QuickGold
Studios Superman
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2002
- Messages
- 3,187
Missing what happened before? Want to know more? Bored? First of all, shame on you for not following on my every word and reading every single one of my posts! Check out the previous logs of this TR:
Day 4 - Day off
Day 3 - MGM
Day 2 - Magic Kingdom
Day 1 - Arrival
Pre-Trip Details
Da Crew:
Me, 20 year old college student attending Pace University in New York City, but originally from Connecticut. I'm a Disney Nut(or as my parents call me, Disney Nazi).
Allon "Spock" Moore: Fraternity Brother who is coming with me down there. It took some doing, but I got him to go.
"Money Talks": Our new cab driver who says alot of things to us, most of which none of us understand.
Pardon me if this post isnt my best, Im writing it on 5 hours sleep and a fraternity party last night
We got up at about 8 as Epcot did not open until 10 today. My goal today was not to carry my backpack with me because it just broke my back by midday. I just wanted to bring my camcorder and my Bob Sehlinger book. However, Spock would not agree to carry the book in his bag, so I brought the old ball and chain with me anyway. We went down to the restaurant in our hotel for the all-you-can-eat breakfeast buffet. Mmmmmmm....nothing says good morning like being half-asleep and eating eggs.
At around 9 I went outside to look for "Money Talks" but after waiting 10 minutes, he was still a no show. I called his cell phone(Or as he likes to call it, his "Business phone") and he told me he had an earlier group to drive and would be at our hotel at 9:30 and would drop us right "in front of the big big ball". Now, ordinairily, I would have taken a different cab, but considering we got a good rate, an extra 15 minutes wouldn't be terrible. 9:30 came............and went and we were still at our hotel. I spent the time trying to coax a chameleon to come out into the open. He just scurried away.
Finally, at 9:45ish, "Money Talks" shows up. We get in and he apologizes for being late and all. I tell him its no problem because most likely the park isn't even open yet. True enough, they had everyone behind a rope just in back of the golfball. We got to the rope at about 9:55 and sure enough, at 10am exactly they dropped the rope. And of course, of the 3 billion people there waiting with us, 99% were heading for Test Track. Once again, Disney dropped the ball with anticipating crowds.
We got in standby line for Test Track while Spock got fast passes for later. We waited for probably 15-20 minutes and got in. I've rode on TT before, but is it my imagination, or did the ABS test portion used to go ABS brakes on, then ABS brakes off? I seem to recall it going that way because after the ABS on, I used to mention how my car had no ABS and that thank god we're not using disc brakes to test. Oh well, Hakuna Matata! Spock liked TT, especially the speed loop. It is true what they say though, if you stick your head out the window of your own car on the highway, you can get the same experience
Probably the great thing about the loop is the G-forces you feel while you pass the entrance. Very snazzy! We walked through the GM infomercial, although I did video tape the portion regarding the Chevy Avalanche because my dad just got it a few months ago and is in love with it. I asked a CM in the store if there was anything in the store related to the Avalanche and she told me they had a mini-model of it. I bought it for him(with his credit card 
) and I think he'll enjoy it. Once on the outside, there were GM people there taking a survey on the ride because "General Motors wants to revamp the ride". Is it that old allready?
Our next stop was Body Wars. Spock liked Star Tours in MGM, but didnt find BW all that great. I tried telling him its in essence, the same ride and liking one and not the other was kind of odd. Then again, he is an odd guy so who knows.
We then went to Honey I shrunk the Audience. Spock began complaining to me the second the 3 hour Kodak infomercial came on but I assured him it would all be worth it. As soon as the part with the mice came, he was sold like a 5 year old in Mickey's Toontown
After that, we bought perhaps the most expensive beer in the United States. $4.50 for a Budweiser from one of the carts. And by the way, WDW is so easy on carding its not even funny. Most of the time, they just asked us if we had I.D. and did not ask to see it. Im not complaining, but before I left, I was under the impression that Florida was anal retentive when it came to alcohol and minors. Anywho, while buying the beer, I ran into someone from my fraternity who was like 40. It's still fun to run into those people.
Ellen's Universe of Energy didn't move Spock all that much but he didnt complain because he got a chance to sit down for a while. After the ride, we went on Spaceship Earth, otherwise known as the Snooze Ship. It could be more relaxing than Tomorrowland Transit Authority's ride. The only thing we noticed and couldn't figure out is the smell in one of the areas on the ride that is like barbeque sauce. I think its from the mist machine, but its strong. Anywho, we rode and slept and woke up finally.
I skipped Living Seas because with the ride portion closed, just going to the exhibit wasn't to me worth it. Instead, we went to Innoventions. Now, as a Disney Nazi, Innoventions is a MAJOR diversion. It's like the first rule you learn in Disney Nazi 101. However, I decided to do it anyway and Spock loved it. We played the IBM Networking race game. I was "Sleepless in Epcot" and Spock was "Bud Man from New Yawk". Somehow, I got 2nd place despite my recollection of hitting the walls every other second. Spock got 10th after boasting throughout the game how he "owned it". After we went to the free video game section, kicked out some little kids(Just kidding ) and played some ice hockey and basketball. A good change of pace.
We left Innoventions and I told Spock we would go on one more ride before lunch and that was Cranium Command. Is there an award for Best underappreciated attraction? Because Cranium Command deserves it, hands down. Its almost hidden from the public and I've never been in a full show. And it doesn not dissapoint! It's great jokes, especially the heart(Hans and Franze, ala SNL) when they say "Hey, whats going on up there?" "Yea, we just skipped up a beat!" and my all time favorite, "Hey, if you were 40 years older little girly man, we'd be attacking you now!" Even the cartoons are funny, especially the General or whoever he is. Reminds me alot of a PG version of the drill seargent from Full Metal Jacket.
I wanted to eat lunch in World Showcase so we went from the "right side" to the "left". We walked through Canada, England, France and got to Morocco. I wanted to eat there after seeing good reviews in the Sehlingers book. Sure enough, the Schwarma was great! We ate outside under a tree and were entertained by the belly dancer band. Fun stuff!
We continued on our way and stopped at the glass kiosk in Germany. We looked around and saw the mother of all beer steins! It had a 34oz capacity and a sweet looking German eagle on the side. We decided to get it and engrave both our names and our fraternity letters on it. It was fun watching them carve it(even though the glass carver wasn't German). The ladies there were very nice and I tried to impress them with my 4 words of German I know, all from video games(Spiekin ze Deutche? Ya. Nien. Yavult. Schnell! Achtung! Luftewaffe )
After lunch we continued walking in the World Showcase. I wanted to see American Experience but Spock didn't. He claimed alot of it can be seen in almost any subway station in New York and to a degree, he's right. We rode Maelstrom on Norway, the entire way through mimicking the Norwegian accent which is a mix between a Canadian and German accent. Great stuff.
We got to the Mexico pavillion around 4 and needed Margaritas in a bad way. We went to the outdoor cafe that overlooked the lake and ordered a grande margarita. Word of caution, if you arent big on alcohol, stay away from the grande margaritas! After finally drinking them, all I could say was "No mas.....no mas grande margaritas!"
We checked the schedule for the free bus back to our hotel and saw we needed to burn about an hour or so. I recommended riding TT. Sure enough, we waited a good part of that hour in the standby line, with no thanks to the constant breakdowns. I guess maybe why GM wants to revamp the ride is all the breakdowns are making the cars look bad. A little thing I never noticed was on the LCD screen in the car, it says before you start which of GM's brands "ordered" the test. Very insignifigant, but I thought it was cool.
We headed out of Epcot, bidding adue to Disney World and I wondered how quickly I'd be back. We got on the empty bus and got back to the hotel. Once back and relaxed, I challenged Spock to a game of air hockey to once and for all settle the score. He beat me the first 2 times, but I beat him on the 3rd and last game and claimed victory because we'd be leaving our vacation on my victory! Once again, we invested in chicken fingers in our hotel and retired for the evening.
Things I've Learned:
1). Epcot isn't that big - We really rolled right through Epcot. True, we did skip a few rides like Living Seas, The Land pavillion, Food Rocks and the show on Sex to name a few.
2). World Showcase is great - I remeber as a kid hating World Showcase because I found it so boring. Now, I can really appreciate its grandeur. Next time Im going to spend alot more time there.
My next(and final ) TR will be tomorrow and will sum up the rest of our trip and my conclusions about it.
Day 4 - Day off
Day 3 - MGM
Day 2 - Magic Kingdom
Day 1 - Arrival
Pre-Trip Details
Da Crew:
Me, 20 year old college student attending Pace University in New York City, but originally from Connecticut. I'm a Disney Nut(or as my parents call me, Disney Nazi).
Allon "Spock" Moore: Fraternity Brother who is coming with me down there. It took some doing, but I got him to go.
"Money Talks": Our new cab driver who says alot of things to us, most of which none of us understand.
Pardon me if this post isnt my best, Im writing it on 5 hours sleep and a fraternity party last night
We got up at about 8 as Epcot did not open until 10 today. My goal today was not to carry my backpack with me because it just broke my back by midday. I just wanted to bring my camcorder and my Bob Sehlinger book. However, Spock would not agree to carry the book in his bag, so I brought the old ball and chain with me anyway. We went down to the restaurant in our hotel for the all-you-can-eat breakfeast buffet. Mmmmmmm....nothing says good morning like being half-asleep and eating eggs.
At around 9 I went outside to look for "Money Talks" but after waiting 10 minutes, he was still a no show. I called his cell phone(Or as he likes to call it, his "Business phone") and he told me he had an earlier group to drive and would be at our hotel at 9:30 and would drop us right "in front of the big big ball". Now, ordinairily, I would have taken a different cab, but considering we got a good rate, an extra 15 minutes wouldn't be terrible. 9:30 came............and went and we were still at our hotel. I spent the time trying to coax a chameleon to come out into the open. He just scurried away.
Finally, at 9:45ish, "Money Talks" shows up. We get in and he apologizes for being late and all. I tell him its no problem because most likely the park isn't even open yet. True enough, they had everyone behind a rope just in back of the golfball. We got to the rope at about 9:55 and sure enough, at 10am exactly they dropped the rope. And of course, of the 3 billion people there waiting with us, 99% were heading for Test Track. Once again, Disney dropped the ball with anticipating crowds.
We got in standby line for Test Track while Spock got fast passes for later. We waited for probably 15-20 minutes and got in. I've rode on TT before, but is it my imagination, or did the ABS test portion used to go ABS brakes on, then ABS brakes off? I seem to recall it going that way because after the ABS on, I used to mention how my car had no ABS and that thank god we're not using disc brakes to test. Oh well, Hakuna Matata! Spock liked TT, especially the speed loop. It is true what they say though, if you stick your head out the window of your own car on the highway, you can get the same experience
Probably the great thing about the loop is the G-forces you feel while you pass the entrance. Very snazzy! We walked through the GM infomercial, although I did video tape the portion regarding the Chevy Avalanche because my dad just got it a few months ago and is in love with it. I asked a CM in the store if there was anything in the store related to the Avalanche and she told me they had a mini-model of it. I bought it for him(with his credit card ) and I think he'll enjoy it. Once on the outside, there were GM people there taking a survey on the ride because "General Motors wants to revamp the ride". Is it that old allready? Our next stop was Body Wars. Spock liked Star Tours in MGM, but didnt find BW all that great. I tried telling him its in essence, the same ride and liking one and not the other was kind of odd. Then again, he is an odd guy so who knows.
We then went to Honey I shrunk the Audience. Spock began complaining to me the second the 3 hour Kodak infomercial came on but I assured him it would all be worth it. As soon as the part with the mice came, he was sold like a 5 year old in Mickey's Toontown
After that, we bought perhaps the most expensive beer in the United States. $4.50 for a Budweiser from one of the carts. And by the way, WDW is so easy on carding its not even funny. Most of the time, they just asked us if we had I.D. and did not ask to see it. Im not complaining, but before I left, I was under the impression that Florida was anal retentive when it came to alcohol and minors. Anywho, while buying the beer, I ran into someone from my fraternity who was like 40. It's still fun to run into those people.Ellen's Universe of Energy didn't move Spock all that much but he didnt complain because he got a chance to sit down for a while. After the ride, we went on Spaceship Earth, otherwise known as the Snooze Ship. It could be more relaxing than Tomorrowland Transit Authority's ride. The only thing we noticed and couldn't figure out is the smell in one of the areas on the ride that is like barbeque sauce. I think its from the mist machine, but its strong. Anywho, we rode and slept and woke up finally.
I skipped Living Seas because with the ride portion closed, just going to the exhibit wasn't to me worth it. Instead, we went to Innoventions. Now, as a Disney Nazi, Innoventions is a MAJOR diversion. It's like the first rule you learn in Disney Nazi 101. However, I decided to do it anyway and Spock loved it. We played the IBM Networking race game. I was "Sleepless in Epcot" and Spock was "Bud Man from New Yawk". Somehow, I got 2nd place despite my recollection of hitting the walls every other second. Spock got 10th after boasting throughout the game how he "owned it". After we went to the free video game section, kicked out some little kids(Just kidding
) and played some ice hockey and basketball. A good change of pace.We left Innoventions and I told Spock we would go on one more ride before lunch and that was Cranium Command. Is there an award for Best underappreciated attraction? Because Cranium Command deserves it, hands down. Its almost hidden from the public and I've never been in a full show. And it doesn not dissapoint! It's great jokes, especially the heart(Hans and Franze, ala SNL) when they say "Hey, whats going on up there?" "Yea, we just skipped up a beat!" and my all time favorite, "Hey, if you were 40 years older little girly man, we'd be attacking you now!" Even the cartoons are funny, especially the General or whoever he is. Reminds me alot of a PG version of the drill seargent from Full Metal Jacket.
I wanted to eat lunch in World Showcase so we went from the "right side" to the "left". We walked through Canada, England, France and got to Morocco. I wanted to eat there after seeing good reviews in the Sehlingers book. Sure enough, the Schwarma was great! We ate outside under a tree and were entertained by the belly dancer band. Fun stuff!
We continued on our way and stopped at the glass kiosk in Germany. We looked around and saw the mother of all beer steins! It had a 34oz capacity and a sweet looking German eagle on the side. We decided to get it and engrave both our names and our fraternity letters on it. It was fun watching them carve it(even though the glass carver wasn't German). The ladies there were very nice and I tried to impress them with my 4 words of German I know, all from video games(Spiekin ze Deutche? Ya. Nien. Yavult. Schnell! Achtung! Luftewaffe
)After lunch we continued walking in the World Showcase. I wanted to see American Experience but Spock didn't. He claimed alot of it can be seen in almost any subway station in New York and to a degree, he's right. We rode Maelstrom on Norway, the entire way through mimicking the Norwegian accent which is a mix between a Canadian and German accent.
Great stuff.We got to the Mexico pavillion around 4 and needed Margaritas in a bad way. We went to the outdoor cafe that overlooked the lake and ordered a grande margarita. Word of caution, if you arent big on alcohol, stay away from the grande margaritas! After finally drinking them, all I could say was "No mas.....no mas grande margaritas!"
We checked the schedule for the free bus back to our hotel and saw we needed to burn about an hour or so. I recommended riding TT. Sure enough, we waited a good part of that hour in the standby line, with no thanks to the constant breakdowns. I guess maybe why GM wants to revamp the ride is all the breakdowns are making the cars look bad. A little thing I never noticed was on the LCD screen in the car, it says before you start which of GM's brands "ordered" the test. Very insignifigant, but I thought it was cool.
We headed out of Epcot, bidding adue to Disney World and I wondered how quickly I'd be back.
We got on the empty bus and got back to the hotel. Once back and relaxed, I challenged Spock to a game of air hockey to once and for all settle the score. He beat me the first 2 times, but I beat him on the 3rd and last game and claimed victory because we'd be leaving our vacation on my victory! Once again, we invested in chicken fingers in our hotel and retired for the evening.Things I've Learned:
1). Epcot isn't that big - We really rolled right through Epcot. True, we did skip a few rides like Living Seas, The Land pavillion, Food Rocks and the show on Sex to name a few.
2). World Showcase is great - I remeber as a kid hating World Showcase because I found it so boring. Now, I can really appreciate its grandeur. Next time Im going to spend alot more time there.
My next(and final
) TR will be tomorrow and will sum up the rest of our trip and my conclusions about it.
