June 13-18, 2012
Participants
• Steve –Me, my own self.
• Barb – The better half.
Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House
Day Three, June 15, 2012 –Barb gets here and what’s an Amarillo?
I’m awake at 4:18 and up at 5:00. Today we meet out front at 7:30 and the same group is late again.
We rode our bus to the Animal Kingdom and entered the park normally – as guests would who had an early breakfast reservation. We walked back to Harambe and were led into our breakfast area. There’s an area that’s I believe is just a place to sit and rest – across from the Tusker House and near the shop. The entrance was curtained off for yet another breakfast buffet with omelet station.
Most of us complained that 12 hours wasn’t enough time to work up an appetite after last night’s gorge-fest so we went a bit lighter than usual. As we were winding down, one of the African performers appeared with a drum and proceeded to enlist audience members for an impromptu jam session. Of course I was chosen to play the cowbell. I swear I heard Christopher Walken in the back yelling, “I’ve got the fever! More cowbell!” If it’s still up, you can get a quick video at: http://yfrog.com/n5hmlmz
After breakfast, we were able to board Kilimanjaro Safari for the first ride of the day. I was expecting the Sunrise Safari which actually stops, lets the guest stand for photos, etc. This just went a little slower but I did get pretty good shots of both the male and female lions. I also noticed the Little Red story is now officially dead – the guide now just mentions that poachers had used the broken gate.
Again, some of the group chose to stay in the parks while others headed back to Jambo, me included. I bid farewell to Jack Spence as he was headed home. I enjoyed spending time with Jack – he’s very knowledgeable and has done tons of research for his articles so he’s loaded with lots of little known facts about the World. That’s unlike some other writers who tend to write off the top of their heads – or other body parts – and shall remain nameless.
I caught the shuttle to Kidani and bought that DVC shirt. It was the last one there in my size and I did score the AP discount of 10%. When the CM asked what she could do for me, I replied that she could give me the shirt as a birthday gift. She chuckled and continued with the transaction while the other CM readied a Birthday button for me. I think I broke her heart when I told her I was only kidding and it wasn’t my birthday.
Back to Jambo and I found the room hadn’t yet been cleaned. I logged on to Flightaware.com and found Barb’s plane is running an hour late. That’s when I noticed earlier texts from Steph that said Barb was stuck on the plane at the gate because of an equipment issue.
She did call when she landed and had made her way to Magical Express. I waited a few minutes then went outside to wait for her bus. I had lots of people trying to help me – I must look lost when I’m sitting on a bench waiting. At one point, a young lady in African garb asked if she could sit next to me. I said, “Sure” and soon regretted it when she began drumming on her African bongo-type drum thing. It’s enjoyable from a short distance – right next to me, not so much. Soon, she was accosted by children for photos so I made room for them on the bench and used that for my escape.
I saw Barb exit the bus so I crossed to meet her and take her one carryon bag. As we approached the door, the “greeter” CM welcomed us as “Mr. And Mrs. Russo”.
“How did you know who I am?”
“Mickey tells me everything.”
I’m certain she got the name from the Magical Express list, saw me waiting for her and put 2 and 2 together but… suppose I was Javier, the pool boy, and we were carrying on with an illicit affair?
We hit the room and unpacked her few things. Barb hadn’t eaten yet so we decided to head to a park for lunch. We caught a bus to the Animal Kingdom and decided on Pizzafari. We each had the personal pizza, Caesar salad and water. They take TiW here so we got the 20% discount. It always pays to ask.
We took in It’s Tough To Be a Bug. We were stopped at the CM station just as the doors closed so we had to wait the full 8 minutes for the next show. That wasn’t a long wait but it can get pretty claustrophobic in that pre-show area – especially when it’s hot and sticky. Our show was fairly crowded but everything was in good working order and we enjoyed it.
We thought about sticking around for the 3:45 parade so we wandered back to Harambe and found some seats in the Dawa bar. The parade started somewhere over in Asia and we got tired of waiting and left before it reached us.
We’re leaving Harambe and the parade is somewhere well behind us. The CMs have a rope up preventing anyone from coming down the walkway into Harambe until the parade passes. A woman, acting as the spokesperson for her group, is giving a CM an earful because she’s not being allowed past. “My choices are wait an hour for the parade or walk an hour in the other direction?” My thoughts were: OK, lady. First, the parade won’t take an hour to get here – more like 10 minutes. Second, it won’t take you an hour to walk around the other way – more like 10-15 minutes. Third, this happens every day. Would you like Disney to make an exception just this once, for you, so you won’t be inconvenienced by your lack of planning? Sheesh! She followed us out of Haramb and her gums didn’t stop flapping the entire time. I pray to all that is good and holy that, if she complained to Guest Services, they gave her nothing more than an explanation.
Back to the room for a quick power nap. When we woke, we stepped out on the balcony and saw several giraffe and zebra on the savanna. There was this god-awful noise coming from somewhere off to our right. I expected a sick T-rex or something. It turned out to be several idiots on their balcony “roaring” at the animals – presumable trying to get their attention. To what end, I have no idea – I’m betting they didn’t either. I’d like to camp outside their room and at about 3:00 am, start making those sounds for them.
We had a reservation at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater at 7:00 so we headed out to DHS at 6:10. As we walked back to the restaurant, we noticed Star Tours had a Standby wait listed at 10 minutes so in we went. That 10 minutes was really the time needed to walk through and be placed in line for boarding. We both like this new version and rode 9 times back in January. We were fairly certain we saw all the alternative scenes except the opening seen with the probe droid (we saw Vader all 9 rides) and the visit to the Wookie planet – we got both on this ride.
We checked in at Sci-Fi at 6:50 but weren’t seated until 7:15. Several groups that came in after us were seated before we were and I was about to mention this to the hostess when we were called in.
We were “hitchhikers” and sat behind a mom, grandmother and small child. I’ve long been a proponent of the Sci-Fi, debating those who dislike the food. “Stick to the basics” was my mantra and the food is fine. This time, I thought it was less than good. Barb had a Turkey Sandwich on multi-grain that was very good. I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich (with watercress, vine-ripened tomatoes, mayonnaise, and drizzled with balsamic vinegar on a caraway salted bun) and we both had the cucumber salad as a side. There was nothing wrong with my sandwich – it tasted fine – but it was impossible to eat as a sandwich. The dressing had the chicken sliding around on the bun so a bite would sometimes only yield bun. And it’s too dark in the place to rearrange the sandwich. I finally just took of the top bun and tried eating it open-faced with a fork and knife. Unfortunately, it’s served in a wire basket so it difficult to cut – and once I sliced into the paper bottom I was drizzling mayo and balsamic dressing on to the table and basically making a mess. Next time, I’ll stick to the burger.
Barb had a Vanilla shake while I learned they no longer offered the raspberry iced tea so I went with Pomegranate Lemonade. Meh.
After dinner we rode Star Tours twice as a walk on. We saw the droid both times and the Wookie planet once. We had thought about sticking around for a Fantasmic! Show but we were both a little tired so we decided to head back.
It’s funny but we’re so used to staying at the Boardwalk and walking back from DHS that the bus stops are very unfamiliar to us. We found the Animal Kingdom Lodge stop and a bus was along in just a few minutes. It stopped at Blizzard Beach on the way. It was about 8:45 and the water park had been closed for some time. There were no riders there so the stop seemed a bit silly. I wonder if there isn’t some way they can monitor the bus stops at the water parks to avoid this waste of time and fuel?
We stopped and had a drink at the Victoria Falls lounge. Barb asked for an Amaretto on the rocks and the bartender immediately asked, “Disaronno?” A few minutes later, a woman walked up and what I heard was, “An Amarillo, please.” A Texas liqueur? I was curious. The bartender must have heard “Amaretto” because he again asked, “Disaronno?” The woman was confused and repeated her order – the bartender was confused and asked again. It wasn’t until the second bartender stepped in with a bottle of Amarula – an African coffee crème liqueur (think Bailey’s). I had never heard of it and, apparently, neither did our bartender even though it was stocked there.
> Most of us complained that 12 hours wasn’t enough time to work up an
> appetite after last night’s gorge-fest so we went a bit lighter than usual.
Amateurs.
> one of the African performers appeared with a
> drum and proceeded to enlist audience members for an impromptu jam
> session. Of course I was chosen to play the cowbell. I swear I heard
> Christopher Walken in the back yelling, “I’ve got the fever! More cowbell!”
LOL! That line will definitely go down in history.
> After breakfast, we were able to board Kilimanjaro Safari for the first ride
> of the day. I was expecting the Sunrise Safari which actually stops, lets the
> guest stand for photos, etc. This just went a little slower but I did get pretty
> good shots of both the male and female lions. I also noticed the Little Red
> story is now officially dead – the guide now just mentions that poachers had
> used the broken gate.
Thank goodness! That whole thing really ruined what was a good live animal
safari.
> I caught the shuttle to Kidani and bought that DVC shirt. It was the last one
> there in my size and I did score the AP discount of 10%. When the CM asked
> what she could do for me, I replied that she could give me the shirt as a
> birthday gift. She chuckled and continued with the transaction while the
> other CM readied a Birthday button for me. I think I broke her heart when I
> told her I was only kidding and it wasn’t my birthday.
Oh, now if this didn’t make it to SGT, I don’t know what would!
> She did call when she landed and had made her way to Magical Express.
So, you get the limo, she gets the cattle car.
> waited a few minutes then went outside to wait for her bus. I had lots of
> people trying to help me – I must look lost when I’m sitting on a bench
> waiting. At one point, a young lady in African garb asked if she could sit next
> to me. I said, “Sure” and soon regretted it when she began drumming on her
> African bongo-type drum thing.
I hate when that happens!
> I saw Barb exit the bus so I crossed to meet her and take her one carryon
> bag. As we approached the door, the “greeter” CM welcomed us as “Mr. And
> Mrs. Russo”.
> “How did you know who I am?”
> “Mickey tells me everything.”
Excellent! Keane, if you are reading, this is the sort of treatment you
get at the GF. I'm just sayin'.
> I’m certain she got the name from the Magical Express list, saw me waiting
> for her and put 2 and 2 together but… suppose I was Javier, the pool boy, and
> we were carrying on with an illicit affair?
Sorry, but you look nothing like Javier the pool boy. Maybe Jake the
plumber. ;-)
> We took in It’s Tough To Be a Bug. We were stopped at the CM station just
> as the doors closed so we had to wait the full 8 minutes for the next show.
> That wasn’t a long wait but it can get pretty claustrophobic in that pre-show
> area – especially when it’s hot and sticky.
Didn't that area used to be climate controlled?
> We’re leaving Harambe and the parade is somewhere well behind us. The
> CMs have a rope up preventing anyone from coming down the walkway into
> Harambe until the parade passes. A woman, acting as the spokesperson for
> her group, is giving a CM an earful because she’s not being allowed past. “My
> choices are wait an hour for the parade or walk an hour in the other
> direction?”
Well, of course it's not an hour, but it is some amount of time that seems
to be a waste all because AK is just really too small for that parade. Sort of like ToN was at Epcot - it effectively shuts down the park.
> We checked in at Sci-Fi at 6:50 but weren’t seated until 7:15. Several groups
> that came in after us were seated before we were and I was about to
> mention this to the hostess when we were called in.
So it sounds like the VIP treatment has come to a screeching halt?
> We were “hitchhikers” and sat behind a mom, grandmother and small child.
> I’ve long been a proponent of the Sci-Fi, debating those who dislike the food.
> “Stick to the basics” was my mantra and the food is fine. This time, I thought
> it was less than good. Barb had a Turkey Sandwich on multi-grain that was
> very good. I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich (with watercress, vine-
> ripened tomatoes, mayonnaise, and drizzled with balsamic vinegar on a
> caraway salted bun) and we both had the cucumber salad as a side. There
> was nothing wrong with my sandwich – it tasted fine – but it was impossible
> to eat as a sandwich. The dressing had the chicken sliding around on the bun
> so a bite would sometimes only yield bun. And it’s too dark in the place to
> rearrange the sandwich. I finally just took of the top bun and tried eating it
> open-faced with a fork and knife. Unfortunately, it’s served in a wire basket
> so it difficult to cut – and once I sliced into the paper bottom I was drizzling
> mayo and balsamic dressing on to the table and basically making a mess. Next
> time, I’ll stick to the burger.
LOL! It's what you get for orderring chicken! ;-)
> It’s funny but we’re so used to staying at the Boardwalk and walking back
> from DHS that the bus stops are very unfamiliar to us.
Spoken like a true Crescent Lake Snob.
> We found the Animal
> Kingdom Lodge stop and a bus was along in just a few minutes. It stopped at
> Blizzard Beach on the way. It was about 8:45 and the water park had been
> closed for some time. There were no riders there so the stop seemed a bit
> silly. I wonder if there isn’t some way they can monitor the bus stops at the
> water parks to avoid this waste of time and fuel?
Yeah, I've experienced that, too. My guess is that they do this to
accommodate guests who may have parked there and hopped to a park. Of
course why anyone would do that except for cheapskates trying to circumvent
the parking fees, I have no clue.
> We stopped and had a drink at the Victoria Falls lounge.
I love that bar. Well, really, I must admit there aren’t any bars at WDW
that I don’t enjoy visiting. :-)
> Barb asked for an
> Amaretto on the rocks and the bartender immediately asked, “Disaronno?” A
> few minutes later, a woman walked up and what I heard was, “An Amarillo,
> please.” A Texas liqueur? I was curious. The bartender must have heard
> “Amaretto” because he again asked, “Disaronno?” The woman was confused
> and repeated her order – the bartender was confused and asked again. It
> wasn’t until the second bartender stepped in with a bottle of Amarula – an
> African coffee crème liqueur (think Bailey’s). I had never heard of it and,
> apparently, neither did our bartender even though it was stocked there.
Reminds me of once when I ordered a "Chivas rocks" and the bartender
replied, "So you say, I'm a Ford man myself." (That may require some
knowledge of Southern humor to get).
> After one drink, we headed off to the room and bed.
Cheap date!
> Things I Think I Think – I think visiting in the summer means it’s very hot and
> humid but… the restaurants and buses are very cold – almost too cold in
> some cases.
That's good, but the last time we were there in August, they seemed to be
dialing back the A/C a bit, and while most places weren't hot, they had
just a bit of that "close" feeling that needed another degree or two of
cooling.
> It’s silly to carry a jacket or sweater but they’re needed in some
> locations.
Gee, being from so far north, I'd have thought you’d be better equipped to
handle some cool air.
>> She did call when she landed and had made her way to Magical Express.
> So, you get the limo, she gets the cattle car.
Fitting, eh?
>> waited a few minutes then went outside to wait for her bus. I had lots of
>> people trying to help me – I must look lost when I’m sitting on a bench
>> waiting. At one point, a young lady in African garb asked if she could sit next
>> to me. I said, “Sure” and soon regretted it when she began drumming on her
>> African bongo-type drum thing.
> I hate when that happens!
Yeah. It seems to happen to me everywhere!
>> I’m certain she got the name from the Magical Express list, saw me waiting
>> for her and put 2 and 2 together but… suppose I was Javier, the pool boy, and
>> we were carrying on with an illicit affair?
> Sorry, but you look nothing like Javier the pool boy. Maybe Jake the
> plumber. ;-)
Only from the back...
>> We took in It’s Tough To Be a Bug. We were stopped at the CM station just
>> as the doors closed so we had to wait the full 8 minutes for the next show.
>> That wasn’t a long wait but it can get pretty claustrophobic in that pre-show
>> area – especially when it’s hot and sticky.
> Didn't that area used to be climate controlled?
It is. But when you walk in hot and sweaty and swap DMA with a few thousand others, it's a bit close.
>> We checked in at Sci-Fi at 6:50 but weren’t seated until 7:15. Several groups
>> that came in after us were seated before we were and I was about to
>> mention this to the hostess when we were called in.
> So it sounds like the VIP treatment has come to a screeching halt?
Night and day.
>> It’s funny but we’re so used to staying at the Boardwalk and walking back
>> from DHS that the bus stops are very unfamiliar to us.
> Spoken like a true Crescent Lake Snob.
Yep. The front entrance of Epcot has also become foreign territory.
>> We found the Animal
>> Kingdom Lodge stop and a bus was along in just a few minutes. It stopped at
>> Blizzard Beach on the way. It was about 8:45 and the water park had been
>> closed for some time. There were no riders there so the stop seemed a bit
>> silly. I wonder if there isn’t some way they can monitor the bus stops at the
>> water parks to avoid this waste of time and fuel?
> Yeah, I've experienced that, too. My guess is that they do this to
> accommodate guests who may have parked there and hopped to a park. Of
> course why anyone would do that except for cheapskates trying to circumvent
> the parking fees, I have no clue.
Someone else suggested it might be for transportation to the miniature golf course (Winterland/Summerland?). That might be the reason.
>> We stopped and had a drink at the Victoria Falls lounge.
> I love that bar. Well, really, I must admit there aren’t any bars at WDW
> that I don’t enjoy visiting. :-)
>> Barb asked for an
>> Amaretto on the rocks and the bartender immediately asked, “Disaronno?” A
>> few minutes later, a woman walked up and what I heard was, “An Amarillo,
>> please.” A Texas liqueur? I was curious. The bartender must have heard
>> “Amaretto” because he again asked, “Disaronno?” The woman was confused
>> and repeated her order – the bartender was confused and asked again. It
>> wasn’t until the second bartender stepped in with a bottle of Amarula – an
>> African coffee crème liqueur (think Bailey’s). I had never heard of it and,
>> apparently, neither did our bartender even though it was stocked there.
> Reminds me of once when I ordered a "Chivas rocks" and the bartender
> replied, "So you say, I'm a Ford man myself." (That may require some
> knowledge of Southern humor to get).
ROTFLMAO! I get it. Good one.
>> After one drink, we headed off to the room and bed.
> Cheap date!
Always.
>> Things I Think I Think – I think visiting in the summer means it’s very hot and
>> humid but… the restaurants and buses are very cold – almost too cold in
>> some cases.
> That's good, but the last time we were there in August, they seemed to be
> dialing back the A/C a bit, and while most places weren't hot, they had
> just a bit of that "close" feeling that needed another degree or two of
> cooling.
Except for one bus that was stifling - everywhere else had the AC set to high. Glad we didn't ride Kali River.
>> It’s silly to carry a jacket or sweater but they’re needed in some
>> locations.
> Gee, being from so far north, I'd have thought you’d be better equipped to
> handle some cool air.
Cold doesn't usually bother me but the drastic change from one area to the next can be uncomfortable.
Steve Russo <sru...@nycap.rr.com> wrote:
> On 6/26/2012 4:21 PM, Rudeney wrote:
>>> She did call when she landed and had made her way to Magical Express.
>> So, you get the limo, she gets the cattle car.
> Fitting, eh?
Oh, you are going to be in trouble for that one!
>>> I’m certain she got the name from the Magical Express list, saw me waiting
>>> for her and put 2 and 2 together but… suppose I was Javier, the pool boy, and
>>> we were carrying on with an illicit affair?
>> Sorry, but you look nothing like Javier the pool boy. Maybe Jake the
>> plumber. ;-)
> Only from the back...
The only ting worse than seeing a big fat plumber's butt crack peeking out
over his pants is when it's a woman. There is actually an iPad game app
with this as the theme and it's the funniest thing I've ever seen. And
disgusting.
>>> We found the Animal
>>> Kingdom Lodge stop and a bus was along in just a few minutes. It stopped at
>>> Blizzard Beach on the way. It was about 8:45 and the water park had been
>>> closed for some time. There were no riders there so the stop seemed a bit
>>> silly. I wonder if there isn’t some way they can monitor the bus stops at the
>>> water parks to avoid this waste of time and fuel?
>> Yeah, I've experienced that, too. My guess is that they do this to
>> accommodate guests who may have parked there and hopped to a park. Of
>> course why anyone would do that except for cheapskates trying to circumvent
>> the parking fees, I have no clue.
> Someone else suggested it might be for transportation to the miniature
> golf course (Winterland/Summerland?). That might be the reason.
Ah, that makes more sense.
silly to carry a jacket or sweater but they’re needed in some
>>> locations.
>> Gee, being from so far north, I'd have thought you’d be better equipped to
>> handle some cool air.
> Cold doesn't usually bother me but the drastic change from one area to
> the next can be uncomfortable.
I guess living in The South I have become used to that. Like this week -
it's 100F outside and 65F inside.
On Tue, 26 Jun 2012 05:30:25 -0400, Steve Russo <sru...@nycap.rr.com>
wrote:
>We rode our bus to the Animal Kingdom and entered the park normally – as >guests would who had an early breakfast reservation. We walked back to >Harambe and were led into our breakfast area. There’s an area that’s I >believe is just a place to sit and rest – across from the Tusker House >and near the shop. The entrance was curtained off for yet another >breakfast buffet with omelet station.
Across from Tusker are the Bathrooms... No, couldn't be...
Are you talking about the seating area for the bar?
>Most of us complained that 12 hours wasn’t enough time to work up an >appetite after last night’s gorge-fest so we went a bit lighter than >usual.
I'd still be drunk.
>After breakfast, we were able to board Kilimanjaro Safari for the first >ride of the day. I was expecting the Sunrise Safari which actually >stops, lets the guest stand for photos, etc. This just went a little >slower but I did get pretty good shots of both the male and female >lions. I also noticed the Little Red story is now officially dead – the >guide now just mentions that poachers had used the broken gate.
Yes. It was still there in December when I was there, but I think
they finally killed off lil' red in February. I should have re-ridden
it in March...
But the poacher stuff is still in there? They could have removed
that from the script as well...
>Again, some of the group chose to stay in the parks while others headed >back to Jambo, me included. I bid farewell to Jack Spence as he was >headed home. I enjoyed spending time with Jack – he’s very knowledgeable >and has done tons of research for his articles so he’s loaded with lots >of little known facts about the World. That’s unlike some other writers >who tend to write off the top of their heads – or other body parts – and >shall remain nameless.
That's how I do it! And I like it that way.
>I caught the shuttle to Kidani and bought that DVC shirt. It was the >last one there in my size and I did score the AP discount of 10%. When >the CM asked what she could do for me, I replied that she could give me >the shirt as a birthday gift. She chuckled and continued with the >transaction while the other CM readied a Birthday button for me. I think >I broke her heart when I told her I was only kidding and it wasn’t my >birthday.
They didn't hit you up for the $1 donation to the Disney Conservation Fund?
>Back to Jambo and I found the room hadn’t yet been cleaned. I logged on >to Flightaware.com and found Barb’s plane is running an hour late. >That’s when I noticed earlier texts from Steph that said Barb was stuck >on the plane at the gate because of an equipment issue.
Oh good. I hope the toilets weren't overflowing by the time they
got to MCO...
>She did call when she landed and had made her way to Magical Express. I >waited a few minutes then went outside to wait for her bus. I had lots >of people trying to help me – I must look lost when I’m sitting on a >bench waiting.
When I'm alone in front of a hotel, I'm never asked. Maybe they're
afraid of me...
> At one point, a young lady in African garb asked if she >could sit next to me. I said, “Sure” and soon regretted it when she >began drumming on her African bongo-type drum thing. It’s enjoyable from >a short distance – right next to me, not so much.
No. It's annoying even when you hear it by the pool. Okay, it's
ambiance. Please ambiance over at the next hotel. Thank you.
(I have the same problem by the Outpost in Epcot and Africa in
AK. At least in Japan, they try to make it a show, but it's still
annoying when I can hear it on the Boardwalk. :-))
> Soon, she was accosted >by children for photos so I made room for them on the bench and used >that for my escape.
Very tactful.
>I saw Barb exit the bus so I crossed to meet her and take her one >carryon bag. As we approached the door, the “greeter” CM welcomed us as >“Mr. And Mrs. Russo”.
>“How did you know who I am?”
>“Mickey tells me everything.”
>I’m certain she got the name from the Magical Express list, saw me >waiting for her and put 2 and 2 together but… suppose I was Javier, the >pool boy, and we were carrying on with an illicit affair?
When I was at Kidani in March, the guard who checked my ID at the gate
radioed ahead that I would be arriving.
On the other hand, perhaps Disney's facial recognition system is
up and running.
(I am sure the ME bus driver radios ahead with the list. I wonder if
they would have still called you by name if there were 60 people on
the bus.)
>We hit the room and unpacked her few things. Barb hadn’t eaten yet so we >decided to head to a park for lunch. We caught a bus to the Animal >Kingdom and decided on Pizzafari. We each had the personal pizza, Caesar >salad and water. They take TiW here so we got the 20% discount. It >always pays to ask.
That's good to know. I don't think I used TiW there. (Do they serve
anything else there except personal pizzas and ceasars salad?)
>We took in It’s Tough To Be a Bug. We were stopped at the CM station >just as the doors closed so we had to wait the full 8 minutes for the >next show. That wasn’t a long wait but it can get pretty claustrophobic >in that pre-show area – especially when it’s hot and sticky. Our show >was fairly crowded but everything was in good working order and we >enjoyed it.
How quickly we have forgotten the lines that used to actually run out
of the theater and into the ToL...
>We thought about sticking around for the 3:45 parade so we wandered back >to Harambe and found some seats in the Dawa bar. The parade started >somewhere over in Asia and we got tired of waiting and left before it >reached us.
Well, that's interesting. It used to come in from and leave through
Africa.
Does anyone know where the parade comes and goes from?
I'm just wondering if they had to move the parade staging someplace
else, in preparation for something else... :-)
>We’re leaving Harambe and the parade is somewhere well behind us. The >CMs have a rope up preventing anyone from coming down the walkway into >Harambe until the parade passes. A woman, acting as the spokesperson for >her group, is giving a CM an earful because she’s not being allowed >past. “My choices are wait an hour for the parade or walk an hour in the >other direction?” My thoughts were: OK, lady. First, the parade won’t >take an hour to get here – more like 10 minutes. Second, it won’t take >you an hour to walk around the other way – more like 10-15 minutes. >Third, this happens every day. Would you like Disney to make an >exception just this once, for you, so you won’t be inconvenienced by >your lack of planning?
Yes. Because they are special.
> Sheesh! She followed us out of Haramb and her >gums didn’t stop flapping the entire time. I pray to all that is good >and holy that, if she complained to Guest Services, they gave her >nothing more than an explanation.
While I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of said SG, I
find it surprising that Disney didn't think they'd ever have a parade in the park, considering the popularity of the parades in MK. (I
guess to be fair, they didn't learn their lesson until Tapestry of
Nations in 1999, but even there, there wasn't any place that was
completely blocked to all traffic.)
When I bypassed that bridge to Harambe, I had to take one of the
trails that goes across Discovery Island by the tree of life to Asia
and back on the other side of the river. I didn't walk enough that
week anyway.
>Back to the room for a quick power nap. When we woke, we stepped out on >the balcony and saw several giraffe and zebra on the savanna. There was >this god-awful noise coming from somewhere off to our right. I expected >a sick T-rex or something. It turned out to be several idiots on their >balcony “roaring” at the animals – presumable trying to get their >attention. To what end, I have no idea – I’m betting they didn’t either. >I’d like to camp outside their room and at about 3:00 am, start making >those sounds for them.
You have all sorts of luck with those balconies at AKL, don't you.
>We had a reservation at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater at 7:00 so we headed >out to DHS at 6:10. As we walked back to the restaurant, we noticed Star >Tours had a Standby wait listed at 10 minutes so in we went. That 10 >minutes was really the time needed to walk through and be placed in line >for boarding.
Yes, I've noticed that with all 6 simulators running, they have an
incredible throughput. I'll bet it's not to hard bringing another
simulator up if the line gets long.
> We both like this new version and rode 9 times back in >January. We were fairly certain we saw all the alternative scenes except >the opening seen with the probe droid (we saw Vader all 9 rides) and the >visit to the Wookie planet – we got both on this ride.
My experience exactly. While there are 50-something possible
versions, it took me about 10 times to see all the segments.
(Though there must have been something wrong with the opening
while you were there in Jan. 9 times in a row when there are only
two opening scenes is worth buying powerball tickets that week.)
>We checked in at Sci-Fi at 6:50 but weren’t seated until 7:15. Several >groups that came in after us were seated before we were and I was about >to mention this to the hostess when we were called in.
> On Tue, 26 Jun 2012 05:30:25 -0400, Steve Russo <sru...@nycap.rr.com>
> wrote:
>> We rode our bus to the Animal Kingdom and entered the park normally – as
>> guests would who had an early breakfast reservation. We walked back to
>> Harambe and were led into our breakfast area. There’s an area that’s I
>> believe is just a place to sit and rest – across from the Tusker House
>> and near the shop. The entrance was curtained off for yet another
>> breakfast buffet with omelet station.
> Across from Tusker are the Bathrooms... No, couldn't be...
> Are you talking about the seating area for the bar?
No. The Dawa Bar is adjacent to the Tusker House. This was across the street.
We were being led by two CMs with flashlights and I thought we were headed to the Safari so the abrupt turn caught me by surprise. On the corner is Tamu Tamu refreshments. Up a bit further are the restrooms and a shop - further yet is the fruit market. Somewhere near the restrooms, there's an entrance to a courtyard - that's where we had breakfast. They had the entrance blocked with a curtain. I never knew it was there before but Jack Spence said he had been in there previously to take a break but didn't realize it was used to host "events".
I'd have to see it again to find the courtyard myself.
>> After breakfast, we were able to board Kilimanjaro Safari for the first
>> ride of the day. I was expecting the Sunrise Safari which actually
>> stops, lets the guest stand for photos, etc. This just went a little
>> slower but I did get pretty good shots of both the male and female
>> lions. I also noticed the Little Red story is now officially dead – the
>> guide now just mentions that poachers had used the broken gate.
> Yes. It was still there in December when I was there, but I think
> they finally killed off lil' red in February. I should have re-ridden
> it in March...
> But the poacher stuff is still in there? They could have removed
> that from the script as well...
Just the one mention to explain the broken gate.
>> I caught the shuttle to Kidani and bought that DVC shirt. It was the
>> last one there in my size and I did score the AP discount of 10%. When
>> the CM asked what she could do for me, I replied that she could give me
>> the shirt as a birthday gift. She chuckled and continued with the
>> transaction while the other CM readied a Birthday button for me. I think
>> I broke her heart when I told her I was only kidding and it wasn’t my
>> birthday.
> They didn't hit you up for the $1 donation to the Disney Conservation
> Fund?
No. I only seem to get that at AK.
>> We hit the room and unpacked her few things. Barb hadn’t eaten yet so we
>> decided to head to a park for lunch. We caught a bus to the Animal
>> Kingdom and decided on Pizzafari. We each had the personal pizza, Caesar
>> salad and water. They take TiW here so we got the 20% discount. It
>> always pays to ask.
> That's good to know. I don't think I used TiW there. (Do they serve
> anything else there except personal pizzas and ceasars salad?)
Yes, there's a hot Italian sub and antipasto.
>> We thought about sticking around for the 3:45 parade so we wandered back
>> to Harambe and found some seats in the Dawa bar. The parade started
>> somewhere over in Asia and we got tired of waiting and left before it
>> reached us.
> Well, that's interesting. It used to come in from and leave through
> Africa.
That's my experience as well which is why the Dawa bar is a great place to sit (and sip) and wait for it. When it started over in Asia, we were too impatient to wait for it to make it all the way to Harambe.
> Does anyone know where the parade comes and goes from?
> I'm just wondering if they had to move the parade staging someplace
> else, in preparation for something else... :-)
Might be but... I don't know what it might have been moved for. There's nothing obvious.
>> We were “hitchhikers” and sat behind a mom, grandmother and small child.
>> I’ve long been a proponent of the Sci-Fi, debating those who dislike the
>> food. “Stick to the basics” was my mantra and the food is fine. This
>> time, I thought it was less than good. Barb had a Turkey Sandwich on
>> multi-grain that was very good. I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich
>> (with watercress, vine-ripened tomatoes, mayonnaise, and drizzled with
>> balsamic vinegar on a caraway salted bun)
> On 7/1/2012 11:19 AM, Keane wrote:
>> On Tue, 26 Jun 2012 05:30:25 -0400, Steve Russo <sru...@nycap.rr.com>
>> wrote:
>>> We rode our bus to the Animal Kingdom and entered the park normally – as
>>> guests would who had an early breakfast reservation. We walked back to
>>> Harambe and were led into our breakfast area. There’s an area that’s I
>>> believe is just a place to sit and rest – across from the Tusker House
>>> and near the shop. The entrance was curtained off for yet another
>>> breakfast buffet with omelet station.
>> Across from Tusker are the Bathrooms... No, couldn't be...
>> Are you talking about the seating area for the bar?
> No. The Dawa Bar is adjacent to the Tusker House. This was across the
> street.
> We were being led by two CMs with flashlights and I thought we were
> headed to the Safari so the abrupt turn caught me by surprise. On the
> corner is Tamu Tamu refreshments. Up a bit further are the restrooms and
> a shop - further yet is the fruit market. Somewhere near the restrooms,
> there's an entrance to a courtyard - that's where we had breakfast. They
> had the entrance blocked with a curtain. I never knew it was there
> before but Jack Spence said he had been in there previously to take a
> break but didn't realize it was used to host "events".
> I'd have to see it again to find the courtyard myself.
Visualize... Standing in front of Dawa bar, looking at Tamu Tamu. Now, look left of Tamu, Tamu towards the restrooms. Got it? Right between the buildings is a courtyard ( the drummers come from there to the Dawa Bar) and that courtyard can be curtained off. I have seen the curtain on a couple times and I wondered why? Now I know.
>>> After breakfast, we were able to board Kilimanjaro Safari for the first
>>> ride of the day. I was expecting the Sunrise Safari which actually
>>> stops, lets the guest stand for photos, etc. This just went a little
>>> slower but I did get pretty good shots of both the male and female
>>> lions. I also noticed the Little Red story is now officially dead – the
>>> guide now just mentions that poachers had used the broken gate.
>> Yes. It was still there in December when I was there, but I think
>> they finally killed off lil' red in February. I should have re-ridden
>> it in March...
>> But the poacher stuff is still in there? They could have removed
>> that from the script as well...
> Just the one mention to explain the broken gate.
>>> I caught the shuttle to Kidani and bought that DVC shirt. It was the
>>> last one there in my size and I did score the AP discount of 10%. When
>>> the CM asked what she could do for me, I replied that she could give me
>>> the shirt as a birthday gift. She chuckled and continued with the
>>> transaction while the other CM readied a Birthday button for me. I think
>>> I broke her heart when I told her I was only kidding and it wasn’t my
>>> birthday.
>> They didn't hit you up for the $1 donation to the Disney Conservation
>> Fund?
> No. I only seem to get that at AK.
>>> We hit the room and unpacked her few things. Barb hadn’t eaten yet so we
>>> decided to head to a park for lunch. We caught a bus to the Animal
>>> Kingdom and decided on Pizzafari. We each had the personal pizza, Caesar
>>> salad and water. They take TiW here so we got the 20% discount. It
>>> always pays to ask.
>> That's good to know. I don't think I used TiW there. (Do they serve
>> anything else there except personal pizzas and ceasars salad?)
> Yes, there's a hot Italian sub and antipasto.
>>> We thought about sticking around for the 3:45 parade so we wandered back
>>> to Harambe and found some seats in the Dawa bar. The parade started
>>> somewhere over in Asia and we got tired of waiting and left before it
>>> reached us.
>> Well, that's interesting. It used to come in from and leave through
>> Africa.
> That's my experience as well which is why the Dawa bar is a great place
> to sit (and sip) and wait for it. When it started over in Asia, we were
> too impatient to wait for it to make it all the way to Harambe.
>> Does anyone know where the parade comes and goes from?
>> I'm just wondering if they had to move the parade staging someplace
>> else, in preparation for something else... :-)
> Might be but... I don't know what it might have been moved for. There's
> nothing obvious.
>>> We were “hitchhikers” and sat behind a mom, grandmother and small child.
>>> I’ve long been a proponent of the Sci-Fi, debating those who dislike the
>>> food. “Stick to the basics” was my mantra and the food is fine. This
>>> time, I thought it was less than good. Barb had a Turkey Sandwich on
>>> multi-grain that was very good. I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich
>>> (with watercress, vine-ripened tomatoes, mayonnaise, and drizzled with
>>> balsamic vinegar on a caraway salted bun)
>>> Across from Tusker are the Bathrooms... No, couldn't be...
>>> Are you talking about the seating area for the bar?
>> No. The Dawa Bar is adjacent to the Tusker House. This was across the
>> street.
>> We were being led by two CMs with flashlights and I thought we were
>> headed to the Safari so the abrupt turn caught me by surprise. On the
>> corner is Tamu Tamu refreshments. Up a bit further are the restrooms and
>> a shop - further yet is the fruit market. Somewhere near the restrooms,
>> there's an entrance to a courtyard - that's where we had breakfast. They
>> had the entrance blocked with a curtain. I never knew it was there
>> before but Jack Spence said he had been in there previously to take a
>> break but didn't realize it was used to host "events".
>> I'd have to see it again to find the courtyard myself.
> Visualize... Standing in front of Dawa bar, looking at Tamu Tamu. Now,
> look left of Tamu, Tamu towards the restrooms. Got it? Right between the
> buildings is a courtyard ( the drummers come from there to the Dawa
> Bar) and that courtyard can be curtained off. I have seen the curtain
> on a couple times and I wondered why? Now I know.
> Hope that helps.
> Lisa
Ding, ding. We have a winner. Thanks, Lisa, that's exactly it. For some reason, I never took notice of this place before.
Keane <ke...@keanespics.com> wrote:
> On Tue, 26 Jun 2012 05:30:25 -0400, Steve Russo <sru...@nycap.rr.com>
> wrote:
>> I caught the shuttle to Kidani and bought that DVC shirt. It was the >> last one there in my size and I did score the AP discount of 10%. When >> the CM asked what she could do for me, I replied that she could give me >> the shirt as a birthday gift. She chuckled and continued with the >> transaction while the other CM readied a Birthday button for me. I think >> I broke her heart when I told her I was only kidding and it wasn’t my >> birthday.
> They didn't hit you up for the $1 donation to the Disney Conservation > Fund?
Are they still doing that? Most of the small shops in Destin now charge an
optional 1% fee that goes to support the local arts community. One place
charged that plus another 1% for conservation, and they do this
automatically without asking first. i do think I remembered seeing a sign
at one register that mention it, but it's an "opt out" thing. Even though
Disney could be a little annoying about it, at least it was totally
optional andot automatic.
>> I saw Barb exit the bus so I crossed to meet her and take her one >> carryon bag. As we approached the door, the “greeter” CM welcomed us as >> “Mr. And Mrs. Russo”.
>> “How did you know who I am?”
>> “Mickey tells me everything.”
>> I’m certain she got the name from the Magical Express list, saw me >> waiting for her and put 2 and 2 together but… suppose I was Javier, the >> pool boy, and we were carrying on with an illicit affair?
> When I was at Kidani in March, the guard who checked my ID at the gate
> radioed ahead that I would be arriving.
> On the other hand, perhaps Disney's facial recognition system is
> up and running.
Years ago, I noticed that they did something like this at Chef Mickey's. instead of Just calling your name, the hostess would note some
distinguishing features, like shirt color, hair, glasses, etc. When they
were ready to seat you, the CM just looked for yoi in the waiting area and
greeted you by name. in our case, they had noted Katie was wearing
somthing like a bright red jacket, but she ended up taking it off, and that
threw them off their game.
>> We thought about sticking around for the 3:45 parade so we wandered back >> to Harambe and found some seats in the Dawa bar. The parade started >> somewhere over in Asia and we got tired of waiting and left before it >> reached us.
> Well, that's interesting. It used to come in from and leave through
> Africa.
> Does anyone know where the parade comes and goes from?
> I'm just wondering if they had to move the parade staging someplace
> else, in preparation for something else... :-)
Unless it has changed in the last few years, it starts in Africa. I
distinctly remembered sitting in the Dawa bar and the parade coming from
somewhere near the safari entrance. It does wrap around the whole park and
come back from Asia at the very end. Maybe someone had too many margaritas
at The Dawa Bar and simply missed the beginning of the parade? ;-). (it's
easy to do - it almost happened to me once).
>> Sheesh! She followed us out of Haramb and her >> gums didn’t stop flapping the entire time. I pray to all that is good >> and holy that, if she complained to Guest Services, they gave her >> nothing more than an explanation.
> While I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of said SG, I
> find it surprising that Disney didn't think they'd ever have a parade > in the park, considering the popularity of the parades in MK. (I
> guess to be fair, they didn't learn their lesson until Tapestry of
> Nations in 1999, but even there, there wasn't any place that was
> completely blocked to all traffic.)
Define "completely". ToN/ToD caused all sorts of problems. There were
pedestrian paths, but they wold often be so crowded, they were impassable. Had it not been for that, those were great parades.
>>>> Across from Tusker are the Bathrooms... No, couldn't be...
>>>> Are you talking about the seating area for the bar?
>>> No. The Dawa Bar is adjacent to the Tusker House. This was across the
>>> street.
>>> We were being led by two CMs with flashlights and I thought we were
>>> headed to the Safari so the abrupt turn caught me by surprise. On the
>>> corner is Tamu Tamu refreshments. Up a bit further are the restrooms and
>>> a shop - further yet is the fruit market. Somewhere near the restrooms,
>>> there's an entrance to a courtyard - that's where we had breakfast. They
>>> had the entrance blocked with a curtain. I never knew it was there
>>> before but Jack Spence said he had been in there previously to take a
>>> break but didn't realize it was used to host "events".
>>> I'd have to see it again to find the courtyard myself.
>> Visualize... Standing in front of Dawa bar, looking at Tamu Tamu. Now,
>> look left of Tamu, Tamu towards the restrooms. Got it? Right between the
>> buildings is a courtyard ( the drummers come from there to the Dawa
>> Bar) and that courtyard can be curtained off. I have seen the curtain
>> on a couple times and I wondered why? Now I know.
>> Hope that helps.
>> Lisa
> Ding, ding. We have a winner. Thanks, Lisa, that's exactly it. For some
> reason, I never took notice of this place before.
Welcome! We spend time just sitting in the Dawa Bar, watching people and eating our Disney snacks. Love the people watching from there.
> Keane <ke...@keanespics.com> wrote:
>> Does anyone know where the parade comes and goes from?
>> I'm just wondering if they had to move the parade staging someplace
>> else, in preparation for something else... :-)
> Unless it has changed in the last few years, it starts in Africa. I
> distinctly remembered sitting in the Dawa bar and the parade coming from
> somewhere near the safari entrance. It does wrap around the whole park and
> come back from Asia at the very end. Maybe someone had too many margaritas
> at The Dawa Bar and simply missed the beginning of the parade? ;-). (it's
> easy to do - it almost happened to me once).
I've done that several times... Dawa Bar for a beer, get a table near the street and wait for the parade. This time, the parade started somewhere over in Asia (at 3:45). By 4:00, it was still off in the distance. That's when we became impatient and left. I do not know if starting in Asia is a one-time thing, temporary or the new way.
>>> Sheesh! She followed us out of Haramb and her
>>> gums didn’t stop flapping the entire time. I pray to all that is good
>>> and holy that, if she complained to Guest Services, they gave her
>>> nothing more than an explanation.
>> While I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of said SG, I
>> find it surprising that Disney didn't think they'd ever have a parade
>> in the park, considering the popularity of the parades in MK. (I
>> guess to be fair, they didn't learn their lesson until Tapestry of
>> Nations in 1999, but even there, there wasn't any place that was
>> completely blocked to all traffic.)
> Define "completely". ToN/ToD caused all sorts of problems. There were
> pedestrian paths, but they wold often be so crowded, they were impassable.
> Had it not been for that, those were great parades.
I agree (almost completely). I thought the pedestrian paths were fine and allowed traffic to flow nicely until some SG decided these paths would be a good place to stop and watch the parade. I've been trying to pass these idiots and watched as CMs did everything they could to get them to move only to be ignored.
On Sun, 01 Jul 2012 15:46:12 -0400, Steve Russo <sru...@nycap.rr.com>
wrote:
>On 7/1/2012 11:19 AM, Keane wrote:
>> On Tue, 26 Jun 2012 05:30:25 -0400, Steve Russo <sru...@nycap.rr.com>
>> wrote:
>We were being led by two CMs with flashlights and I thought we were >headed to the Safari so the abrupt turn caught me by surprise. On the >corner is Tamu Tamu refreshments. Up a bit further are the restrooms and >a shop - further yet is the fruit market. Somewhere near the restrooms, >there's an entrance to a courtyard - that's where we had breakfast. They >had the entrance blocked with a curtain. I never knew it was there >before but Jack Spence said he had been in there previously to take a >break but didn't realize it was used to host "events".
>I'd have to see it again to find the courtyard myself.
I found a pic with a doorway between Tamu Tamu and the bathrooms.
Is it there?
Keane
-- This message originated on the Usenet group
rec.arts.disney.parks. See RADP.org for more info.
When stars are born, They possess a gift or two, One of them is this, They have the power to make a wish come true...
-- Wishes Visit my site: http://keanespics.com
>On 7/1/2012 3:46 PM, Steve Russo wrote:
>> On 7/1/2012 11:19 AM, Keane wrote:
>>> On Tue, 26 Jun 2012 05:30:25 -0400, Steve Russo <sru...@nycap.rr.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>> We rode our bus to the Animal Kingdom and entered the park normally – as
>>>> guests would who had an early breakfast reservation. We walked back to
>>>> Harambe and were led into our breakfast area. There’s an area that’s I
>>>> believe is just a place to sit and rest – across from the Tusker House
>>>> and near the shop. The entrance was curtained off for yet another
>>>> breakfast buffet with omelet station.
>>> Across from Tusker are the Bathrooms... No, couldn't be...
>>> Are you talking about the seating area for the bar?
>> No. The Dawa Bar is adjacent to the Tusker House. This was across the
>> street.
>> We were being led by two CMs with flashlights and I thought we were
>> headed to the Safari so the abrupt turn caught me by surprise. On the
>> corner is Tamu Tamu refreshments. Up a bit further are the restrooms and
>> a shop - further yet is the fruit market. Somewhere near the restrooms,
>> there's an entrance to a courtyard - that's where we had breakfast. They
>> had the entrance blocked with a curtain. I never knew it was there
>> before but Jack Spence said he had been in there previously to take a
>> break but didn't realize it was used to host "events".
>> I'd have to see it again to find the courtyard myself.
>Visualize... Standing in front of Dawa bar, looking at Tamu Tamu. >Now, look left of Tamu, Tamu towards the restrooms. Got it? Right >between the buildings is a courtyard ( the drummers come from there to >the Dawa Bar) and that courtyard can be curtained off. I have seen the >curtain on a couple times and I wondered why? Now I know.
>Hope that helps.
Okay, that's the place on the pic. Will have to stop in next time...
Keane
-- This message originated on the Usenet group
rec.arts.disney.parks. See RADP.org for more info.
When stars are born, They possess a gift or two, One of them is this, They have the power to make a wish come true...
-- Wishes Visit my site: http://keanespics.com
> On Sun, 01 Jul 2012 15:46:12 -0400, Steve Russo <sru...@nycap.rr.com>
> wrote:
>> On 7/1/2012 11:19 AM, Keane wrote:
>>> On Tue, 26 Jun 2012 05:30:25 -0400, Steve Russo <sru...@nycap.rr.com>
>>> wrote:
>> We were being led by two CMs with flashlights and I thought we were
>> headed to the Safari so the abrupt turn caught me by surprise. On the
>> corner is Tamu Tamu refreshments. Up a bit further are the restrooms and
>> a shop - further yet is the fruit market. Somewhere near the restrooms,
>> there's an entrance to a courtyard - that's where we had breakfast. They
>> had the entrance blocked with a curtain. I never knew it was there
>> before but Jack Spence said he had been in there previously to take a
>> break but didn't realize it was used to host "events".
>> I'd have to see it again to find the courtyard myself.
> I found a pic with a doorway between Tamu Tamu and the bathrooms.
> Is it there?
Steve Russo <sru...@nycap.rr.com> wrote:
> On 7/2/2012 9:57 AM, Rudeney wrote:
>> Keane <ke...@keanespics.com> wrote:
>>> Does anyone know where the parade comes and goes from?
>>> I'm just wondering if they had to move the parade staging someplace
>>> else, in preparation for something else... :-)
>> Unless it has changed in the last few years, it starts in Africa. I
>> distinctly remembered sitting in the Dawa bar and the parade coming from
>> somewhere near the safari entrance. It does wrap around the whole park and
>> come back from Asia at the very end. Maybe someone had too many margaritas
>> at The Dawa Bar and simply missed the beginning of the parade? ;-). (it's
>> easy to do - it almost happened to me once).
> I've done that several times... Dawa Bar for a beer, get a table near the
> street and wait for the parade. This time, the parade started somewhere
> over in Asia (at 3:45). By 4:00, it was still off in the distance. That's
> when we became impatient and left. I do not know if starting in Asia is a
> one-time thing, temporary or the new way.
Interesting. They must have reversed the route and even added a new
entrance, because the original one started from between the Tusker House
and the safari, went through Africa, across the bridge to Discovery Island,
counter clockwise, then back over the bridge to Asia and back into Africa,
leaving through the entrance it came in out of.
>>>> Sheesh! She followed us out of Haramb and her
>>>> gums didn’t stop flapping the entire time. I pray to all that is good
>>>> and holy that, if she complained to Guest Services, they gave her
>>>> nothing more than an explanation.
>>> While I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of said SG, I
>>> find it surprising that Disney didn't think they'd ever have a parade
>>> in the park, considering the popularity of the parades in MK. (I
>>> guess to be fair, they didn't learn their lesson until Tapestry of
>>> Nations in 1999, but even there, there wasn't any place that was
>>> completely blocked to all traffic.)
>> Define "completely". ToN/ToD caused all sorts of problems. There were
>> pedestrian paths, but they wold often be so crowded, they were impassable.
>> Had it not been for that, those were great parades.
> I agree (almost completely). I thought the pedestrian paths were fine and
> allowed traffic to flow nicely until some SG decided these paths would be
> a good place to stop and watch the parade. I've been trying to pass these
> idiots and watched as CMs did everything they could to get them to move only to be ignored.
Yes, SG's stopping in the walkways was a big problem. It was compounded by
the walkways being so narrow, that CM's didn't even have enough room to
properly "patrol" them. Another problem was caused when lines for the
restaurants and carts would backup into the viewing areas. Also, because
the parade was actually multiple simultaneous parades, it made it worse.. It wasn't like you cold go ahead or behind it - even if you got around one
segment to another pavilion, there was another parade there. I think the
traffic problems were the man reason the they canceled the Epcot parades
and haven't brought in new ones.
<rude...@mickeypics.com> wrote:
>Keane <ke...@keanespics.com> wrote:
>> On Tue, 26 Jun 2012 05:30:25 -0400, Steve Russo <sru...@nycap.rr.com>
>> wrote:
>> Does anyone know where the parade comes and goes from?
>> I'm just wondering if they had to move the parade staging someplace
>> else, in preparation for something else... :-)
>Unless it has changed in the last few years, it starts in Africa. I
Well, that was the whole point of the question. Something has
changed. Otherwise it would have passed Russo in Dawa.
>>> Sheesh! She followed us out of Haramb and her >>> gums didn?t stop flapping the entire time. I pray to all that is good >>> and holy that, if she complained to Guest Services, they gave her >>> nothing more than an explanation.
>> While I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of said SG, I
>> find it surprising that Disney didn't think they'd ever have a parade >> in the park, considering the popularity of the parades in MK. (I
>> guess to be fair, they didn't learn their lesson until Tapestry of
>> Nations in 1999, but even there, there wasn't any place that was
>> completely blocked to all traffic.)
>Define "completely". ToN/ToD caused all sorts of problems. There were
>pedestrian paths, but they wold often be so crowded, they were impassable. >Had it not been for that, those were great parades.
Completely as in no path for guests to travel at all.
Don't care that SG's blocked the path during ToN, there was a path.
There is *no* guest paths going across the bridges in AK when the
parade is coming through.
None. You have to find another way to get where you want to go,
usually via the bridge on the Asia side.
Keane
-- This message originated on the Usenet group
rec.arts.disney.parks. See RADP.org for more info.
When stars are born, They possess a gift or two, One of them is this, They have the power to make a wish come true...
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>> Keane <ke...@keanespics.com> wrote:
>>> On Tue, 26 Jun 2012 05:30:25 -0400, Steve Russo <sru...@nycap.rr.com>
>>> wrote:
>>> Does anyone know where the parade comes and goes from?
>>> I'm just wondering if they had to move the parade staging someplace
>>> else, in preparation for something else... :-)
>> Unless it has changed in the last few years, it starts in Africa.
> Well, that was the whole point of the question. Something has
> changed. Otherwise it would have passed Russo in Dawa.
Really, there are three possibilities here:
1. Steve "had one too many" and he is confused about the direction of the
parade or that he was at the end of it where it returns to Adrica instead
of the beginnignwhere it starts in Africa.
2. Steve had way too many and he was not oly confused about the directions
of the parade, but he was actually in the MK watching a totally different
parade.
3. The parade route has changed.
Steve did admit to drinking a lot on that trip...I'm just sayin' ;-)
>>>> Sheesh! She followed us out of Haramb and her >>>> gums didn?t stop flapping the entire time. I pray to all that is good >>>> and holy that, if she complained to Guest Services, they gave her >>>> nothing more than an explanation.
>>> While I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of said SG, I
>>> find it surprising that Disney didn't think they'd ever have a parade >>> in the park, considering the popularity of the parades in MK. (I
>>> guess to be fair, they didn't learn their lesson until Tapestry of
>>> Nations in 1999, but even there, there wasn't any place that was
>>> completely blocked to all traffic.)
>> Define "completely". ToN/ToD caused all sorts of problems. There were
>> pedestrian paths, but they wold often be so crowded, they were impassable. >> Had it not been for that, those were great parades.
> Completely as in no path for guests to travel at all.
> Don't care that SG's blocked the path during ToN, there was a path.
> There is *no* guest paths going across the bridges in AK when the
> parade is coming through.
> None. You have to find another way to get where you want to go,
> usually via the bridge on the Asia side.
Yep, you're right - there are no pedestrian paths in some places during the
AK parade. But having a path marked, but full of non-moving guests there
because they are limed up for a Turkey leg or a kaki-gori is pretty much
the same thing.
>>> Keane <ke...@keanespics.com> wrote:
>>>> On Tue, 26 Jun 2012 05:30:25 -0400, Steve Russo <sru...@nycap.rr.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>> Does anyone know where the parade comes and goes from?
>>>> I'm just wondering if they had to move the parade staging someplace
>>>> else, in preparation for something else... :-)
>>> Unless it has changed in the last few years, it starts in Africa.
>> Well, that was the whole point of the question. Something has
>> changed. Otherwise it would have passed Russo in Dawa.
> Really, there are three possibilities here:
> 1. Steve "had one too many" and he is confused about the direction of the
> parade or that he was at the end of it where it returns to Adrica instead
> of the beginnignwhere it starts in Africa.
> 2. Steve had way too many and he was not oly confused about the directions
> of the parade, but he was actually in the MK watching a totally different
> parade.
> 3. The parade route has changed.
> Steve did admit to drinking a lot on that trip...I'm just sayin' ;-)
While I did my fair share, I had nothing alcoholic that day... at least to that point in the day. To re-state... I have done this before and we did get to the Dawa bar well before the 3:45 start time. From there, we can hear the beginning of the parade and catch the first float just a minute or two later.
This time, we heard the parade over in Asia (when we exited, we could see a few of the floats). It was making its way toward Africa but, by 4:05 or so, we got tired of waiting and left.
>>>> Keane <ke...@keanespics.com> wrote:
>>>>> On Tue, 26 Jun 2012 05:30:25 -0400, Steve Russo <sru...@nycap.rr.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>> Does anyone know where the parade comes and goes from?
>>>>> I'm just wondering if they had to move the parade staging someplace
>>>>> else, in preparation for something else... :-)
>>>> Unless it has changed in the last few years, it starts in Africa.
>>> Well, that was the whole point of the question. Something has
>>> changed. Otherwise it would have passed Russo in Dawa.
>> Really, there are three possibilities here:
>> 1. Steve "had one too many" and he is confused about the direction of the
>> parade or that he was at the end of it where it returns to Adrica instead
>> of the beginnignwhere it starts in Africa.
>> 2. Steve had way too many and he was not oly confused about the directions
>> of the parade, but he was actually in the MK watching a totally different
>> parade.
>> 3. The parade route has changed.
>> Steve did admit to drinking a lot on that trip...I'm just sayin' ;-)
>While I did my fair share, I had nothing alcoholic that day... at least >to that point in the day. To re-state... I have done this before and we >did get to the Dawa bar well before the 3:45 start time. From there, we >can hear the beginning of the parade and catch the first float just a >minute or two later.
>This time, we heard the parade over in Asia (when we exited, we could >see a few of the floats). It was making its way toward Africa but, by >4:05 or so, we got tired of waiting and left.
I actually looked at the maps (gasp) and the parade now come out
from backstage by the bathrooms, Between Pizzafari and the First Aid
Station. (on the west side of Discovery Island.)
It still travels counter-clockwise around DI. (if you don't know
what the word "counter-clockwise" means, I don't want to know
you.)
So sitting in Dawa now means you're on the trailing end of the parade
circuit.
Keane
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>>>>> Keane <ke...@keanespics.com> wrote:
>>>>>> On Tue, 26 Jun 2012 05:30:25 -0400, Steve Russo <sru...@nycap.rr.com>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>> Really, there are three possibilities here:
>>> 1. Steve "had one too many" and he is confused about the direction of the
>>> parade or that he was at the end of it where it returns to Adrica instead
>>> of the beginnignwhere it starts in Africa.
>>> 2. Steve had way too many and he was not oly confused about the directions
>>> of the parade, but he was actually in the MK watching a totally different
>>> parade.
>>> 3. The parade route has changed.
>>> Steve did admit to drinking a lot on that trip...I'm just sayin' ;-)
> I actually looked at the maps (gasp) and the parade now come out
> from backstage by the bathrooms, Between Pizzafari and the First Aid
> Station. (on the west side of Discovery Island.)
> It still travels counter-clockwise around DI. (if you don't know
> what the word "counter-clockwise" means, I don't want to know
> you.)
> So sitting in Dawa now means you're on the trailing end of the parade
> circuit.
Mystery solved! (though it would have been much more "entertaining" had it
not been option 3).
