Biscuit's Grand Adventure | An epic tale three decades in the making!

[whogirl'smom]

We have never done the backlot tour, and I doubt we ever will. At one point I sort of wanted to, but that quicky faded. Rather ride RNRC twice!

I'm feeling bad for you guys at this point-- no money for an umbrella!

 

[burly]

Backlot tour. i remember the days when you could see stuff actually being FILMED, wow that was great.....
The good old days....

 

[Kimberly815]

I really wish they still did some filming at the Studios! It's a shame that it is all gone.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

I hope you edited that tape real quick! How cool that you got to see an actual filming! No chance of that now. I think we'll be skipping the backlot tour on our trip this year.

Believe me, that tape got spliced in a hurry. // It is sad to see the productions and animation gone.

We have never done the backlot tour, and I doubt we ever will. At one point I sort of wanted to, but that quicky faded. Rather ride RNRC twice!

I'm feeling bad for you guys at this point-- no money for an umbrella!

You definitely are not missing anything. We managed to avoid most of the falling rain, it was the rain on the ground that would wind up being a problem.

Backlot tour. i remember the days when you could see stuff actually being FILMED, wow that was great.....
The good old days....

Sad now isn't it?

I really wish they still did some filming at the Studios! It's a shame that it is all gone.

I was definitely sad to see the studios throw in the towel when it came to film and animation.

 

[Mrs. The King]

(Actually the scanner died, so I used my digital camera to take pictures of pictures so the quality isn't the greatest....hence the streak on the last one.E]

Ah. that is so 1980's I love it. I recently taped a song for the kids off the TV with a recorder. It was so old school. They were so excited about it. it was like I told them I invented electricity.

I used this to tip the bus driver so I didn’t need to pull my wallet out at the time.

You tipped the driver!! See, if you had left that out you would have had more cash to spread around.

We meandered down Hollywood Blvd and Tracy left the park navigating to me. After all I was the man with the plan, the Disney park veteran, king of the touring stratagem. And where did I lead my new bride to partake of her first ever Disney MGM Studios attraction?

Doesn't that feel wonderful? I got to drag Mr. the King around on our honeymoon. Makes you feel like Lewis or Clark or even better yet, Sacagawea!

“Follow me! Will find meat. Make big fire!” Or something to that effect anyway.

If I had a nickel for every time I said that on the way to the toilet.

DOH! GREAT BISCUITS A BURNIN!

If I had a nickel for everytime I said that on the way to the toilet.

After we found a spot to chow down, we took a financial inventory. Turns out Tracy had some cash in her pocket as well, so we had about $10 left to get us through until park close. Challenging, but not impossible.

See, nowadays, you would be a host of your own Food Network show.

Also, after much mourning, I cut the Tower of Terror. Tracy is not a freefall / drop you till you’re silly type of a ride fan.

Sweet Tracy had just married a Biscuit. I think she was full up on Terror.

At the time, I didn’t think anything of it, and just kept right on recording once I knew it was dry. I didn’t bother backing the tape up, I just kept it rolling. Cause that’s how I roll. ANYWHO….When we got home after our trip and watched the footage, I made a comment to Tracy just before it happened and said something like “Oh, this is where I got splashed!” We watched amusedly as the moment came, then stared in disbelief at the screen. My wife then turned and gave me “The Look” and advised me that editing this particular scene would be good for my general health.

Aren't you glad that it was your wife's situation and not another lady!?

I felt bad for our CM. She was really trying. It was extremely hot, everyone was hitting their mid-day slump

See, now here I thought I was the only one that called Grandma a "mid-day slump", I stand corrected. Hitting them does make everyone feel better.




Wonderful job Burning Biscuit!!

Keep making the magic (If I had a nickel for every time I said that on the way to the toilet. )

 

[joleen76]

GB another great update!

For all those future honeymooners out there. NEVER.....EVER....say I think it's done raining for the day on your honeymoon. We said that too and ended up in a monsoon like condition. It is safe however to say...."the rain might be done for the day" "I hope the rain is done for the day" "well that patch is moved through" etc just don't say It is DONE raining for the day....like the kiss of death for the day at WDW on your honeymoon unless you like floating around.

Can't believe you forgot your wallet. but I almost feel like for you. At least your finally in a PARK!!!

Can't wait for more.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

You tipped the driver!! See, if you had left that out you would have had more cash to spread around.

Good point!

Doesn't that feel wonderful? I got to drag Mr. the King around on our honeymoon. Makes you feel like Lewis or Clark or even better yet, Sacagawea!

I am definitely looking forward to that this summer. I have not only my family, but my parents are coming and brininging my nephew.

If I had a nickel for every time I said that on the way to the toilet.

+

If I had a nickel for everytime I said that on the way to the toilet.

=

See, nowadays, you would be a host of your own Food Network show.

That's probably true. I'd call it O'Town with Biscuit Brown. I like that. Anybody know the phone number for Food Network?

Sweet Tracy had just married a Biscuit. I think she was full up on Terror.

No THAT I can believe!

Aren't you glad that it was your wife's situation and not another lady!? .

In more ways than you can know.

See, now here I thought I was the only one that called Grandma a "mid-day slump", I stand corrected. Hitting them does make everyone feel better.

Wonderful job Burning Biscuit!!

Keep making the magic (If I had a nickel for every time I said that on the way to the toilet. )

Thanks MTK! I always love your unique take on things. And I loved your farewell message on Zzub's blog.

GB another great update!

Thanks Joleen76!

For all those future honeymooners out there. NEVER.....EVER....say I think it's done raining for the day on your honeymoon. We said that too and ended up in a monsoon like condition. It is safe however to say...."the rain might be done for the day" "I hope the rain is done for the day" "well that patch is moved through" etc just don't say It is DONE raining for the day....like the kiss of death for the day at WDW on your honeymoon unless you like floating around.

Well said. This would turn out to be a bad omen. In fact, I can pretty much re-title trip 6 as "What Not to Do on a Disney Honeymoon"

Can't believe you forgot your wallet. but I almost feel like for you. At least your finally in a PARK!!!

Can't wait for more.

Believe me gets better...or worse depending on your interpretation. Remember, Tracy has not YET had a chance for a good soul cleansing burst of emotion. (YET being the key descriptor in that sentence.)

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Episode 27 – Monsoons and Mermaids

Previously on Biscuit's Grand Adventure, filming was observed, shops were browsed and the sisters crashed our video. After a leisurely afternoon stroll through numerous shops, we decided to venture out and see what other mischief could be found. Our first stop was the Hunchback Of Notre Dame live show. (I have no idea if that was what it was actually called. It was a show, which was live, featuring the cast of Hunchback.)



Like most of the film based shows, it was fairly true to the original and was mostly entertaining. It's not a show whose passing I mourned, but it was okay to see it once. One interesting note is that we were on the front row of the back section. Basically this meant that during the Festival of Fools scene, we had quite a few characters directly in front of us and got peppered with confetti.

Courtesy of this guy:


Ever have confetti land on you when you are sitting in high heat / high humidity weather? It not only sticks, it somehow melds onto your skin and defies removal.

Random stilted man:




After Quasi realized that Esmerelda was out of his league, we left the theater and made our way back towards the Animation Courtyard. (Sorry Quasi, not every guy can be as luck as I.) The skies were looking ominous, but it was not yet raining. We wound up in line for the Voyage of the Little Mermaid.



Since I had not looked at a guide or a park map, I had absolutely no earthly idea what this attraction was. But, Tracy loves the Little Mermaid movie so we queued up and prepared to be surprised. We had about a 15 minute wait before being shown into the theater. No sooner had we set down than we heard a rumble of thunder outside. Good thing were in here!

I have to say I was mighty impressed by the lasers & special effects in this show. This was the one and only time I've ever seen it, so I'm pretty sure it won't be nearly so great the next time around. BUT, I know my daughters will LOVE it. I took a lot of video in here, although I don't really know why. It was too dark to really get anything worth viewing, but alas, I took it anyway.



When the show was over, we discovered it was sprinkling outside. As we were close to the Animation Building, we headed that way. The animators were all leaving for the day when we were touring the actual animation studio but we did get to see a couple of cells being drawn for Mulan. Once our tour was complete, we found ourselves in the animation gift shop and meandered around a bit. We were looking at some of the animation cells near the back when a thunderclap shook the windows. Soon, it was again pouring outside. Not just heavy rain, blowing rain. Massive sheets coming in at all angles and swirling around like demon possessed lawn sprinklers.

We wound up staying in the shop for nearly an hour, and I know we saw every single little item they sold. By the time the rain settled back into a sprinkle, my inner park beast could no longer be contained. It was time to set out. The ground was a sea of puddles and in no time flat my shoes were filled with Florida rain water. Never mind all that, neither wind nor rain nor dark of night can keep the park beast at bay! Like the rainstorm from my trip in 1990, this particular squall had done some park cleansing in the way of the crowds.

We grabbed a snack somewhere. (Sorry..it wasn't on the video and I wasn't a DIS'er then so I can't tell you where it was or what we got.) We then headed to the Great Movie Ride. Don't roll your eyes at me. Yeah, yeah, I know I swore to avoid it after the 2 hour wait from down under the last time I was here. BUT, with the park being emptied out a bit and considering Tracy had never been on it, I decided to give it a shot. It turned out to be a total walk on. It was great breezing our way through the place and arriving at a virtually empty loading dock.



In no time at all we were off to the movies. I hoped that the alien would be working this time. It was not. In fact I never even saw it. I looked, but it was either removed, out for maintenance, covered up, or something. All I could see up there was, well, nothing. We got hijacked by a gangster, gangster got played by the driver, munchkins got scared by the witch, and we all lived happily ever after. (Or something like that anyway.)





Upon exiting the Great Movie Ride, I had to show Tracy the greatest benefit of an evening Disney monsoon. Walking onto Star Tours baby. Oh yeah! You know you saw it coming. How could I live with myself without sharing this rare jewel with my dearly betrothed? I mean seriously! This was a humanitarian mission for crying out loud.

Fortunately, she was a good sport about it and had no qualms with a return to space. (YAY!) There was one thing however that she wanted in return. We had missed the last showing of the Beauty and the Beast stage show (which I didn't know existed until we saw it while roaming around looking for a snack) and she wanted to come back the next day to catch it. No problem. I'll see your Belle, raise you an R2D2, and call. I'll just amend the plan and make it happen baby!

After returning to earth, we had to decide what to do next. There wasn't much left at MGM that held our interest, but we weren't ready to go back to the resort yet either. It was then that the beast began forging a new battle plan; one which would maximize our park time and take advantage of our passes full potential.

Thanks to the wonderful bus schedule from our newly beloved Niki Bird, I knew that the Magic Kingdom was open late that night. And I knew that there would likely be a late showing of the Main Street Electrical Parade. (Imagine my surprise to discover it has been replaced by SpectroMagic, but that's getting ahead of myself.) There was only one detail to work out. What we need here is some creative bus hopping.

Coming up on Episode 28 What the carp happened to the castle???

 

[chicagoshannon]

Glad you gave the Great Movie Ride another chance. I really love that ride.

I hope you and your family have a very Happy Easter!

 

[PrincessV]

When the splash came, I tilted the camera 90 degrees so the lens was pointed straight down. I then pivoted to my left, and leaned towards my wife, selflessly blocking the spray with my ample posterior. This left the camera approximately level with her nose….pointed straight down. Just work through it for a minute.

Ooops!

Cause, well, apparently the word “Studios” is simply a catchy title now, and not an actual description of what the place is used for.

So true.

Ever have confetti land on you when you are sitting in high heat / high humidity weather? It not only sticks, it somehow melds onto your skin and defies removal.

Not exactly. But trust me - confetti mixed with spraying champagne has the same effect.

Coming up on Episode 28 – What the carp happened to the castle???[/SIZE]

I was seriously just thinking "What year was this trip again?" when I got to this part. I know exactly what this is about and when now!

 

[Kimberly815]

Coming up on Episode 28 – What the carp happened to the castle???

OH NO!

 

[burly]

Oh i bet i know where this is going....

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Glad you gave the Great Movie Ride another chance. I really love that ride.

Tracy really enjoyed it. I think I'd enjoy it more if I wasn't looking for the alien and obsessing over the queue size.

I hope you and your family have a very Happy Easter!

Thanks! You too!

I was seriously just thinking "What year was this trip again?" when I got to this part. I know exactly what this is about and when now!

OH NO!

Oh i bet i know where this is going....

Yep...photos of the monstrosity coming soon!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Episode 28 What the carp happened to the castle???

Previously on Biscuit’s Grand Adventure, shows were enjoyed, rain fell freely and stars were once again toured. We had decided to head over to the Magic Kingdom to catch the late parade, but I was not exactly sure how to get there. However, I had hit upon a theory and we set out to put it to the test. The bus from the Nikki Bird serviced all three parks. (Remember AK was still being built) I knew that the stop order was: Disney MGM Studios, Epcot Center, Magic Kingdom.

My plan was to hop on aboard at MGM and hop off at MK. We headed out to the parking lot and after a 20 minute wait, our bus arrived. Figuring it was better to ask forgiveness than permission, I didn’t mention this particular plan to the driver. We managed to score a spot near the front and rode the loop. When we arrived at the MK, we headed out and hit up the TTC. Bus driver guy didn’t seem too fazed by it, so I guess it was all kosher.

As we were headed to the TTC, the fireworks began. We made our way down to the boat dock and caught the remainder of the show.



Zooming in on the fireworks I noticed something. The castle…wasn’t right. There was something odd and unsettlingly pink about it. Is that? Did they actually?



SACRILEGE! HOLY CARP IS THAT EVER HIDDEOUS!

About the time I had finished gathering a mob and collecting torches to storm Imagineering, it was time to head across the lagoon, so we decided to see the parade instead. Since we were already on the boat dock, it seemed logical to take the boat that was preparing to depart as opposed to schlepping back up the hill to the monorail.

We took up position near the bow and the breeze felt nice as we made our way across the lagoon. I took up position at the very front of the boat and shot some video.



Sad people leaving the MK.

My feet were kind of tingly down in my lovely wet shoes so I finally grabbed a seat. When the boat docked, we soon realized that we had a fight on our hands. From the boat dock, all the way to the tunnel was one giant sea of humanity; all facing us and all trying to squeeze as close to the boat or monorail as possible. I set my jaw, told Tracy to grab my shirt and we began our swim upstream.

I have to crack up sometimes at what people are thinking. Between the dock to the gate, we had three different people tell us we were going the wrong way. Thank you there Magellan, but I got this. When we finally made it through the crowds, we headed under the tunnel and arrived on Main Street.

Biscuit, you are home. Unfortunately while you were gone, some lunatic remodeled.



WHAT IN THE WORLD were they thinking?

We were a bit hungry at this point in time and used the balance of our cash to score a cookie at Main Street Bakery. We sat at a table outside and just watched folks wandering by. After a bit, we moved down to the curb and waited on the parade to start. We held hands, laughed about how crazy our trip had been thus far, and wondered what was still in store. Eventually the lights dimmed and the music began.

Hey, they changed the music.



Hey they changed the floats.



Hey they changed the parade. Maybe I SHOULD have at least PIKCED UP a park guide.








When the parade was over, we did some browsing in the Emporium and soaked up the Main Street atmosphere. Eventually, we made our way back through the turnstiles and headed to the monorail for the return trip to the TTC. Luckily the crowds had thinned enough for everyone to have a seat.

Either I dozed off or the driver hit Mach 3 because it seemed like the doors closed and then immediately opened again. After a bit of meandering through the bus lot, I finally located our ride and we boarded happy yet weary from our day. My feet had gone from tingling to burning and I was happy to sit some more.

When we returned back to the motel, I went back to the room and grabbed my wallet from the safe (remembering the combination) while Tracy waited for me in the lobby. We then headed across the street and hit up Perkins again. Not so much because we really love it, but because it was close and we were tired. Our friend from the night before was not on duty, so after our customary sit & wait, we met our new server and ordered up something or other. (Sorry, can’t recall what we ate the second time around.)

I noticed when I paid that I was nearing the end of the cash, and thus it was time to break out the American Express Traveler’s Cheques. When we got back to the motel, I found the laundry room and threw my shoes in the dryer, then went to get the traveler’s cheques out of my backpack. Hmm…that’s funny. I thought I had them in the front pocket. Let’s see….not inside….not on the side…not in the overnight bag…not in the suitcase…not in the camera bag…not in the safe…where did I have those last?

Hmmm….I got them from the bank Monday morning, put them in my green duffle bag, drove to Kansas City, spent the night, left everything in the car except my green duffle bag (which was our KC overnight bag,) got up on Tue, drove to the airport, unloaded our Florida luggage and DOH! They’re in the duffle bag…in the trunk of my car at the KC Airport. Well isn’t that convenient?

Fortunately I had written down the cheque numbers and stuck them in the camera bag. I was pretty sure that I remembered from the Birnbaum's Guide I had bought for our 1990 trip that there was an AmEx desk at Epcot where I could file a claim and get them replaced. I called up AmEx and explained the situation to a woman who would have benefited greatly from an increased fiber intake. Thirty some odd minutes later, she gave a reference number and confirmed there was an AmEx window at Epcot and that we could pick up our replacements after 1PM. Nifty. Biscuit is back in business baby.

Tracy was of course not surprised and unusually unphased by the news of this latest mishap. I think by this point in time, she had maxed out her bewilderment quota. I apologized profusely and promised to make it up to her.


It was then that a thought occurred to me. Due to the profoundly odd circumstances of the past week, we had now had enough cash for a nice sit down meal. I decided to call WDW-DINE the next morning and inquire about the possibility of scoring a table at some place nice.

You know the old saying…the best laid plans of mice of men. But that’s getting ahead of myself. After all, before we get to that particularly joyous moment in time, we still have an entire morning at MGM.

Episode 29 – Blisters, Bags and a Big Hairy Beast.

 

[Vexorg]

Your cadaverous pallor betrays an aura of forebodeing, almost as though you sense a disquieting metamorphosis... Is this magical castle actually pink, or is it just your imagination?

 

[chicagoshannon]

I"m amazed at all of the mishaps you've had! I hope you're every day life is calmer!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Your cadaverous pallor betrays an aura of forebodeing, almost as though you sense a disquieting metamorphosis... Is this magical castle actually pink, or is it just your imagination?

I think it was actually plaid, but my brain couldn't interpret.

I"m amazed at all of the mishaps you've had! I hope you're every day life is calmer!

Thankfully it's not nearly that crazy on a day to day basis.

 

[Backstage_Gal]

I am amazed at FLB's patience with your scatter brain, LOL. Good thing you made it enough to keep her around.

That castle was hideous, but even more so close up, where you could see all its plastic warts and wrinkles.

Can't wait to hear what goes wrong next, LOL>

 

[brookelizabeth]

The Castle looked like it had stripes?! Weirddddd.

I was a few updates behind-but I'll just comment on this last one - I kinda laughed out loud (quietly, DH sleeping next to me!) at Tracy being completely unphased by the misplaces Travlers Checks. What else could go wrong for you two?! I hope not every trip in your lives are like this!

Oh, and too bad about no Perkins! Perkins is the ultimate MN teenage hangout. I logged so many hours in their booths...so many in fact, one of my close friends MARRIED a waiter from there! She only got to know him by our absurd amount of time spent there!

 

[Kimberly815]

Ugh. That castle is awful! I am sorry that it was your wife's first view!