TCD's Thanksgiving 2010 Trip Report

[Tri-circle-D]

Those Dyson Airblade hand dryers are the best. You can dry your hands in about 6 or 7 seconds. I wonder when they'll come out with a home version.

True. I washed my hands just so I could try it out. It really did work great. I had never seen one before. Are they at other locations in WDW? I didn't notice them if they were.

TCD

 

[storyteller]

It's not just magic it's Disney magic.... BIG difference..
keep your magic coming.

 

[DaveInTN]

True. I washed my hands just so I could try it out. It really did work great. I had never seen one before. Are they at other locations in WDW? I didn't notice them if they were.

TCD

I don't know, but they have been cropping up in airports over the past year. Gets people in and out faster I guess. And uses less electricity. But they are probably pretty pricey.

 

[Lil' Lisa]

.

 

[starbuc71]

I used one at the mall here in MN.

The Sams clubs here in Florida have had them for a while. I stated pricing them for our business and was shocked to see a $1200.00 price tag for one. That included our corporate discount. My sales rep says they have had problems with them since the water that blows off your hands get trapped on the bottom of the machine and the health departments doesn't like the puddled water. It would take a lot of hand drying to recoup the money it would cost to buy paper towels

 

[LONE-STAR]

Forgot to get a pic for you TCD but the coke machine at trails end now has a Fort logo on it. It looks nice. They changed it the week after you left.

 

[Born 2 Fish]

You know what would'a been fun ? If a buncha Fort folk got together and installed all the Christmas stuff before the CM's arrived to do it.

 

[fortwildernessishome]

TCD,

I finally decided to join the disboards, just so I could tell both you and the Troll how much I am loving both of your reports. Reading your reports and seeing the pictures makes me a little less homesick for my favorite place on earth!!!! I have done many trip reports for another board (I just found this one!!!) and know all the hard work it involves!!!! So thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I am looking forward to the next installment!

 

[storyteller]

 

[YodaGirl]

I have enjoyed your TR thus far TCD. Sounds like your family had a wonderful trip.

I am slightly concerned with the pictures of the CM names and numbers, though. I don't think that it would take that much to clean up the blurred picture to get the info. I'm sure that you wouldn't want a picture of one of your DD's name and number posted on DisBoards.

I know that Yuri having come from a different culture may not understand the significance of photographing stuff like that, but thought that perhaps you'd look at it from a different angle.

I'm sure that you'll do the right thing to protect the privacy of CMs who just want to help us have a good time while at the Fort.

TCD,

I finally decided to join the disboards, just so I could tell both you and the Troll how much I am loving both of your reports. Reading your reports and seeing the pictures makes me a little less homesick for my favorite place on earth!!!! I have done many trip reports for another board (I just found this one!!!) and know all the hard work it involves!!!! So thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I am looking forward to the next installment! Heidi

Welcome to the boards, Heidi! You'll come to find out how much we love TRs on this board. Helps us stay sane from one trip to the next.

Feel free to post some links to your trip reports. I, for one, would love to read them!

You know what would'a been fun ? If a buncha Fort folk got together and installed all the Christmas stuff before the CM's arrived to do it.

That would be awesome!

 

[TheLug]

True. I washed my hands just so I could try it out. It really did work great. I had never seen one before. Are they at other locations in WDW? I didn't notice them if they were.

TCD

I have seen them in the bathrooms at Epcot. I am trying to remember which ones. But i know that i saw them there. Maybe at the Restrooms near the photo shop at the main entrance near the ball!!

 

[BradyBz12]

...I watched the elves work for a while.

I even ran into BradyBz12 and her DH. They watched the magic, too.

You never know who you'll run into wandering around the Fort at 1am

Actually the only reason we were even there was because we'd run into TCD earlier and he'd given us the tip about the decorations going up that night. It was fun to watch - thanks TCD!

We'd closed out the MK that night too and got off the boat just in time to see the 2nd or 3rd stage of the big tree going on.

I've got photos of that in the piles I'm sorting through to get to my TR. It's definitely taking longer than I'd hoped (darned day job!)

You know what would'a been fun ? If a buncha Fort folk got together and installed all the Christmas stuff before the CM's arrived to do it.

Yes!!

Hey with detailed instructions like that, I have no doubt we could pull it off.

Well.... if the guys out there are like mine, that would mean the ladies would be reading the instructions and sending the guys off to actually put the stuff up.

Loving the TR, TCD!

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Forgot to get a pic for you TCD but the coke machine at trails end now has a Fort logo on it. It looks nice. They changed it the week after you left.

Michael-

Thanks for the tip.

By any chance, did the new sign look anything like this?:

You know what would'a been fun ? If a buncha Fort folk got together and installed all the Christmas stuff before the CM's arrived to do it.

That sounds like a great idea!

I usually am there early in Thanksgiving week, and I would like to see the decorations then.

Plus, we could spice things up a bit.

You know, with inflatables and fiendmingos and stuff!

TCD,

I finally decided to join the disboards, just so I could tell both you and the Troll how much I am loving both of your reports. Reading your reports and seeing the pictures makes me a little less homesick for my favorite place on earth!!!! I have done many trip reports for another board (I just found this one!!!) and know all the hard work it involves!!!! So thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I am looking forward to the next installment! Heidi

Welcome to the Disboards, and thanks for the kind words.

I am fixing to get this report cranking again.

I have enjoyed your TR thus far TCD. Sounds like your family had a wonderful trip.

I am slightly concerned with the pictures of the CM names and numbers, though. I don't think that it would take that much to clean up the blurred picture to get the info. I'm sure that you wouldn't want a picture of one of your DD's name and number posted on DisBoards.

I know that Yuri having come from a different culture may not understand the significance of photographing stuff like that, but thought that perhaps you'd look at it from a different angle.

I'm sure that you'll do the right thing to protect the privacy of CMs who just want to help us have a good time while at the Fort.

You made a good point. I went back and edited that photo to remove the names, email addresses and phone numbers. I don't think anyone could have read them, but I did erase it all, just in case.

I have seen them in the bathrooms at Epcot. I am trying to remember which ones. But i know that i saw them there. Maybe at the Restrooms near the photo shop at the main entrance near the ball!!

I'll have to check those out.

So far, I have only seen a Dyson hand drier in one restroom at AK.

You never know who you'll run into wandering around the Fort at 1am

Actually the only reason we were even there was because we'd run into TCD earlier and he'd given us the tip about the decorations going up that night. It was fun to watch - thanks TCD!

We'd closed out the MK that night too and got off the boat just in time to see the 2nd or 3rd stage of the big tree going on.

I've got photos of that in the piles I'm sorting through to get to my TR. It's definitely taking longer than I'd hoped (darned day job!)

Loving the TR, TCD!

That was a fun thing to see!

That makes it two years in a row that the decorations went up on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving.

It might have been that way before that, too, but the past two years are the only time that I paid particular attention to it.

Now, let's press on with this report!

TCD

 

[takeme2epcot]

...we could spice things up a bit.

You know, with inflatables and fiendmingos and stuff!

Ummm...wait...what's that now? Hold on for a second there...

Now, let's press on with this report!

TCD

Yes, please do. What are you, on hiatus or something? Allowing work to interfere with trip reporting or something?!

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Ummm...wait...what's that now? Hold on for a second there...

Ha! I was just trolling for trolls, and look what I caught!

J/K- Norm, you're not really a troll. I know that. I don't care what you or others say, you're not a troll.

Are you?

Yes, please do. What are you, on hiatus or something? Allowing work to interfere with trip reporting or something?!

Yes. Something like that.

But, now on we go . . .

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

We last left off at the end of a very long and eventful Wednesday at the Fort.

And, now, it's on to Thursday.

It's just Thursday and Friday that we have left now, so I hate to tell you that we are now past the half-way point on this report. Actually, we are probably well past the half-way point. But, don't worry about that right now.

I was up before the sun on Thanksgiving morning.

I wanted to be the first to see the magic.

And, I think I was.

As I headed to the Settlement, I noticed that the 1500 loop bus stop had been visited by the elves overnight:

So had the 300/500 loop bus stop.

But an elf was still there!:

I asked the elf if he had been working all night.

He said yes sir, since 10 pm!

These are modern elves. They use rental trucks instead of sleighs:

And not one of them had on green tights.

A bit disappointing.

But, I don't think anyone was supposed to see them.

It was Thanksgiving morning, and good old Feisty had her Thanksgiving décor out in all of its glory:

It turns out that the elves had no trouble figuring out how to decorate the Settlement Trading Post sign:

You can see an elf putting the finishing touches on the garland over there by the Trading Post rest rooms:

Here is what must be the very first shot taken of the Settlement Christmas tree on Thanksgiving morning. The sun wasn’t quite up, and that’s the moon which still hasn’t set up there to the left of the tree top:

The lift was just driving off as I arrived:

And here’s a castmember admiring the tree:

There are new decorations on the porch:

Here’s one of the Trail’s End servers checking things out:

An elf was right on the Trail’s End porch, finishing up his work:

The wreaths are new this year. They have a lot of detailed decorations in them:

Here’s two photos of an elf’s butt.

Something I’ll bet you’ve never seen before (and probably don't want to see now):

One of the Christmas trees that we saw sitting outside last night is now inside Trail’s End:

One year, they put a tree right inside of the Trail’s End entrance, and the bear had to go out on the porch. This year, he apparently gets to stay put:

There are wreaths in all of Crockett Tavern’s windows:

I think this Buffalo at least deserves a Christmas hat. But the elves didn’t think so:

That seems to be enough photos for now.

Even though I saw how they did it, it still amazes me how much the elves were able to accomplish in just one night.

Up next, a few more photos of the new decorations, and its Thanksgiving at the Fort!

TCD

 

[Shan-man]

TCD trip reports... the next best thing to being there (without all the tedium of getting up at 5am!).

Lovin it, keep up the good work!

 

[caveat lector]

Agree!

Based on the amount of work he puts into his TR's and the number/timing of all the pictures, I calculated that TCD only sleeps about 45 minutes each day.

 

[anolefan]

Just an awesome report as usual.

I am unable to get away this time of year so I really enjoy seeing the Fort decorations. I can appreciate the work those Elves put into getting them up so quickly, and I applaud the effort.

Oh and not to drag on and on about the Dyson hand dryers, but I was at Countryside Mall over the weekend and they have them in the "dungeon" bathrooms. Right down the street from the TCD gang.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

TCD trip reports... the next best thing to being there (without all the tedium of getting up at 5am!).

Lovin it, keep up the good work!

Thanks, Shanman!

It's good to hear from you.

How has your new gig worked out?

Good, I hope!

I don't know why, but I don't like to sleep in at the Fort. Mornings are my favorite time.

Agree!

Based on the amount of work he puts into his TR's and the number/timing of all the pictures, I calculated that TCD only sleeps about 45 minutes each day.

45 minutes?

Are you kidding?

Maybe on a weekend.

During the week, it's just 200 seconds.

Just an awesome report as usual.

I am unable to get away this time of year so I really enjoy seeing the Fort decorations. I can appreciate the work those Elves put into getting them up so quickly, and I applaud the effort.

Oh and not to drag on and on about the Dyson hand dryers, but I was at Countryside Mall over the weekend and they have them in the "dungeon" bathrooms. Right down the street from the TCD gang.

Yes, Countryside Mall is right down the street.

But, where are the dungeon bathrooms?

I try to stay out of the mall.

I don't know why, but I don't like it.

But, I am now interested in visiting the dungeon bathrooms.

TCD