skier_pete
DIsney-holics Anon
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2006
Next we tried to do Haunted Mansion, but DD refused (even though she likes the MK one). Now, I was still sitting with 4 sets of FP in my hand (Splash M., BTMRR, Space M., and Autotopia) and I said we have to at least get to some of these. She didn’t want to do Splash M, and we had to argue for a while to get her to do it (again, she first rode Splash at 4 years old, but the last few trips has resisted it even at WDW). We agreed to do Winnie the Pooh first. Again, the queue for the ride was outdoors, and there was absolutely no one in it, so we got right on the cars:
The ride was pretty similar to the WDW version – though if anything perhaps a little shorter.
I was surprised to find out it USED to be Country Bear Jamboree. I’ll take this bear over those bears any day of the week!
So, after this we got in line for Splash Mountain (the Stand-by line was showing 120 minutes – we waiting < 10) and this is where the day went all to hell. What happened? We got drenched on Splash Mountain. I mean frickin’ soaked. Not on the big drop, but on one of the little drops in the middle. I’m not sure what caused the timing, but we went down a hill, and the BIG wave washes over the one side of the boat. I am in the front, with DD second and DW third. I got soaked from my shirt down to my shoes. My pants were absolutely the worst, because they were not light. By bag which was in my lap fortunately did not get very wet, but oh gosh were we wet. Not too bad for a poorly shot redneck ride photo, though!
You can actually see in the photo how wet I am, only my right sleeve is dry, a different color from the rest of me!
So, we get off the ride and poor DD starts crying and sobbing about how much she hates the ride and how she wants to go home and she’s all wet. DW is also pissed off at me, but won’t tell me why. “Choose to be amused” is right out the window already! But really, I am in no mood to stay in the park, because it is starting to get dark, and a bit chilly, and I’m really wet. Well, DD cries as we’re walking out, but then we get to a certain point and she INSISTS we stop.
Yup, the Tiki Room. One of my all-time favorites, but honestly being so wet I really did not want to sit and watch this show (we left the seat wet behind us with no way to dry it!), but again she was crying and so we let her see stop.
So, anyone that’s been following me on the DIS awhile knows that I (a) LOVE the original Tropical Serenade in Florida – it was my all-time favorite attraction as a child – and honestly I could probably still recite most of the script from memory, (b) LOATHED the “Under New Management” version so much that for years I wished they had closed it, but eventually accepted that at least there were a few little pieces of the original, and I would go back just to see those little pieces, and (c) I was originally inspired to get to DL for the sole purpose to see The Enchanted Tiki Room original version. Well, they fixed the “Under New Management” at WDW and so that impetus went away, but I was excited to see the original. The WDW has been pared down ever so slightly (cutting out versus of “Let’s all sing like the birdies sing”) and so I enjoyed seeing the full version.
DD really liked the pre-show with all the Tiki gods in the outside area. We got there early enough to sit through the whole pre-show. Then they let us into the theatre. The first thing that surprised me was how SMALL it was…much smaller than the WDW one. (maybe half the size?) However, it mattered little to the show. It was simply a pure piece of pop culture pleasure.
You know, a lot of DISer people say when you go to Disneyland they can feel Walt’s presence as they go around the park, the fact that this was a place that he actually built and walked around in on a day-to-day basis. I can’t say I felt that at all, EXCEPT sitting there watching the Tiki Birds. Mostly because I’ve always thought of the Tiki Room as Walt’s baby, his first use of Audio Animatronics, one of the places (along with the train) where he loved to take celebrities and dignitaries. But sitting there I realized for the first time that Walt Disney never once set foot in “my” Tiki Room in Orlando. This one was “his” Tiki Room. The one that he handpicked “native” girls to open the show – they weren’t originally just any Cast Members, but actually Island girls. The birds that were inspired by that little mechanical bird he picked up in Germany. Sitting there all wet and cold it didn’t matter how uncomfortable I was, I was watching Walt Disney’s vision from 50+ years ago. A show that influenced my memories all the way back to my very first memories at 2 years old, and a show I can share with my child. That moment right there meant as much to me as any on the whole trip.
The show let out and back to reality. It was getting pretty close to dark, now probably after 8 PM. DW had decided that she would just stay back at the hotel with DD, and if I wanted to go back to see the fireworks show, then I could. In case you forgot, I still had three sets of Fastpasses sitting in my pocket as well. I actually first went over to DTD to exchange the PDA my DD had bought, which by this point wasn’t working at all. Then back to the hotel.
Stay tuned tomorrow for my night out alone!
The ride was pretty similar to the WDW version – though if anything perhaps a little shorter.
I was surprised to find out it USED to be Country Bear Jamboree. I’ll take this bear over those bears any day of the week!
So, after this we got in line for Splash Mountain (the Stand-by line was showing 120 minutes – we waiting < 10) and this is where the day went all to hell. What happened? We got drenched on Splash Mountain. I mean frickin’ soaked. Not on the big drop, but on one of the little drops in the middle. I’m not sure what caused the timing, but we went down a hill, and the BIG wave washes over the one side of the boat. I am in the front, with DD second and DW third. I got soaked from my shirt down to my shoes. My pants were absolutely the worst, because they were not light. By bag which was in my lap fortunately did not get very wet, but oh gosh were we wet. Not too bad for a poorly shot redneck ride photo, though!
You can actually see in the photo how wet I am, only my right sleeve is dry, a different color from the rest of me!
So, we get off the ride and poor DD starts crying and sobbing about how much she hates the ride and how she wants to go home and she’s all wet. DW is also pissed off at me, but won’t tell me why. “Choose to be amused” is right out the window already! But really, I am in no mood to stay in the park, because it is starting to get dark, and a bit chilly, and I’m really wet. Well, DD cries as we’re walking out, but then we get to a certain point and she INSISTS we stop.
Yup, the Tiki Room. One of my all-time favorites, but honestly being so wet I really did not want to sit and watch this show (we left the seat wet behind us with no way to dry it!), but again she was crying and so we let her see stop.
So, anyone that’s been following me on the DIS awhile knows that I (a) LOVE the original Tropical Serenade in Florida – it was my all-time favorite attraction as a child – and honestly I could probably still recite most of the script from memory, (b) LOATHED the “Under New Management” version so much that for years I wished they had closed it, but eventually accepted that at least there were a few little pieces of the original, and I would go back just to see those little pieces, and (c) I was originally inspired to get to DL for the sole purpose to see The Enchanted Tiki Room original version. Well, they fixed the “Under New Management” at WDW and so that impetus went away, but I was excited to see the original. The WDW has been pared down ever so slightly (cutting out versus of “Let’s all sing like the birdies sing”) and so I enjoyed seeing the full version.
DD really liked the pre-show with all the Tiki gods in the outside area. We got there early enough to sit through the whole pre-show. Then they let us into the theatre. The first thing that surprised me was how SMALL it was…much smaller than the WDW one. (maybe half the size?) However, it mattered little to the show. It was simply a pure piece of pop culture pleasure.
You know, a lot of DISer people say when you go to Disneyland they can feel Walt’s presence as they go around the park, the fact that this was a place that he actually built and walked around in on a day-to-day basis. I can’t say I felt that at all, EXCEPT sitting there watching the Tiki Birds. Mostly because I’ve always thought of the Tiki Room as Walt’s baby, his first use of Audio Animatronics, one of the places (along with the train) where he loved to take celebrities and dignitaries. But sitting there I realized for the first time that Walt Disney never once set foot in “my” Tiki Room in Orlando. This one was “his” Tiki Room. The one that he handpicked “native” girls to open the show – they weren’t originally just any Cast Members, but actually Island girls. The birds that were inspired by that little mechanical bird he picked up in Germany. Sitting there all wet and cold it didn’t matter how uncomfortable I was, I was watching Walt Disney’s vision from 50+ years ago. A show that influenced my memories all the way back to my very first memories at 2 years old, and a show I can share with my child. That moment right there meant as much to me as any on the whole trip.
The show let out and back to reality. It was getting pretty close to dark, now probably after 8 PM. DW had decided that she would just stay back at the hotel with DD, and if I wanted to go back to see the fireworks show, then I could. In case you forgot, I still had three sets of Fastpasses sitting in my pocket as well. I actually first went over to DTD to exchange the PDA my DD had bought, which by this point wasn’t working at all. Then back to the hotel.
Stay tuned tomorrow for my night out alone!
