mackeysmom
Let's Go Mets!
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2003
- Messages
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Cousins take on the World - Day 5 - The day we were hated by others
Cast of Characters:
Laura (me) - age 34 (sister to Am and and cousin to Annmarie)
Annmarie - age 32 (cousin to Laura and Am)
Annmarie - age 38 (sister to Laura and cousin to Annmarie - to avoid confusion will be called Am)
We had an early wake-up call on Wednesday, since we had to be at Epcot by 8:45 to check in for our Backstage Magic tour. By the time everybody showered and got ready, it was already 8:00. We made our way over to Roaring Forks for a "quick" breakfast. We finished close to 8:30, and went to the front of the hotel to see Julie off. When the valet guy went to get Julie's car, there was a problem with the alarm and he couldn't get it started. Julie went to her car with the valet guy, while Annmarie, Am and I waited. By the time the alarm problem was figured out and we said our goodbyes to Julie, it was already 8:55. I was very annoyed because, 1) I paid a lot of money for the tour and I didn't want to lose it, 2) I hate when people are told to be somewhere by a certain time and come strolling in a half-hour late, 3) it could have been avoided.
We finally got to Epcot at about 9:20. Luckily, the tour hadn't started yet, but it was obvious that the rest of the group was annoyed at our tardiness (and rightfully so). By the end of the tour a few people warmed up to us, but there was definitely some tension surrounding our bad first-impression.)
Our tour guide was Nancy - originally from Wayne, NJ. There were about 25 people in the group. After going through security, we took a bus to the "backstage" area of the American Adventure. We learned all about the audio-animatronics. I won't go into too much detail, because I don't want to spoil it if you take the tour in the future. After that, we were bussed over to Future World and got to see how "Body Wars" works. It's amazing how violent the ride really is. Nancy explained how the ride is monitored at all time to look for any problems.
We then left Epcot, and made our way over to the Disneyworld Florist. We walked through the facility and saw got a chance to peek at some of the amazing arrangements being made. We also got to see the huge variety of baskets available as gifts.
After that, we were bussed into the back of MGM Studios. We walked through the costuming area and learned how costumes are made from the initial sketches to the finished product. It was very educational. We took a lunch break at Mama Melrose's after that. We were seated at a large table and served family style. It was great. (Don't forget to check out Annmarie's restaurant reports for more details.)
Once lunch was over, we made our way to the Magic Kingdom. First we got a chance to tour the area where the parade floats are kept. It was great to see them up close. We then left the MK and made our way over to the Craft Services warehouse. I was disappointed because I thought we would have gotten a chance to see more at the MK.
We entered the Craft Service warehouse (with goggles in place) and got to tour a few departments. We saw the "vehicle" department which did everything from building a new ride vehicle to re-painting the horses from the Carousel. We also toured the department that refurbished the animatronics. A Jungle Cruise elephant was on display - without his skin. It was cool.
After that we made our way to Holiday Services. We were showed the same stuff we saw during the Yuletide Fantasy tour the day before, but it was good that Am got a chance to see it.
We boarded the bus again, and made our way back to the MK - yay!! The parade had started, so Main Street was completely closed. Since the parade had not yet approached, Nancy allowed us to walk down the middle of a completely empty Main Street. It was so cool - we felt like celebrities. Nancy snagged us a great spot, and we got to watch the parade in its entirety. After that, we went underground into the utilidors. It was great to see the inner workings of the park.
We left MK and made our way back to Epcot. The tour ended with Nancy handing out limited edition pins to everyone. All in all, it was a great tour. I recommend it to everybody.
At Epcot, we decided to ride Test Track. Am had never ridden it before, and was a little scared. She didn't want us to wait on the single rider line, because she needed to hold our hands. The posted wait time was 55 minutes, and it actually turned out to be only 10 minutes. Annmarie was picked to be the person who got the timer tag
Test Track was great - we all loved it. When we left TT, it began to rain - very hard. We ran over to Ellen's Universe of Energy. As always, we enjoyed that immensely.
Everybody was getting tired, but I wanted to ride Mission:Space. Am doesn't care for simulator rides and Annmarie is claustrophobic, so neither of them wanted to ride. I went ahead and rode it (only a 10 minute wait). I'm glad I did, but I don't know if it will become one of my favorites. I felt a little "off balance" for a few minutes afterward and popped an Excedrin Migraine pill to play it safe. After that, we caught a bus and made our way back to the WL.
After a short break, we went downstairs and enjoyed a nice dinner at the Whispering Canyon Cafe. After dinner, we decided to to a little shopping and went to catch a bus to Downtown Disney. As we were approaching the bus-stop, we saw the DTD bus pull away. Am ran like a bat out of hell and began to wildly flag the bus down. Luckily the driver stopped and let us on. We did a little shopping at The World of Disney and made our way back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.
Overall thoughts -
Once again, the tour was great. I recommend it to everybody.
Mission:Space - I'm glad I did it, but would not wait on line for it.
Stay tuned for the next installment - Will we get Am (the chicken to ride Tower of Terror, how cold will it be for the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, will the bruises on my back from the bunk bed ever go away???
Cast of Characters:
Laura (me) - age 34 (sister to Am and and cousin to Annmarie)
Annmarie - age 32 (cousin to Laura and Am)
Annmarie - age 38 (sister to Laura and cousin to Annmarie - to avoid confusion will be called Am)
We had an early wake-up call on Wednesday, since we had to be at Epcot by 8:45 to check in for our Backstage Magic tour. By the time everybody showered and got ready, it was already 8:00. We made our way over to Roaring Forks for a "quick" breakfast. We finished close to 8:30, and went to the front of the hotel to see Julie off. When the valet guy went to get Julie's car, there was a problem with the alarm and he couldn't get it started. Julie went to her car with the valet guy, while Annmarie, Am and I waited. By the time the alarm problem was figured out and we said our goodbyes to Julie, it was already 8:55. I was very annoyed because, 1) I paid a lot of money for the tour and I didn't want to lose it, 2) I hate when people are told to be somewhere by a certain time and come strolling in a half-hour late, 3) it could have been avoided.
We finally got to Epcot at about 9:20. Luckily, the tour hadn't started yet, but it was obvious that the rest of the group was annoyed at our tardiness (and rightfully so). By the end of the tour a few people warmed up to us, but there was definitely some tension surrounding our bad first-impression.)
Our tour guide was Nancy - originally from Wayne, NJ. There were about 25 people in the group. After going through security, we took a bus to the "backstage" area of the American Adventure. We learned all about the audio-animatronics. I won't go into too much detail, because I don't want to spoil it if you take the tour in the future. After that, we were bussed over to Future World and got to see how "Body Wars" works. It's amazing how violent the ride really is. Nancy explained how the ride is monitored at all time to look for any problems.
We then left Epcot, and made our way over to the Disneyworld Florist. We walked through the facility and saw got a chance to peek at some of the amazing arrangements being made. We also got to see the huge variety of baskets available as gifts.
After that, we were bussed into the back of MGM Studios. We walked through the costuming area and learned how costumes are made from the initial sketches to the finished product. It was very educational. We took a lunch break at Mama Melrose's after that. We were seated at a large table and served family style. It was great. (Don't forget to check out Annmarie's restaurant reports for more details.)
Once lunch was over, we made our way to the Magic Kingdom. First we got a chance to tour the area where the parade floats are kept. It was great to see them up close. We then left the MK and made our way over to the Craft Services warehouse. I was disappointed because I thought we would have gotten a chance to see more at the MK.
We entered the Craft Service warehouse (with goggles in place) and got to tour a few departments. We saw the "vehicle" department which did everything from building a new ride vehicle to re-painting the horses from the Carousel. We also toured the department that refurbished the animatronics. A Jungle Cruise elephant was on display - without his skin. It was cool.
After that we made our way to Holiday Services. We were showed the same stuff we saw during the Yuletide Fantasy tour the day before, but it was good that Am got a chance to see it.
We boarded the bus again, and made our way back to the MK - yay!! The parade had started, so Main Street was completely closed. Since the parade had not yet approached, Nancy allowed us to walk down the middle of a completely empty Main Street. It was so cool - we felt like celebrities. Nancy snagged us a great spot, and we got to watch the parade in its entirety. After that, we went underground into the utilidors. It was great to see the inner workings of the park.
We left MK and made our way back to Epcot. The tour ended with Nancy handing out limited edition pins to everyone. All in all, it was a great tour. I recommend it to everybody.
At Epcot, we decided to ride Test Track. Am had never ridden it before, and was a little scared. She didn't want us to wait on the single rider line, because she needed to hold our hands. The posted wait time was 55 minutes, and it actually turned out to be only 10 minutes. Annmarie was picked to be the person who got the timer tag
Test Track was great - we all loved it. When we left TT, it began to rain - very hard. We ran over to Ellen's Universe of Energy. As always, we enjoyed that immensely.Everybody was getting tired, but I wanted to ride Mission:Space. Am doesn't care for simulator rides and Annmarie is claustrophobic, so neither of them wanted to ride. I went ahead and rode it (only a 10 minute wait). I'm glad I did, but I don't know if it will become one of my favorites. I felt a little "off balance" for a few minutes afterward and popped an Excedrin Migraine pill to play it safe. After that, we caught a bus and made our way back to the WL.
After a short break, we went downstairs and enjoyed a nice dinner at the Whispering Canyon Cafe. After dinner, we decided to to a little shopping and went to catch a bus to Downtown Disney. As we were approaching the bus-stop, we saw the DTD bus pull away. Am ran like a bat out of hell and began to wildly flag the bus down. Luckily the driver stopped and let us on. We did a little shopping at The World of Disney and made our way back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.
Overall thoughts -
Once again, the tour was great. I recommend it to everybody.
Mission:Space - I'm glad I did it, but would not wait on line for it.
Stay tuned for the next installment - Will we get Am (the chicken to ride Tower of Terror, how cold will it be for the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, will the bruises on my back from the bunk bed ever go away???
