP is exactly and get people in there to witness this wonderful and entertaining show. Wow it was good.....i am interested in hearing about how it's been changed over the years. I mean, i don't think Jean Shepard was around to do the orignal voice over way back in 64' so can anybody clue me in as to what COP was like before? Thanks in advance!
More attractions now..Timekeeper was listed in the color MK brochere but was not open the entire time i was there that i know of. This is yet another show that i have yet to have seen as it is always down when i visit. Oh well.....maybe next time, but from all the rumors i hear, there may not be a next time. As already reported, the inside of the entrance to the theatre is now a character meet and greet with Stitch, Buzz, and the Incredibles.
And speaking of Stitch...i saw SGE for the first time and after 4 viewings with various age groups i have come to the conclusion that it's a okay attraction. Note i say "Okay"......AE was far superior, we already know this. The CM's i was talking to later that day outside of the attraction agree that it sucks when compared to what was before it. They hear almost daily from Guests that AE was awesome and that is missed dearly. I don't mind SGE...it's novel and can be fun for folks that have not experiences anything like it before ( i will always remember my first experience in AE..i loved the unpredictible feeling of not knowing what was really going to happen, and the scary elements. It rocked!!). I have to say though that i think having the Stitch character attacted to this type of attraction can be missleading to parents. I am not one, but i witnessed several cases where children became seriously freaked by the effects, loud noises, and other goings on. On bus rides back to the hotel, a would overhear parents commenting on there days experiences and most had negative things to say about SGE. I think they felt that since a "kid character" was involved in the show, it was going to be a "kiddie" type show. Well, i enjoyed it but agree that it is now ways near as awesome as AE was. The Stitch AA was very lifelike and very cool though...i'm a big AA animation fan and seeing Stitch "walk" around and spit was neat.
Okay, other attractions now.....Pirates was fabulous and in great shape....everything working well. For those who still have your light-up "Magical Moments" pins i have good news for you: Yes, they still work!! My pin went nuts in several attractions ( Small World and Epcot's River of Time being the most active) so there's confirmation they can still be activated. My advice though it to be sure to bring a extra set of batteries. My set fizzled out after only 4/5 rides and it was a shame i could'nt have used it longer! Be sure to bring a extra set! You can buy replacement batteries for them at any Radio Shack for about $6+ for a set. Use # 2032.
Moving on now to one of my all-time favorite attractions ..The Country Bear Jamboree. As usual, i saw this show multiple times during my stay and have to say that the Henry that opens the show needs a restoration badly. His animations were fine, and his face was in good condition, but his body fur...exspecially his arms....were very badly worn out. He needs a new body fur makeover badly! Trixie was also looking mighty shabby, and her clothing was droopy. Melvin Moose was also in need of some attention. Again, all animations were working fine ( except Melvin) and these two were just in need of a cosmetic makeover.
Fans of Peter Pan's Flight will be delighted to hear that the tin foil that lines the inside of the volcano in Neverland is still there ( LOL!). Of all the attractions in all of the MK, PPF always had the longest line and the longest wait time. FLIK cards were readily in use during my week there...most attractions were using them to gage the correct wait times. Almost all attractions had the wait times posted incorrectly, but that's okay as in all cases you had to wait far less time! Crowds in general were light....i waited little or no time for everything including the major draws. The only rides that needed a FP was Pooh ( of course...sigh) and Pan.
This was my first time seeing Small World since the rehab earlier this year and i have to say it looks absolutely INCREDIBLE!! WOW!! They did a fantastic job resurrecting this! I adore the new facade and the animated clock tower and hourly display is wonderful! The place looked stunning both inside and out...i was elated to see that even the water was clean! What i GREAT rehab! They should all be this well done! I am wondering though if they tinkered with the layout inside though...the first room ( Europe) seems different then what i remember. It seems that many of the displays on the far left wall ( Holland, Ireland, for example) are now much lower for easier viewing. I remember them being higher up and you really had to crane your neck to see them. It could just be me though..... A few figures were not working, but when i would visit on another day often things were corrected. The female Irish Dancer doll was removed however the week i was there, perhaps for a repair? Regardless, SW was awesome to say the least. I can't beleive how bright and fresh it looks. Amazing!! I saw stuff in there i have never seen before...a job well done!!
I stopped by Cosmic Ray's to see my old pal Sonny Eclipse perform which is always a Lunch highlight for me. He was looking and sounding great...i love this guy! For Sonny fans, he is still there and looking good!!
The Noodle Station was open so i was able to finally sample some of there offerings and loved it! I think this will be my new snack shack now...mmmm..noodle bowls......
Speaking of food...i had a great time with my Disney Dining Plan offer i recieved with my trip. I was able to dine all over the place for free since i traveled off-season and enjoyed it very much. I was able to eat at many places i normally would'nt have been able to due to budget constraints and sample some fine food creations which was very nice! I spent most of my dining time in EPCOT ( my "home") but did try out the Noodle Station and loved it! I will definately be back there in the future! For those considering getting a Dining Plan, just DO IT. You will not be dissapointed. It is true that you will NOT go hungry as i stuffed myself silly and still had two table meals and a snack left in the end that i did'nt use. I will more then likely get one the next time i visit as it does save you a heap of money in the end i think.
Cindereallbration was a utter flop for me. I went to see it with a open mind, although i had already read it was nothing too special. I watched it and was really surprised at how "empty" it was. There was nothing really to it...it just seemed a excuse to trot out the Princesses, which is the hot trend now. I found it lame to be honest. It would have been better with some added attraction to embellish the performances. The performers were fine...i'm not downing them. The show format is what i'm on about. It needs..."something".
The castle looked beautiful all done up in gold. They should keep it that way for a while..it really looks nice! The gold characters could be done away with after the 50th and just keep the gold trim. Very sharp looking and it was a nice touch when the sun came out and made the wired glitter sparkle. "Wishes" was shown one night i was there and since it was quite windy due to the hurricane spinning off the FL coast, Tinkerbell did not fly that night. The show otherwise was good...the best part being when the castle becomes Mickey's sorcerer's hat with special lighting effects. Very neat. I do hope someday they bring the current DL show to FL...i LOVE that version!!
Well that's all i can think of at the moment in regards to the MK. If there is something in particular you are wondering about, feel free to ask and it may jog my memory.
For now i will post this and begin another segment about EPCOT. I have much to say about this!
