So... you're done and I'm finally catching up.
I pulled out my data pad and
logged onto the First Order's
MDE site. (Mission Digital Emulator)
I like your version better.
Tell me if it's unreasonable
of them to confiscate selfie-sticks.
Or do you agree with the First
Order upholding this rule?
I appreciate the confiscation of selfie sticks. It eliminates the temptation to grab them and wrap them around someone's neck when they're waving them around in front of me on a ride or in line.
That's awesome.
What was your favourite toy
when you were a kid?
Tractors and Ninja Turtles. And yes, tractors are still a big boy toy that cost exponentially more than childhood toys.
What can I say about AS2?
I walked onto it without a wait.
So that's a positive.
I had fun. Also a positive.
(Not a lot of fun, but I was
smiling, so it counts.)
Will I ride it again?
Nope. Probably not.
Sounds about right... honestly, haven't even ridden it. Skipped it because there was a line and I was sure this is how I'd feel about it.
That poor kid's expression!
Her mom seems blissfully unaware
of the therapy bills that are
coming her way.
That's awesome!
I've never had a drink that would give novocaine
a run for its money!
Multiple drinks? Maybe. But one?
You can only make one FP now at DHS.
Well... okay. You can make three... but
only one good one
At least it sounds like that is finally changing now.
I waltzed in to the FP line and didn't
break stride until I was inside the hotel.
Once there, I set up my tripod and
for the next half hour or so, moved
back and forth from FP to Standby
line, framing the shots I wanted
while telling guests to go ahead
and pass by me.
And you still didn't ride it while you were there????
Great pictures though. I'm glad you had the opportunity to take it slow and get them.
Once my Droid was assembled, the CM
placed it in a special activation slot
and I had the pleasure of pushing
a button that "awoke" my droid.
I was very excited. I mean... I'd just
pushed a button that cost me more
than the entire Apollo space program
put together. In today's dollars!
The R2 unit beeped... and that was that.
That droid also might have had about the same amount of computer power in it as an Apollo control module.
I got back to my resort at 4:00pm.
And considering I'd been up since
4:15am... and hadn't really slept...
well... for days...
You'd think that would be the end
of my day.
And you'd be wrong.
That's the spirit!!!
6:30pm and I'm on my way to Epcot
for some Food & Wine treats.
Yum! Good call!
Spaceship Earth!
Might be my last chance
to thank the Phoenicians.
Of all the changes in EPCOT, this one is right up there by the loss of the fountain with things I'm really going to miss.
I got picked for Engineer... again????
What is it with me and Engineering today??
Apparently you looked smart?
Too many days with too little
sleep, I suppose will do that.
That's Disney...
I arrived in Cocoa Beach at 8:30am.
I had 30 minutes to kill
Wait? You got there 30 minutes early??? You could have slept 30 minutes longer!
What I wonder though...
is why they painted the flag
that way?
Normally, the stars are in the
upper left corner.
The flag is correct, of course...
Just wonder why they chose that side.
(And don't tell me it's about the flag code.
I know about it... but the stars on the
other, traditional, side also works.)
As you mentioned, it is painted in accordance with the rules... I've always just assumed it was painted vertically like that because it just fit better with the lines of the building.
...minus the people.
You can't have everything.
Disney would have put AA figures there. Like your computer room chick on Spaceship Earth.
One was used as a lifeboat
and was destroyed when it
re-entered Earth's atmosphere.
(Seen the movie Apollo 13?
Let me know if you have or not.)
Great movie. Actually watched it for the first time on a bus ride to Space Camp when I was in 8th grade.
As we were about to leave the
building, we stumbled on a tribute
to the crews of the shuttles
Columbia and Challenger.
Really neat place. Thanks for sharing about your trip to KSC. It has been years since I've been there and we really need to try to get back there sometime soon.
These were really good!
Possibly the best I've had.
The bacon helped.
My main course arrived soon after.
Two-piece chicken meal with
mashed spuds and mac n cheese.
Looks like an awesome meal!
I've always had really good sleeps
at Disney.
(No sleep like a Disney sleep!)
But that night?
I almost always sleep well there. Part of going hard all day long and walking approximately 20 miles every day. Sorry that night was a struggle.
Okay, it wasn't 20 games,
it was more like 4-5.
And he beat me every time.
The sun was in my eyes
and he sent his dog out
to distract me.
Which is a dirty trick,
but adorable.
Excuses...
It was Food & Wine of course,
(you have been paying attention, right?
Tell me if you have or haven't.)
Wait. What?
Did you just read that like this?
Still, there were kids who were
thrilled to Play with the Disney
diver which was cool for them
I'm sure.
Well, did you?
Well, of course!
Not quite sure how accurate it is,
since I didn't see a sand tiger shark
and they're pretty hard to miss.
The hammerhead was a new addition,
and I gotta admit to a bit of...
uncertainty when it swam up to me.
The thing that catches my eye is the number in parentheses on the right of each species. How often does that number need to be updated? Because nature.
Would I do it again?
Absolutely.
But was it as great as
the last two times.
Unfortunately, no.
Sorry this dive wasn't quite as much fun, but I know it is something you enjoy and still well worth the time and effort.
I arrived at the stop at 8:35pm
and was on the bus 2 minutes later.
I was tired, so didn't complain
about the 2-minute wait,
although I'd be totally justified,
don't you think?
Kiss my...
Yes, I know dressage is horse
riding, but it just sounds fancy!
Tell me if you caught that
or knew that.
Unfortunately, based on growing up with sisters that love horses and still have a barn full of them at my dad's, yes, I know what dressage is.
I paused to let my personal
photographer record the moment
when I came across the tribe's
sacred tree, whom they'd named
Hoyle Derrick. A curious name to be
sure, and one that I would attempt to
drill down to the bottom of.
We continued on and we soon came across
these floating Logjabbers.
While they look forbidding, they are actually
quite docile. The native children like to paint
their broad backs and ride them downriver.
Lizard dressage!
Up ahead in the distance,
I saw a shimmering light...
wait... wrong line...
And now it is stuck in my head.
<Off theme comment.
After I took the above photos of the cheetah,
I turned away to see what was approaching next
and a few people exclaimed.
Apparently, the cheetah had actually been hunting
and had pounced on a mouse or small bird.
Wish I'd seen that.
Continuing on...>
Dang! Too bad you looked away a split second too soon.
Or is that vomit no evil??
Well, especially after 3 rides, it does tend to have that effect on some.
This was starting to get both
alarming and annoying.
Either they had misplaced my packages,
or they were taking an inordinately long
period of time to retrieve them!
Either way, I was far from pleased.
Eventually, the gentleman who'd gone
to retrieve my package returned and
said "Are you staying at Allstars Port?"
Whoops.
This was not my encampment.
In my defense, all these jungle
camps of similar Value, look alike.
I had previously dined here
with my village hosts,
with mixed results.
(A charitable way of saying
that it was bloody awful.)
Well, looks like this time was better!
I went to the bathroom
and might have squealed
in pain as I partially threw
my back out.
It wasn't a complete disaster
luckily, or un-luckily.
While I was severely
impaired, I was at least able
to remain upright.
When I completely throw it out,
I am unable to stand.
It hurt... a lot... but I could
at least move.
I limped/staggered/shuffled
back to bed and miraculously
fell asleep.
Oh no...
You may be thinking to yourself
that doing that puts you at the back
of the pack.
And you'd be right... and wrong.
If you take your time and follow
the crowd... yeah... you'll be behind.
After throwing out a back, I'd be all for sitting down and saving some steps.
7DMT.
I stayed to the left, right behind the CM
and was rewarded with my efforts by
following the CM up to the queue,
into the queue and right up to the ride.
I was the first guest of the day on 7DMT.
Wait. What? You hurt your back the night before and the first thing you test it on is a coaster?
I won't say it's my favourite
ride in Disney... nor even in
MK... but it's in the top 3
(at MK, at least.)
I want to argue with you... but I don't think I can. It is my favorite in MK, but Splash is pretty close. And an argument can me made for a handful of others. So top 3 is fair.
At one point he stopped playing
and I asked him if he was about
to take a break.
He explained that he wasn't allowed
to play when other musical acts
were performing.
(The marching band was playing
just then.)
Hmmm... interesting. Makes sense, I guess.
I offered to let him hold it, but he
surprised me by saying that he
wasn't allowed to touch guests'
cameras.
I wonder why not? Because it would
stop him from playing? Because
he might drop it? But other CMs
use guests' cameras all the time.
Is it maybe because he's in "entertainment" and those CMs have a different set of rules to abide by? I mean you don't see CM's dressed as a character or as part of a stage show snapping pictures.
There are two tables, one on either
side of the stage, set on elevated
platforms.
It's very set apart and offers plenty
of elbow room and privacy.
I loved it.
That does look like a great location to sit and eat!
(No, he's not photoshopped.
the cars are just that small.)
And if you don't believe it, just try getting in and out of one!
She quickly nodded, I picked
her up (fins... you know...)
and we headed out for some
rides.
Those pictures are awesome!!!!
If it's not quite clear... this may
have been the best meal
I have ever had at Disney...
or anywhere.
Good company. Good food. Hard to beat!
Now you've got me thinking... maybe I need to look into replacing the angus/shorthorn/hereford cross I have in my pasture with wagyu.
Unfortunately, while I was
doing that, Doc was sending this:
Doc: Will be off pirates in 5
Doc: Oitside (sic)
Doc: Where are you?
Doc: Hello hello hello
Whoops!
Nothing more irritating than someone ignoring your texts...
And.... I was too pleased to
see them all and too busy
yacking and...
More of Doc's family was
coming in soon, so they had
to head to the front of the
park, but no big deal, because
we'll meet up later for sure,
so no, I didn't get a photo,
and I never saw them again.
That's too bad.
(love the gravedigger on the left!)
That dude is animated and really into the character!
Well... I think there was
one guy who did after a while.
He did ask if I was who he
thought I was. And was right.
So... who am I dressed as?
PM me if you think you know.
Well, I'm too late, but it looks like I was actually right. The way I figured it out was the multitude of rum references and the herd of pigs.
Enjoyed the parade as always
but didn't take photos.
I was tired and just wanted
to watch and enjoy.
I've taken photos before
so feel free to visit a previous
TR if you really feel the need.
I approve. I've been bad about this (from a TR perspective) in recent trips. I just want to watch and enjoy everything.
See? Her feets are off the floor.
Magic!
(Disclaimer, the previous comment
may be completely false.)
What??? No way! You would never write a false statement in one of your TRs!!!
While they performed, I kept
eating all the good things.
I'm not a cornbread kind of guy,
but even I was blown away
by how good that was!
That stuff is awesome. We make Disney cornbread at home from time to time.
The show finished and the
performers took one last bow.
The audience applauded and
began to gather their things to leave.
I took one last sip to finish
my drink and picked up my
phone to jot down a few notes.
I was at this task for possibly
a minute, probably less, when
a security guard came up to
me and said:
"You'll have to leave. The show's over."
I was... well, a bit shocked that
this happened.
1. It's Disney... I'm more used to a
more gentle request to leave.
A slow funneling out of guests.
2. The show had just ended.
It's not like I was sitting there
for 30 minutes in an empty hall.
Indeed, I looked around and there
were several other tables with
patrons still enjoying their drinks
as well as guests waiting their
turns to pose with the cast.
The security guard did not
speak to anyone else about leaving.
At least not while I was there,
that I noticed.
I found it both odd and...
frankly, quite insulting.
Well, as I've seen discussed here already, I heard about this guy on the DisUnplugged podcast. It really seems that this guy is becoming a nuisance and it isn't just isolated incidents. I'm glad it didn't escalate for you the way it did in the story from the podcast!
In any case, his behavior is absurd and very un-Disney like. I know they have to turn the restaurant over quickly, but there's no need to be like that.