7 AM Extra Magic Hours? We're in!...NEW 12/27 p. 31

[marDgreen88]

Congrats Emma!!!

 

[Pinkocto]

I'm so behind on your TR, sorry. Congrats to Emma, that is so exciting! How long will it be this time?

 

[Nermel9]

Hi everyone! Just wanted to share some exciting news about my trip in April! (if you're friends with me on facebook you probably already know what the news is!).

As I mentioned, Emma applied for the College Program again a couple weeks ago. She was getting a little anxious (actually, I think we all were...) since she hadn't heard anything from Disney. They say it can take up to 2 weeks to find out, but a lot of other people had been accepted already. Well, she texted me this morning to say she got accepted for the Spring Advantage program! WOO HOO! She'll be going back to Florida in January, so now when April rolls around I'll also be able to visit her. Just thought I'd share! I am already curious as to where she'll be working. haha

Woo hoo, congrats to Emma! That will be so fun, getting to visit her on your trip!

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Subbing so I can catch up!

 

[MHTeacher]

Congrats to your sis! My daughter went to a Disney CP at her school a few weeks ago. She want to do this, but I think she should wait another year. She just started college this August, and I want her to have a full year taken care of before she does it.

 

[Caretames1]

YAY! So happy for her. What a great visit that will be.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Awesome...congrats Emma!

Now it will be a great vacation to be able to visit you sister and spend time with your dad.

Yes, it should be a good trip. If only it weren't so far away...

I did see that on FB, that's totally awesome!!!!!

Yes it is! I'm so happy for her (and also a tad jealous!).

Woo hoo Woo hoo !!!! Awesome news!!!

It is! She's been really looking forward to going back down-now she has something to look forward to after she graduates in December.

Congrats Emma!!!

I'll say thanks for her. haha

I'm so behind on your TR, sorry. Congrats to Emma, that is so exciting! How long will it be this time?

Don't worry about being behind, you haven't missed too much. I've been terrible at updating. She will be moving down in the middle of January and staying until August. Though that could be longer if she ends up being able to extend.

Woo hoo, congrats to Emma! That will be so fun, getting to visit her on your trip!

Yup, I can't wait. I wonder if she'll want to come stay with us at BLT for a couple of nights. haha

Subbing so I can catch up!

Hi Tammy!

Congrats to your sis! My daughter went to a Disney CP at her school a few weeks ago. She want to do this, but I think she should wait another year. She just started college this August, and I want her to have a full year taken care of before she does it.

Well, if your daughter does decide to apply, I'm sure Emma would be happy to answer any questions she might have!

YAY! So happy for her. What a great visit that will be.

It will be a lot of fun!

 

[SoonerGirl]

I'm so glad you've been too busy to update much this last month because it meant I wasn't too far behind, lol!

I'm loving the recap of the Keys to the Kingdom tour, can't wait to hear more!

 

[wdwgirl03]

I'm so glad you've been too busy to update much this last month because it meant I wasn't too far behind, lol!

I'm loving the recap of the Keys to the Kingdom tour, can't wait to hear more!

I know, I have been seriously slacking at the updates...but I finally got the next one all typed up. Going to post it now!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Hi everyone! I'm finally getting around to posting another update. I can't believe how long it's taking me to do this TR. But I am determined to finish it.

First I have a little update for our April trip. We were able to make our ADRs earlier this week (I guess that's one sign that we're getting a little closer...haha!). We only made two of them and if I ever get around to starting a PTR, I'll share with you where made them. Right now all I'm going to say is that one of them is in a park and one of them is at a resort. Also, one of them is going to be a new experience for us. I am pretty sure that Emma will be joining us for that one, possibly both. But I am looking forward to both of them.

Thursday, April 12, 2012 cont'd (part 5)...Keys to the Kingdom:Liberty Square

After our first look backstage, we found ourselves back in Frontierland. It was just about time for our lunch break at Columbia Harbour House, so as we walked toward Liberty Square, Robert explained to us some more of the transitions that take place as you move from land to land. This was another thing I found so interesting because it represents a symbolic movement from West to East. When you’re in Frontierland, we all know that one of the major attractions is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which is based on Monument Valley in Utah (I thought it was Bryce Canyon but after consulting my Imagineering Field Guide to the Magic Kingdom, the Disneyland version is based off of Bryce Canyon. Side note, if you’re interested in the tour stuff, some of the things we talked about are in this book. I highly recommend it, as well as the other Imagineering Field Guides!). As you continue moving through Frontierland toward Liberty Square, you get closer to the “Gateway to the West”, as evidenced by St. Louis-style buildings (again I had to refer to my Imagineering Field Guide because I had something in the notes I wrote up when we got home about St. Louis but couldn’t remember the details. Oops.). Then you reach Liberty Square, which reflects New England (like Philadelphia and Boston). I also found it interesting when Robert pointed out that the first ride you encounter in Fantasyland is Peter Pan’s Flight (which as we know takes place in England!).

Once we were in Liberty Square we were taken to a private dining area at the Columbia Harbour House. When we arrived our food was already set out for us and we also received another fun little surprise!

After our half-hour lunch our group gathered again outside the Haunted Mansion. There, Robert told us some history about the attraction before getting to go on and ride.

Some interesting Haunted Mansion trivia:
The two main imagineers who worked on the Haunted Mansion had competing visions for the ride. One wanted it to be scary, while the other wanted it to be funny. In the end, they both won as one half is scary and the other half is more playful.

Remember I mentioned that the guy on the bottom of the totem pole on the Jungle Cruise has the same face as another Audio Animatronic? Well, he just so happens to appear at the Haunted Mansion…it’s the man walking the dog in the graveyard scene.

The Haunted Mansion is the only attraction at all the Magic Kingdom parks to appear in a different land.

As a random side note, I asked Robert if they’ve ever considered doing the HM holiday like they do at Disneyland. He said that they have, but most likely would never do it because WDW is more of a “once in a lifetime” vacation spot (maybe not for us DISers!) and guests want to see it in its original form, whereas Disneyland has a lot more locals and AP holders who make more frequent visits.

And on the way out of the ride Robert also pointed out the Mr. Toad statue in the pet graveyard.

Up next: more Liberty Square and the Utilidors!

 

[dawnbu40]

Yay for planning for April
I hope one of the adrs is for a certain new restaurant in the MK?

I love all the tidbits from the tour. You have sold me on trying it

 

[IheartDDuck]

I love ADR time with trip planning. I always get so excited when I hit the window.

That's an awesome little gift you got there. I like it!

That one point about the Haunted Mansion appearing in a different land in each park I did know. But that's because I'm a goober, it's my favorite attraction, and I can basically find it in any park with my internal GPS.

That's the same thing I've heard as to why they don't do the Haunted Mansion Holiday at WDW also. It make sense though. I've heard that almost 70% of the guests at Disneyland are either locals or AP holders, so they won't care if a major attraction is closed for a period of time (I think with Haunted Mansion Holiday, it's closed for about 2 months total for it to go up and come down and then add on the fact that it's not in it's original form for the holiday time). Whereas in WDW over 70% of the visitors are out of towners who don't visit often, so they don't want to start an uproar.

I should totally be a Keys to the Kingdom guide.

 

[marDgreen88]

This is all so fascinating. LOVE IT! It makes me appreciate the thought that the Imagineers put into every little detail so much more than I already did!

 

[Angies1274]

Yay for being able to make your ADR's for your April trip!!

I love learning all the trivia and facts from your tour!

I will definitely have to look next time I'm on the Jungle Cruise and the Haunted Mansion to see if the guy on the totem pole and the one walking the dog have the same face. That is so cool!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

WOOT! All caught up! Loving all the KTTK updates! I know I've read updates before like it and I'm probably spoiling the tour for myself, but it looks so cool and I find it funny how I already know some of the stuff they talk about already. Can you say "the perks of being a DISer?" lol

Can't wait to read more!

 

[SoonerGirl]

Ok, I went and looked at a picture that I had of the guy on the totem pole in JC and I can totally see the dog walker from HM! I know I read somewhere before that the molds are used over and over again, they are just dressed differently

 

[wdwgirl03]

Yay for planning for April
I hope one of the adrs is for a certain new restaurant in the MK?

I love all the tidbits from the tour. You have sold me on trying it

No, we didn't make an ADR at Be Our Guest. I did look a few days after our 180-day mark and they did have times available, but I think we are just going to plan on eating there for lunch one day.

YAY! You should definitely do the tour!

I love ADR time with trip planning. I always get so excited when I hit the window.

That's an awesome little gift you got there. I like it!

That one point about the Haunted Mansion appearing in a different land in each park I did know. But that's because I'm a goober, it's my favorite attraction, and I can basically find it in any park with my internal GPS.

That's the same thing I've heard as to why they don't do the Haunted Mansion Holiday at WDW also. It make sense though. I've heard that almost 70% of the guests at Disneyland are either locals or AP holders, so they won't care if a major attraction is closed for a period of time (I think with Haunted Mansion Holiday, it's closed for about 2 months total for it to go up and come down and then add on the fact that it's not in it's original form for the holiday time). Whereas in WDW over 70% of the visitors are out of towners who don't visit often, so they don't want to start an uproar.

I should totally be a Keys to the Kingdom guide.

It is fun making ADRs even though we don't make tons and tons of them.

Thanks! I thought the pin was pretty cool too.

haha, wouldn't being a KTTK tour guide be such a great job?

This is all so fascinating. LOVE IT! It makes me appreciate the thought that the Imagineers put into every little detail so much more than I already did!

I know, right?! You need to go on the tour, Marissa!

Yay for being able to make your ADR's for your April trip!!

I love learning all the trivia and facts from your tour!

I will definitely have to look next time I'm on the Jungle Cruise and the Haunted Mansion to see if the guy on the totem pole and the one walking the dog have the same face. That is so cool!

Glad you are enjoying the tour facts. One more update to go...

WOOT! All caught up! Loving all the KTTK updates! I know I've read updates before like it and I'm probably spoiling the tour for myself, but it looks so cool and I find it funny how I already know some of the stuff they talk about already. Can you say "the perks of being a DISer?" lol

Can't wait to read more!

I found that I knew some of the stuff they talked about too, but it was cool getting to actually see some of those details that I've read about.

Ok, I went and looked at a picture that I had of the guy on the totem pole in JC and I can totally see the dog walker from HM! I know I read somewhere before that the molds are used over and over again, they are just dressed differently

haha, that's awesome. I should try to find a picture of both of them.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Thursday, April 12, 2012 cont'd (part 6)...Keys to the Kingdom tour: Liberty Square and the Utilidors!

When we were done riding the Haunted Mansion, Robert took us over to the Liberty Bell to tell us a little more about Liberty Square.

Once again, the attention to detail in this land is pretty amazing because so much of it is historically accurate. For example, have you ever paid attention to the shutters on the windows? If you haven’t, it turns out that they hang at an angle. Why is that? Because in the 1700s, they were hung with leather straps instead of metal. After time, leather wears, which causes the shutters to hang crooked.

A couple other interesting Liberty Square tidbits:
The Liberty Bell replica was cast from the same mold as the original Liberty Bell (which I got to see when we visited Philadelphia a couple years ago)

They only use red, white, and blue flowers in the landscaping in Liberty Square…very patriotic!

I also have a couple random pictures from the area. This one of the castle is from when Robert pointed out where the Cinderella Castle Suite is. Look for the three long, skinny windows toward the back of the castle (in the bottom third of the picture, on the lefthand side).

This sign is outside the Christmas shop and is a reference to Walt’s grandfather Kepple.

From there we headed back toward Main Street. We stopped near Casey’s Corner for one last restroom break before going backstage to enter the Utilidors! While some people were using the restroom, the rest of the group was just sort of gathered around. Some random lady must’ve thought it was some sort of show when she saw Robert, so she and the little boy she was with stopped and stood there. Part of Robert’s costume is this baton that he carries around, so this woman says to the boy, “He’s going to do magic!” To which Robert just replied, “Can I help you with anything?” I thought that was pretty funny. Strange thing is, that wasn’t the only time random people tried to join our group. I guess when people see a crowd they think something exciting is going to happen. Anyway…

Once the group was all back together we went backstage for the grand finale of the tour, and one of the parts I was most looking forward to: the famous Utilidors (or as one of the guys in the group said, the labyrinth)! That backstage area was right near the Jungle Cruise, so we saw one of the boats out of the water and a couple of the hippos which was sort of interesting.

Then we were taken to a staircase to head down to the Utilidors. I really couldn’t believe I was finally going to see them. We’ve all heard about them and I’ve always been curious to see what it’s actually like down there. Well…in all honesty, it’s really not all that special. Don’t get me wrong, it was still really cool seeing them but it’s really just hallways/tunnels and golf carts running around. I guess I don’t really know what I was expecting. LOL.

When we got down to the Utilidors Robert mentioned the music that was playing. No, it was not Disney music. I thought it was sort of funny he talked about that because one of the first things I noticed when we got down there was that there was a Daughtry song playing. He said that as much as they all love Disney, the CMs don’t want to go crazy listening to Disney music all day, so they usually play classic rock.

Then Robert pointed out some of the old pictures that were hanging on the walls. There were a couple from opening day including one of Roy giving his dedication speech with Mickey by his side.

He told us the story about how Walt was never able to see Disney World completed, so Roy made sure to see that his brother’s dream was realized. On opening day, Roy started to get emotional, so right before giving his speech, he said, “I need Mickey.” There were a couple people (including myself…) who got a little misty-eyed at that!

There were some other interesting pictures, including some of the concept art for the new Fantasyland stuff (can’t believe they’ve been having soft openings already….I am so bummed that I have to wait until April to see all of it ). We also saw a short video on costuming before coming back upstairs to go onstage again.

We ended the tour at the end of Main Street, near the train station, for one final glimpse of Cinderella Castle. At that moment I was a little disappointed. I honestly had such a good time on the tour that I did not want it to end! It seems like it’s a long tour but the time went by so quickly. Even though we knew some of the trivia from various Disney books, it was still really cool having it all pointed out to you. Dad and I try to stop and admire those details but we don’t always get to.

So, if you ever have the chance to do the Keys to the Kingdom tour, DO IT!!! It’s one of those things that we have talked about doing for a while, and I am so glad we finally got to experience it. It is well worth the time and money! I think part of what made it so enjoyable was our guide. We didn’t do it there, but when we got home, Dad sent an email to guest relations complimenting Robert and saying how we had such a good time on the tour. Dad actually got a response back saying that they would pass it along to his supervisor…so hopefully he heard something. He definitely deserves a shoutout!

Now are you all going to go book KTTK for your next trip?

Up next: An evening at Hollywood Studios!

 

[Pinkocto]

Thank you so much for sharing the KTTK Tour, loved hearing about all the trivia. A good guide makes all the difference in the world. Disney really does hire the best people.

 

[MHTeacher]

Enjoyed your KTTK Tour description. I've always wanted to do this!