Alright folks, here's my State of the Mouse address!
I just got back from WDW about five minutes ago, after spending a glorious eight days. Here are some of the highlights:
1. The parks, especially the Magic Kingdom are pretty darn crowded. Strangely enough, almost everyone is from England. When my group of four went to Blizzard Beach on a particularly cold day, we were the only americans there! A few other tourists noticed that we were the rarity in that water park. heh...
2. Some of the rides are in need of repair or updating. My beloved pirates ride has a broken bit. When you go there, look for the pirate who is being ridden. The hand that holds his gun has fallen backwards and is hanging by a thread... The monorails smell like that zoo-doo scent.
3. The Who Wants to Be a Millionaire rules. My friend Carole got picked for the hot seat (a cool thing to have happen on your birthday, like it was hers). After she was picked, I was in the #1 spot, but the show ended. I must return to it some day.
4. My group got selected to take part in the Backstage Tour: Harbor Attack show. We got to dress up in water-resistance gear and get pummeled with water to a WWII themed exhibit. Pretty cool... Much nicer than the old tugboat thing they had.
5. Next to Caribean Beach, there is the Bonnet Creek Resort being built. The mud foundations for the roads and some prelim. construction have been started. There's even a sign up for it. I'm not sure if this is Disney or not, but its proximity would suggest that it is.
6. I took many pictures of hidden mickeys. I keyed my compatriots onto what they were, and we were all driven mad in our searches.
7. The Tricera-Tops are almost done. I'll be sending a new picture to Steve soon.
8. Something, perhaps a new World Showcase Country is being prepared in the space next to Morroco. A Cast Member joked about Switzerland, but I couldn't get a confirmation.
9. The soda place in Epcot Center.... errrr Epcot, rules. Instead of paying $2.50 on a pop, you can load up on all sorts of softdrinks from around the world. Every single one of them rules, except for Beverly. If you have an empty bottle, you can fill up. Since we were on an extremely tight budget (my wife and I shared but a single platter of Chicken Strips almost every day), this a great way to save yourself from dehydration, without going broke.
10. I do not like the new Mickey Hat in MGM. However, it seems even more likely that the Great Movie Ride will be torn down. Why? Our cars kept having problems, and a lackluster performance by obviously bored attendants didn't hep things. It's beginning to show its age.
I know my diatribes tend to sound a bit down on the park, but when I'm coming up with highlights, the good and bad extremes tend to float to the surface. All in all, it was a magical trip that my wife and friends will all remember for a long time.
If you have any questions, I'd love to answer them. After all, I've been waiting for an opportunity to talk about my adventures!
I just got back from WDW about five minutes ago, after spending a glorious eight days. Here are some of the highlights:
1. The parks, especially the Magic Kingdom are pretty darn crowded. Strangely enough, almost everyone is from England. When my group of four went to Blizzard Beach on a particularly cold day, we were the only americans there! A few other tourists noticed that we were the rarity in that water park. heh...
2. Some of the rides are in need of repair or updating. My beloved pirates ride has a broken bit. When you go there, look for the pirate who is being ridden. The hand that holds his gun has fallen backwards and is hanging by a thread... The monorails smell like that zoo-doo scent.
3. The Who Wants to Be a Millionaire rules. My friend Carole got picked for the hot seat (a cool thing to have happen on your birthday, like it was hers). After she was picked, I was in the #1 spot, but the show ended. I must return to it some day.
4. My group got selected to take part in the Backstage Tour: Harbor Attack show. We got to dress up in water-resistance gear and get pummeled with water to a WWII themed exhibit. Pretty cool... Much nicer than the old tugboat thing they had.
5. Next to Caribean Beach, there is the Bonnet Creek Resort being built. The mud foundations for the roads and some prelim. construction have been started. There's even a sign up for it. I'm not sure if this is Disney or not, but its proximity would suggest that it is.
6. I took many pictures of hidden mickeys. I keyed my compatriots onto what they were, and we were all driven mad in our searches.
7. The Tricera-Tops are almost done. I'll be sending a new picture to Steve soon.
8. Something, perhaps a new World Showcase Country is being prepared in the space next to Morroco. A Cast Member joked about Switzerland, but I couldn't get a confirmation.
9. The soda place in Epcot Center.... errrr Epcot, rules. Instead of paying $2.50 on a pop, you can load up on all sorts of softdrinks from around the world. Every single one of them rules, except for Beverly. If you have an empty bottle, you can fill up. Since we were on an extremely tight budget (my wife and I shared but a single platter of Chicken Strips almost every day), this a great way to save yourself from dehydration, without going broke.
10. I do not like the new Mickey Hat in MGM. However, it seems even more likely that the Great Movie Ride will be torn down. Why? Our cars kept having problems, and a lackluster performance by obviously bored attendants didn't hep things. It's beginning to show its age.
I know my diatribes tend to sound a bit down on the park, but when I'm coming up with highlights, the good and bad extremes tend to float to the surface. All in all, it was a magical trip that my wife and friends will all remember for a long time.
If you have any questions, I'd love to answer them. After all, I've been waiting for an opportunity to talk about my adventures!
I can tell you that the mexican one (mazana lift -apple lift-) is real and sold a lot here. My fav. was the german one, a combination of orange and coke sort of.