Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<I'm glad that you had so many happy points. I love it when you are happy with WDW. >> Thanks!!! Believe me, no one is happier than I am when I'm happy ... what an interesting statement!
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 ^^Scratch that. MPierce is happiest when I'm happy because I can be a very nasty leader when I'm not happy!
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<So...people often post that EMH are too crowded and waits are longer than in the daytime because of how many people stay on site. Sounds like that was not the case for you. I'd love to stay at MK till 2am. Is it worth it?>> Yes. You can do more by getting to MK at 9 or 10 and staying until 2 then you can by getting there at opening. No crowds (except for very early and only at MK ... EMH one night at EPCOT was near empty!) ... very few strollers and ECVs. And the weather is so much more pleasant. Other than July 3rd and another day when I met someone briefly in the afternoon, I never got to MK before 9 p.m.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> ^^Scratch that. MPierce is happiest when I'm happy because I can be a very nasty leader when I'm not happy! << Truer words were never spoken!
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 >> 1.) Spending time with family and very dear friends ... life is all about the people you spend time with on the journey, after all. << <<That's the real Magic of WDW.>> I guess you could say something like that. >> 5.) HoP. Great redo. Plain and simple. I wasn't sure the WDI of 2009 was capable of this kind of stage show, but they are. They greatly improved the show (hint: you want to sit third row from stage in middle for best show), didn't shorten it and actually added to it. << <<A positive review for AIE, and now HoP. Keep it up, and we will have to reclassify you as a Pixie Duster.>> Never. I am just an honest Spirit. And I didn't see AIE this time, but I still will say it is a quality addition. I'm just more of a Presidential Spirit than a karaoke one. >> 11.) BTMRR at night. Still, one of the best rides in Orlando ... better even than EE IMHO. << <<I so miss riding that. To me it's one of the most underrated attractions at WDW,day, but especially at night. That's a coaster done right. That's a coaster done the old Disney way>> Yep, still a favorite of mine after all these years. >> 14.) Levy Restaurants at DD ... great food, great service, never a wait and no doubling prices to make the DDP look like a value. << <<I have never heard of this. Please elaborate.>> Levy (based in VBDAD's home) runs Fulton's, Portabello, and Wolfgang Puck at DD. I would advise anyone looking for an excellent meal at WDW who wants to bypass the DDP crap (although Puck takes part, the others don't) to dine at the above locations. >> 16.) Just sitting in the lobby of the WL ... and the BW. << <<Both experiences I'd rate right up there with any e-ticket attraction. Plus you don't have to wait in a line to enjoy them.>> BW became a regular as I kept finding myself there just as downpours began. >> 17.) Sadly ... the BLT ... once you're in it, you're hooked. No, I won't be buying. But I sure would like to stay there and probably will at some point. << <<This is the most amazing thing I've read so far. Now I know you've been into the Pixie Dust.>> The views can entrance ... what can I say? I'll never be a DVCer, though. >> 26.) CMs appreciating my very special Mickey The Rat tee ... not one complaint, many compliments (read into that what you will!) << <<Sounds like a bunch of inteligent CM's.>> Some of them were even management ...again, read into that what you will. >> 28.) Mansion is amazing as ever. << <<Best rehab of a Disney classic ever. Let's hope they do the same with JC some day.>> They were supposed to. JC and Space Mountain were both scheduled about two years ago ... but then the economy collapsed and I haven't heard a thing about JC. >> 29.) Pin-trading with the cutest little girl from South Dakota at 11 p.m. while waiting to ride Maelstrom (I will never give up the Figment 'confused' pin she gave me!) << <<I know how much that moment meant to you.>> It meant a lot more than I thought. I hope (and am pretty sure) that her family had an incredible time. >> 30.) My super kewl glow toy (now pimped out with a Pluto piece of metal) all for the low-low price of $1.60 at Prop Control ... it is the little things in life and I am convinced that toy got us rescued when we were stuck in front of Captain Jack for 10-15 minutes late one night. << <<I still think you sleep with it along with your glow cube.>> No ... but it is never far away. >> Comments? Questions? Complaints? If so, please direct to Mr. MPierce in Texas ... he'll handle them as quickly and professionally as Zenia Mucha handles her fan mail! << <<I'll try even harder than Zenia. Gosh, I love her. I wish she would e-mail me back.>> I don't get it. She is the publisher of D23 after all, so she must love fans, right? And I bet if you email Leemac, who also publishes a terrific Disney fanzine, he'll respond ... probably in a timely fashion too. One would think that Zenia likely added an extra six figures to her salary by getting the title too. I'm sure she is just so uber popular with the fans she hasn't had a chance to hit ya back yet! ;-)
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<2.)CMs were universally good to great ... not one bad one in the bunch (I can't recall last time that happened and wonder if economy has something to do with it). Even the sucky CMs were great! ;-) Awww again>> Not that I was talking about anyone specifically! <<6.) Disney Birthday Fun Card. 'Nuff said. Wouldn't know>> That's what ya get for being Part of the Magic of The Walt Disney Co! 7.) Manta (best coaster in O-Town ... too bad the track got flooded on my last night when I hoped to take a friend on it for the first time) ... and front row on Kraken at night with almost no wait after said rainstorm had also closed it. Great ride. <<Agreed- and am tempted to get a AP so I can ride it more than once every other year...>> SW is great period ... Manta just is best new thing in Orlando. It almost made Kraken feel ordinary, which it is far from. <<11.) BTMRR at night. Still, one of the best rides in Orlando ... better even than EE IMHO. Everest is better in the dark IMO but BTM is still great>> I loved EE, especially the multiple rides with little wait ... but there isn't enough show to go along with the ride. It 'could' be great. <<12.) Prince Caspian at TPFKaTD-MGMS. Saw the first Narnia film and really enjoyed it. Never saw the second. So this was a totally new attraction for me. Nice, even if just as a teaser for the film, which I will definitely see. HAHAHAHAHA Next time I'm gonna make you do the meet n greet too>> He'll likely be gone shortly. <<17.) Sadly ... the BLT ... once you're in it, you're hooked. No, I won't be buying. But I sure would like to stay there and probably will at some point. Sigh- I like it but am *not* that enthusiastic>> I don't know how enthusiastic I am ... my first on-property stays came at Contemporary North, so I am upset it no longer exists. That said, the building is nice. I'm just tired of the DVCing of WDW. <<26.) CMs appreciating my very special Mickey The Rat tee ... not one complaint, many compliments (read into that what you will!) No COMMENT>> A 'no comment' is almost always tacit agreement in the original statement! ;-) <<29.) Pin-trading with the cutest little girl from South Dakota at 11 p.m. while waiting to ride Maelstrom (I will never give up the Figment 'confused' pin she gave me!) once again I shall have to point out failure to make decisions is SOMETIMES a great thing >> On that I'll just say ... agreed! <<and ... since 30 is a nice number and I have things to do before bed ... 30.) My super kewl glow toy (now pimped out with a Pluto piece of metal) all for the low-low price of $1.60 at Prop Control ... it is the little things in life and I am convinced that toy got us rescued when we were stuck in front of Captain Jack for 10-15 minutes late one night.<< Sigh- need I say more >> Nope ... but knowing you, I have the feeling it won't stop you either.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Sounds like quite a awesome trip, Spirit. I'm shocked though....Don't you hate Disney? ;-)>> Yes. Just like I hate sunshine, babies and puppy dogs ... oh and food, money and sex! I hate Disney ... detest it ... couldn't hate it anymore if Jay Rasulo tried!
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<In my experiences, the later you stay, the less crowded it is. For the first hour , the park is pretty crowded, so do a ride that doesn't have as long a line, such as Spaceship Earth. Then the lines get shorter and shorter.>> That's true. Although only MK seems to often be crowded during EMH. Other than a 20-minute 11:30 wait for Soarin, everything at EPCOT was a walk-on or close to it after 10. <<Don't do DHS EMH at night. EVER. It will never be worth it.>> I didn't, but have in the past and enjoyed it ... even the way they play Disney music makes it seem like a party atmosphere ... and I'm not a big fan of that park. <<And Always try to take advantage of the early EMH, because no one ever goes to those.>> I am going to take that as sarcasm ... but since I am always sound asleep when they occur it doesn't really matter. Who wants to get up early on vacation? (that was rhetorical from a night owl who doesn't have young kids!)
Originally Posted By Disney and beyond When I go to Disney, I'm there from as early as I can get there to as late as I can be. And I'm serious, everything is 0 wait during Early EHM, cause not many people want to get up early. OH, and I love topic, Spirit, Good Job.
Originally Posted By bayrr326 3.) Fanboi Fireworks run ... crazy, but do-able. And MK's new (since last year anyway) Fourth show ie their best ever. Not that the Illuminations Fourth tag is anything to sneeze at either ... with pyrp bursting forth from the AA. Didn't get to see the fireworks this year(we had a laid back fourth, after getting married, going to the bahamas and spending time with the kids we were pooped after those few weeks around then) but saw them last year and that show is way better than the old one at MK. 10.) Property Control with CM pals ... yeah, those are Disney knives and shower curtains sitting in a bag on the floor. you know I have yet to ask one of my friends who is a cast member to take me there but it does help having cast members who are friends. Earlier this year my friend set it up so all of us could watch Illuminations from one of the Friendship dock near Mexico. That was really cool. Did you go by the Character Premiere outlet? I could not believe the sales they were having. They had marked down all the 2008 stuff(even the limited edition stuff) to 50% off the already discounted price. It is crazy some of the sales they have had this year. Glad you had a great time!
Originally Posted By MPierce What's really sad about this thread is that it will die off prematurely. It will get far fewer hits than when Spirit post the things that WDW needs to improve on. There's a reason for that too. Not because folks are filled with Doom, and Gloom as some might have you believe. It's not that at all. The simple fact is everybody that comes to this forum wants WDW to be perfect. Naturally WDW will never be perfect, but we all want it to be. The discussion of things that are less than perfect will always take center stage. For the time being I'm going to savor the great time my good friend had at WDW with his family, and friends. The next time somebody ask him why he even bothers going to WDW if he hates it so much, I'll remember his pin trading evening at WDW with a little girl from South Dakota. A lot of folks will soon forget this thread, along with the hundreds of other positive post Spirit has made. They choose to only remember the negative. I guess that is just human nature.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 ^^Thanks! That's really all I can say right now, buddy. Exhausted. Long day (mostly lousy, except for dinner with a dear friend, but wish I were still at WDW) ... I want to comment more, but just had to say thanks before I pass out! (oh, and I did post my OP of the thread on that MAGICAL place ... do you think anyone will even notice over there?)
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<When I go to Disney, I'm there from as early as I can get there to as late as I can be.>> Not me ... not anymore ... maybe when I get to TDL. I wound up doing three commando like days in O-Town (two at Disney and one at SW) in 11 days ... and they just took way too much out of me. I enjoyed the days when I slept in, went to the pool, went to lunch, maybe went shopping at Prop Control or walked around DD (or the FLA Mall once in a rainstorm) and then spent the nights in the parks. <<And I'm serious, everything is 0 wait during Early EHM, cause not many people want to get up early.>> I'm shocked to hear that. I haven't done a morning early entry at WDW in likely well over a decade. But they always were packed and that's what I always hear ... but glad you've not had to wait. <<OH, and I love topic, Spirit, Good Job.>> Thanks for reading and commenting!
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<3.) Fanboi Fireworks run ... crazy, but do-able. And MK's new (since last year anyway) Fourth show ie their best ever. Not that the Illuminations Fourth tag is anything to sneeze at either ... with pyrp bursting forth from the AA. Didn't get to see the fireworks this year(we had a laid back fourth, after getting married, going to the bahamas and spending time with the kids we were pooped after those few weeks around then) but saw them last year and that show is way better than the old one at MK.>> Sounds like your weekend was muc more ... relaxing! I've never seen as much pyro as I did in those two nights ... and I actually saw Wishes Sunday too. But I think pyro is like money, food and sex ... you can never have enough! <<10.) Property Control with CM pals ... yeah, those are Disney knives and shower curtains sitting in a bag on the floor. you know I have yet to ask one of my friends who is a cast member to take me there but it does help having cast members who are friends. Earlier this year my friend set it up so all of us could watch Illuminations from one of the Friendship dock near Mexico. That was really cool.>> I really like my CM friends ... even the sucky ones are really magical! <<Did you go by the Character Premiere outlet? I could not believe the sales they were having. They had marked down all the 2008 stuff(even the limited edition stuff) to 50% off the already discounted price. It is crazy some of the sales they have had this year.>> Yeah. And I have two outlets local to me in SoFla too. The prices on the 2008 stuff are/were better at Prop Control (naturally), but I still see the stuff at my local outlets. And some items were actually higher priced (a very LE -- 500 -- 2007 NYC Marathon Mickey pin was $1.99 locally, but $5.99 at Prop Control minus the 10% on top ... very strange). They also had some of the nicer Tommy Bahama stuff from the shop that Tren-D replaced ... Summer Sands I believe it was called. ... Some stuff from Star Wars weekends ... lots of sports stuff, mostly spring training. But I did spend more on merchandise than I have in a while. Having the birthday gift card didn't hurt ... using it at WoD where it goes from being worth $75 to $82.50 with the AP discount made it even better. But I still bought stuff on my own. Hell, I have even spent about $30 this year on pins!!! (of course, that was probably for about 8-9 of them!) <<Glad you had a great time!>> I am too!
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<What's really sad about this thread is that it will die off prematurely.>> It's on life support on two sites now ... and I feel like I'm talking to myself (and not my alters either!) <<It will get far fewer hits than when Spirit post the things that WDW needs to improve on.>> Ya think?!??!?? <<There's a reason for that too. Not because folks are filled with Doom, and Gloom as some might have you believe. It's not that at all. The simple fact is everybody that comes to this forum wants WDW to be perfect. Naturally WDW will never be perfect, but we all want it to be. The discussion of things that are less than perfect will always take center stage.>> I don't want WDW to be perfect or expect it to be because I know it can't. What I want more than anything is for management to shoot for being perfect, though, and they largely are phoning it in. That's what bothers me. When they turn their back on the Disney Way ... and spit on the great men and women that paved the way for them to have those great incomes and homes and all the perks that come with them. That's what bothers me. But this is my happy thread, so that's for another thread. <<For the time being I'm going to savor the great time my good friend had at WDW with his family, and friends.>> Thank you. Sincerely! <<The next time somebody ask him why he even bothers going to WDW if he hates it so much, I'll remember his pin trading evening at WDW with a little girl from South Dakota.>> I won't forget! <<A lot of folks will soon forget this thread, along with the hundreds of other positive post Spirit has made. They choose to only remember the negative. I guess that is just human nature.>> Yep. It is. Negativity sells anywhere and everywhere, even in the Laughing Place!
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Well MPierce, I think you and I appreciate the true spirit, and know some of us critique the resorts, not because we hate them, but because we love them and want them to be everything they can be! Hey spirit, I do owe you a reply. Sorry, I have been on the road this week flat out. Swine flu has had a big impact on my client which has been fun!
Originally Posted By figment1986 I'm still curious why the Spirit went to SWO but not BGT... afterall, you have yet to see jungala
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <<And I'm serious, everything is 0 wait during Early EHM, cause not many people want to get up early.>> I'm shocked to hear that. I haven't done a morning early entry at WDW in likely well over a decade. But they always were packed and that's what I always hear ... but glad you've not had to wait. I've always found early EMH very crowded with the commando types- but the late EMH - especially @ MK very relaxing --- sometimes being able to stay on a ride without getting off ( Splash last time)
Originally Posted By demderedoseguys <<What's really sad about this thread is that it will die off prematurely.>> Then let's keep it going. Everybody here loves Disney, but it doesn't mean we can't talk things we don't like about it. If I kept my word about my NY sports teams, namely the Giants, and stopped watching whenever I got mad at them and blurted out the words "I'm not wasting another Sunday watching this team" I would have missed all the fun when they have a good year. I have NEVER blurted out the seven dirty words "I'm not ever going to Disney again" and hope that I never will.
