TLinden16
Scotty and Ray at Jelly Rolls are the best!
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2002
- Messages
- 16,243
Day 3Monday, December 6, 2004
I woke up at 7:00 to get ready for the Backstage Magic tour. I ate a quick breakfast and walked to the International Gateway. The cast member at the gate didnt want to let me in, but I explained to her that I had to get to Guest Relations for the tour, and there was no transportation to the front of the park from the Swan. After a few minutes, she let me in, and I was on my way.
Its very surreal walking through Epcot before it opens. They only people around were cast members taking out the garbage, pruning the plants, and sprucing up the park. Its really cool to walk through the park and just enjoy the peaceful beauty. I took my time walking, and enjoyed looking out at the World Showcase. I took a couple of pictures of Spaceship Earth without other people in them, which was pretty cool.
When I arrived at Guest Relations, I signed in for my Backstage Magic Tour. There were 20 of us on the tour. There were several other woman who were by themselves, so we enjoyed gabbing during the tour.
The tour was fantastic. Worth every penny I spent on it. Im not going to go into great detail about what I learned on the tour. If you dont want to know about the tour, you may want to skip ahead about 10 paragraphsIm not going to reveal everything I learned, but I am going to talk about some of the cooler things I saw.
The first stop on the tour was the American Adventure. We got to go inside where they change the scenes and got to see the audio animatronic figures moving up and down and around on the scene changer. The film was running while we were in there, and we got to see it from behind the screen. It was very cool watching the way the scenes moved as the show progressed.
We then took our motor coach to the cast member building backstage near Test Track. While there, we got to see Pride Hall (which features artwork by cast members from each attraction and department at Epcot), and costuming. We also learned about the Partners in Excellence award which is giving to some exceptional cast members each yearit was fun recognizing some of the cast members who one the award this year.
Our next stop was the Disney Florist, where we were able to see some of the baskets available for order online were made. We learned a bit about how they store their flowers as well.
It was then off to MGM, where we spent a good chunk of time in the costume department. We learned about the process of making costumes from start to finish, and got to see the machines used to make the costumes. It was neat being in there when the Backlot Tour trams went throughwe were warned not to wave to them because we would have to wave to all of the folks on the tram, but most of us waved anyways.
It was then time for lunch. Lunch was served family style at Mama Melroses. There was fresh bread at the table when we sat down. We were served salad, three kinds of pizza (cheese, pepperoni, and chicken), three main courses (a chicken and pasta in cream sauce, chicken breshetta, and seafood fra diavlo), and a dessert sampler plate (tiramisu, cheesecake, gelato, and volcano cake). The food was pretty good, but nothing really fantastic. I didnt like that it was served family styleit was weird sharing the dessert plate, bread, and pizza with strangers.
After lunch, it was back on the bus, and went over to the warehouse where they store the holiday decorations. Considering how many holiday decorations were out in the parks and resorts, it was amazing to see how many were left behind! It was neat seeing all of the Christmas ornaments they have in stock for the treesthere were dozens of boxes of each kind of bulb. We also got to see some of the special themed ornaments on different trees, and feel how heavy they were.
We then went to a warehouse where they store a lot of props that they may be able to use again someday. It was fun trying to guess where the different props came from, and the excitement when one of us recognized something.
We then went to central shops, where the rides are built and painted. We saw different ride vehicles being refurbished, and painted. We got an upclose look at a stripped and primed carousel horse that was being painted. We also saw small world dolls without clothes or hairvery scary.
We also learned about audio animatronics, and got to see a figure that had parts half old audio animatronics, and half new audio animatronics. I was chosen to help with the demonstration of the difference between the two, and I got to press the buttons to make the figures move, which was pretty cool. It was fun seeing audio animatronics without skin.
We then headed to the Magic Kingdom. We went down in the Utilidors for a bit, and resurfaced on Main Street. We sat on Main Street and watched the Share A Dream Come True parade.
After the parade, we went back to the bus and went back to Epcot. We were given pins to commemorate the tour.
I walked into Epcot, and headed towards the International Gateway. I went to the Swan and freshened up, and headed to Beaches & Cream for dinner. I used a quick and casual lunch voucher. I had a ceasar salad with chicken, a side of fries, and a brownie ala mode for dessert. The ceasar salad was deliciousvery tasty. And the ice cream was incrediblethe brownie was warm and chewy. A very good meal.
I then headed over to MGM to see the Osbourne lights. I was a bit disappointed by the lights this year. They were so much better when they were on residential street, and more spread out. Im not sure if MGM is the right place to house this collection anymore.
I then rode on the Rock N Roller Coaster and the Tower of Terror. I walked right onto both rides.
Then, I headed out of MGM, and made my way toyou guessed itJellyrolls. I was going to see my beloved Scotty and Ray play tonight. I took my regular bar stool in the back and enjoyed the show. KathyTX, KristaTX, and WebmasterAlex showed up, so we moved to a table up front. KathyTX was having a blast watching Rayshe loved it when he did Baby Got Back. I put a bunch off requests on Rays piano so that Kathy, Krista, and Alex could see my guys do a bunch of songs I think they do a great job on. Ray was went through my stack like he was counting money, which was pretty funny.
Kathy, Krista, and Alex left around midnight, but I hung around and closed the bar down, as usual.
I woke up at 7:00 to get ready for the Backstage Magic tour. I ate a quick breakfast and walked to the International Gateway. The cast member at the gate didnt want to let me in, but I explained to her that I had to get to Guest Relations for the tour, and there was no transportation to the front of the park from the Swan. After a few minutes, she let me in, and I was on my way.
Its very surreal walking through Epcot before it opens. They only people around were cast members taking out the garbage, pruning the plants, and sprucing up the park. Its really cool to walk through the park and just enjoy the peaceful beauty. I took my time walking, and enjoyed looking out at the World Showcase. I took a couple of pictures of Spaceship Earth without other people in them, which was pretty cool.
When I arrived at Guest Relations, I signed in for my Backstage Magic Tour. There were 20 of us on the tour. There were several other woman who were by themselves, so we enjoyed gabbing during the tour.
The tour was fantastic. Worth every penny I spent on it. Im not going to go into great detail about what I learned on the tour. If you dont want to know about the tour, you may want to skip ahead about 10 paragraphsIm not going to reveal everything I learned, but I am going to talk about some of the cooler things I saw.
The first stop on the tour was the American Adventure. We got to go inside where they change the scenes and got to see the audio animatronic figures moving up and down and around on the scene changer. The film was running while we were in there, and we got to see it from behind the screen. It was very cool watching the way the scenes moved as the show progressed.
We then took our motor coach to the cast member building backstage near Test Track. While there, we got to see Pride Hall (which features artwork by cast members from each attraction and department at Epcot), and costuming. We also learned about the Partners in Excellence award which is giving to some exceptional cast members each yearit was fun recognizing some of the cast members who one the award this year.
Our next stop was the Disney Florist, where we were able to see some of the baskets available for order online were made. We learned a bit about how they store their flowers as well.
It was then off to MGM, where we spent a good chunk of time in the costume department. We learned about the process of making costumes from start to finish, and got to see the machines used to make the costumes. It was neat being in there when the Backlot Tour trams went throughwe were warned not to wave to them because we would have to wave to all of the folks on the tram, but most of us waved anyways.
It was then time for lunch. Lunch was served family style at Mama Melroses. There was fresh bread at the table when we sat down. We were served salad, three kinds of pizza (cheese, pepperoni, and chicken), three main courses (a chicken and pasta in cream sauce, chicken breshetta, and seafood fra diavlo), and a dessert sampler plate (tiramisu, cheesecake, gelato, and volcano cake). The food was pretty good, but nothing really fantastic. I didnt like that it was served family styleit was weird sharing the dessert plate, bread, and pizza with strangers.
After lunch, it was back on the bus, and went over to the warehouse where they store the holiday decorations. Considering how many holiday decorations were out in the parks and resorts, it was amazing to see how many were left behind! It was neat seeing all of the Christmas ornaments they have in stock for the treesthere were dozens of boxes of each kind of bulb. We also got to see some of the special themed ornaments on different trees, and feel how heavy they were.
We then went to a warehouse where they store a lot of props that they may be able to use again someday. It was fun trying to guess where the different props came from, and the excitement when one of us recognized something.
We then went to central shops, where the rides are built and painted. We saw different ride vehicles being refurbished, and painted. We got an upclose look at a stripped and primed carousel horse that was being painted. We also saw small world dolls without clothes or hairvery scary.
We also learned about audio animatronics, and got to see a figure that had parts half old audio animatronics, and half new audio animatronics. I was chosen to help with the demonstration of the difference between the two, and I got to press the buttons to make the figures move, which was pretty cool. It was fun seeing audio animatronics without skin.
We then headed to the Magic Kingdom. We went down in the Utilidors for a bit, and resurfaced on Main Street. We sat on Main Street and watched the Share A Dream Come True parade.
After the parade, we went back to the bus and went back to Epcot. We were given pins to commemorate the tour.
I walked into Epcot, and headed towards the International Gateway. I went to the Swan and freshened up, and headed to Beaches & Cream for dinner. I used a quick and casual lunch voucher. I had a ceasar salad with chicken, a side of fries, and a brownie ala mode for dessert. The ceasar salad was deliciousvery tasty. And the ice cream was incrediblethe brownie was warm and chewy. A very good meal.
I then headed over to MGM to see the Osbourne lights. I was a bit disappointed by the lights this year. They were so much better when they were on residential street, and more spread out. Im not sure if MGM is the right place to house this collection anymore.
I then rode on the Rock N Roller Coaster and the Tower of Terror. I walked right onto both rides.
Then, I headed out of MGM, and made my way toyou guessed itJellyrolls. I was going to see my beloved Scotty and Ray play tonight. I took my regular bar stool in the back and enjoyed the show. KathyTX, KristaTX, and WebmasterAlex showed up, so we moved to a table up front. KathyTX was having a blast watching Rayshe loved it when he did Baby Got Back. I put a bunch off requests on Rays piano so that Kathy, Krista, and Alex could see my guys do a bunch of songs I think they do a great job on. Ray was went through my stack like he was counting money, which was pretty funny.
Kathy, Krista, and Alex left around midnight, but I hung around and closed the bar down, as usual.
