USRoadTripper

Sorry for the double post and the huge first picture! I was having issues getting connected, and now don't have the option to edit the above post and make the first pic smaller! Sorry! -Julie

I had an incredible year, with both coaster and non-coaster things. I had a lot of fun meeting new people this year, as well as visiting some very well known parks, and finally getting to try out some very well known rides (Matterhorn, anyone?) With no big international trip on the agenda for next year, it should be another awesome coastering year. By the way...awesome thread, Erik. Kudos. -Julie Finally, Decembered rolled around, and I headed back to Orlando for the annual RADP meet (which has pretty much become a family reunion of sorts!) The RADP trip is always a highlight of my year, and this year was no exception. It was time for the annual Tennessee State Fair in mid-September, where my second place showing in photography was way more interesting than the Dragon Wagon or Wacky Worm credits I got! Early September found Kevin and I in southern California, where we met up with Mike, Jahan, Guy and Alana for the first time, and where the rides ranged from spectacular to horrible! Oh yeah, there was potato cheese soup involved too. In August, my cousin and I credit whored our way through Alabama, where I almost got ejected from a kiddie coaster, and where I found the hidden gem in my woodie count (Rampage). I headed off to Carowinds for my birthday in July, successfully getting every credit in the park, including the Hey Arnold Taxi Chase. Don and Monica were in the area in late May, so I headed up to Holiday World and Beech Bend with them. We all agreed that Voyage was awesome. Oopsie, forgot to mention that I rode Goliath on the fourth day that it was open to the public. In May, Kevin and I travelled to Spain for an extended trip, which was hands down the best trip I've ever taken! We visited Parque de Atracciones, Isla Magica and PortAventure. Next came the Kentucky Rumbler media day, which was really fun, and something I'd never done before. My season started off in Orlando with the TPR meet in March. The trip was way too short (only 2 1/2 days for me) but I still had a real blast meeting everyone, and riding Everest!

I didn't notice the trash cans at Cedar Point, but I did notice them in the entry plaza at Knotts. They were very bright red, and there were way too many of them in such a small area that serves so little food. But it didn't cause me to like the park less. Personally I'd rather have too many trash cans and always have a place for people to put their trash, as opposed to not enough trash cans and people throwing trash everywhere! -Julie

We all wondered if the opposite might have been true. With the addition of the less intense training, the four of us that rode all thought that the more intense training had been bumped up a bit. The Gs seemed sustained for longer than any of us remembered. I never heard that they were making the intense side *more* intense than it had been, but it certainly felt that way to us. -Julie

^ My friends Jen and Jeff wrote that book!! -Julie (feeling random)

Don't Just Sit There was definitely one of my favorites! I had the biggest crush on Matt Brown (who later went on to host a quiz show on Animal Planet hahaha) Hey Dude was also one of my all time favorites. I also loved the gameshow where there were clues hidden all over a house and you had to ransack each room to find the clue before running to the next room and ransacking it. I wanted to be on that show SO BAD! I love to watch Nickelodeon GAS whenever I visit someone who's cable provider carries it. I also remember when they opened the Nick Studios at Universal Orlando...man that was a BIG DEAL back in the day. I got so excited the first time I saw the slime geyser erupt in person!! hahaha I don't watch too much Nickelodeon now, though Drake and Josh has become a vice of mine...but maybe that's a post for the confession thread! -Julie

History classes were always my least favorite, in general. At the end of my last semester in college, my history teacher asked us what we thought about his class. My response was "I would rather sit in boiling oil for three hours a week than sit through another history class." The worst ever though was Intro to Hispanic Literature. Take the whole analytical "find meaning where there really is no meaning" part of regular English classes that I hated...then try doing that when everything is written in Spanish! It was nearly impossible to pass. Hands down the most horrible class ever. -Julie

I agree that Philharmagic is an awesome show! It's by far my favorite of the 3D movies I've seen. It really uses the way your eyes focus to make the movie crystal clear. So impressive. Awesome TR so far...can't wait for more! -Julie

Oh Pete, I am so, so sorry to hear about your loss A couple at my church lost a baby about 8 or 9 years ago just after birth, and eventhough they have since had three more kids, the little one they lost will always be a part of the family. They have a beautiful memorial to her on their wall so their other kids know about their big sister. Once agan, my deepest sympathies go out to your and your wife. -Julie

I was in the Wonders of Life three times this past week, and I agree and disagree with a lot being said in this thread. I really didn't find most of it to look as bad as this TR made it out to be. You can pretty much make anything look bad if you only take pictures of the bad stuff! Yes, there were lots of things closed, and yes there were lots of things that didn't look up to Disney quality standards. But there were still plenty of things that were more than presentable in my opinion. I didn't see any problem with Cranium Command and Making of Me (aside from the fact that they are both old, with grainy films, but those problems were there long before the recent closures). Body Wars did seem to be rougher on this trip than in the past, but still gave a good ride for an old ride with grainy film And aside from a couple of stray lightbulbs out in some signage, the Sensory playhouse seemed to be completely working. On the other hand...I really don't think the pavilion as a whole is up to Disney quality standards anymore. Eventhough the three main attractions were up and running just fine, they look very dated, use very unimpressive technology, and generally don't look quite right next to the other cutting edge rides in the park. Plus, having so many things closed for one reason or another is just very bad show. Pure and Simple, the merchandise outlet, the Wondercycles, Coaches Corner, Frontiers, the MET computers, the Anacomical Players theater...it's all just sitting there closed up or not working. It just looks bad in my opinion. A few CM friends of mine still work there, and they all seemed to believe that this is the last time the pavilion will be open, though no one had heard anything official. I had a wonderful time working there, and a wonderful time saying my goodbyes. But I'm not too sad to see this pavilion go because I'm very excited about what Disney can do with that space in the future. -Julie

It's really sad to see my pavilion in this shape I remember working at Body Wars on July 4th of 2000, and we had an hour wait! I'm actually really surprised to see the pavilion open in this shape also...it's very bad show in my opinion to have so many things boarded up and inoperative in a supposedly open pavilion. I also tend to agree with Beemer Boy that it looks like they are showing us what a pavilion that needs to be renovated looks like. In '99, after Horizons had been closed for quite a while, they opened it back up for a few months. The ride was in shambles...one of the IMAX screens wasn't working, the audio was so crackly that you couldn't understand it, and half the show scenes were practically falling apart. And when I left, I thought "Wow...I'd rather see the ride torn down and replaced with something awesome than to have it operating like this." Looks like I'm gonna feel that way about Wonders when I'm there next week. I'd much rather have a cutting edge new pavilion than to have the shell of a once-great pavilion. I'll miss it, but I think it's time has come. -Julie

Here are mine Ahh, so that's why I love fruit! Not TPR friendly curry!

I used to take raw ramen noodles to school for lunch. I would break them into bite sized pieces then dip each piece into the seasoning packet as I ate it. I even got one of my friends (a Russian exchange student) into eating it since she said she'd never seen anything like ramen at home hahaha My choice of flavors back then was chicken, but in my old age I have grown to prefer the ginger laced oriental seasoned ones. -Julie

^ I believe that it works differently for every school. For me, I got no school credit for it since it's not traditional college classes (oh yeah, and because my school sucked). But I had a friend upstairs from me that went to UT and got 18 hours of business credit for the exact same program. The classes that they teach aren't the same kind of stuff you'd find in a regular college...they are (or were at the time that I did it) more about the way Disney operates. *digs out WDWCP learning program folder* The classes I took were performance excellence leadership competencies, cast excellence, guest satisfaction, business results, and career strategies. My classes were held every other Wednesday around lunchtime. I remember there being some info before I got there about taking distance learning classes from some school, but I didn't pay it any attention, and didn't know anyone who signed up for those classes either. In my opinion, taking the time away from your living/learning/earning experience to do some online homework just is not worth the extra 3 credits you'd be getting. Enjoy the free admission to WDW while you can By the way, my program was 4 months long, but I believe that they are longer than that now...like 6 or 7 months long. If you attend a WDWCP presentation at a school, which I highly recommend over just applying online, they will tell you specifically what time frame you would be working there. -Julie

Awesome. If only I was in Florida, I'd go ride myself. If anyone gets a chance to ride me, tell me how I am. By the way, this whole thread has really made me want to seriously look into doing a cruise. I never knew there was such interesting stuff to do in the ports...I thought it was all just shopping and beaches and stuff like that. Glad to know that there is more to do than just eat! haha -Julie

Good photochops never die -Julie

Dude, I was just thinking about that tonight when I watched Rachel Ray drink a drink with pine nuts floating in it. Orbitz was da bomb. It was like food and drink at the same time! -Julie

I've gone to WDW in early/mid December for the last 8 years, and the weather is generally cool in the mornings and evenings, and warmer during the day. Like, you start out wearing a jacket, have it hanging around your waist most of the day, then put it back on again after the sun sets. Of course, one year that I went (2 or 3 years ago) it was freezing cold the whole time! I don't think I've ever been when I'd describe it as shorts weather though! As for how to plan your day...that's a very complex question! Best bet is to buy an unofficial guidebook (The Unofficial Guide and PassPorter's Guide to WDW are good ones) and start reading. http://www.allearsnet.com is also a great source of WDW info. -Julie

I did it in the spring of 2000 (during my junior year) and I believe that it was the best decision I ever made with my education. Not only did I have an absolute blast, I learned so much that has helped me in every job I have had since. My thought is that college will always be there, and you can always finish up later. But who knows where your life might lead you in a year or two, and the College Program might not be a feasable option later. I wholeheartedly recommend the program to anyone who wants to do it! You can check out my WDWCP scrapbook on my website at http://www.fyabulous.com/scrapbook -Julie

Aww...too bad to see your TR come to an end! It's been really fun to read! There really is something to be said about going it alone in the Disney parks. I've had very little "alone" time at DL and DCA, but have had tons of it in the Florida parks! It's very nice to just wander around and take in all the little things that you'd miss in a group. You also don't have to worry about someone else getting bored if you want to stand and watch a rapids ride for three hours (I've done that ) Love you too. -Julie

On my mom's side of the family, we always have pizza for Christmas Eve dinner. It started back when all the grandkids were little, and we were all "PRESENTS PRESENT PRESENTS!!!!" as soon as we got done eating. Since we never wanted to wait for the dishes to be cleaned after dinner, one year my grandparents decided to just order pizza and get styrofoam plates and cups, that way everything could just go straight into the trash when we were done. Everyone loved it, so we've done it every year since. We also always have Gooey Cake for dessert (make a German chocolate cake, poke holes in it with your fingers, then fill the holes with caramel sauce, cover the whole thing with whipped cream and crushed Heath bars, and chill). I never realized how strange others think it is to have pizza on Christmas until recently. -Julie

I've been on a Saturday in June and a Wednesday in May, and there were no crowds either day. Beech Bend has lots and lots of flat rides, so their capacity is probably way higher than the park sees most days. Barring any type of organized event (school field trip day, huge corporate meeting) I'd think a Friday should be no problem crowd-wise. -Julie

So I actually did really well again this year! We got to CompUSA at 4:45am, and only had 15 people waiting to get in in front of us. There probably weren't 40 people waiting to get in, so the lines were non-existant! I got my FM transmitter for $30, and mom got a portable DVD player for $50. In and out in 12 minutes. Then we made the almost half hour drive to the nearest Circuit City (the CompUSA is in a pretty small mall). By 5:45, the place was a mad house! People everywhere, with lines going everywhere! We scanned the store for more 1G cards, and found what seemed to be the very last tiny display of them, so we each grabbed 6. I then grabbed a spot in line while mom went around the rest of the store collecting up anything that was a good deal and semi-useful. All told, I got... 6 1Gig SD cards 6 mini DV tapes A pair of digital headphones A Samsonite camera bag A media card reader A 50 pack of DVRs ...all for a grand total after rebates of $19 I can't say it's fun to go shopping on Black Friday (especially when dealing with selfish people who insist on finding ways around the per person limits on items) but the deals just can't be beat. -Julie

Happy birthday again Mikeybuns! -Julie

^ I really wasn't too impressed with the deals this year either. Too many were only good deals if you signed 2 year cell phone contracts! I'm headed off to my mom's house in about an hour, and we're gonna hit CompUSA at 5:00am for a portable DVD player and an ipod FM transmitter, then run for Circuit City ($3 after rebate 1Gig SD cards) and Best Buy ($99 DS Lite...for my grandma!). -Julie