Ryan’s Place

Every time I go to Disney World booths dedicated to selling Disney Vacation Club timeshares are all over. Each theme park, each hotel and the Downtown Disney area has one. There are probably no less than 25 peole staffing DVC booths across the property at any one time. I’ve often wondered what sort of return on investment they get from staffing so many information booths. Do people frequently sign up based on initial contact at one of these booths? Or do most people ask a couple questions and then move on. I’ve never stopped by and listened to their spiel, but perhaps I should sometime just to see.

My understanding (via a few good websites) is that it works like most other timeshares. You buy a certain amount of “points” to spend each year, and pay maintenance on those points over time. I believe the current entry-level rate for those points is about $15,000, with yearly maintenance averaging $1000 or so. Some timeshare programs offer you ownership in perpetuity, this one ends sometime near 2045.

When you purchase your points, you select a home resort. The main benefit of a home resort being you are allowed to make reservations for stays at your home resort earlier than you can reserve stays at other resorts other resorts. The DVC has properties at WDW, Disney Land, Vero Beach, Hilton Head Island and also has agreements with other timeshare operators so that you’re not beholden to Disney vacations only.

I go to WDW so consistently, and travel so much, that something like this doesn’t sound like a bad idea. The problem is I don’t own my own home yet, let alone spend as much on hotel stays as this would require. I stay at value resorts when going to WDW, and this is priced in the moderate to deluxe range. Perhaps I’ll have to consider this again in a few years.

Wandering from Liberty Square to the hub, I noticed something strange. A man with a ball cap on also had a plastic cord going from his ear to his shirt. It was the kind news anchors, secret service agents or police wear when trying to be inconspicuous.

I’m going to guess this guy was an ununiformed member of Disney Security. I’ve heard about people like this before, but I don’t ever remember seeing one. I just thought it was interesting to see him wandering through the park, keeping to himself. I’d love to know what he was hearing through is earbud.

Epcot’s Ice Station Cool has always been a favorite destination of mine. That’s why I was disappointed last year when it was closed for reburishment. When I was there last August I thought they might actually be just taking the whole area down, but that’s not the case.

For the uninitiated, Ice Station Cool is walk-in Coca Cola advertisement that you don’t feel guilty spending some time at. The original version of it had you walking through a small corridor that was cooled to feel arctic and even had fake snow being generated. After your walk through the cold you were let out into a large area with soda fountains all over. Each fountain had multiple heads on it, dispensing Coke products from around the world. Mind you, Coca Cola itself was never dispensed there.

The fun of it is being able to try soft drinks from all over the world. The implication is that the sodas in front of you are what is commonly drank across the world. You get an idea of how tastes differ across the world and realize that there are many flavors out there that others take for granted that Americans have never even considered.

Israel has a stronlgy sweet and slightly sour Kinley Lemon drink, while China has a watermelon flavored cola. They also have Mezzo Mix from Germany and Japanese Vegitabeta. My (literally) bittersweet favorite was always Italy’s Beverly. The label on the fountain indicates it’s a common apertif, and its taste indicates it’s clearly not for filling up your Big Gulp jug. It’s entertaining to watch people try that nasty drink for the first time.

That’s why I was disappointed to see it shuttered in August of 2005. After some research on the Internet, I found out it wasn’t being torn down, but was actually being redone. I was happy, and eagerly awaited my return in August of 2006.

For its reopening, its name has been changed to Club Cool, and the ice station theme has been done away with. The attraction fits in the same area, but now has a cleaner, more cohesive feel to it. One was never exactly sure why they were walking through the arctic and what exactly an ice station was.

The fountains have seemingly been slightly redone and the merchandise areas have been moved around a bit. Beacuse it was all too easy to fill an empty Dasani bottle with Kinley Lemon and walk away (believe me, I’ve done it), the fountains dispense only enough and are sized just right for the the 2 ounce cups they provide.

On this visit, Beverly was noticeably missing, as were a few other drinks. You can see in the photos the prevalance of “Please Try Another Flavor” signs over the missing over certain fountain heads. There had been some speculationon WDW message boards that Beverly was going away for good and other flavors were to be rotated in, however after talking to a cast member, this proved to be false. Appparently the flavors that were there in the past are soon coming back, they’re just waitin for the next shipment of syrups to arrive before putting them back on tap.

I’m a big fan of taking pictures, in case you haven’t noticed, so when I saw an opportunity to snap a shot of something others might not have seen before, I took it. I was walking around Epcot’s World Showcase and saw some temporary walls put around a usually empty area. A door leading behind these walls was left wide open, I walked over and took a picture.

At the time, I thought what was behind the scenes might be some new exhibit or a reburishment of something I hadn’t noticed before. About the only thing I saw before taking the picture was a sign with the word “Australia” written across it in large letters. Without thinking what time of year it was, I pondered the idea of Disney finally adding a new country to the World Showcase.

Before I could think too much, a voice came from behind, “Do you work here?” “Huh?” I said, thinking it was a tourist getting persnickety with me. It was not in fact a tourist, but a cast member (a lowly character escort no less) who saw me take the picture. “You shouldn’t be taking pictures of that,” she said, then continued on to the backstage area along with TImon and Rafiki. I snapped a picture of her before she got too far, though.

I was somewhat maddened by the tone she took with me, and it was definitely not Disney-like. Should I have been taking pictures back there? Possibly not. Should they leave the door open to areas like that and then expect people not to be curious? Probably not. Should the cast member have taken that tone with me? Definitely not.

Later on, I reviewed the picture on my laptop in the room and thought about it for a bit more. It turns out this was the Australia exhibit for the upcoming Food and Wine Festival. If you zoom in on the signs in the background of the full-res image, you can see something about “wine” on them. Knowing that this is probably an annual exhibit makes the cast member’s comment seem silly. If everyone has seen this stuff before, there’s no reason to be so protective of it.

When Disney’s Animal Kingdom first opened they made a big deal about how conservation-oriented the park was and how well they treat the animals. They even created a themed area to reveal how the park runs and how the animals are cared for.

I seem to remember this area being called Conservation Station, but the past few times I’ve been to the AK it’s been Rafiki’s Planet Watch, with Conservation Station being just one area of it. My first visit to the area was with Cameron in 2000 and provided so little entertainment that I decided I didn’t have to go back.

Well, Ross had never been there, so I once again boarded the train that takes you somewhat backstage and lets you off at Conservation Station. The train is unique in the fact that passengers on it face one way so that only one side of the backstage area is revealed. That way the other side can have things Disney doesn’t want you to see, without entirely ruining the effect.

Once there, you wander down this little path, past some small demonstration areas with cast members talking about birds and how not-shooting them helps them live, or something. You end up at what I remember being the only part of Conservation Station. The inside of this building seems expansive and almost indicative of some missing exhibits. A small area to the side plays a loop video presentation, while windows on the veterinary care areas provide insight on how animals get treated.

Just outside of this building is a Disneyfied petting zoo area known as the Affection Section. The outer entrance of it has a hand wash station and is fenced off from the other area so that the animals don’t become escapees. Like any other petting zoo, the animal of choice to pet is the goat.

As I was wandering around, probably taking pictures, I felt something rub up against me. Realizing it was a small animal (and thankfully not a small child), I tried to step away. Before I even had a chance, the goat was nibbling at my pocket and quickly had my paper times guide in his mouth. By this time, people around me had noticed the indcident and watched in amazement as the hairy garbage-eater chomped away at and then swallowed my times guide.

I imagine these animals dine on times guides often enough for them to be considered a delicacy of sorts. It was a funny experience and I was baffled by how bold the goat was. The onlookers smiled at me and checked their own pockets for paper of their own, and the goat pranced away to find more bleached tree pulp to swallow.

I don’t like chain restaurants. When I travel for work my motto is “Never eat at a chain restaurant (that I’ve never been to).” Needless to say, I’ve always been apprehensive about going to certain restaurants at Disney World. There are so many unique places to eat at WDW that spending any time at a restaurant I could eat at at home would be a waste.

Disney World brings a different dimension to my no chains rule. There are certainly chains there: Planet Hollywood, Rainforest Cafe, ESPN Club, however there are also non-Disney owned restaurants. These generally get lumped into a category between Disney owned and chains. A plan B, if you will. They’re not the first places I seek out, but I’ll take them any day over eating at a chain.

This is right where L’Originale Alfredo di Roma at Italy’s World Showcase pavillion fits in. It’s actually an American outpost of a tiny Italian chain. In fact, they take claim to inventing fettucine alfredo, which, you’ll read, I had as my entree.

The free dining plan offer had every restaurant we tried for booked full – nothing at Akershus, Le Cellier, or San Angel Inn. So, when Disney Dining said there was a 4:45 opening at Italy, we took it.

Alfredo’s is tucked away in the rear of the Italy pavillion, in a building that is seemingly small (like so many other buildings at WDW). A line out the door indicated that this too, was going to be a busy meal. We checked in at the podium and waited for our Italian-born host to seat us. We were taken to a giant dining hall which was filled with both people and noise. Our table was between an 8 top and another 2 top, each with groups already seated.

Our waittress was extremely nice, and despite the robotic feel to her opening speech, we felt we would get good service. Ross and I ordered a glass of their sangria which was amazing. Sangria is generally a Spanish drink, so their Italian twist of honey and spices set it apart from others we’ve had. I suggest trying it yourself if you get the chance.

We had rationed out our dining plan points and determined that this meal would be paid for out of pocket. Because of that, we only got one appetizer, the melon and prosciutto. It was nothing to write home about, but hit the spot.

For an entree, Ross had a trio of pastas: lasagna, ziti and “dumplings,” while I had the aforementioned fettucine alfredo. The sauce was strongly flavorered, yet not too rich and greasy like some can be. The pasta was excellent, as it was made on site (or so they claim). I’ll take homemade pasta any day over the dried stuff.

We opted out of dessert as we had some snack credits remaining and had to eventually get to the Studios for Fantasmic.

My hesitation about non-Disney owned restaurants might largely be due to my compulsion for all things Disney, but I felt justified with it that night knowing that it wasn’t the best Italian meal ever but still was satisfactory. I wouldn’t rush to get an Alfredo’s reservation in the future, but faced with no tables at Le Cellier and a short line at Planet Hollywood, I’d check for an opening at Alfredo’s any day.

I’ve heard that Thursdays are the best nights to visit Pleasure Island, so the past few trips I’ve made it a point to visit on that night. Even with PI under some decent refurbishment work, it was still decently busy.

I remember going into the Adventurer’s Club with my parents when I was younger, but not really sticking around too long. I’m not sure if it was because the content was a little off-color, or if we were just there in a lull between shows. Since my first 21+ visit, I’ve made a point to return every trip.

The Club is a 1930′s themed hunting club tended to by period-themed improvisational actors. A cast of six or so are there any one night. The most interactive skits, and where you might want to lay-low, take place in the main salon. An animatronic colonel of sorts generally leads the proceedings there. The cast ridicules guests and each other, in adult-oriented ways that one would never imagine occur at Disney World.

Periodically throughout the night, skits take place in smaller rooms surrounding the main salon. The Mask Room has what seem to be 100 masks on the wall, each with animated features of some type or another. Mouths move on one, while eyebrows move on others. A few near the entrance even talk.

The library is, perhaps, the most entertaining room in the place. It’s large enough to hold 75 people or so, and can get full pretty quickly on busier nights. Tall shelves of books line the walls and a stage adorns the front of the room. A remote-controlled organ takes center stage.

While ordering our Kungalooshes (the AC’s signature drink), a lady saw me with my camera and offered to take a picture of us. I said sure and let her snap away. She was sitting at the bar and interacting a lot with the cast. We saw her again in the Mask Room, interacting like crazy with Hathaway Brown. One could only help but think she was a regular.

We stepped out for a bit to head to Mannequins, but were back in time for the Hoopla! show in the AC’s library. As we waited for things to finish up in the Treasure Room, the lady from before approached us. It was rather awkward, as she asked said she knew an excellent place to sit and wanted to know if we would sit with her. Ross, without thinking, said yes and we were whisked away (through a crowd of people waiting to go in!) to the library doors. Waiting for us there was her male friend.

I thought it was odd Ross had said yes, and I tried indicating that a few times without the lady noticing. As we had to wait there for a few minutes, the couple introduced themselves as (I think) Chris and Joanne. Now that we were in close quarters with them, we realized this was a mistake. Both reeked of body odor and Chris had massively foul breath. I tried to distance myself and let Ross do most of the talking, as he had gotten us into this.

As soon as the doors opened to let us into the library, our smelly friends pushed the attendant away and raced to the front of the room to a booth…by the stage. Apparently, Joanne said, you do not get harrassed at all by the cast if you sit there as they focus on the audience sitting at the tables. While we were small-talking waiting to get in, the odiferous duo mentioned this was only their second time at the AC. We thought this seemed odd as she interacted so much and knew that sitting at that booth would keep us safe from ridicule.

As you can imagine, the next half hour was memorable and miserable at the same time. The show they put on was great, per usual, but the company we were with brought us down. I was lucky enough to sit next to Chris, while Ross had an end seat. I tried to not talk to the nose-confounding twins as the show went on so I didn’t have to smell their breath, however I could still smell their B.O.

The Hoopla! show is the night cap at the AC, and includes a small skit at the beginning (where Pamela Perkins made fun of an audience member’s transulcent bra) followed by a wrap-up song in which every character gets a turn to sing about another. The song is based on “The Happy Wanderer,” but the second verse is improvised each time and the audience participates in the chorus.

I highly recommend going to the AC if you get a chance to hit up Pleasure Island at WDW.

As an aside, take note of the plastic-bubbled cameras in the far rear corner and right above the entrance of the Mask Room to see how the voices behind the masks know what’s going on. Same thing goes for the middle of the rear wall of the library and a couple places on stage. Anyone know where the Colonel gets his eyes in the main salon?

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I’m mildly addicted to a show call “How It’s Made” on the Discovery Channel. It’s syndicated episodes of a TV show that seemingly was on in Canada for many years. It’s comprised of 3-5 segments about, you guessed it, how things are made.

It never ceases to amaze me how many specialized machines we have for creating everyday things. Each time they show something new being made, I always end up thinking “I guess I never thought about that.”

The last segment is always something historical in nature. They’ll do a stylized animated skit, drawing all figures with one continuous line. The graphics remind me of Spaceship Earth or (former) World of Motion dioramas, it’s kind of weird.

This show is on at least twice a day, and Tivo knows to grab it for me. I have a tough time keeping up on them, so think there are about 20 shows piled up for me to watch right now. That’s not a bad thing.