JAMBO! The UN-official AKL Thread ~ UPDATED(short film/pg 8 & slideshow/pg 12) Part 2

[luvfigment]

This does sound interesting, do you need to make reservations for this or is there a set time everyday?

It was a set time all week and on the weekend...double check the activities board. When we were the I think it was M-F 4pm and Sat and Sun at 3:45 meeting at the Jiko podium.

 

[luvfigment]

luvfigment,

If you want any recipe from the AKL, just send an email to:

Peggy.Gentry@Disney.com

It usually takes a day or two to get the recipe.

Kathy

Thank you soooo much I will have to send out a request I was so upset I forgot to ask.

Do I have to supply a home address or is the recipe e-mail back to me?

 

[luvfigment]

I am on a roll this week!

 

[luvfigment]

Bob not only am I amazed at what your trip entailed but how well you write up the account. I can't wait to read the next installment, the pictures have been great also!!

 

[kimmar067]

I am on a roll this week!

....I suppose I should call you "butter".....

 

[dm220]

Your welcome Beings you will be using them before me, please let me know what you thought of them once you return. This looks like the best way for me to go as well.

i also agree i think we might go this way as far as sodas, water, juices etc. it sure will cut down on the shipping weight of the package that im sending in advance, tx for the advice

 

[tinknme]

Thank you!

It was a set time all week and on the weekend...double check the activities board. When we were the I think it was M-F 4pm and Sat and Sun at 3:45 meeting at the Jiko podium.

 

[kimmar067]

It was a set time all week and on the weekend...double check the activities board. When we were the I think it was M-F 4pm and Sat and Sun at 3:45 meeting at the Jiko podium.

Note to self: SIGN UP FOR CULINARY TOUR!!

 

[AKLGoofy]

Bob, sorry but I have to register a complaint. You sir have cheated all of us.
When reading the first installment of your report, I found myself thinking, why is Bob not a writer. I couldn't help but feel that you have cheated the world by not sharing your talent. Can't wait for day 3!

*bow* You are too kind, Gary.

For all the time it took me to get what I have, done, I'd probably starve before I coud earn enough for a pizza as a write!

Bob

 

[AKLGoofy]

...yo, BOB, ol' buddy, ol' pal, compadre, bro', you are my brother from another mother.....all I can say is: Do your fingers have trouble catching up with all the thoughts in your brain as you furiously pound that keyboard??? Please say that you will have this amazing journey printed and bound sometime in the near future....

(BTW ~ I can just picture those RUDE folks looking at you taking pix of your FOOD...ya gotta admit, watching a person taking photographs of their meal has GOT to look a bit weird - I, for one, applaud those who take the time to do just that, to share with the rest of us DIZnuts!)

...can't wait for the NEXT installment.....
[PS ~ I gotta ask (later) about the particulars of that Segway tour ~ my DFam would LOVE to do that! ]

As a matter of fact, that's one of the things that lowers my WPM when typing... my fingers go through a "burst" to try and catch u pan dall the spacing ends u pall wrong. So, I have to go back and correct.

You know, I hadn't thought about that, but I think I'll make it a point to put a section at the end with the times/costs for all the things we did just so folks can easily pursue it if they are interested. I know I'd love to see more folks on the Sunset Safari - would hate to see them close that one and have Sunrise only.

For those who read early in the day, there is now an email link on all the pages for feedback if you like.

By the way, just so everyone knows, there will most likely be opinions embedded in my narrative that you may not agree with. Flaming is fine by me (I'm a big boy), but please try and hold off till the asbestos undies Susan ordered from Lands End for me arrive. Thank you.

Bob

 

[kimmar067]

As a matter of fact, that's one of the things that lowers my WPM when typing... my fingers go through a "burst" to try and catch u pan dall the spacing ends u pall wrong. So, I have to go back and correct.....

.......

....You know, I hadn't thought about that, but I think I'll make it a point to put a section at the end with the times/costs for all the things we did just so folks can easily pursue it if they are interested....

...we-e-e-e-ll, that's NOT what I meant, but WHAT A GREAT IDEA! (I never 'knew' anyone that had actually done the "ST" at Epcot before, so I just had wanted some more 4-1-1 on it.... )

...By the way, just so everyone knows, there will most likely be opinions embedded in my narrative that you may not agree with. Flaming is fine by me (I'm a big boy)....

..... " Why dontcha come UP and SEE me sometime, BIG BOY....?"

 

[#1hockeymom]

BRAVO BRAVO!! I can't wait for the rest!

Debbie

 

[kimmar067]

...a BEAUTIFUL bride, by the name of ead79 posted this:

..thanks again, ead79!

 

[AKLGoofy]

" Why dontcha come UP and SEE me sometime, BIG BOY....?"

Woohoo! Love that shot!

On the Segway tour: We both really enjoyed it. I was afraid that we wouldn't get a whole lot of riding time because I assumed it would take quite awhile to get us up to speed on using the vehicle. That was one of the things I give Lamont big kudos for... As he started the presentation in the "training room" inside Innoventions, he told us he would try and keep that part as short as possible in order to give us the longest time actualy riding that he could.

The slide show was well done, telling you about each of the controls and how the machine keeps you upright. Lamont then explained about the different color "keys" that you use to power up the machines with. The black ones that were on all of our machines would limit them to a top speed of no more than 5.5 MPH. Then there are yellow ones (I believe) that the CMs in Epcot used that limit the machine to 9 MPH and he told us about the red keys that allow you to go at the machine's maximum speed of 12 MPH but he said that management made sure to take all those and lock them up when they got new machines in.

He gave us each helmets and told us we could leave our belongings in the room if we wanted or else we could use the bags on the handlebars that you can see in our pictures. Not realizing how delicate (or not) the balancing might be, Susan and I decided to leave our fanny packs so as not to create issues of weight shifting while moving. This proved to be an unfounded concern, as we found out when we went out into the open area beside the training room to get introduced to our gyroscopic steeds...

The gyros on these things are amazingly strong. Lamont first had us learn to turn the machine on and off correctly (the keys each have a three-point contact system you have to engage properly) and then went about explaining how to "mount" the vehincle correctly. Making sure your first foot is evenly placed between the front and back edge of the standing platform is important, believe me. He gave us the invaluable hint of looking straight ahead and not down at our feet, as we stepped up onto the platform... which I promptly ignored.

Not deliberately, mind you, but just naturally you want to look at your feet when stepping onto a raised surface that is limited in size. So... I kind of took off forward a little on my first "mount". Looking down naturally makes you lean forward just a little and leaning is how you determine your forward and backward direction. It takes very little to get the machine moving and it takes a little to learn the "finesse" portion of controlling the thing. The folks there had obviously gotten this down to a science, though, and through a series of exercises Lamont had us wheeling around in no time. It's actually quite easy once you relax a little and quit trying to use the "brute force" method of a deathgrip on the handlebars and steep leaning. I would say that it would actually be pretty difficult to "fall off" the thing as you don't get the sensation that the vehicle tilts at all. It's amazingly firm in its "upright" feel.

They have you practice just going back and forth a little, doing a 180 degree turn at each end until you're fairly steady and then take you through a series of zig zag exercises playing follow the leader. They end with a little practice on a small sloping ramp they have there so you can get used to compensating for the impetus of rolling downhill.

Once they're sure that everyone is fairly well in control, you're let out of the "corral" they have setup inside Innoventions and roll along the floor to the exit. Once outside, you do a "follow the leader" thing over to the restroom area nearby which has a pretty open entrance compared to most restroom areas in the parks. There was plenty of room to have us all park our machines along the wall in the shade.

After running inside real quick, I returned to our parking area to hear Lamont answering technical questions about the machines. I took this opportunity to jokingly ask him when we could graduate to one of the zippy models HE had with the cool saddlebags. He said that the manufacturers don't make that version anymore even though he felt it was superior because, with the saddle bags in place, he could leave the machine turned on, step off and it would remain perfectly still whereas our units would have a tendency to move. He mentioned that Disney was expecting a shipment of new models shortly but he didn't know what the new advances might be.

The Future World area was open by this time and people were starting to walk around. Our path back into World Showcase, though, was fairly clear and the longer ride back there gave you a good chance to become more comfortable with the speed control (a rotating grip like a motorcycle) and steering. A CM dropped the rope for us so that we could enter World Showcase and the female with Lamont (I'm ashamed to admit that I do not remember her name) stopped long enough to give a quick thumbnail of what World Showcase was all about, explaining that we would be riding through the various contries with a few side trips into some of the garden areas.

After reminding us to stay right behind each other, she took off and we began our tour at a slow roll. I'm afraid I don't remember specifically which countries' areas we actually entered and which we only skimmed through the front of, but it was obvious that we were taking it easy at first. Gradually we did more and more difficult maneuvers just from general navigation and in short order it was clear that we were all getting the hang of it. Once she felt we could handle it, we started negotiationg narrower paths in some of the gardens. She even took us thorugh the garden area in Germany, asking us to keep an eye out for "hidden Mickeys". When we exited the area she stopped and pointed out two of them for us in the minature train layout there. This was an inventive way to work in a short break in the middle of cruising.

After a couple more countries, she asked us if we wanted to brave the garden in Japan which had hills and some even narrower paths. Being the intrepid adventurers we were, we of course said yes. No one fell off the edge (only a 1" - 2" drop off but enough to make you tumble off your machine) and Lamanot did a great job moving water hoses and such. Somewhere short of the USA Pavillion we stopped for a moment while Lamont zipped around dropping small, orange traffic cones. We were then cut loose for some "free riding" and told to stay inside the cones and watch for vehicles. We had a blast for a bit just tooling around and I tried a little backward riding, just for fun. We had our pictures taken together and I got a few shots of Susan having fun zipping back and forth. I'd say we were probably there for a good 20 minutes or so. To the point where some folks parked their vehicles and just leaned on the wall looking out over the lagoon.

After Lamont picked up the cones, we started out again, basically doing the same thing through the rest of the countries. Morocco was fun because of the narrow passages and the ability to go "inside" some of the buildings. We eventually made it all the way through World Showcase and were asked to stay fairly tightly together as we threaded through the crowds back to Innoventions.

I made mention of this in my report... but I say again here... I am at a loss to understand the mindset that some people have that says that THEY have to be able to walk side-by-side, unimpeded in any way even when confronted with an entire train of people zipping along on vehicles. It's like any diversion of their walking path would be a personal affront and how dare anyone expect THEM to angle themselves, just a little, to allow an obvious group to continue in its line of march. Oh well, regardless, we made it back without running over anyone and slowly weaved our way through Innoventions back to the "corral" and parked our vehicles.

More than once during the tour Susan had exclaimed that we just HAD to get one of these! I pointed out that a dirt road in the middle of a corn field probably wouldn't be the most enjoyable ride but even so, she asked Lamont how much they cost and he said about $5,500. She decided that maybe it woudn't be all that neat after all...

Our guides led us back into the training room to retrieve our things and presented us with special pins commemorating our tour. You can't buy these pins so pin-traders out there, if you want one to add to your collection you'll just have to do the tour!

All in all it was a very enjoyable experience and Susan had an absolute blast. She was very happy that we had started our first full day with this event.

And there, Kim, is your full review. Please feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer!

--------------

Up to 34 pages in Word now, still on day 4. I'm going to try and get the rest written out before I update the site so at least that section will be done, then I'll start on the "food" section and then do the "info" thing. With any luck, I'll finish writing the "report" section over the weekend and get it actualy put into web pages early next week.

Bob

 

[BensMom]

AKLGoofy! Thank you. You helped me with some feedback about the sunset safari/Jiko dinner stuff. Now, you have completed my idea for the fiance and his 58th birthday ideas! We are narrowing down to the last few things we have not yet done at Disney, and these are about it, except for Victoria and Albert's Chef's Table! I should book the segway and AKL thing now if I want to do it in August, huh?

 

[Webbie]

luvfigment,

If you want any recipe from the AKL, just send an email to:

Peggy.Gentry@Disney.com

It usually takes a day or two to get the recipe.

Kathy

Kathy, thank you so much. I am writing to her right away. I plan on making this for Luvfigment when she and her older sister come home the first of August.

Kathy

 

[Webbie]

will be out of the office from Friday, July 14 through Friday, July 21, 2006. If you need immediate assistance, please contact Flo Schlitt at (407) 824-6015. Thank you.

This is the response to my e-mail. LOL guess even Disney employees deserve a vacation! Wonder if she is going to WDW?

 

[John's Mom]

Thank you soooo much I will have to send out a request I was so upset I forgot to ask.

Do I have to supply a home address or is the recipe e-mail back to me?

Peggy will email the recipe to you.

 

[John's Mom]

Webbie, I guess Peggy will email the recipe to you. You're such a good mother to make the soup for your girls. Let me know how the soup turns out.

Kathy

 

[kimmar067]

On the Segway tour: We both really enjoyed it. I was afraid that we wouldn't get a whole lot of riding time because I assumed it would take quite awhile to get us up to speed on using the vehicle. That was one of the things I give Lamont big kudos for... As he started the presentation in the "training room" inside Innoventions, he told us he would try and keep that part as short as possible in order to give us the longest time actualy riding that he could.

The slide show was well done, telling you about each of the controls and how the machine keeps you upright. Lamont then explained about the different color "keys" that you use to power up the machines with. The black ones that were on all of our machines would limit them to a top speed of no more than 5.5 MPH. Then there are yellow ones (I believe) that the CMs in Epcot used that limit the machine to 9 MPH and he told us about the red keys that allow you to go at the machine's maximum speed of 12 MPH but he said that management made sure to take all those and lock them up when they got new machines in.

He gave us each helmets and told us we could leave our belongings in the room if we wanted or else we could use the bags on the handlebars that you can see in our pictures. Not realizing how delicate (or not) the balancing might be, Susan and I decided to leave our fanny packs so as not to create issues of weight shifting while moving. This proved to be an unfounded concern, as we found out when we went out into the open area beside the training room to get introduced to our gyroscopic steeds...

The gyros on these things are amazingly strong. Lamont first had us learn to turn the machine on and off correctly (the keys each have a three-point contact system you have to engage properly) and then went about explaining how to "mount" the vehincle correctly. Making sure your first foot is evenly placed between the front and back edge of the standing platform is important, believe me. He gave us the invaluable hint of looking straight ahead and not down at our feet, as we stepped up onto the platform... which I promptly ignored.

Not deliberately, mind you, but just naturally you want to look at your feet when stepping onto a raised surface that is limited in size. So... I kind of took off forward a little on my first "mount". Looking down naturally makes you lean forward just a little and leaning is how you determine your forward and backward direction. It takes very little to get the machine moving and it takes a little to learn the "finesse" portion of controlling the thing. The folks there had obviously gotten this down to a science, though, and through a series of exercises Lamont had us wheeling around in no time. It's actually quite easy once you relax a little and quit trying to use the "brute force" method of a deathgrip on the handlebars and steep leaning. I would say that it would actually be pretty difficult to "fall off" the thing as you don't get the sensation that the vehicle tilts at all. It's amazingly firm in its "upright" feel.

They have you practice just going back and forth a little, doing a 180 degree turn at each end until you're fairly steady and then take you through a series of zig zag exercises playing follow the leader. They end with a little practice on a small sloping ramp they have there so you can get used to compensating for the impetus of rolling downhill.

Once they're sure that everyone is fairly well in control, you're let out of the "corral" they have setup inside Innoventions and roll along the floor to the exit. Once outside, you do a "follow the leader" thing over to the restroom area nearby which has a pretty open entrance compared to most restroom areas in the parks. There was plenty of room to have us all park our machines along the wall in the shade.

After running inside real quick, I returned to our parking area to hear Lamont answering technical questions about the machines. I took this opportunity to jokingly ask him when we could graduate to one of the zippy models HE had with the cool saddlebags. He said that the manufacturers don't make that version anymore even though he felt it was superior because, with the saddle bags in place, he could leave the machine turned on, step off and it would remain perfectly still whereas our units would have a tendency to move. He mentioned that Disney was expecting a shipment of new models shortly but he didn't know what the new advances might be.

The Future World area was open by this time and people were starting to walk around. Our path back into World Showcase, though, was fairly clear and the longer ride back there gave you a good chance to become more comfortable with the speed control (a rotating grip like a motorcycle) and steering. A CM dropped the rope for us so that we could enter World Showcase and the female with Lamont (I'm ashamed to admit that I do not remember her name) stopped long enough to give a quick thumbnail of what World Showcase was all about, explaining that we would be riding through the various contries with a few side trips into some of the garden areas.

After reminding us to stay right behind each other, she took off and we began our tour at a slow roll. I'm afraid I don't remember specifically which countries' areas we actually entered and which we only skimmed through the front of, but it was obvious that we were taking it easy at first. Gradually we did more and more difficult maneuvers just from general navigation and in short order it was clear that we were all getting the hang of it. Once she felt we could handle it, we started negotiationg narrower paths in some of the gardens. She even took us thorugh the garden area in Germany, asking us to keep an eye out for "hidden Mickeys". When we exited the area she stopped and pointed out two of them for us in the minature train layout there. This was an inventive way to work in a short break in the middle of cruising.

After a couple more countries, she asked us if we wanted to brave the garden in Japan which had hills and some even narrower paths. Being the intrepid adventurers we were, we of course said yes. No one fell off the edge (only a 1" - 2" drop off but enough to make you tumble off your machine) and Lamanot did a great job moving water hoses and such. Somewhere short of the USA Pavillion we stopped for a moment while Lamont zipped around dropping small, orange traffic cones. We were then cut loose for some "free riding" and told to stay inside the cones and watch for vehicles. We had a blast for a bit just tooling around and I tried a little backward riding, just for fun. We had our pictures taken together and I got a few shots of Susan having fun zipping back and forth. I'd say we were probably there for a good 20 minutes or so. To the point where some folks parked their vehicles and just leaned on the wall looking out over the lagoon.

After Lamont picked up the cones, we started out again, basically doing the same thing through the rest of the countries. Morocco was fun because of the narrow passages and the ability to go "inside" some of the buildings. We eventually made it all the way through World Showcase and were asked to stay fairly tightly together as we threaded through the crowds back to Innoventions.

I made mention of this in my report... but I say again here... I am at a loss to understand the mindset that some people have that says that THEY have to be able to walk side-by-side, unimpeded in any way even when confronted with an entire train of people zipping along on vehicles. It's like any diversion of their walking path would be a personal affront and how dare anyone expect THEM to angle themselves, just a little, to allow an obvious group to continue in its line of march. Oh well, regardless, we made it back without running over anyone and slowly weaved our way through Innoventions back to the "corral" and parked our vehicles.

More than once during the tour Susan had exclaimed that we just HAD to get one of these! I pointed out that a dirt road in the middle of a corn field probably wouldn't be the most enjoyable ride but even so, she asked Lamont how much they cost and he said about $5,500. She decided that maybe it woudn't be all that neat after all...

Our guides led us back into the training room to retrieve our things and presented us with special pins commemorating our tour. You can't buy these pins so pin-traders out there, if you want one to add to your collection you'll just have to do the tour!

All in all it was a very enjoyable experience and Susan had an absolute blast. She was very happy that we had started our first full day with this event.

And there, Kim, is your full review. Please feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer!

--------------

Up to 34 pages in Word now, still on day 4. I'm going to try and get the rest written out before I update the site so at least that section will be done, then I'll start on the "food" section and then do the "info" thing. With any luck, I'll finish writing the "report" section over the weekend and get it actualy put into web pages early next week.

Bob

....uhhhhhhh, [with the exception of the price] I think that covers it.......