No kids; AKV/BWV split stay; V&A; BM Tour; Lots of pics & video

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Then there is this fellow guarding the tannenbaum....

And this tidbit of info....

 

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Next to Germany is the Outpost. There have been numerous rumors over the years about a new country locating here. A few years ago, the rumor was Russia. Then Greece was the buzz but with their economic woes, that is unlikely. Israel and Australia are usually mentioned but the newest rumor is that it will be Spain. Again, with their fragile economy, this doesn't seem likely. Whatever the speculation, nothing concrete has happened yet but it will be nice to have another country to "visit" whenever it does happen.

Sound the gong, China is next....

We happen upon acrobats performing....

 

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Take a bow young lady - she is very talented....

 

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In Norway, there is a small Stave Church that has a museum located there. My camera was running low on battery life so we stopped in one of the shops to ask for some AA's. They didn't sell any but the CM asked me how many I wanted. I told him 4, he reached under the counter, pulled out 4 loose batteries and handed them to me. I asked how much and he said no charge. Disney magic strikes again!

Then there was the Norway version of Santa Claus or the "Julenisse"....

Another new restaurant in EPCOT is Mexico's La Hacienda de San Angel. Get late ADR's here, ask for a window seat and watch the Illuminations fireworks from your table....

 

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It never fails that when we are in the Mexico pavilion, DW buys some jewelry. It happened again. Maybe I should wait for her in the La Cava del Tequila, sample some of the over 70 types of drinks and then I would not care what she buys! :

We make our way past the Showcase Plaza and these guys are dressed for the season....

 

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Circling on around the lake is Canada and the gardens outside LeCellier are always gorgeous....

 

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Canada has lots of nooks and crannies with something to see around every corner. Keep looking and you'll find this....

Or out front you might catch Off Kilter performing....

 

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United Kingdom has plenty of places to keep you occupied. Back behind the Crown Crest Shoppe we found Father Christmas telling his story....

Just outside we ran into this "super-cali-fragil-istic-expi-ali-docius" gal....

 

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We have reservations at Tutto Italia for 5:20 as part of the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package so we make our way to Italy. We have eaten here before but we have never experienced the CP in its entirety. CM Vincenzo waited on us for our meal and he was great. The meal was good but not exceptional. My veal parmigiana was a little dry but the cannelloni al forno (baked with spinach, ricotta, bechamel and parmesan cheese) was pretty good. We took our time and used our TIW card for a few glasses of wine.

As you leave the restaurant, you are given your pass for the CP. We were told to line up an hour early for the 8:15 show. They were right because at 7:15, the line was already long with about 100 ahead of us. They started seating about 7:40 and we ended up on the third row about 6 seats from the center. We were told that over 1,000 tickets had been sold for this show.

John "Seinfeld's J. Peterman" O'Hurley is the guest narrator and we are really looking forward to it. A cold front moved in last night and the temperature has dropped considerably from the previous few days. This only adds to the Christmas feel at WDW. It's about 54 degrees when the show starts but the shape of the pavilion and where we were sitting kept the wind off us so it wasn't bad at all.

I can't tell you how much we enjoyed this show. John O'Hurley was fantastic in his narration

the choir was in perfect harmony

and the orchestra played flawlessly despite the cold (they had small space heaters at their feet!). If this show doesn't put you in the Christmas spirit, then you better check your pulse!!

I tried the panorama feature on my camera for this shot....

 

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Part of the CP package is a special viewing area for the Illuminations fireworks show. We did not stay and started walking back to the BWV. We stopped by the front desk to see if the computer glitch had been fixed. We were able to get an additional key and get a credit card assigned to our room key but we didn't get everything resolved.

A new feature was instituted as part of the first round of reservation modifications made a month or so ago. Originally, if you purchased the Disney Dining Plan, you had to get it for your entire length of stay. In other words, you could not have reservations for 5 days and get the DP for only 3 days. We had previously split our DVC stay at BWV into 2 separate reservations - one for Wednesday/Thursday and a separate ressie for Friday. Our intent was to purchase the DP for Friday and use it at one of the better restaurants for that day. We were never able to get ADR's at our restaurant of choice, so we never purchased the DP. As a result, we had two separate room reservations at BWV. Because of the 2nd reservation upgrade computer glitch, we were told we would have to come back Friday morning and check in again and get another room key. Sighhhhh. It's not a big deal but it is my luck to have these annoying things happen. Oh well, we're not going to let it ruin our trip even if my uncle Murphy (from Murphy's Law fame) decided to rear his head during our stay!

Time to get to bed. We have to be at Guest Services at EPCOT at 8:45 tomorrow for the Backstage Magic Tour. We did not have a printed ticket since we made our purchase via phone to get the DVC discount. No problem. The CM at BWV printed out a confirmation from the reservation number I gave her. Take that uncle Murphy!

 

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THURSDAY - 02DEC2010

Today will be mostly taken up by the Backstage Magical Tour. It is a 7-8 hour tour of WDW and the inner workings and backstage happenings of all 4 theme parks. We are to meet at Guest Relations at EPCOT at 8:45. Because we are staying at BWV, it is a short walk to the International Gateway at EPCOT. I mentioned the front that moved through this area and as a result, it is a brisk 38 degrees this morning and the wind blowing across the lake makes it quite chilly. We make it in plenty of time and there are three CM's waiting for us. Bryan, Maggie and Jessica. It turns out Jessica is from Marrero, LA (New Orleans suburb) so we had a lot to talk about. She didn't stay with the tour after we were all squared away but Bryan & Maggie were old hands at this and very good guides. They do not allow picture taking on this tour so no pics in this report.

We boarded a Means Transportation bus for the tour. I was surprised we weren't on a Disney bus but go figure. This is a limited tour and there were only 34 people in our group. You are given an ear piece with a receiver in order to be able to hear the tour guide and safety glasses which I'm sure is for liability purposes. Our first stop is the American pavilion at EPCOT. We actually left EPCOT and circled around to a service road. Before we could enter back on the grounds, we stopped at a security gate and had a security officer board the bus and check our baggage just like they do when you enter the park. We entered EPCOT behind the Test Track. You don't realize it but the Test Track and Mexico butt up to each other in the back. It would take about a 10 minute walk inside of EPCOT to walk from one to the other.

We were led out to the front of the American pavilion and told various facts and history about the construction of the building. There are over 110,000 Georgia clay bricks in the building. The building is a mixture of various types of American architecture so that people from different parts of the country would recognize or see something familiar at their local courthouse, mansions or other significant buildings. In 1985, Ronald Reagan held his inaugural parade here at EPCOT with over 60,000 attending.

We then proceed to the backstage area of the American Adventure show hosted by audio-animatronic figures of Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain. If you have seen this show, it appears that there is a stage. There is not. The audio-animatronic figures actually rise up from below for each part of the show. The backdrop is a huge canvas that has the show projected on it from behind. Everything is computer controlled and on a 24 hour cycle. Even though the park was not yet open, the show was playing. The only time they ever stop the show is for maintenance. Since the opening of EPCOT in 1982, this show has been down for a total of less than 2 weeks! That is a record that any industry in the world would love to emulate!!

 

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Back to the bus to head to the warehouse area. Along the way, we are told that MK takes up 40 square miles of land. Previously it comprised 43 square miles but over the years the difference has been sold to developers. The entire Disneyland area would fit in one of the MK parking lots. There are 60 miles of canals at WDW. The power usage is 60-62 megawatts per day. Originally Disney supplied its own power but now that unit is used only for emergency purposes and the balance is supplied by other utilities.

We pass by the warehouse that holds all the Christmas decorations. Except for spare parts, it is virtually empty expect for the Main Street Christmas tree that will be erected once the filming for the parade is complete. We arrive at Central Shops. It is a 300,000 square foot warehouse where they build and paint most everything at WDW. As we enter the facility, they announce over the intercom that a tour is beginning. We are told this is so the CM's can cover up or hide any sensitive or proprietary projects that are in progress. In years past, what had been done entirely by hand is now done mostly by computers. If a part of a ride needs to be replaced, a computer program laser cuts styrofoam to make a mold for the part - small and large. We saw a log from Splash Mountain that had been manufactured and was being painted. In another area, bearings from another ride were being packed with grease by hand. Every moving part in WDW is serviced at set intervals and other parts are replaced even if there have not been any problems. Everywhere you walked there were reminders of Safety First.

As we are leaving, we pass by a CM break room. In it are several pool tables and a bank of computer terminals for their use while on break or lunch. I wonder if I could get a pool table at my company?

It is back to MK and another security check. Backstage is very congested due to the filming. We enter Main Street between Exposition Hall and Tony's. All the film crew and celebrity trailers are behind Tony's. As we walk in, our CM tour guide Maggie points out cast members from the Disney Channel's show "Suite Life". Maggie said she recognized one of them - Debby Ryan who plays Bailey Pickett on the show. Don't ask me, I have never seen the show.

 

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Most people don't know that Main Street at MK is actually the second story of the park. Since this area of Florida is mostly swamp, Disney could not build anything underground. Therefore they built the utility corridors or utilidoors on the ground level and used dirt from building the many lakes and lagoons to cover it up. If you approach MK from the dock, you'll notice a slight incline to get to the entrance. That is because you are walking up to the area over the 1.5 miles of utilidoors at MK. Although Main Street appears to be ground level, you are actually on the second floor!

We have to go down steps from behind Tony's to get into the utilidoors. The corridors are about 9' tall and vary in width. Some you could drive two golf carts through and others are big enough to drive two Hummer's through. One thing you do not see at WDW and especially MK, are garbage trucks. What do they do with the tons of food scraps and waste each day? In the utilidoors is a garbage disposal system. It is a 24" tube the is connected to all areas of the park. The garbage is loaded into the AVAC (Automated vacuum system) and then "shot" through the tubes at 60mph to a collection area. There it is separated between material that can be recycled and biodegradeable items. WDW is one of the largest recyclers in the world. The food scraps are composted and used all over the four theme parks. It is so much compost that WDW uses only about 20% of the material. The balance is donated to municipalities and the many citrus farms in the area.

The CM's use the utilidoors to travel from one part of MK to another. You NEVER see a CM from one land walking in costume through another land. It takes away from the uniqueness of Disney. The utilidoors also house classrooms for the CM's. EVERY CM goes through an orientation. They are told the "Disney way" and must adhere to it. There are rules for haircuts, shoes and even the earrings that women can wear. They are trying to create an image and culture and you are required to immerse yourself as a CM in it all. The rules are strictly enforced. It is their way or the highway. This may seem harsh to many but it obviously works. Very rarely do you meet a CM that cannot help you or at least know how to find someone that can. CM's are a dedicated bunch of people that most companies would love to have as their employees.

 

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We head back to the bus to go to lunch at the Wilderness Lodge. I had read on the DISboards on another report about this tour that they ate at MK. I don't know if they change it up from time to time or we went elsewhere because MK was so crowded with the filming of the parade. This was fine with DW and I because we had never been to WL. We ate at the Whispering Canyon Cafe and it was VERY good. It was a simple fare of ribs, chicken, sausage, corn on the cob, slaw, mashed potatoes and baked beans. You sit at a big table and they bring out platters for all to share. Dessert was blueberry or peach cobbler with ice cream. After the rich, gourmet, culinary delights we have been experiencing, this hit the spot! Here is the Christmas tree in the lobby at WL....

Next on the tour is Disney Hollywood Studios. Another security check and we are going to the area known as Creative Costuming. DHS is the only place at WDW where the CM's walk through the park in costume in order to mimic a real Hollywood studio lot. Inside Creative Costuming, there are rows and rows of seamstresses. Most costume places only do broad strokes since the audience/visitors can't see the costume up close. Not Disney. There is a LOT of attention to detail even down to the stitching and embroidery. All costumes are custom fit to the CM. The cutting board, if you want to call it that, is computer generated and about 8' wide by 20' long.

While at DHS, we go behind the scenes at the Tower of Terror. When they decided to build this ride, Disney went to Otis Elevator for design and engineering assistance. Since Elisha Otis invented the elevator in 1852 and the Otis Company is the world's largest manufacturer of vertical transportation systems, that was not a bad idea. We entered on the ground level where the banks of computers control the different ride sequences. We could hear the screams from the riders as ToT runs about 2,000 guests per hour!

 

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To the bus and to Animal Kingdom and another security check point. We passed by several of the areas where the animals are housed and cared for but did not stop. There is a separate tour that one can go on for that. We stopped at a staging area for the Animal Kingdom parade. We went through the warehouse where all the floats and other items are stored that are used in this parade.

Next in line was a visit to the tree farm and one of the horticultural areas. We saw topiaries in various stages of completion. There were rows and rows of warehouses with plants and hanging baskets. The flowering plants each had a label that not only told what the plant was but an expected date for the peak maturity and optimum blooming time. They have everything down to a science!

We finished the tour up with a trip back to Animal Kingdom to a special roped off area to view the parade. Here we could take pics. DW and I have never seen this parade and it is unlike any other in WDW. Not only are the "floats" different but visitors to AK are selected to ride in the parade. Here are a few pics....

 

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More pics from this parade....

 

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Last but not least. Notice some of the AK visitors riding in the parade....

Then this guy tells us goodbye....

If you'd rather see a couple of videos....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pPmEw3cnS8 (1.02 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDRIPLpSZFg (11.14 minutes)

 

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Overall, we enjoyed this tour. It is a bit pricey and does take up most of your day but we saw all kinds of interesting things. There is a mountain of information we were told but my "old-timers" keeps me from remembering everything. It's a small group and you are split up between the two CM's when visiting a facility so there is a lot of one-on-one interaction. They will allow you to ask any questions and if they are not able to answer, they will call someone and get the answer pronto. They told us to ask anything and if the question was something they could not answer for security or privacy reasons, they would comment with, "That's an EXCELLENT question" and then proceed to something else! That only happened once when someone asked about attendance figures. One question asked that I thought was interesting was if there were plans for a 5th theme park. The answer was a resounding no. CM Maggie told us that their studies and surveys showed that most vacations did not last past a week. It was already hard enough to see most everything in that time frame and if a 5th park were added, it would end up taking away revenue from the other parks. The amount of additional visitors would not justify the additional costs for the 5th park. I thought it might make people want to return more often but they do seem to know what they are doing at WDW!

The tour ended right on schedule at about 4:30. We were each given a special pin when we arrived back at EPCOT. It was a very nice tour taken at a steady but not hurried pace. It definately makes DW and I want to take some of the other tours.

 

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Before we took the Backstage Magic Tour, we thought we might be too tired to do much after the tour. As mentioned in a previous post, the pace was not too hurried so we take a bus to DHS. We get a fastpass for the Tower of Terror and then walk around a bit. It is fun watching the street performers....

 

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While waiting for our ToT fastpass, we step next door to see Beauty and the Beast. We have not seen this musical since our trip in 1997 and it was as fantastic as we remembered. The crowds were still very manageable so the wait time was less than 15 minutes. We were sitting dead center about 10 rows from the front. Of course we managed to get a few pics....

First there is Belle

Then the egotistical Gaston

Most of the cast