Trip Reports
04-28-2006, 08:17 AM
Time of Year: Spring
Travel Method: Personal Car
Resort: Offsite
Accommodations: Standard Room
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Veteran
Comments: Chris's report is unique because he is a part-time Cast Member. Much of the report details his meeting with friends from the past few summers of working at WDW (at the MK and the Studios).
Well I guess I should first preface this trip report with a brief bio of the star player...me. I'm a 22 year old student at the University of Kentucky (GO CATS). I first went to WDW when I was 3. My family went on vacation every year since then. When I was in the 6th grade I decided I was going to be an Imagineer someday. In 8th grade I found out about the Walt Disney World College Program. In the Spring of 95 I went down on the program to work at Pinocchio's Village Haus (PVH) in Fantasyland in the MK. I transferred to the Disney-MGM Studios during the Summer of 95 into the entertainment dept. where I have worked seasonally ever since.
I tried to work last week, but since the Easter didn't start until the 23, I couldn't :-(. I did find out that I will start work on May 18!!
Minor players will be introduced when they appear.
This trip report will concentrate mostly on stuff that opened since August 16th 1996, when I left WDW to return to the University of Kentucky.
... so without further ado... I present for your reading pleasure...
Caines' Atypical WDW Spring Break Trip Report
Day 1. Friday, March 14
The Drive Down
I depart my room here in my fraternity house at 5:30 am and drive to go pick up one of my best friends, Paul Looney (yes that's his real name). Paul was going to go down to St. Pete to visit his girlfriend (a girl I have gone to school with since the 7th grade), Natalie. Paul was originally going to ride down with his little brother Matt and his GF, Amber (both will appear later in the report). Anyway because I had 0 sleep the night before I drive for about 2 hours and then switch seats with Paul. I immediately go to sleep and do not wake up for about 8 hours. It was raining almost the entire way down, but fortunately there was very little construction on I-75.
We ran into the Official Walt Disney World Welcome Station (Exit 68 I think) in Ocala. Paul looked around a bit and then we headed on down the road. I-75 was still in good shape and most of the construction that had been going on had finished.
We only stopped about 4 times the entire trip... My Camry gets about 35-37 miles per gallon so we only had to fill it up once and add the fact that we don't have to go to the bathroom all the time (I hate driving with my sister because we have to stop all the time).
Arrived in St. Pete at about 7:30pm. Florida weather was a welcome change. Tomorrow I was off to WDW.
Day 2. Saturday, March 15
I left St. Pete at 7am to venture to the land of the mouse. I-4 is under heavy construction between Tampa and WDW. Also factor in the number of drivers who like to press the brake every 150 feet. It took a while to get to WDW...about 30-45 minutes longer. Anyway I reach WDW. The entrance gate thing that says "Welcome to Walt Disney World" was finished and looked great. Then I saw the spotted Earful Tower...bad. It will probably be painted soon, but not before 101 Dalmatians comes out on video. I like it when they decorate it with a hat or glasses or something, but the spots were a little much.
First stop.... park security to update my WDW ID and car sticker with hopes that I could pick up a few hours to work.
On to the Disney-MGM Studios!!! It was a Star Wars weekend so I headed there first. All of the Park Greeters (ticket takers) were dressed in the Star Tours costume and Star Wars Music was blaring. I went in and immediately went to guest relations to see if my friend, Mike Elliot was working. Mike was on the WDWCP the same time I was and he worked tickets at MGM. He is now down there on an Advanced WDWCP internship in guest Relations. I didn't see him so I headed up Hollywood Blvd. I was at the Nose (large flower bed in front of the Chinese theater) and I heard someone shout "Chris Caines!!". I turned around and Mike was waving frantically. I met him at the Brown Derby and he said he saw me walk by as he was working at the tote board and Hollywood Junction. I talked to him a bit and then walked around and visited my coworkers. I then went to Star Tours and Anthony Daniels (C3P0) was signing autographs and talking to the crowd. Chewbacca, Han Solo, Ewoks, a Jawa, Luke, and Leia were also posing for pics. I turned around and was attacked by a few Stormtroopers who ushered me over to the Star Tours queue. This was all just too cool. I walked around the area some more and found Darth Vader and a few Imperial Guards (big guys in red). Anthony Daniels was absolutely fabulous. He would get off of the platform and talk to the people in line. He seemed to really appreciate the fans. Later they had a "Conversation with..." right there with him and he talked about filming the Star Wars films. He's a great man.
MGM was kinda busy, but most of the crowd was around Star Tours.
Then I was off to the MK... but first I stopped off at the Poly to say hello to one of the first people that I helped prepare for the WDWCP. Nicole was from Virginia and started asking me about what she needed to bring with her one night on AOL during my Xmas vacation. So I went up to Ohana's and she was at the podium doing something with the computer. I knew it was her immediately (we hadn't met face to face). We talked a bit, but I had to head over to the MK. She told me to call her....all was good.
At the MK I first went to the 25th Anniversary Welcome center to look for my friend Meredith Hitt. Mere worked with me during the spring of 95 at Pinocchio's Village Haus in Fantasyland. She like her boyfriend, Mike Elliot, is back down at WDW on an Advanced Internship with the WDWCP. I looked for her, but didn't see her. Then I heard someone shouting my name. I turned around and it was another friend of mine from Hawaii. I worked with Jonathan during my first summer in entertainment. He then served as one of the US ambassadors at the American Adventure and then he went to Guest relations at the Kingdom. I talked with him for a while and then I got my GoH button and went into the theater. The Animal Kingdom stuff was interesting (nothing that I didn't already know) but the rest of the film seemed like a big commercial... especially the stuff about the Disney Institute. I exited and looked at all of the Animal Kingdom models and paintings (really cool stuff here). Then as I was walking into the shop Meredith came walking in and saw me. She ran up to me and gave me a big hug. Then she gave me my litho and personally introduced me to the Big Pink Birthday Cake. I didn't think it was really that bad at the far end of Mainstreet, but then as I got closer I didn't like it. Its OK from far away, but not too pleasing to the eye up close. Meredith went back to the welcome center and I walked around the MK. Goofy's Barn Stormer was great....I wish it was longer, but it served its purpose. I really enjoyed it. Everything in TTF was open when I left in August except for the Barnstormer.
The MK was not crowded at all.
I left the MK to go to Epcot to see the new Universe of Energy. Future World was closing so I just walked around a bit.
I left Epcot and headed to Winterpark to see my best friend since Kindergarten, Price Sewell.
Day 3. Sunday, March 16
Spent the Day messing around Rollins with Price. I did go to Pleasure Island that night alone. Stayed in the Adventurer's Club most of the night. KUNGALOOSH! Great time as always.
Day 4. Monday, March 17
I headed to the MK about 12pm and walked around some more. Went into Adventureland. I do not like the red signs with a Mickey Glove all over the place. True this signifies that a character meeting place is nearby, but this sign right in the middle of the walkway after you cross the Adventureland bridge is completely out of theme. Also I do not like the queue lines set up for characters at the MK. Mickey is understandable...but how mobbed are Liver Lips and Shaker really going to get?? I walked around a bit. I didn't ride anything, just walked around.
Headed to Epcot and loved Ellen's Energy Exchange. I went into the theater just as the preshow was starting and walked in front of all of the seated guests (why guests do this I don't know because everywhere you go and you sit in the preshow they tell you to stand up and move forward) and watched the preshow. I kinda miss the sound of the rotating mosaic screens, but that's OK. Jamie Lee Curtis looked great....actually she looks absolutely amazing. I don't really think that the show is all that dated. It may be in another 10 years, but what doesn't get out dated at Epcot after a while? One thing I didn't like was the Day-Glow Dinos. They looked OK in the low-light, but when the lights came up they looked weird. I didn't think the Ellen AA looked that bad either. Actually, I thought she was wonderfully animated and moved quite realistically. The spitting dinos were cool too. I would give this a good rating on repeatability.
Left Epcot soon after to search out Matt Looney (Paul's brother from report 1) and his GF, Amber. They had an extra room at the Holiday Inn Maingate West....and since Amber works at a Holiday Inn here in KY, she got the rooms for $15 a night.... and who on RADP would pass up a hotel room for FIFTEEN DOLLARS A NIGHT!?!?!! Found them in their room and then I went into mine.
Headed back to Pleasure Island and ran into another guy I worked with.
Day 5, Tuesday, March 18th
Matt Looney called me and woke me up at 6:30 am and informed me that I was going with him and Amber to Epcot. I really hadn't made plans so I went. We arrived at the gate at 7:50 and walked right in. First headed to HISTA and got to watch about 6 minutes of the preshow. BTW I love the preshow and have never viewed it as a commercial for Kodak.... True Colors is a song by Cyndi Lauper that Kodak did use for a few commercials, but I have never seen the preshow as a long, boring advertisement. M&A had never been to Epcot before and I love taking people around the parks who have never been there. It's like I'm seeing it all for the first time again. They loved the show and then we headed to Journey into Imagination. Amber wanted to know what it was about so I told her that it was about a little purple dragon that started off nice but then grew into this huge mean monster and attacked the people and would eat small children and terrorize everyone else. Amber kinda believed me. The attack of the purple dragon became a running gag whenever Amber asked me about something we were running in line for.
Off to The Land. Had to show them Food Rocks....campy but cute. So campy that if audience participation (ala Rocky Horror) was introduced it would be fantastic. They also liked Living with the Land.
The Living Seas wasn't a great thing for them, but whatever.
Tried for Spaceship Earth, but a tram or monorail had just let everyone out and they were all waiting in line for the first thing they saw (another thing I have to ask why guests do this)
We went to Horizons. One of my long time favs, but it has run it's course and is time to move on. Amber liked choosing the ending, but it made her sick. I laughed. Matt thought it was funny too, but he wasn't allowed to laugh. Girls will do that to a guy.
Headed to Mexico and the rest of World Showcase. Matt compared The River of Time at Mexico to Small World except that he liked the music in this one. I agree. Just ran through the other nations. They had priority seating in Germany and this was the first time I had seen this in action. It worked quite well. We were seated on time. I had never been in there and I loved it. I wasn't hungry. M&A got the buffet. I just drank Beer. A lot of beer. But "liquid bread" is just as nourishing as anything else. 2 women that were seated at our table really weren't in a good mood and another guy decided to inform Matt and I about how much he felt like a man eating a turkey leg in Tomorrowland. We were thrilled.
After finishing the grand circle tour of World Showcase we hit Spaceship Earth, Ellen's energy Exchange and wonders of Life. We had the back row on Body Wars and Amber got sick. Again...I laughed...and Matt wasn't allowed. They went into Cranium Command while I called a couple of girls to arrange my night.
They came out and we headed to China because Amber wanted to eat there. Matt and I went to the little Cantina at Mexico where we found the cheapest and most filling meal: chips and salsa $1.90 and refried beans $.75. As cheap as this was it was a lot of food for one person. Then Amber decided that she wanted some French pastries...of course she would want to eat at the place the furthest from where we were. We dragged our wretched bodies around the lagoon. I went down to the little area around the International Gateway bridged and sat on the wall while M&A went to the pastry shop.
I didn't care for IllumiNations 25. The fireworks were great, but the songs didn't have any transition between them. It was really choppy and seemed to be thrown together haphazardly. While the old show had been around for a long time... it was still a better show.
Went back to the hotel and went to bed. Got a phone call from Nicole (girl who works at Ohana's at the Poly and who I met via my web WDWCP web page). She wanted to go hang out at the Kingdom the next day. Finally went to sleep.
Day 6. Wednesday, March 19
Got to the MK about 1:30. I walked around a bit and then decided to stake out my spot for the Remember the Magic Parade. I bought some popcorn and went up to the train station on Main Street. People were already getting spots at this time. There was one chair left so I got it and pulled it up to a railing. A mother and 2 children were there. The baby's name was Cory and he seemed to like my corduroy shorts because he kept touching them. Then he decided he was going to show me all of his toys. The mother seemed relieved that someone else was entertaining the kid. The parade reached our area about 3:30. I like the Remember the Magic song, but I don't care for the parades version of it. The floats were fabulous and I liked the guest interaction. One thing I didn't like was the feeling that I was missing part of the parade because of the stops it made. It reminded me of the Lion King Parade I saw at D-Land the year before... I felt like I was missing out on it because I could only see what was directly in front of me. Other than that it was really interesting.
Nicole met me at the flag pole at 4:00... she was on-time (unlike most college girls I know). We went to Fantasyland and I showed her all of the places that I worked 2 year ago. Lumiere's Kitchen was closed. Ariel's Grotto was busy, but not packed. I like the idea of interactive fountains, but this is so very close to Donald's Miss Daisy Boat in TTF. I found out she hadn't really been in the parks very much. I told her that the MK isn't made for tall people (I'm 6'5''). She asked why and I told her that she would find out. We then rode the left side of Toad. The safety bar banged my knees. I showed her the picture in Winky's Pub. We walked to Tomorrowland... she pointed out that Cosmic Ray's was kinda like Chuck E. Cheese. For the first time since the Star Jets had been revamped into the Astro Orbiter I rode the thing. We really didn't fit into the rocket very well. We got in there but all I could feel was pain (my knees again).
I ran into a guy I used to work with at Pinocchio's Village Haus. Since then he was promoted to a be a supervisor at Columbia Harbor House and he just applied to be on the opening crew of Animal Kingdom.
We then walked through the hub and over to Big Thunder Mountain. Wait was about 15 minutes. We rode in the back car (the only car worth riding in). She had never been on it and she loved it. We then went to Splash Mt. Wait was about 20 minutes. When we got in the log she told me she had been on a ride similar to this before. I said "So you've been to D-land?" she told me "No, in Virginia". She thought that all you did was go up and come down the hill. She was surprised when I told her there was A LOT more to Splash Mt. than one hill! She loved that too. We walked around more.
At 7 we met up with 2 of her roommates, Brandy and Shannon, and one of their friends, Kelley. They wanted to find a spot for Spectro. I suggested that we go to Frontierland. We sat at the rope right in front of the diamond horseshoe. There was a crosswalk on the other side and we watched as a Jungle Skipper named Amy tried to get the guests to use it. She had the rope tied around her waist and was pointing for people to get out of the street and use the cross walk and she was saying loudly "The cross walk is over here folks!" But guess what?? No one listened to her. The guy sitting next to me with his family asked me why people weren't listening and I laughed and said, "These are the same people who think that the drivers of a 3 ton float will be able to see them in the dark and stop on a dime so that they can take a picture" The man laughed. We had great seats for Spectro. There was about 20 minutes left before the fireworks. Kelley said he knew of a great place to watch them. So he took us to the place right past liberty square in Fantasyland. It is right before you reach the exit for the F Skyway... on a hill. It was a great spot to watch the fireworks because NOBODY WAS THERE!!!! You could also hear the music.
We rode back to the Poly to Nicole's car and she gave me a ride to my car in the Chip & Dale lot.
My tips for this day would be to get to your place early on the route if you want to be part of the parade and to try out the Columbia Harbor House to eat. Cosmic Ray's, Pinocchio's Village Haus and Pecos Bill's were all packed with people for lunch, but Harbor House was empty.
I went home and then went back to PI to the adventurer's club. Talked to Nash for awhile. Also met a lawyer from St. Louis and a guy from Minneapolis who hadn't been to the club in 5 years. A couple was there that had way too much to drink and the wife decided to stand up and hang on Zeus and sing a long slow blues song. Otis, Hathaway, and Fletcher didn't know what to do with themselves so they just enjoyed this woman's song. Even if she was making a complete fool of herself, she was a good singer. Her hubby kinda passed out next to the Colonel.
Day 7. Thursday, March 20
Headed to MGM. On the tram from the parking lot I saw the couple who were so drunk at the Adventurer's Club the night before. They were in much better shape now, although they were struggling with an oversize stroller.
I didn't do too much except talk to some friends. It started to rain so I went to the Boardwalk to explore. I was a regular at JellyRolls the summer that it opened, but other than going there I hadn't really looked around very much. I went to all of the shops and then I took a nap. About 30 minutes later it was still raining so I went to the Big River microbrewery. I tried a few of the beers there. They had 2 new ones. The Dark Horse Lager is great. I recommend it to people who like thick dark beers. The Scottish Pale Ale has a strong alcohol taste. It was good, but nothing to write home about. Microbrewery beer is fresh and doesn't taste watery like regular bottled beer. The beer here is worth the $3.25 per pint. They also offer a sampler for around $5. Matt and Amber came over and we went to ESPN to eat and watch the NCAA tournament. We were there for the Minnesota-Clemson game and the UK-St. Peter game. Our server's name was Ellis, but he wasn't all that spectacular... we were consistently ordering food, drinks and appetizers, but he didn't come around very often to check on us. It was fun to watch the games, but not all of the TV's had stuff that the people in the club wanted to watch. Some were there watching hockey and then the hockey game was turned off so they could show the "World's Strongest Man" competition. I left about midnight because I was dead tired. UK won, of course.
Day 8. Friday, March 21
Matt, Amber, and I went to MGM. We were there kinda early and we went straight to the Great Movie Ride. Our tour guide was good, but the gangster needed help.
We then went to Muppet*Vision 3D...they both loved it, but they got sick of me reciting the pre-show. Then we went to Star Tours and saw Greedo and a Cantina Band member walking around. Han and Chewie and a queue line set up next to C3P0.
Indy was next. Matt thought the entire "movie shoot" stuff was silly.
The entire audience fell for the planted stunt man. So far we hadn't waited for anything. We then sat on the steps for SuperStar TV and waited for the Toy Story Parade. We had a great spot for it. I stood and leaned against one of the poles. When Matt did the same, the attractions host told him to sit back down because people behind him couldn't see. We were on the top step and THE only person behind Matt was the attractions host... so he told Matt to sit down because he couldn't see. I didn't tell Matt this until after the parade. I thought it was kinda funny, but uncalled for unless there were other guests behind Matt (and there weren't any.) After the parade we went to the Animation Tour. Still a great tour and they still say it is "Self-Guided" but I soon found out differently. All of the production stuff for Hercules was really cool in the lobby. The Williams/Cronkite film still makes me laugh. When we went into the production area everyone crowded around the glass just to watch a work-in-progress trailer for Hercules. Since M, A, and I were one of the last ones into the theater, we couldn't get anywhere near the glass to see anything so we just stayed in the back until the group moved on and then we walked down and looked at everything. The group moved into the room with the animator and we just looked at everyone working on Mulan. Matt was fascinated by all of this because his grandfather lives about 3 blocks from the animation building in Burbank. The group went into the theater where the classic clips were shown. We were looking at all of the stuff on and around the desks. We heard the next group coming into the first section of the tour. We looked around some more and then went into the room where the animator was. He turned around and said "What are you guys still doing here?" I said "we just came in to wait and listen to your spiel." He said "Why aren't you with your group?" I told him that I thought the tour was self-guided. He said, "No, it's not. It hasn't been self-guided for a long time. You should be with your group. There is a lot of production going on in here. You need to find your group." Well...maybe there is a lot of production going on, but really there weren't all that many people in the production area when we were in there...and there were never that many people in the area any of the other times I have been in the building. I told the animator that our group was already in the other theater. He said, "I know and you should be with them." I then asked what he thought we should do...go into the theater or just wait for the other group because we wanted to hear what he had to say. He said, "I don't know what you should do and I really don't care. Why don't you just leave." Now after being a CM since the spring of 95 I have had to deal with all kinds of guests...most of them are really nice, but sometimes you have guests that are rude and will treat you like dirt. All CM's have this happen to them...it just comes with the job.. So the animator's attitude and comments I just shrugged off and didn't take them personally. Matt and Amber did take them personally and Amber was kinda hurt by them. We left through the door. Amber turned to me and asked, "Doesn't he realize that we are the ones that pay his salary?" Matt and Amber went to see The Voyage of the Little Mermaid and I went to watch the handprint ceremony.
After that Matt and I went to ride the Tower of Terror. Matt loved it. Amber refused to ride it. We were going to ride it again, but all the high school cheerleaders were there and the line was about 45 minutes. Matt and I went looking for Amber and I asked Matt why girls didn't look like these cheerleaders in our high school.
We then went to SuperStar TV.... a show that needs to go. Cute idea, but unless you know someone in it... ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz. I still love the Sony Commercial in it.
Then we went to the Monster Sound Show. I was picked...I guess because I am tall and stood out in the crowd of people who were mostly under 6'. I worked station #4... the wind, clock, rotating bookcase station. I had fun. M&A had fun. But again...unless you know someone in it... ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz.
Cheerleaders were everywhere and Matt told me that he wished he was 3 years younger. We attempted ToT again, but it was overrun by bow-headed girls.
We left MGM and went back to the hotel to get ready for Pleasure Island. M&A hadn't been there yet.
We reached PI about 7:30. Really early for Pleasure Island, but we were all leaving the next morning so they wanted to go there early. We did a quick walkthrough of the Beach Club, 8-Trax, and the Neon Armadillo. The Adventure's Club didn't open till 9 so we went to see a show at the Comedy Warehouse. While we were waiting Frankie and the Westend Boys were supposed to start playing, but they were having problems and didn't start until about 10 minutes after they were supposed to. We went in and the show was great. We came back and I took them to the Adventurer's Club. It was packed. Amber really didn't appreciate the humor there, but Matt did. Matt wanted to stay, but he was told that he had to go somewhere else.
I was supposed to meet up with my friends Meredith Hitt (former co-worker at Pinocchio's Village Haus, now on an internship with Guest Relations at the MK), Mike Elliot (guest Relations Intern at MGM), and Mike Kelley (Event Visual Art Intern... helps design merchandise displays and window displays) at JellyRolls. I left PI at 10pm and went to JellyRolls. We had a great time and the place was a lot busier than it was last summer...which was good.
I left there at 1am and went back to the hotel.
Day 9. Saturday, March 22
I woke up at 4:30 and drove to Tampa to pick up Paul and his girlfriend. Still a ton of construction, but wasn't that bad without any other cars on the road. We left about 7am and I slept for a long time. I got back to UK around 10pm.
Chris Caines
"Caines' Walt Disney World College Program Page of Adventures"
http://members.aol.com/goofytau/main.html (Note that there is no return link.)
Travel Method: Personal Car
Resort: Offsite
Accommodations: Standard Room
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Veteran
Comments: Chris's report is unique because he is a part-time Cast Member. Much of the report details his meeting with friends from the past few summers of working at WDW (at the MK and the Studios).
Well I guess I should first preface this trip report with a brief bio of the star player...me. I'm a 22 year old student at the University of Kentucky (GO CATS). I first went to WDW when I was 3. My family went on vacation every year since then. When I was in the 6th grade I decided I was going to be an Imagineer someday. In 8th grade I found out about the Walt Disney World College Program. In the Spring of 95 I went down on the program to work at Pinocchio's Village Haus (PVH) in Fantasyland in the MK. I transferred to the Disney-MGM Studios during the Summer of 95 into the entertainment dept. where I have worked seasonally ever since.
I tried to work last week, but since the Easter didn't start until the 23, I couldn't :-(. I did find out that I will start work on May 18!!
Minor players will be introduced when they appear.
This trip report will concentrate mostly on stuff that opened since August 16th 1996, when I left WDW to return to the University of Kentucky.
... so without further ado... I present for your reading pleasure...
Caines' Atypical WDW Spring Break Trip Report
Day 1. Friday, March 14
The Drive Down
I depart my room here in my fraternity house at 5:30 am and drive to go pick up one of my best friends, Paul Looney (yes that's his real name). Paul was going to go down to St. Pete to visit his girlfriend (a girl I have gone to school with since the 7th grade), Natalie. Paul was originally going to ride down with his little brother Matt and his GF, Amber (both will appear later in the report). Anyway because I had 0 sleep the night before I drive for about 2 hours and then switch seats with Paul. I immediately go to sleep and do not wake up for about 8 hours. It was raining almost the entire way down, but fortunately there was very little construction on I-75.
We ran into the Official Walt Disney World Welcome Station (Exit 68 I think) in Ocala. Paul looked around a bit and then we headed on down the road. I-75 was still in good shape and most of the construction that had been going on had finished.
We only stopped about 4 times the entire trip... My Camry gets about 35-37 miles per gallon so we only had to fill it up once and add the fact that we don't have to go to the bathroom all the time (I hate driving with my sister because we have to stop all the time).
Arrived in St. Pete at about 7:30pm. Florida weather was a welcome change. Tomorrow I was off to WDW.
Day 2. Saturday, March 15
I left St. Pete at 7am to venture to the land of the mouse. I-4 is under heavy construction between Tampa and WDW. Also factor in the number of drivers who like to press the brake every 150 feet. It took a while to get to WDW...about 30-45 minutes longer. Anyway I reach WDW. The entrance gate thing that says "Welcome to Walt Disney World" was finished and looked great. Then I saw the spotted Earful Tower...bad. It will probably be painted soon, but not before 101 Dalmatians comes out on video. I like it when they decorate it with a hat or glasses or something, but the spots were a little much.
First stop.... park security to update my WDW ID and car sticker with hopes that I could pick up a few hours to work.
On to the Disney-MGM Studios!!! It was a Star Wars weekend so I headed there first. All of the Park Greeters (ticket takers) were dressed in the Star Tours costume and Star Wars Music was blaring. I went in and immediately went to guest relations to see if my friend, Mike Elliot was working. Mike was on the WDWCP the same time I was and he worked tickets at MGM. He is now down there on an Advanced WDWCP internship in guest Relations. I didn't see him so I headed up Hollywood Blvd. I was at the Nose (large flower bed in front of the Chinese theater) and I heard someone shout "Chris Caines!!". I turned around and Mike was waving frantically. I met him at the Brown Derby and he said he saw me walk by as he was working at the tote board and Hollywood Junction. I talked to him a bit and then walked around and visited my coworkers. I then went to Star Tours and Anthony Daniels (C3P0) was signing autographs and talking to the crowd. Chewbacca, Han Solo, Ewoks, a Jawa, Luke, and Leia were also posing for pics. I turned around and was attacked by a few Stormtroopers who ushered me over to the Star Tours queue. This was all just too cool. I walked around the area some more and found Darth Vader and a few Imperial Guards (big guys in red). Anthony Daniels was absolutely fabulous. He would get off of the platform and talk to the people in line. He seemed to really appreciate the fans. Later they had a "Conversation with..." right there with him and he talked about filming the Star Wars films. He's a great man.
MGM was kinda busy, but most of the crowd was around Star Tours.
Then I was off to the MK... but first I stopped off at the Poly to say hello to one of the first people that I helped prepare for the WDWCP. Nicole was from Virginia and started asking me about what she needed to bring with her one night on AOL during my Xmas vacation. So I went up to Ohana's and she was at the podium doing something with the computer. I knew it was her immediately (we hadn't met face to face). We talked a bit, but I had to head over to the MK. She told me to call her....all was good.
At the MK I first went to the 25th Anniversary Welcome center to look for my friend Meredith Hitt. Mere worked with me during the spring of 95 at Pinocchio's Village Haus in Fantasyland. She like her boyfriend, Mike Elliot, is back down at WDW on an Advanced Internship with the WDWCP. I looked for her, but didn't see her. Then I heard someone shouting my name. I turned around and it was another friend of mine from Hawaii. I worked with Jonathan during my first summer in entertainment. He then served as one of the US ambassadors at the American Adventure and then he went to Guest relations at the Kingdom. I talked with him for a while and then I got my GoH button and went into the theater. The Animal Kingdom stuff was interesting (nothing that I didn't already know) but the rest of the film seemed like a big commercial... especially the stuff about the Disney Institute. I exited and looked at all of the Animal Kingdom models and paintings (really cool stuff here). Then as I was walking into the shop Meredith came walking in and saw me. She ran up to me and gave me a big hug. Then she gave me my litho and personally introduced me to the Big Pink Birthday Cake. I didn't think it was really that bad at the far end of Mainstreet, but then as I got closer I didn't like it. Its OK from far away, but not too pleasing to the eye up close. Meredith went back to the welcome center and I walked around the MK. Goofy's Barn Stormer was great....I wish it was longer, but it served its purpose. I really enjoyed it. Everything in TTF was open when I left in August except for the Barnstormer.
The MK was not crowded at all.
I left the MK to go to Epcot to see the new Universe of Energy. Future World was closing so I just walked around a bit.
I left Epcot and headed to Winterpark to see my best friend since Kindergarten, Price Sewell.
Day 3. Sunday, March 16
Spent the Day messing around Rollins with Price. I did go to Pleasure Island that night alone. Stayed in the Adventurer's Club most of the night. KUNGALOOSH! Great time as always.
Day 4. Monday, March 17
I headed to the MK about 12pm and walked around some more. Went into Adventureland. I do not like the red signs with a Mickey Glove all over the place. True this signifies that a character meeting place is nearby, but this sign right in the middle of the walkway after you cross the Adventureland bridge is completely out of theme. Also I do not like the queue lines set up for characters at the MK. Mickey is understandable...but how mobbed are Liver Lips and Shaker really going to get?? I walked around a bit. I didn't ride anything, just walked around.
Headed to Epcot and loved Ellen's Energy Exchange. I went into the theater just as the preshow was starting and walked in front of all of the seated guests (why guests do this I don't know because everywhere you go and you sit in the preshow they tell you to stand up and move forward) and watched the preshow. I kinda miss the sound of the rotating mosaic screens, but that's OK. Jamie Lee Curtis looked great....actually she looks absolutely amazing. I don't really think that the show is all that dated. It may be in another 10 years, but what doesn't get out dated at Epcot after a while? One thing I didn't like was the Day-Glow Dinos. They looked OK in the low-light, but when the lights came up they looked weird. I didn't think the Ellen AA looked that bad either. Actually, I thought she was wonderfully animated and moved quite realistically. The spitting dinos were cool too. I would give this a good rating on repeatability.
Left Epcot soon after to search out Matt Looney (Paul's brother from report 1) and his GF, Amber. They had an extra room at the Holiday Inn Maingate West....and since Amber works at a Holiday Inn here in KY, she got the rooms for $15 a night.... and who on RADP would pass up a hotel room for FIFTEEN DOLLARS A NIGHT!?!?!! Found them in their room and then I went into mine.
Headed back to Pleasure Island and ran into another guy I worked with.
Day 5, Tuesday, March 18th
Matt Looney called me and woke me up at 6:30 am and informed me that I was going with him and Amber to Epcot. I really hadn't made plans so I went. We arrived at the gate at 7:50 and walked right in. First headed to HISTA and got to watch about 6 minutes of the preshow. BTW I love the preshow and have never viewed it as a commercial for Kodak.... True Colors is a song by Cyndi Lauper that Kodak did use for a few commercials, but I have never seen the preshow as a long, boring advertisement. M&A had never been to Epcot before and I love taking people around the parks who have never been there. It's like I'm seeing it all for the first time again. They loved the show and then we headed to Journey into Imagination. Amber wanted to know what it was about so I told her that it was about a little purple dragon that started off nice but then grew into this huge mean monster and attacked the people and would eat small children and terrorize everyone else. Amber kinda believed me. The attack of the purple dragon became a running gag whenever Amber asked me about something we were running in line for.
Off to The Land. Had to show them Food Rocks....campy but cute. So campy that if audience participation (ala Rocky Horror) was introduced it would be fantastic. They also liked Living with the Land.
The Living Seas wasn't a great thing for them, but whatever.
Tried for Spaceship Earth, but a tram or monorail had just let everyone out and they were all waiting in line for the first thing they saw (another thing I have to ask why guests do this)
We went to Horizons. One of my long time favs, but it has run it's course and is time to move on. Amber liked choosing the ending, but it made her sick. I laughed. Matt thought it was funny too, but he wasn't allowed to laugh. Girls will do that to a guy.
Headed to Mexico and the rest of World Showcase. Matt compared The River of Time at Mexico to Small World except that he liked the music in this one. I agree. Just ran through the other nations. They had priority seating in Germany and this was the first time I had seen this in action. It worked quite well. We were seated on time. I had never been in there and I loved it. I wasn't hungry. M&A got the buffet. I just drank Beer. A lot of beer. But "liquid bread" is just as nourishing as anything else. 2 women that were seated at our table really weren't in a good mood and another guy decided to inform Matt and I about how much he felt like a man eating a turkey leg in Tomorrowland. We were thrilled.
After finishing the grand circle tour of World Showcase we hit Spaceship Earth, Ellen's energy Exchange and wonders of Life. We had the back row on Body Wars and Amber got sick. Again...I laughed...and Matt wasn't allowed. They went into Cranium Command while I called a couple of girls to arrange my night.
They came out and we headed to China because Amber wanted to eat there. Matt and I went to the little Cantina at Mexico where we found the cheapest and most filling meal: chips and salsa $1.90 and refried beans $.75. As cheap as this was it was a lot of food for one person. Then Amber decided that she wanted some French pastries...of course she would want to eat at the place the furthest from where we were. We dragged our wretched bodies around the lagoon. I went down to the little area around the International Gateway bridged and sat on the wall while M&A went to the pastry shop.
I didn't care for IllumiNations 25. The fireworks were great, but the songs didn't have any transition between them. It was really choppy and seemed to be thrown together haphazardly. While the old show had been around for a long time... it was still a better show.
Went back to the hotel and went to bed. Got a phone call from Nicole (girl who works at Ohana's at the Poly and who I met via my web WDWCP web page). She wanted to go hang out at the Kingdom the next day. Finally went to sleep.
Day 6. Wednesday, March 19
Got to the MK about 1:30. I walked around a bit and then decided to stake out my spot for the Remember the Magic Parade. I bought some popcorn and went up to the train station on Main Street. People were already getting spots at this time. There was one chair left so I got it and pulled it up to a railing. A mother and 2 children were there. The baby's name was Cory and he seemed to like my corduroy shorts because he kept touching them. Then he decided he was going to show me all of his toys. The mother seemed relieved that someone else was entertaining the kid. The parade reached our area about 3:30. I like the Remember the Magic song, but I don't care for the parades version of it. The floats were fabulous and I liked the guest interaction. One thing I didn't like was the feeling that I was missing part of the parade because of the stops it made. It reminded me of the Lion King Parade I saw at D-Land the year before... I felt like I was missing out on it because I could only see what was directly in front of me. Other than that it was really interesting.
Nicole met me at the flag pole at 4:00... she was on-time (unlike most college girls I know). We went to Fantasyland and I showed her all of the places that I worked 2 year ago. Lumiere's Kitchen was closed. Ariel's Grotto was busy, but not packed. I like the idea of interactive fountains, but this is so very close to Donald's Miss Daisy Boat in TTF. I found out she hadn't really been in the parks very much. I told her that the MK isn't made for tall people (I'm 6'5''). She asked why and I told her that she would find out. We then rode the left side of Toad. The safety bar banged my knees. I showed her the picture in Winky's Pub. We walked to Tomorrowland... she pointed out that Cosmic Ray's was kinda like Chuck E. Cheese. For the first time since the Star Jets had been revamped into the Astro Orbiter I rode the thing. We really didn't fit into the rocket very well. We got in there but all I could feel was pain (my knees again).
I ran into a guy I used to work with at Pinocchio's Village Haus. Since then he was promoted to a be a supervisor at Columbia Harbor House and he just applied to be on the opening crew of Animal Kingdom.
We then walked through the hub and over to Big Thunder Mountain. Wait was about 15 minutes. We rode in the back car (the only car worth riding in). She had never been on it and she loved it. We then went to Splash Mt. Wait was about 20 minutes. When we got in the log she told me she had been on a ride similar to this before. I said "So you've been to D-land?" she told me "No, in Virginia". She thought that all you did was go up and come down the hill. She was surprised when I told her there was A LOT more to Splash Mt. than one hill! She loved that too. We walked around more.
At 7 we met up with 2 of her roommates, Brandy and Shannon, and one of their friends, Kelley. They wanted to find a spot for Spectro. I suggested that we go to Frontierland. We sat at the rope right in front of the diamond horseshoe. There was a crosswalk on the other side and we watched as a Jungle Skipper named Amy tried to get the guests to use it. She had the rope tied around her waist and was pointing for people to get out of the street and use the cross walk and she was saying loudly "The cross walk is over here folks!" But guess what?? No one listened to her. The guy sitting next to me with his family asked me why people weren't listening and I laughed and said, "These are the same people who think that the drivers of a 3 ton float will be able to see them in the dark and stop on a dime so that they can take a picture" The man laughed. We had great seats for Spectro. There was about 20 minutes left before the fireworks. Kelley said he knew of a great place to watch them. So he took us to the place right past liberty square in Fantasyland. It is right before you reach the exit for the F Skyway... on a hill. It was a great spot to watch the fireworks because NOBODY WAS THERE!!!! You could also hear the music.
We rode back to the Poly to Nicole's car and she gave me a ride to my car in the Chip & Dale lot.
My tips for this day would be to get to your place early on the route if you want to be part of the parade and to try out the Columbia Harbor House to eat. Cosmic Ray's, Pinocchio's Village Haus and Pecos Bill's were all packed with people for lunch, but Harbor House was empty.
I went home and then went back to PI to the adventurer's club. Talked to Nash for awhile. Also met a lawyer from St. Louis and a guy from Minneapolis who hadn't been to the club in 5 years. A couple was there that had way too much to drink and the wife decided to stand up and hang on Zeus and sing a long slow blues song. Otis, Hathaway, and Fletcher didn't know what to do with themselves so they just enjoyed this woman's song. Even if she was making a complete fool of herself, she was a good singer. Her hubby kinda passed out next to the Colonel.
Day 7. Thursday, March 20
Headed to MGM. On the tram from the parking lot I saw the couple who were so drunk at the Adventurer's Club the night before. They were in much better shape now, although they were struggling with an oversize stroller.
I didn't do too much except talk to some friends. It started to rain so I went to the Boardwalk to explore. I was a regular at JellyRolls the summer that it opened, but other than going there I hadn't really looked around very much. I went to all of the shops and then I took a nap. About 30 minutes later it was still raining so I went to the Big River microbrewery. I tried a few of the beers there. They had 2 new ones. The Dark Horse Lager is great. I recommend it to people who like thick dark beers. The Scottish Pale Ale has a strong alcohol taste. It was good, but nothing to write home about. Microbrewery beer is fresh and doesn't taste watery like regular bottled beer. The beer here is worth the $3.25 per pint. They also offer a sampler for around $5. Matt and Amber came over and we went to ESPN to eat and watch the NCAA tournament. We were there for the Minnesota-Clemson game and the UK-St. Peter game. Our server's name was Ellis, but he wasn't all that spectacular... we were consistently ordering food, drinks and appetizers, but he didn't come around very often to check on us. It was fun to watch the games, but not all of the TV's had stuff that the people in the club wanted to watch. Some were there watching hockey and then the hockey game was turned off so they could show the "World's Strongest Man" competition. I left about midnight because I was dead tired. UK won, of course.
Day 8. Friday, March 21
Matt, Amber, and I went to MGM. We were there kinda early and we went straight to the Great Movie Ride. Our tour guide was good, but the gangster needed help.
We then went to Muppet*Vision 3D...they both loved it, but they got sick of me reciting the pre-show. Then we went to Star Tours and saw Greedo and a Cantina Band member walking around. Han and Chewie and a queue line set up next to C3P0.
Indy was next. Matt thought the entire "movie shoot" stuff was silly.
The entire audience fell for the planted stunt man. So far we hadn't waited for anything. We then sat on the steps for SuperStar TV and waited for the Toy Story Parade. We had a great spot for it. I stood and leaned against one of the poles. When Matt did the same, the attractions host told him to sit back down because people behind him couldn't see. We were on the top step and THE only person behind Matt was the attractions host... so he told Matt to sit down because he couldn't see. I didn't tell Matt this until after the parade. I thought it was kinda funny, but uncalled for unless there were other guests behind Matt (and there weren't any.) After the parade we went to the Animation Tour. Still a great tour and they still say it is "Self-Guided" but I soon found out differently. All of the production stuff for Hercules was really cool in the lobby. The Williams/Cronkite film still makes me laugh. When we went into the production area everyone crowded around the glass just to watch a work-in-progress trailer for Hercules. Since M, A, and I were one of the last ones into the theater, we couldn't get anywhere near the glass to see anything so we just stayed in the back until the group moved on and then we walked down and looked at everything. The group moved into the room with the animator and we just looked at everyone working on Mulan. Matt was fascinated by all of this because his grandfather lives about 3 blocks from the animation building in Burbank. The group went into the theater where the classic clips were shown. We were looking at all of the stuff on and around the desks. We heard the next group coming into the first section of the tour. We looked around some more and then went into the room where the animator was. He turned around and said "What are you guys still doing here?" I said "we just came in to wait and listen to your spiel." He said "Why aren't you with your group?" I told him that I thought the tour was self-guided. He said, "No, it's not. It hasn't been self-guided for a long time. You should be with your group. There is a lot of production going on in here. You need to find your group." Well...maybe there is a lot of production going on, but really there weren't all that many people in the production area when we were in there...and there were never that many people in the area any of the other times I have been in the building. I told the animator that our group was already in the other theater. He said, "I know and you should be with them." I then asked what he thought we should do...go into the theater or just wait for the other group because we wanted to hear what he had to say. He said, "I don't know what you should do and I really don't care. Why don't you just leave." Now after being a CM since the spring of 95 I have had to deal with all kinds of guests...most of them are really nice, but sometimes you have guests that are rude and will treat you like dirt. All CM's have this happen to them...it just comes with the job.. So the animator's attitude and comments I just shrugged off and didn't take them personally. Matt and Amber did take them personally and Amber was kinda hurt by them. We left through the door. Amber turned to me and asked, "Doesn't he realize that we are the ones that pay his salary?" Matt and Amber went to see The Voyage of the Little Mermaid and I went to watch the handprint ceremony.
After that Matt and I went to ride the Tower of Terror. Matt loved it. Amber refused to ride it. We were going to ride it again, but all the high school cheerleaders were there and the line was about 45 minutes. Matt and I went looking for Amber and I asked Matt why girls didn't look like these cheerleaders in our high school.
We then went to SuperStar TV.... a show that needs to go. Cute idea, but unless you know someone in it... ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz. I still love the Sony Commercial in it.
Then we went to the Monster Sound Show. I was picked...I guess because I am tall and stood out in the crowd of people who were mostly under 6'. I worked station #4... the wind, clock, rotating bookcase station. I had fun. M&A had fun. But again...unless you know someone in it... ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz.
Cheerleaders were everywhere and Matt told me that he wished he was 3 years younger. We attempted ToT again, but it was overrun by bow-headed girls.
We left MGM and went back to the hotel to get ready for Pleasure Island. M&A hadn't been there yet.
We reached PI about 7:30. Really early for Pleasure Island, but we were all leaving the next morning so they wanted to go there early. We did a quick walkthrough of the Beach Club, 8-Trax, and the Neon Armadillo. The Adventure's Club didn't open till 9 so we went to see a show at the Comedy Warehouse. While we were waiting Frankie and the Westend Boys were supposed to start playing, but they were having problems and didn't start until about 10 minutes after they were supposed to. We went in and the show was great. We came back and I took them to the Adventurer's Club. It was packed. Amber really didn't appreciate the humor there, but Matt did. Matt wanted to stay, but he was told that he had to go somewhere else.
I was supposed to meet up with my friends Meredith Hitt (former co-worker at Pinocchio's Village Haus, now on an internship with Guest Relations at the MK), Mike Elliot (guest Relations Intern at MGM), and Mike Kelley (Event Visual Art Intern... helps design merchandise displays and window displays) at JellyRolls. I left PI at 10pm and went to JellyRolls. We had a great time and the place was a lot busier than it was last summer...which was good.
I left there at 1am and went back to the hotel.
Day 9. Saturday, March 22
I woke up at 4:30 and drove to Tampa to pick up Paul and his girlfriend. Still a ton of construction, but wasn't that bad without any other cars on the road. We left about 7am and I slept for a long time. I got back to UK around 10pm.
Chris Caines
"Caines' Walt Disney World College Program Page of Adventures"
http://members.aol.com/goofytau/main.html (Note that there is no return link.)