The Brits at the Beach Club RE-VISITED! THREAD 2 COMPLETE! About This Page:

[Colexis Mom]

Great pictures of Spectro Cheryl

[lauren-roxy]

Your pictures of Spectro are magnificent Cheryl!! Glad you finally got to see the EWP!! Can't wait for more!!

[Cinderbrella]

I enjoyed reading your update, Cheryl!!

[chezp]

Friday 27 December, part one: going behind the scenes of Future World in Epcot…

Today was the day for our first ever behind the scenes tour at Disney World. We chose Undiscovered Future World, as Epcot has always been our favorite park and out of it, I’ve always preferred Future World. When I first heard about this tour, I realized it would be perfect and a “must do”. We did try to get on to this tour in 2000, but we only thought about it once we got out to WDW and by then, it was fully booked. So this time, I called up early to secure our places, something that’s not well advertised at all.(Or perhaps then my Disney knowledge wasn’t what it is today! ) I didn’t realize that you could book a couple of months ahead, until I happened to ask the Cast Member on the phone when I could book and she told me that they could deal with it there and then.

We were up early and grabbed a quick breakfast from the Riptide Lounge before heading over to Epcot, as we had to meet at Guest Relations by 8.45. We had no problems getting in through International Gateway and made our way straight over there.

Eleven of us started this tour, but three dropped out half way round to go on some of the rides, a big mistake on their part, but more of that later…. We started off by learning about Spaceship Earth, how it’s self cleaning and how with the addition of the Epcot logo on top of it, it’s now taller than either Tower of Terror or Cinderella’s Castle, which up until then had been the tallest structures on property.

Brad, our guide, neatly dodged my questions about what will happen to Spaceship Earth in the future and any plans for a 25th anniversary celebration of Epcot, saying Disney didn’t usually centre celebrations on one particular park. Right, so that’s why they celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Magic Kingdom in the 1990’s then? He did tell us that when the 100 Years of Magic celebration ends at the end of February 2003, Disney is looking to do a celebration, which focuses on all the parks. That would fit in with a lot of the “four parks, one world” merchandise we’d already seen during this vacation.

At Innoventions, we discovered the house of tomorrow is now open again. When we tried to visit it last week, it was closed, apparently for one of two annual updates it undergoes each year, because technology’s moving ahead so quickly. The last time we went round it, we saw those computer dogs from Japan (I can’t remember the proper name for them), but twelve months later, they were all the rage that Christmas! The latest technology to be added is a self-cleaning toilet, which is now in 25% of all houses in Japan and which could spread to the rest of the world shortly. Sounds good to me!

We then sat by the fountains at Innoventions Plaza and learnt how at 180 feet by 120 feet, you could put Spaceship Earth in it and still have space in the fountain! When Epcot opened, representatives from 22 countries brought water from their own country and added it to the fountain, so that it’s truly international, in keeping with the spirit of Epcot. Brad also explained that, during the show which the fountain puts on, when the water shoots up to its highest point, it can be seen from any point in the park, something we noticed later in the vacation, mainly because we knew that and were then looking for it.

That was really the theme of the whole tour, to make you look at familiar areas of the park in a new way and to tell you stories about them. Both Mark and I did find ourselves looking at Epcot in a new way after being on the tour, which really added something to our vacation.

Our next stop was the Living Seas, where we were taken to see the VIP suite, originally built for the corporate sponsor. I know from reading reports of this behind the scenes tour, that sometimes groups are taken to the VIP suite at Spaceship Earth, but I’m really pleased we got to see the one at the Living Seas. What an amazing place it was! The view of the aquarium was fantastic and far better than those from the attraction below. We saw so many fish go right past the window in the short time we were there. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed of it, as it’s officially behind the scenes, which is a great shame.

Of course, today there is no corporate sponsor for Living Seas and Brad explained how the suite was nowadays used for private parties or weddings or to perhaps give celebrities a break, while they were visiting Disney. Robin Williams was one of the names mentioned and Brad explained this was a perfect place to take a break from them being mobbed in the park.

Complete with a glass piano and seating for meals, which was apparently used during a recent rehab of the Coral Reef restaurant, I could see how it would be a perfect location for a wedding or private party. What did make me laugh though was the reception area, which now looks so dated. It’s fairly obvious that particular part of the suite hasn’t been used for many years, as all the equipment there dates from the 1980’s or maybe the early 1990’s. It was quite funny to see such outdated technology in Disney! And as for the brown colour of the computer equipment – not something you see much of today!!

This is a truly magical place and a hidden gem. I felt very honoured to have seen it and I think this part on its own made the cost of tour worth it in my eyes.

Next: disappointing food at the Land and where did those dinosaur topiaries come from?

[lauren-roxy]

Great update Cheryl!! The tour sounds so interesting, thanks so much for sharing!! Can't wait to read more about it!!

[DawnDenise]

Sounds like a great tour!! Looking forward to more!!

[Colexis Mom]

What a cool tour Cheryl

[chezp]

Friday 27 December - part two: disappointing food at the Land and where did those dinosaur topiaries come from?

Our next stop was at the Land, where we stopped first outside the pavilion and considered the mosaic. It’s a mirror image on both sides, except for one tiny piece, which is the signature tile of the husband and wife team who put it together. It really is a work of art if you look at it and I’d encourage everyone to take more notice of it next time. It’s quite amazing and took a long time to construct. Inside, we learnt about the balloons in the centre of pavilion and how they represent the seasons, before being told we’d got half an hour for a food break.

Now here I was disappointed. We hadn’t eaten in here since our honeymoon in 1999, but I remembered that there was lots of healthy food, so therefore plenty for vegetarians should be on offer. Well, there were a number of options for veggies, but we didn’t find a lot of healthy food. Most of the food court seems now to replicate what’s available throughout the rest of the parks, which is a great shame.

There was certainly no fruit available this time and all we really wanted was a snack, as we had a late lunch Priority Seating at the San Angel Inn at 3.45. Having said that, I don’t think we saw any fresh fruit available anywhere in any of the parks this time. Last time, we bought some in both Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom, but that seems to have now stopped. I can only imagine it’s Disney responding to their customers, most of whom probably aren’t interested in healthy food while they’re on vacation. Still, I do think it’s something which Disney should’ve kept at the Land, considering that’s the whole theme of the pavilion.

We managed to find some vegetable soup and a salad, but we ended up queuing ten minutes to get it, which was a bit frustrating. Even more annoying was the fact that we couldn’t find anywhere to sit and eat in. We ended up standing by a rubbish bin and eating there. I wouldn’t mind, but a lot of people at the tables didn’t have any food, but were saving it for other family members while they went to get the food. That has always annoyed me! I wish there were signs up, asking people not to sit down until they’ve got food. If the Cast Members enforced it as well, that would be even better!

After the food break, we were told all about the theme of the music in the pavilion, I won’t spoil it for you, as if you take this tour, that’ll be your lunchtime challenge. We were then taken into one of the greenhouses by one of the female Cast Members who works there and were given an explanation of hydroponics and how we could try it ourselves at home. Strangely though, the list of suppliers of the hydroponic equipment didn’t have any listed in Britain and when I asked if there were any in the UK, that question really seemed to throw our guide!

I loved the way she’d decorated one of the plants with Christmas tree decorations. She was there for a year as part of her course and had been given this greenhouse to look after, which seemed an amazing opportunity. She explained Epcot had had a complete power failure sometime over the Summer, I think it was June. Without power, all the guests had left the park and they basically ended up grabbing every available Cast Member to work in the greenhouses, as of course all the plants are automatically watered and without power, that just wasn’t happening. Everything had to watered every ten minutes and the temperature in the greenhouses was around 110°F. Rather them than me!

Although what we were told was interesting, it was one of the weaker parts of the tour. My favorite part was spotting the submarine from 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea in the back lot area, as we left the greenhouses, left over apparently from a recent convention. Ah what fond memories that brought back for me. I was gutted when they’d closed the ride by our 1996 visit and it was shut for rehab in 1987, so I only have very vague memories of it from 1981, but they still stay with me to this day!

I have to admit I loved the look on people’s faces when we emerged from the backstage area of the Land, right by the Imagination pavilion. Boy did I feel special! We didn’t learn a lot about the Imagination pavilion, although it was interesting to find out that originally they had Imageworks on the second floor, but no-one found it, so they moved it to the end of the ride instead. We also found out that Honey I Shrunk the Audience is also the longest running 3D movie at the Imagination pavilion so far, which didn’t surprise me.

What was a revelation was the discovery that originally a monorail stop wasn’t planned for Epcot. At first, Disney just wanted it to pass through the park, so people could get an idea of what Epcot was about.

Our next stop was the Universe of Energy and the line for that looked truly terrifying, but it did disappear very quickly. Having said that, at that point, I felt very fortunate that I was on the tour and not queuing for attractions! Having read reports about this tour, I was expecting to go backstage on this attraction, but in fact we didn’t. Brad stopped outside for a few minutes to give us some more facts and figures. The dinosaur topiaries outside were brought specially in New York, instead of being made by Disney, as is more usual.

Hearing about the ride vehicles was excellent, as I’ve always been fascinated by them and how they travel along. I could never have guessed in my wildest dreams that they could weigh eight tons and 15 tons with people in them. Taking that into account, it’s amazing they run at all!

Next: To Test Track and a special treat, before we enter the wonderful world of the Cast Members!

[lauren-roxy]

The tour is fascinating Cheryl!! Can't wait for more!!

[clio]

Your tour sounds like it was very interesting. I'm glad you started writing it again.
Liz

[chezp]

Friday 27 December - part three: To Test Track and a special treat, before we enter the wonderful world of the Cast Members!

We then moved on to the Wonders of Life pavilion, something I haven’t been in on our last two trips. What a pleasant discovery, it’s well themed and educational, yet fun. I’ve always been put off this pavilion, thinking that Body Wars was about the only thing in it and that the other attractions weren’t bothering with. I didn’t realize there was more in there than that and I think it’s about time we spent some more time in there – something else to fit in during the rest of this vacation!

On the way to Test Track, we stopped outside Mission Space to admire the exterior. Brad told us until a couple of weeks earlier, it had all been covered up. He ran through what we can expect from the ride and that there would be four people in each space craft, something would then go wrong with the mission and everyone would have a part to play after that in trying to get back to earth. I don’t know if I’ll have the courage to try this one, particularly as Disney are currently working on the “lunch” factor. No, you read that right, it does say “lunch”, not “launch”. The “lunch” factor is how many g’s they pull on this ride before those on it bring their lunch back up. Nice… I think I’ll wait to see some reviews on the board, before making a final decision on riding this one. (I guess in hindsight Disney got that “lunch” factor wrong at first, judging by how many spillages they had on this ride in the early days… )

I did try to push for an opening date, but Brad would say no more than the rest of Disney, i.e. sometime in 2003. He did tell us that the post show games would be great fun, as he’d already tried them out. We learnt that while the exterior is now completed, the interior isn’t yet in place. It’s being made by an outside company, which is unusual and will only be brought on to site when it’s ready to install.

If you’re going to WDW shortly, do take a close look at the exterior of Mission Space. There are lots of quotes from famous people (not just astronauts either from what I recall, but scientists as well) about space and its importance. And take notice of the moon. Every disc on it represents a moon landing. There are a lot more discs than I thought there would be…

Test Track held a number of unexpected thrills, the first of which was being taken backstage. We walked right underneath the tracks the cars run on and it was then I could see some of the engineering which goes into them and all the wheels underneath. In the workshop, we were then given an even closer look at the cars. The onboard computer on each car are big enough to run the whole of the Magic Kingdom or pilot the Space Shuttle! Now that’s some serious technology and did reassure me somewhat about this ride and the possibility of anything going wrong on it. It was also good to hear that if any car develops a fault, then all the others will automatically sense it and slow down or stop. They really did think of everything with this ride! No wonder it took so long to iron out all the problems when it first opened.

Then Brad took us into what we thought was the VIP suite at Test Track, that’s certainly what he told us it was. In fact, it turned out to be a backstage entry to the ride, meaning we got to ride without a wait. How cool is that? This time I opened my eyes nearly the whole way round, I impressed myself! Cathy and Terence in our group had never ridden Test Track before and really enjoyed it. I felt like a seasoned rider, something I never thought I’d be able to say!

Our tour then continued backstage as we went into the Cast Member area, next door to Test Track, heading for World Showcase. This was just amazing, seeing all the mottos that the Cast Members see every day. When you see the buildings they use to get changed, pick up their pay cheques, catch buses to other parts of the park (yes, you read that right, they’re not expected to walk from here to where they actually work) etc., it really starts it to bring it home to you just how many people work at Disney. And this is just one park.

They have their own wardrobe section with two million costumes in. I just wish I could’ve spent more time in there and taken some photos, but unfortunately we weren’t allowed to. Cast Members can get up to a week’s worth of costumes at a time and most of the wardrobes section is designed to be self service now, meaning they only have about 20 people working there. CM’s don’t even have to worry about washing their costumes, as all their laundry is done for them, although there’s nothing to stop them helping out at home if they want to!

I was impressed with all the inspiring Disney newsletters on the wall. Everywhere were details of the history of Epcot and reminders of the magic of Disney. You can see why the Cast Members are always happy. You can’t fail to feel that way, after reading all of those wonderful words and mottos. The murals painted by the Disney Cast Members were lovely and looking at them, it was impossible to tell that they hadn’t been drawn by professionals. The ones by the Cast Members of each country were my favourites, as they reflected their own country beautifully.

All in all, the whole place was a real revelation and while I would’ve loved a longer glimpse of this area, this part alone was worth the price of the tour. Hang on a minute, I’m sure I’ve already said that – oh I have. Just goes to show this tour was indeed value for money.

Next: the beauty of sharing a room with a Japanese Cast Member, a special treat and Nine Dragons – is it as bad as they claim?!

[lauren-roxy]

Very interesting tour Cheryl!! I am really learning a lot, thanks so much for sharing!! Can't wait for more!!!

[Tink and co.]

Just getting caught up, a great report! More please!

[Colexis Mom]

More great updates on the tour Cheryl Glad you enjoyed it

[DawnDenise]

Wow...the tour sounds great!!!! Another great update!!!