the Legend
Master of Attractions and TourGuide Hopeful!
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2001
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The Legend returns: Day 2 - Finding our feet and the Magic Kingdom!The Cast of Aladdin!
Rob aka the Legend as the Evil Jafar - Thats me. 36 year old Systems Analyst playing the misunderstood Guide, Protector, Financier and Big Brother.
Lance as Aladdin - My 30 year old Brother in his role as the princely Rouge without a care in the World. This is his first time to WDW. Summary for Saturday 21 September.- Rest in - Recover from the Flight and adjust to local time.
- Wilderness Lodge Orientation - Getting to know the Wilderness Lodge
- DD - Pickup La Nouba tickets, exchange AP voucher and get Lances ticket
- Magic Kingdom - 6pm Liberty Tree, 8pm SpectroMagic, 9pm Fantasy in the Sky Fireworks.
The Low-down on our Wilderness Lodge Concierge Room!One of the most common questions I have been asked since our return is 'How were the rooms and what was Concierge like?' in fact I've heard it so many times I feel like paraphrasing Eddie Murphy on occasion 'How was the Room?' ... 'Well, The Room was sick!' ... 'It was throwing up furniture everywhere!'. In order to satisfy your curiosity, I've included a few paragraphs.
Location/View: Our Room, 7054, was on the 7th floor on the north side of the North Wing midway between the Lobby and the Pool. From the balcony, one can see clearly across to both the Magic Kingdom and Contemporary. We were at such a height that the tree line did not obstruct our view in any way. This would be one of the rooms to beg for if you ever planned to watch Fantasy in the Sky Fireworks from the Wilderness Lodge. Besides the Magic Kingdom, our room directly overlooked the Wilderness Lodge Service area. In past threads, I had read complaints of Trucks beeping at all times of the day and night however we were never bothered by this and wrote it off as being a problem unique to rooms on the lower levels. If I had one complaint about our room, it was the view. I had initially paid for Courtyard view and upgraded to a Delivery area/Magic Kingdom view. Although it was not as appealing to the eyes as a Courtyard view would've been, I was glad to get the Sun shining in through the Sliding door and having Space Mountain greet me every morning.
Furniture/Amenities: Our room came with 2 Queen Size beds, the standard set of Disney resort furniture, an Iron and Ironing Board, a Fridge, a hair dryer and even some Wilderness Lodge Bath Robes should we feel the need to indulge.
For some reason, the beds had two mattresses on them so there was quite a significant height off the ground. Sitting on the bed my feet couldnt reach the ground and that was somewhat irritating but this was offset by an eye-level view of the TV (now how important is that!) and the wonderful sleep we enjoyed during our stay at Wilderness Lodge. The Bathroom area included two basins and a dual Bath/Shower with a powerful but soothing Massaging Shower head. Mousekeeping/Turndown: Despite our dastardly best to mess up the room, it was always restored to its immaculate best whenever we returned from the Parks. Same applied for the turndown service. Our mid-afternoon breaks often meant having a Shower then grabbing a quick nap before heading out for the evening. On our return, the room was always restored to its original best. There were no towel animals this trip
but Mousekeeping had more than earned the tips we left and it was a pleasure to have such service on a daily basis. Overall: The room is a Wilderness Lodge standard room with added extras and the security of your own private floor. The Turndown service supplements the excellent work done by Mousekeeping on a daily basis. We found the location convenient to the Lobby and the Pool, the Roaring Fork and the Wilderness Lodge Dock, which are all located via the eastern exit of the North wing. It was a very comfortable and relaxing room and we gladly recommend it.
Miguel, the little Concierge who could.Getting up at 10am on a Saturday morning meant it was time to test the Concierge staff with some tough PS's and see how they fared. Showered, changed and left Lance watching Cartoons while I stalked todays Concierge Staff member. His name was Miguel and he was a cool customer. Obviously a native of these parts. I stayed down wind so he wouldnt catch my scent. I didnt want to spook the little guy. I managed to sneak up behind a Couple waiting for the elevator. BAM! It was too late, I had him caught ... if you've ever seen the Wilderness Lodge Concierge desk just outside the elevators, you know he had nowhere to run. The Game was up!
Like a wild Horse caught in a Corral, it was time to see if I could break his spirit. With my printed itinerary in front of me, I decided to start with an easy PS ... 9/25 11:30am Le Cellier Steakhouse, EPCOT ... PS made with a mild canter and a look as if to say 'Is that all youve got?'. OK time to up the ante ... 9/26 8am Donalds Character Breakfast at Restaurantosaurus ... PS made with a snort as if to say 'Bring it!'. OK, you want to play hardball eh? Lets go! ... 9/25 5:45pm Fantasmic Dinner, Hollywood and Vine at the Studios ... He was getting restless. Started trotting in circles. He made a few phone calls. Beads of sweat were starting to pour from his brow. He started kicking dust in the air then just like that, it was done! A shake of his mane and wink said more than any words could. OK ... time for some hurt ... dont forget its Saturday (the busiest day at Magic Kingdom) ... lets try this, I want a PS for Liberty Tree one hour before tonights SpectroMagic Parade ... Did he hear me right? I said tonights SpectroMagic! During summer, this would have broken even the most hardened of Concierge but Miguel was up to the task. Tapping wildly at the Computer and talking to himself, I knew I had him. Another phone call and more tapping on the computer. He slowly raised his head with a grin
bigger than the Cheshire cat on Prozac and said 'We only have 6:00 and 6:45, which would you prefer?'.When something this Wild wants freedom that much, who am I to deny him? I left Miguel grazing in the fields of Concierge-dom knowing he had got the better of me that day. I went back to our room finding a whole new respect for Wilderness Lodge staff, the Concierge team and Miguel, the little Concierge who could.
Beaten by a Banana Boat!Once Lance was ready, we headed to Downtown Disney to get our tickets. First stop was Cirque de Soliel for our La Nouba tickets then a short walk to another ticket booth to exchange my AP voucher and get Lance his 5 day Park Hopper Plus. We spent some time looking through stores and picking up a few trinkets along the way. Had Lunch at Ghiradellis, one big Banana Split with some cookies on the side ($10.02). And even though we pride ourselves on our ability to eat, we could not put this monster away so we left.
It was hot for us, the weather channel kept on talking about cyclone this and hurricane that but it didnt seem to have any effect on the temperature during our stay. After a hard day at the Corral and a big Banana Split, there was only one thing left to do ... Sleep! We went back to the Wilderness Lodge and Lance went for a swim while I rested up. We had Liberty Tree, SpectroMagic and the Fireworks to go so I would appreciate the nap later on tonight. Magic Kingdom, Here we come?
Opting for the 6pm PS, we made our way to the Wilderness Lodge Dock and hopped on the boat to Magic Kingdom around 5:30, well I thought it was to the Magic Kingdom. When we pulled out of the Dock, we started heading away from the Magic Kingdom. What the heck? Seems we were going to Fort Wilderness to pick up and drop those people off. What? Luckily we had decided to leave early or we may not have made our PS. We did get to see some of Fort Wilderness and the closed [color=dark blue]River Country[/color] so there was some upside to this confusion. We also got some magnificent pictures of the Wilderness Lodge from the Lake so the extra distance was not without its merits.
Passing through security was a breeze with a fanny pack between the two of us. Breaking out the new Premium AP, I entered the Magic Kingdom grabbing a guide map and my Brother on the way through. Despite what you may have read about smaller crowds, don't be fooled. This was the Magic Kingdom, it was Saturday evening and it was crazy busy! We took the obligatory 'Main St with the Castle in the background' pictures and worked our way to Liberty Tree. Checked-in and had a short wait before we were seated.
Its always Thanksgiving at the Liberty Tree Tavern!
We were seated on the left side of the Liberty Tree on the first level near the middle of the room. Our table was next to a major intersection meaning we would get traffic passing us all night. Thats not too bad when you consider this is a Character Meal and the traffic could be Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy or Chip and Dale. Tonight, Justin would be serving us. He set the tone for a great nights Dining with his friendly welcome followed by a quick run down of the menu and how the characters worked the restaurant.
Looking around, I was checking out the 'big' tables under Justins jurisdiction. Being a non-drinking Party of Two, in some establishments you are easily 'passed over' service-wise in favour of the 'big' tables. Well, as things went, Justin had two big tables to wait, including one that seemed to have at least four generations on board, but the Man never let down for a minute. The treatment we received was equal to being the only table in the restaurant and I was duly impressed. We got the extra bread I requested (Love the Bread here!), had Seconds and were kept topped up the entire evening. I hope our appreciation showed in the tip. Well done, Justin!
Oh, Did I mention there were characters too! Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Chip and Dale in Colonial dress made the evening all that more magical. Especially for my staunch Brother, who let his guard down for some funny and candid shots. Using my tip and showing some love to Pluto, my brother got into one of the weirdest scissors-paper-rock games I have ever had the pleasure to witness. Pluto kept making up his own objects like dynamite or a paper shredder. It was a hoot! A good Meal with great service and some very special Character experiences ($55.00 including tip)
Decision time - Hold Ground or Ride?
It was just after 7pm, some families were already 'holding ground' for the SpectroMagic Parade. Holding Ground is that unique Disney experience of reserving prime pieces of path and pavement so you can get that special, unhindered view of the Parade. We faced a dilemma. I had us down as watching SpectroMagic thinking Lance wanted to see it. He thought I wanted to see it. Seems none of us wanted to see it! I had seen it last year and was holding out for the MSEP Parade at DCA. Dilemma solved. No Ground holding for us! We would ride!
Passing the Haunted Mansion, I noticed it was closed. Got talking to the HM CMs, who said they were having a rough day because of the closure. I dont know if its us but a lot of people felt like they could talk easy with us so we got to hear a lot of things you normally wouldn't hear like CM's telling me, a Guest, that they're having a bad day. I was saddened to hear that they have been abused, accused of ripping guests off etc. They did say the HM was opening tomorrow so that was good news for us ... and just like Miguel, we left there with some new found respect for CMs.
Well its 7:30, Fantasyland is busy but a lot of the queues are thin. Its a small World is a walk-on so we do that first then on to Snow Whites Scary Adventure which was also a walk-on. Pooh had a 5 minute wait so we jumped in line and got on well under 5 minutes. Only Dumbo and Peter Pans flight had lines of significance. Peter Pans Flight had a wait time of 45 minutes and the lines reflected this. I cant help but think that these people in line were all using the same Magic Kingdom plan, you know, Ride Attraction 'A' then 'B'. If you have time run over and ride Attraction 'C'. When you are done, go to the spot marked X, hold ground and watch the Parade. After the Parade, Face north and watch the Fireworks. Once complete, leave Magic Kingdom in an orderly manner. Obviously Peter Pans Flight was Attraction 'C' on everyones list!
There didn't seem to be any flexibility in what these people were doing and surely they can't be enjoying themselves!It was about this time that I started noticing all the kids.
Some were running on empty, some were asleep, others were being literally dragged by parents determined to get their $40+ dollars worth before leaving. It was a horrible sight and the terrible thing was, it only got worse! We got to see a lot of 'pushed' children through out our trip but there's no telling some people. Knowing we were doing Magic Kingdom tomorrow, we moved into Tomorrowland and walked on to Space Mountain twice. In the Tomorrowland arcade, they had a Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) machine. DDR is the dancing game where you match the arrows on the footpads with the arrows on the screen in time with the music. Its great fun and we both play it back home. The one in the Arcade is Disney-themed (Of course) and we play it a few times before going over to Buzz. Buzz has a 20 minute wait so we board the TTA to kill time. I didn't think the TTA was that long of a ride but by the time we got back to Buzz, it was a walk-on. We rode it twice and decided to head back to Fantasyland for one more attempt at Peter Pans Flight (while positioning for the Fireworks). Well Peter Pans would be a no-fly zone tonight, the line was still out to 45 minutes and the fireworks were starting shortly.
Knowing most people watch the fireworks from Main Street and the Hub, we took a seat by the Sword in the Stone, next to Cindys Carousel. We got to see Tinker fly followed by a great fireworks show over Fantasyland. What a fantastic conclusion to our first Park day! Feeling pretty happy with ourselves, we made our way to the Wilderness Lodge Dock.
A Boat! A Boat! My Kingdom for a Boat!When the Magic Kingdom let out, it did so with a vengeance. There were people everywhere! We made our way to the Wilderness Lodge Dock to be greeted by CMs with Loud Hailers informing the crowds that this was indeed the Wilderness Lodge/Fort Wilderness Dock and the people looking to get to the TTC should go yonder. Despite all the ruckus, TTC people, GF people and people who didn't know kept turning up at the Wilderness Lodge/Fort Wilderness Dock!
By the time, we hit the dock, the queue was already backed up to the Magic Kingdom forecourt. The temperature was in the high 80's and there were no signs of Boats anywhere! As it turned out, there were only two boats servicing the Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness that night, a regular 16 seater boat and a bigger 40 seat Launch. Each boat was taking 15-20 minutes to complete the round trip. So to cut a long story short, it would be an hour before we boarded. Tensions in the queue were high as we pulled away from the dock and it wouldn't have taken much for all hell to break lose.
The Boat ride back had a calming effect for all of those on-board. On the way back, we got to see the Electric Water Pageant up close and personal. I couldn't believe how high those Pageant screens were and how impressive the show was when it's only a stones throw away!
We visited Roaring Fork on the way back to the room grabbing a pizza, fruit plate and a couple bottles of juice ($13.04). We were glad to get back to the room and I was thankful for that nap I had earlier. Fell asleep watching ESPN. Unfortunately Baseball has that effect on me!
The Legend ratings for Saturday 21 September.
Our Concierge, Miguel. Our Wilderness Lodge Room, Walk-ons in both Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.
Justin and the Liberty Tree Tavern, Fantasy in the Sky Fireworks.
DDR at the Tomorrowland Arcade. Seeing the EWP upclose and personal. Kids been dragged around or pushed by ignorant Parents. 
Transportation to the Wilderness Lodge after the Magic Kingdom lets out.What next for our wait-weary Guests? Check it out in our instalment 'The Legend returns: Day 3 -American Idle or Too much time on our hands!'
! They are great ! THanks for sharing!
