Photo TR: That Monorail guy goes to WDW, version '08

[TheRapidsNerd]

Wow man, great stuff! Awww, I miss Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. My favorite part was the train tunnel. That was such a great gag. Well, at least Peter Pan is a reasonable alternative, since Disneyland's was enjoyable.

 

Stuart, great P 2 TTA PoV, BTW.

 

Aw crap! Scott look watcha started here with the bloody acronyms!

[Coaster Palooza]

 

 

I need that one!!!

 

It's a great report Scott. I wish you didn't have to suffer through the illness in Florida.

[cfc]

Mr. Toad at DL was always the best of the old Fantasyland dark rides, with Peter Pan a close second (but the line is always so-o-o-o-o lo-o-o-o-o-ng).

[Moose]

Great great update.

I am actually glad you forgot what order you did things in.

[coasterbadboy]

I didn't know it was possible to spray oatmeal until I read...

Shhh, Ripley and crew are still sleeping.

 

Not to mention that even with a flu/cold, he's STILL better looking and funnier than the rest of us. Stupid, sexy BeemerBoy.

 

Seriously awesome TR.

[VivaLaVibora]

When I saw that picture of you and Shannon in front of Star Flyer, I thought, "Poor, sick bastard." You looked like a refugee cast member from Halloween Horror Night. But you still took on Star Flyer, for which I commend you. (I thought the ride was fun, once I got over the teeny little chains that held the seats.)

 

When I saw that picture, I thought wifey's hot.

 

Great photos. I can't wait to see even more of them.

[BeemerBoy]

Scott - is that Webster riding BTMR with you and the wife?

Larry, yes and no. Yes, that is Webster, but no that's not BTMR. It's actually the Great Space Coaster, and you can't tell from the pic, but Punky Brewster, Mr. Belvedere, ALF, MacGyver, Alex P. Keaton, and I think at least one or two Fraggles are also onboard with us.

 

 

Thank you, all. There'll be more later this afternoon.

 

 

 

When I saw that picture, I thought wifey's hot.

[BeemerBoy]

Day Two, or as we called it....Friday. After tossing, turning, coughing, and generally not sleeping much at all overnight, I was still really happy about today's gameplan. First up would be Animal Kingdom. Shannon hadn't experienced Everest yet, so naturally the idea was to hit it up as the park opened.

 

It worked well, as we got a couple rides in within about an hour or so before heading out for the highlight of the day....Epcot!! I'll be honest though, AK is really growing on me. Just wandering around the park again and taking it all in, it's amazing how intricately themed this place is. It really is impressive how much went into building it, minus Dinoland, of course.

 

I'm still not convinced a one day ticket to this park is equal in value to what you receive at the other three parks, but it's getting there.

 

Anyway, let the Animal Kingdom portion of the report commence.

Bye Rainforest Cafe. Bye Pocahontas. Bye Animal Kingdom.

 

But up next, hellllooooo Epcot.

Okay, funny, yet somewhat disturbing story here. On the way out of the park, we see this guy quickly being escorted away from the bag check line. According to Gary, this guy was carrying a knife the size of Florida. "I was really expecting a 'Don't taze me, bro" moment. Alas, it didn't happen.

 

Still, what kind of idiot shows up to a theme park in head-to-toe fatigues with a freakin' machete? Really? You were thinking this is a good family-friendly look for you?

Gary claims this is GREAT pizza. I trust him. Anyone care to confirm this though?

Tortoise. Yep.

HOLY CRAP!! Rich, did you go and trademark this look without telling anyone?

Okay, I just noticed this. What is the dude in the black shirt doing? Was he asked to sit in on the jam session, or did he forget his costume today? Hmmm.

Pfft. All you people with your fancy "ooh look at me, I've got a great looking two train shot" pictures. It's takes a real pro to capture greatness like this.

These headstones were in place for the first time someone dies of a pre-exisiting heart condition on Everest ....and someone creates a thread deeming Disney careless and guilty of murder.

By the way, baby swap is terrific. I sat out the second ride so Shan, Gary and Ita could ride a second time. This is the view they got twice within about 10 minutes.

In fact, we both anoint thee, Everest queue line.......Best. Queue. Ever. Congrats! I know that means absolutely nothing to you.

I heart this queue line very much.

Shannon doesn't looked real thrilled in this picture. Trust me, she was stoked. Really.

This is Gary pushing Calina. It's also a great example of theming, as represented by the building pictured.

This would be a sign for Asia (not the group).

Still not "living." Great craftsmanship though.

One of these things is not like the other...

As Jahan mentioned, the sky was a brilliant shade of blue. For now, anyway.

[Swimace]

No Dinosaur?!?!?! haha

 

Awesome TR, it makes me miss living in Florida. I agree with you Animal Kingdom's high quality, but they just need more attractions to be able to fill up a day in the park. Dinoland just doesn't fit into the park at all, it's so tacky it just detracts from the rest of the Animal Kingdom experience.

[gmoney422]

Sup Bro! "America's Wang" had me laughin' and shakin' my head at the same time. Well done.

 

Also, I had no idea you were a pimp...!

 

Also, I don't think you can make a Universal reference to something in a Disney park, can you (i.e. flux capasiter)? Bad form.

 

G$

[Meteornotes]

No Dinosaur makes me sad...

 

dt

[RCTfan]

Ha, looks like you had a nice vacation. I was actually working at the Magic Kingdom that Thursday. I was Disney Dreams Come True Parade and Spectromagic.

 

Funny thing is, I totally saw you during Hoedown in Frontierland. I was doing some Parade Control for the show between the parades and saw you walk by and thought "He looks too familiar, I'm thinking TPR." Sure enough, I was correct. I would've walked over to say something, but I had to stay directing guests around the show.

 

Small world

[TheRapidsNerd]

Some of your photos are very striking. The Everest Que and Rainforest Cafe fountain are 2 of my faves. I dig the abstract Asia tiger sign too. Well done!

[cfc]

Still, what kind of idiot shows up to a theme park in head-to-toe fatigues with a freakin' machete? Really? You were thinking this is a good family-friendly look for you?

 

Perhaps he was planning to stalk and kill a lion with his bare hands.

[BeemerBoy]

^ Now that would've been worth the price of admission.

 

 

Yeah, sorry Dave. I struggled with the idea of leaving the park without visiting Dinosaur, but in the end, the lure of Epcot just *slightly* won out. Ever so slightly though. Dinosaur is the eighth wonder of the modern world after all.

 

Funny thing is, I totally saw you during Hoedown in Frontierland. I was doing some Parade Control for the show between the parades and saw you walk by and thought "He looks too familiar, I'm thinking TPR." Sure enough, I was correct. I would've walked over to say something, but I had to stay directing guests around the show.

Ah yes, when the characters had the crowd doing the hokey pokey, right? Yeah, that sucks that you were busy and couldn't grab our attention. I wouldn't have ever charged you for an autograph.

 

Also, I had no idea you were a pimp...!

Yep, and trust me, it ain't easy.

 

I reviewed the tape, and yes, you are correct. The "flux" reference was out of bounds. Point deduction.

 

 

 

Alright, we reached the part of the TR where Matt will need to reach for the tissues. With the Everest credit checked off for Shan, it was time to reluctantly leave without experiencing Dinosaur, and speed over to Epcot asap. The crowds were fairly large, but really not all that bad. Naturally we Fast Passed Soarin' when we arrived around noon and made plans to be back there around 6:30 when it was time to "fly."

 

Also, we stopped in at guest relations to try and make dinner reservations for Japan, knowing full well that it was a shot in the dark. I would've made reservations a month in advance, but I knew this trip would be played by ear, so I just took my chances instead. Of course, for dinner, everything was booked solid....for every restaurant in the park. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

 

Anyway, we grabbed some lunch at the Electric Umbrella and then wandered around Future World before heading back to awesomeville. Disney likes to call it World Showcase, but I'm sticking with Awesomeville. The Flower and Garden was going on, and is always very well done. The festivals at Epcot always add so much to the place.

 

After taking in the American Adventure show for the first time in about five years, and listening to the Voices of Liberty a couple times, we were getting pretty hungry. Japan was next up, so I decided to check in at Tokyo Dining just to see if anything had opened up. Thankfull, and to my surprise, there were openings, and we were seated right away!

 

This place was really cool. The money they dropped into it recently was well worth it. After researching allears.net for reviews, it seemed that the only cons about the place were hit or miss service, and a noisy atmosphere. As for the noise, I'll agree that the place doesn't lend itself to any type of romantic ambiance that you might hope for. However, with that said, it's a Disney restaurant in the middle of a theme park. One can't honestly expect a room full of families to sit down and not excitedly relive the days' festivities in silence.

 

And that's what I've always loved about Epcot dining. Personally, without being well traveled myself, you can still notice and appreciate the attention to detail, and the attempts at authenticity that each "country" delivers. All of that, and not once do you ever feel bad, or out of place by walking in "underdressed," and exhausted.

 

Our server was very nice (although a bit tough to understand), and very efficient. The food was terrific. I went with the salmon, and Shannon had the tempura shrimp. We both highly recommend the place.

 

Eh, enough yappin'. On to the pics.....

The Green Tea Mango slushie things here are really good.

These children took some time off from the Walmart sweatshop to perform some acrobatics.

China. There were no crazy hippie "free Tibet" protesters for me to harass today.

Awesomeville. Cedar Fair's cans strive to be like these one day.

Moments after this shot was taken, Shannon mauled the instructor, took off out the door, mad a mad dash to the car, and put it in the trunk.

 

Maybe.

Got this one, Rick?

The actor doing the show this time was hilarious. Really good stuff!

I'm bringing orange spray paint with me next time.

Sexy, isn't it?

Foreshadowing for Sea World?

Next up, Seabase Alpha.

"Ahhhh, okay, we can go home now."

*drool*

What is the object of my affection here, you ask?

I had this once.

Excruciating Polyester Costumes Of Torture.

Beyond these doors lies a small slice of heaven on earth.

Sure, she's smiling right now. The movie clip of her first tasting of it is somewhat different though.

Brought to you by the California board of tourism.

Sing it, Matt.

Time for lunch, which took freakin' forever to get. My only gripe of the day...it's a counter service restaurant. There's no reason to be waiting fifteen minutes to sit down and eat. We got our food real quick; however, the rest of our party waited an eternity.

Come here, baby. Give me a big hug.

Easy Matt. Easy now.

Truly a thing of beauty....even if slightly blurry.

[Sue]

Wow, a tortoise actually exists at Animal Kingdom? Every time we go there, that area is always empty. Was there just that one, or do they have more than one?

[BeemerBoy]

^ Good question. I only remember there being one; however, I may have missed another one. Sorry, I'm just not sure about that.

 

 

Before the last set of Epcot brilliance, I just wanted to comment on Illuminations. Admittedly, it's been about 10 years since I last saw the show. I always loved it, but was very rarely around at night to catch it. Well, I'm not real familiar with the gradual changes made over the years, but the fire barge at the beginning of it was just "odd."

 

Don't get me wrong, like most other red-blooded American males, I can appreciate a good pyro exhibition, but this just seemed pointless. I can't tell you how many people standing around us commented that they "thought the barge blew up and something went wrong." The rest of the show delivered, but that was, well, just out of place.

 

Oh, and yay for Canada. We watched the show from here, and not only did we avoid the smoke drift, but we found a merchandise cart with one of those huge canvas umbrellas to protect us from the mid-show downpour, and still allow great viewing. Paul, Canaba did us right!

Good night Epcot Flower & Garden Festival.

A tripod would've worked better, but oh well.

So hot.

I loves me some Figment!

Not the best shot of Mexico at night, but the rain spot did an excellent job of substituting for the moon.

Daisy does not appear to have the best intentions here.

And here's your top secret decoder.

Didn't get a real good shot of the whole display, but here's a little puzzle for those interested. Keep in mind, the first word is missing.

The only thing missing from this pic is a monorail.....and the original ride, of course.

Matt, get to work on this!

Giddyup. Giddyup again.

 

 

Calling all Seinfeld fans.

Did I mention it started raining.....and never stopped the rest of the day?

Okay, this was frickin' amazing! I asked the manager, who was passing by, to come over and give me the info on the wall monitor. He told me it's Panasonic's new 104-inch plasma display. It's currently the only one in the western world, and won't be available to the public for another year (I think). This thing was unreal!! Pictures don't do it justice. If you're passing by, do stop in and take a peek at it.

A look at the open cooking area.

Here's a look from our table out towards the front of the restaurant. A window seat would've been sweet to sit and watch the skies open up on everyone.

Fully approved by Shannon.

This would be the Tempura Shrimp.

After I dug into the food, I realized Shan reminded me I should've taken a pic of it first. Doh! So I tried to reconstruct it just for you, the TPR viewer.

Cheers!

Hmmm, I know what'll kill the sickness within me....SAKE! Yep, we tried the sake sampler. I liked the "dry" one in the center the best. Shan prefered the outer two which had more full-bodied and sweeter tastes, respectfully.

Time to eat.

I heart Japan.

Caught a quick glimpse of the characters as they met folks outside the American Adventure.

Due to a wedding taking place inside, the VOL performed their next set outside.

Abe's stovepipe hat was here.

This was a nice little exhibit you can peruse while waiting for the VOL.

Through this portal, you'll experience an incredible show where you'll learn about some of America's greatest pioneers. Important, significant, and inspirational figures who made this land the prosperous and proud nation that it is today. Pioneers such as Thomas Edison, Mark Twain, Will Rogers, Run DMC, Tony Hawk, JFK, Martin Luther King......WAIT! Did I hear a Run DMC and Tony Hawk in there?

 

Yep, apparently America would be nothing if someone hadn't pulled off a 900, or rapped about Adidas. Hmm, I learn something new every day.

These guys kick arse.

Yay America.

Italy. Still, no postcards will be sent here.

So here you go, Friendship Landing. Enjoy your moment!

This never gets any love in trip reports.

[sugart]

Awesome TR.

 

Does EE queue actaully beat out Dueling Dragons? Also I think that 104 inch TV starts at about 70,000. No I didnt add an extra zero.

[mcjaco]

Oh lord. Giggidy, giggidy, giggidy.

 

[ernierocker]

Great pics of Epcot Scott. Spaceship Earth is certainly well represented in this TR!

 

Hearing about your luck getting into Tokyo Dining, makes me wish I had at least attempted to get into Teppanyaki while we were there.

[RIP Psyclone]

Since it hasn't been asked, I'll do it...which pornstarchick does this belong to?

 

[BeemerBoy]

Does EE queue actaully beat out Dueling Dragons?

Definitely a matter of opinion, but in my book, I think it's slightly better. Without question, they're both unbelievable, but for some reason I'm now leaning towards EE. Maybe it's because of the small "interactive" touches like the coin toss area and the bells (however annoying they may be at times), but the research involved in the design is most impressive.

 

Also I think that 104 inch TV starts at about 70,000. No I didnt add an extra zero.

Ouch. Although, I must say, if I was to ever be willing to drop 70k into a frickin' TV, this would be the one. It's really that good. I literally sat there in amazement at how crystal clear and perfect the images were.

 

^^ Yeah, Ernie, I really never expected to get seated that fast, let alone at all. They didn't even suggest looking into it at guest relations. It was pretty much a pleasant, "sorry, enjoy your day." I figure it never hurts to ask though. I guess we were just really fortunate.

 

Matt - So you're saying you enjoyed it?

 

^ Pornstarchick, construction worker, priest......whoever it is needs to be locked away. Atrocities like that should never go unpunished.

 

 

 

Thanks again, everyone. There'll be one more set of pics from around the "world." And although we may have missed out on a Typhoon Lagoon visit, maybe if this thread reaches 40000 views and 100 more pages, there will be a special surprise. I'm not gonna give too much away, but it may involve a pool and a bikini. Then this thread would have a hundred percent more bikini pics than any Big Mike thread.

[jackskellington101]

Thanks again, everyone. There'll be one more set of pics from around the "world." And although we may have missed out on a Typhoon Lagoon visit, maybe if this thread reaches 40000 views and 100 more pages, there will be a special surprise. I'm not gonna give too much away, but it may involve a pool and a bikini. Then this thread would have a hundred percent more bikini pics than any Big Mike thread.

 

Don't give him any ideas.

[mcjaco]

My wife just came back from her parent's house, and was doing some photo hunting. She found a picture of her with Dreamfinder.

 

I am very jealous, as I never saw him once on our many trips there as a kid.

[ginzo]

Does EE queue actaully beat out Dueling Dragons?

Definitely a matter of opinion, but in my book, I think it's slightly better. Without question, they're both unbelievable, but for some reason I'm now leaning towards EE. Maybe it's because of the small "interactive" touches like the coin toss area and the bells (however annoying they may be at times), but the research involved in the design is most impressive.

 

When I first read through this I thought you said that Expedition Everest was better than Dragons, like the ride. I was getting ready to schedule an intervention for you because you'd have to be on crack to think that. But then I noticed that you were talking about the queues. Silly me.

 

As for the queues, I'll give the edge to Dragons. The castle looks quite impressive from a distance and EE's queue is too museum-like for me with all that stuff in glass cases.