DAY 9 SUNDAY 29th OCTOBER 2006
The Cast:
Heather the trouble and strife er, I mean my dear wife (mad about Winnie-the-Pooh)
Daniel my 15 year old son (mad about Jack Skellington)
Rhiannon my 13 year old daughter (mad about Tinkerbell)
El Tel Me, so old I need to be carbon-dated (just mad in general)
The plan for today is for the kids try out a bit of independence whilst Heather and I do the Keys to the Kingdom tour at MK. We have an ADR for dinner at the California Grill followed by an EMH at MK. Looks like it is going to be another long day sack the planner (me).
We were up earlier for a change the start time for the Keys to the Kingdom tour mad sure of that. We left the kids getting ready trying to decide what they were going to do with their day of freedom. Heather and I went to MK by bus and reported to City Hall for the 9.30am tour. We were treated very well at this point, you definitely felt you were an honoured guest there were drinks and name badges to be had, as well as a radio headset that would allow us to hear everything our tour guide was saying.
Our tour guide was Stacey, who was very nice indeed
. For some reason she was dressed in blue horse riding attire complete with hard hat and riding crop. This was standard attire for the tour guides but I never discovered why. I guess the riding crop could come in handy when dealing with unruly or mutinous guests though. We introduced ourselves to each other and gave our favourite Disney character not an easy task as there are so many.
Before I go any further I had better point out a few things:
We were told not to bring cameras on the tour so there are no photos of it here (sorry). I think the actual rule was no photos backstage but I didnt take the camera along.
Im not going to go into a lot of detail here for a number of reasons:
The tour was for ages 16+ to ensure the Disney magic is not spoiled for kids. Ill add that there are folks out there of 60+ who dont want it spoiled either
You may wish to go on the tour in future, and I know from my own experience that it is nice to hear new things on the tour
Im sure Stacey and her fellow guides put a lot of effort into researching and presenting their information they do it a whole lot better than I can here
If you dont want to know anything about the tour please ignore the text between the SPOILER ALERT lines.
SPOILER AHEAD *** SPOILER AHEAD *** SPOILER AHEAD *** SPOILER AHEAD
After the introductions, Stacey took us out to the top of Main Street and explained that the street is like the opening credits to a movie. She told us a very interesting fact about the US flags in the park (which gave a good insight into Disneys integrity) and explained Disneys approach to safety, courtesy, show and efficiency (an approach which obviously works well).
We then headed off to Adventureland via the Hub at the end of Main Street, noting many clever design features as we went. We stopped briefly for a sit-down talk near Aloha Isle where we learned more about the history of WDW. This was followed by a short comfort break before riding Jungle Cruise. We by-passed the queue and went on our own private boat. We were treated to a very different commentary than the usual fun, corny one ours was a lot more interesting and revealing.
After Jungle Cruise we headed towards Frontierland, noting along the way the imagineers attention to detail even at the Frontierland Fries wagon. We then slipped backstage to look behind the scenes. We found out why there is a short flume section on Pirates of the Caribbean and marvelled at the engineering that has gone into Splash Mountain. We also saw how much effort Disney puts in to make sure the magic is maintained no matter where you are in the WDW Resort. Whilst there, we were fortunate enough to be treated to some cast members practising for the Christmas season parade.
We went back onstage and walked down to Columbia Harbour House for lunch, spotting lots of things as we went. Lunch was held upstairs, where our tables were waiting. Our seats were identified with name cards, and attached to the name cards was a special Keys to the Kingdom pin as a souvenir of the tour a very nice touch. We enjoyed our pre-ordered lunch and took the opportunity to chat to Stacey and other guides about things we had seen or wondered about.
After lunch we went into the Haunted Mansion via the back door. We were told to look out for certain things as we rode the ride, including some hidden mickeys and someone we had seen on an earlier ride. As we were leaving the HM we were told to look carefully at the far corner of the pet cemetery. I thought this was a nice tribute to a gone, but not forgotten, Magic Kingdom character. I took a photo later, so here it is, together with a close up.
After HM we headed back towards Main Street and we entered the shops about half way down on the right. We went to the back of the shop and entered what appeared to be little more than a small closet (it certainly wasnt much bigger). The door to the shop was closed and then a door at the back of the closet was opened (shades of Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe here). This led into a large area behind Main Street. It was a very abrupt change of scenery Main Street looked very different from this side. We were told that this is the area where the parades start or end.
We were then taken back into the building and down some stairs into the fabled Utilidors. These are pretty extensive there is a ring running under each of the main lands and a couple of spurs and complexes located at various points around it. It was all very impressive. We were treated to a video that explained what goes on under MK, and the logistics of running WDW. It was mind boggling.
We were then led upstairs and popped out on the other side of Main Street. We were told a little about Tinkerbell and that this was the area she liked to fly to every evening during Wishes.
Stacey asked if we had any final questions as the tour was now at an end. After these had been answered she led us back to Main Street and City Hall, where we gave our thanks and said our goodbyes. Before we went she was kind enough to arrange for me to come back in for a short while during the next MNSHHP so that I could get the 2006 party t-shirts (I couldnt find them on the night and you can only get them at a MNSSHP).
If you are a fan of Disney / WDW and you want to know how things tick behind the scenes, then you must find time to do this tour. It gets the El Tel triple thumbs up
(a rare beastie indeed).
SPOILER ALERT ENDS *** SPOILER ALERT ENDS *** SPOILER ALERT ENDS
After the tour, Heather and I ambled around the shops, got an ice cream each at the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor, then headed back to AKL on the bus (unfortunately this was one of the few occasions we had to wait ages for the bus).
We got back to AKL and found that the kids were already back. They had had a busy day themselves. They had started the day with a snack and a drink for breakfast at Mara, then headed off for Disney MGM Studios.
They got there around 10am. They had got themselves fastpasses for Rock n Roller Coaster. Whilst waiting for the time to come round they watched Voyage of the Little Mermaid (probably for Rhiannons benefit rather than Daniels). Rhiannon wanted to see the Disney Animation attraction, but Daniel didnt, so he vetoed this one. They went via Mickeys sorcerer hat, where there were plenty of characters, to Sounds Dangerous. Rhiannon found it boring but Daniel liked it.
After Sounds Dangerous they saw the cars from the film Cars. Rhiannon though they were very cool. They then headed for the Narnia ride only to find that it wasnt open yet. They walked over to the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show but didnt stay to watch it. They then ambled off to ride Star Tours, taking in the sights of Muppet Vision 3-D along the way. As they were coming off the ride they were stopped by some storm troopers. Daniel was desperate for a photo but unfortunately Rhiannon hadnt brought her camera.
They made their way back to hand in their fastpasses and ride Rock n Roller Coaster which they enjoyed as usual. After RnRC they headed back to AKL to have lunch at Mara. Rhiannon had the Turkey Wrap and Daniel had a Chicken Wrap apparently both wraps were very nice. They went back to the room and chilled out waiting for us to return Daniel went to sleep (hes at that teen age where they spend a lot of time hibernating) and Rhiannon watched the Disney Channel on TV (Thats So Raven, The Suite Life and Phil of the Future).
Thats how we found them on our return from MK. We took the opportunity of taking some photos from our balcony heres a selection.
Our ADR at the California Grill was scheduled for 7.30pm hopefully timed so that we would see Wishes about the time we were eating desert. As the time drew near we got dressed up for the occasion business casual being the order of the day. I was going to suggest that the kids wear their school uniforms but for some reason this went down like a lead balloon with them.
We headed to MK on the bus then took the monorail to the Contemporary resort. We checked in for our meal and took the lift up to the restaurant. Ill cover the details of our meal in a separate dining review on the relevant forum.
After the meal I was planning on us going to MK for the Extra Magic Hours from 9pm to midnight. However, it was quite chilly and we werent exactly attired for an evening in the park. We therefore decided to head back to AKL and spend the rest of the night in we had a long journey tomorrow and I wanted to be up for an early start.
Day 10 Over to Tampa to visit Busch Gardens and test my new found nerve on the roller coasters there
.
Link back to Day 8 - Epcot including lunch at the Biergarten and dinner at the Rose & Crown:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1298973
The Cast:
Heather the trouble and strife er, I mean my dear wife (mad about Winnie-the-Pooh)
Daniel my 15 year old son (mad about Jack Skellington)
Rhiannon my 13 year old daughter (mad about Tinkerbell)
El Tel Me, so old I need to be carbon-dated (just mad in general)
The plan for today is for the kids try out a bit of independence whilst Heather and I do the Keys to the Kingdom tour at MK. We have an ADR for dinner at the California Grill followed by an EMH at MK. Looks like it is going to be another long day sack the planner (me).
We were up earlier for a change the start time for the Keys to the Kingdom tour mad sure of that. We left the kids getting ready trying to decide what they were going to do with their day of freedom. Heather and I went to MK by bus and reported to City Hall for the 9.30am tour. We were treated very well at this point, you definitely felt you were an honoured guest there were drinks and name badges to be had, as well as a radio headset that would allow us to hear everything our tour guide was saying.
Our tour guide was Stacey, who was very nice indeed
. For some reason she was dressed in blue horse riding attire complete with hard hat and riding crop. This was standard attire for the tour guides but I never discovered why. I guess the riding crop could come in handy when dealing with unruly or mutinous guests though. We introduced ourselves to each other and gave our favourite Disney character not an easy task as there are so many.Before I go any further I had better point out a few things:
We were told not to bring cameras on the tour so there are no photos of it here (sorry). I think the actual rule was no photos backstage but I didnt take the camera along.
Im not going to go into a lot of detail here for a number of reasons:
The tour was for ages 16+ to ensure the Disney magic is not spoiled for kids. Ill add that there are folks out there of 60+ who dont want it spoiled either
You may wish to go on the tour in future, and I know from my own experience that it is nice to hear new things on the tour
Im sure Stacey and her fellow guides put a lot of effort into researching and presenting their information they do it a whole lot better than I can here
If you dont want to know anything about the tour please ignore the text between the SPOILER ALERT lines.
SPOILER AHEAD *** SPOILER AHEAD *** SPOILER AHEAD *** SPOILER AHEAD
After the introductions, Stacey took us out to the top of Main Street and explained that the street is like the opening credits to a movie. She told us a very interesting fact about the US flags in the park (which gave a good insight into Disneys integrity) and explained Disneys approach to safety, courtesy, show and efficiency (an approach which obviously works well).
We then headed off to Adventureland via the Hub at the end of Main Street, noting many clever design features as we went. We stopped briefly for a sit-down talk near Aloha Isle where we learned more about the history of WDW. This was followed by a short comfort break before riding Jungle Cruise. We by-passed the queue and went on our own private boat. We were treated to a very different commentary than the usual fun, corny one ours was a lot more interesting and revealing.
After Jungle Cruise we headed towards Frontierland, noting along the way the imagineers attention to detail even at the Frontierland Fries wagon. We then slipped backstage to look behind the scenes. We found out why there is a short flume section on Pirates of the Caribbean and marvelled at the engineering that has gone into Splash Mountain. We also saw how much effort Disney puts in to make sure the magic is maintained no matter where you are in the WDW Resort. Whilst there, we were fortunate enough to be treated to some cast members practising for the Christmas season parade.
We went back onstage and walked down to Columbia Harbour House for lunch, spotting lots of things as we went. Lunch was held upstairs, where our tables were waiting. Our seats were identified with name cards, and attached to the name cards was a special Keys to the Kingdom pin as a souvenir of the tour a very nice touch. We enjoyed our pre-ordered lunch and took the opportunity to chat to Stacey and other guides about things we had seen or wondered about.
After lunch we went into the Haunted Mansion via the back door. We were told to look out for certain things as we rode the ride, including some hidden mickeys and someone we had seen on an earlier ride. As we were leaving the HM we were told to look carefully at the far corner of the pet cemetery. I thought this was a nice tribute to a gone, but not forgotten, Magic Kingdom character. I took a photo later, so here it is, together with a close up.
After HM we headed back towards Main Street and we entered the shops about half way down on the right. We went to the back of the shop and entered what appeared to be little more than a small closet (it certainly wasnt much bigger). The door to the shop was closed and then a door at the back of the closet was opened (shades of Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe here). This led into a large area behind Main Street. It was a very abrupt change of scenery Main Street looked very different from this side. We were told that this is the area where the parades start or end.
We were then taken back into the building and down some stairs into the fabled Utilidors. These are pretty extensive there is a ring running under each of the main lands and a couple of spurs and complexes located at various points around it. It was all very impressive. We were treated to a video that explained what goes on under MK, and the logistics of running WDW. It was mind boggling.
We were then led upstairs and popped out on the other side of Main Street. We were told a little about Tinkerbell and that this was the area she liked to fly to every evening during Wishes.
Stacey asked if we had any final questions as the tour was now at an end. After these had been answered she led us back to Main Street and City Hall, where we gave our thanks and said our goodbyes. Before we went she was kind enough to arrange for me to come back in for a short while during the next MNSHHP so that I could get the 2006 party t-shirts (I couldnt find them on the night and you can only get them at a MNSSHP).
If you are a fan of Disney / WDW and you want to know how things tick behind the scenes, then you must find time to do this tour. It gets the El Tel triple thumbs up
(a rare beastie indeed).SPOILER ALERT ENDS *** SPOILER ALERT ENDS *** SPOILER ALERT ENDS
After the tour, Heather and I ambled around the shops, got an ice cream each at the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor, then headed back to AKL on the bus (unfortunately this was one of the few occasions we had to wait ages for the bus).
We got back to AKL and found that the kids were already back. They had had a busy day themselves. They had started the day with a snack and a drink for breakfast at Mara, then headed off for Disney MGM Studios.
They got there around 10am. They had got themselves fastpasses for Rock n Roller Coaster. Whilst waiting for the time to come round they watched Voyage of the Little Mermaid (probably for Rhiannons benefit rather than Daniels). Rhiannon wanted to see the Disney Animation attraction, but Daniel didnt, so he vetoed this one. They went via Mickeys sorcerer hat, where there were plenty of characters, to Sounds Dangerous. Rhiannon found it boring but Daniel liked it.
After Sounds Dangerous they saw the cars from the film Cars. Rhiannon though they were very cool. They then headed for the Narnia ride only to find that it wasnt open yet. They walked over to the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show but didnt stay to watch it. They then ambled off to ride Star Tours, taking in the sights of Muppet Vision 3-D along the way. As they were coming off the ride they were stopped by some storm troopers. Daniel was desperate for a photo but unfortunately Rhiannon hadnt brought her camera.
They made their way back to hand in their fastpasses and ride Rock n Roller Coaster which they enjoyed as usual. After RnRC they headed back to AKL to have lunch at Mara. Rhiannon had the Turkey Wrap and Daniel had a Chicken Wrap apparently both wraps were very nice. They went back to the room and chilled out waiting for us to return Daniel went to sleep (hes at that teen age where they spend a lot of time hibernating) and Rhiannon watched the Disney Channel on TV (Thats So Raven, The Suite Life and Phil of the Future).
Thats how we found them on our return from MK. We took the opportunity of taking some photos from our balcony heres a selection.
Our ADR at the California Grill was scheduled for 7.30pm hopefully timed so that we would see Wishes about the time we were eating desert. As the time drew near we got dressed up for the occasion business casual being the order of the day. I was going to suggest that the kids wear their school uniforms but for some reason this went down like a lead balloon with them.
We headed to MK on the bus then took the monorail to the Contemporary resort. We checked in for our meal and took the lift up to the restaurant. Ill cover the details of our meal in a separate dining review on the relevant forum.
After the meal I was planning on us going to MK for the Extra Magic Hours from 9pm to midnight. However, it was quite chilly and we werent exactly attired for an evening in the park. We therefore decided to head back to AKL and spend the rest of the night in we had a long journey tomorrow and I wanted to be up for an early start.
Day 10 Over to Tampa to visit Busch Gardens and test my new found nerve on the roller coasters there
.Link back to Day 8 - Epcot including lunch at the Biergarten and dinner at the Rose & Crown:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1298973
