After figuring out that Beverly & Vodka might be the new "in" drink, we crossed Future World and went to Universe of Energy. We walked to the left of the building and took a side door and down a corridor to a room just on the other side of the ride. We could hear the dinosaurs growling and snarling and Janet told us that if the door was opened during the ride it would immediately stop and have to be evacuated and would take an entire ride cycle for them to get it restarted. Needless to say, I stayed away from the door since I didn’t want to risk having all those people on the ride waking up from their naps and getting made at me.
(If truth be told, I enjoy Ellen’s Energy Adventure. It is 45 minutes of air conditioned, sitting down, educational enjoyment. And, how someone could sleep on that ride with all that noise is just beyond me.)
There was also a few terradactyl animatronic models for us to look at. They were older models now used for salvaged parts for the newer models but they were intact enough for us to make the wings and beak move. I felt like an Imagineer-in-Training.
This room we were in looked like some kind of break room for the Cast Members and there was the oldest looking microwave I have ever seen. It had to be original to the building which dates back to Epcot’s opening (1982). It might just be time for Disney to splurge a little and buy the Cast Members a Walmart $59 microwave - sort of a way to usher in the 21st century.
Next up was Mission: Space. We stopped outside to explore the Planetary Plaza. There is a big Moon sculpture that has markers on it of where all of the Moon landings occurred. I happened to notice that there was no Apollo 13 marker and mentioned it. (Apollo 13 is the ill fated mission that never made it to the moon but did make it home.) Janet looked at me sort of weird so I explained the Apollo 13 mission and Jim Lovell and the lunar and command modules and using a free-return trajectory to get the crew home safely. She looked at me like I was some sort of space geek who had just come home from Space Camp with a head full of NASA trivia.
Not wanting to seem like a freak of nature I explained that Apollo 13 was one of my favorite movies. She still didn’t really get it so I said "you know, the Ron Howard movie with Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Billy Bob Thornton in it." At this point I think she just humored me and we moved on. Janet must not be a movie buff.
We went in another side door and Janet punched in a code on a secret key pad and we got buzzed in to the Red Planet Room (HP Lounge). It was a nice lounge but nothing terribly extra special. They have drinks and some chips for the HP employees when they stop by. Mom took a bathroom break and we watched the ride queue from up above since the lounge looks over the queue. Janet pointed out the Gravity Wheel prop from Horizons which is a nice homage to the former attraction. I like it when the Imagineers pay tribute to extinct attractions - I think Walt would approve.
We did happen to chat with one of the HP Hostesses who was planning her wedding. She had recently come back from a wedding dress shopping trip at Kleinfelds in New York and was filmed for "Say Yes To The Dress" on TLC. I haven’t seen her on the show yet but keep looking for her in hopes I will recognize her.
Next up was Test Track. We walked along side the building to the back of the attraction right underneath the outdoor track. It is very noisy!! We saw the maintenance shop where they repair the cars and all the extra cars. Janet told us about how the Imagineers had a hard time with the car designs at first but eventually got it right.
We then entered a side door to the Test Track building and ended up in the line for the pre-show. Woohooo, we’re VIPs again!!! Some man tried to engage Janet in conversation while we waited. She was polite to him but essentially turned her back to him in favor of chatting with us since we were her 'peeps'. Janet was very protective of us at this point and made sure we had VIP treatment by holding people back for us to pass and such. (We had been together for almost 4 hours and we knew all about Janet’s husband, kids, parents, siblings and she knew about us also. So we had formed a little bond.) I could get used to being a VIP.
After the pre-show we got in line for the ride. During the pre-show Janet and I had noticed this man in his late 50's with a young woman - early 20's. At first we just thought it was his daughter but it soon became clear that she was NOT his daughter. The woman appeared to be Filipino and the man was a little on the tubby side and not what you would call attractive so it made me think of a mail order bride situation. What was really odd was that the man was wearing what I call a Boca outfit - you know those outfits worn by older woman in South Florida during the late 90's. It was white pull on pants and a white button up shirt with flowers painted on it with some glitter. Janet and I both commented on it and decided it was definitely a woman’s outfit. We may have giggled a little also. All he needed was a Bedazzler to give it a true South Florida look. It was very strange - but part of going to Disney World is the people watching and I am rarely disappointed when I look around.
We got in our test car and had a fun ride. I was in the middle seat which is no fun on the curves because I don’t want to smush the people next to me so I end up bracing myself and not enjoying it as much as I would if I didn’t care whether I end up in my neighbors laps. And I love the end of the ride when you race around the track. It is just too short for me. I’ve decided that my Disney Dream might be to just race around the track over and over without having to get out of the car or doing all the testing part. But has anyone ever noticed that your hair flies forward into your face instead of blowing off of your face. It is really weird since you are moving forward and not backwards. Hmmmm?
After racing around the track in our test car, we found another side door and went back stage to check out the Epcot Cast Services building. Janet asked if anyone needed a bathroom break but I think it was just because she had to go REALLY bad. It had been about 4 hours at this point and we had all been drinking lots of water. I, of course, took advantage of the break and used the facilities because of my adage that you never know when you’ll get another chance.
We checked out the costuming department. Things have changed since I was a Cast Member. We used to have to go up to a window and tell where we worked and what sizes we wanted. Now there are just rows and rows of costumes and the Cast Members just walk in and get their own costumes and take them home - which makes it much easier. But the Cast Members don’t get walk time any more. (Walk time was extra time you got paid for because you had to change in and out of your costume.)
There were lots of awards on the walls and Janet explained those to us. Her husband is a Cast Member and had won some big award. There was also a hall way that each department got to paint a section - of course the Imagineering department’s section had fiber optics in the design - show offs!!
We then wandered over to the Illuminations staging area. And egads!!! Mom snapped a picture of backstage. I said I wouldn’t post it so Janet wouldn’t get in trouble but here it is anyways. (I whited-out any distiguishing parts other than the globe which you can see when they bring out the barge. And I saw this area shown on Modern Marvels so I don’t think I am showing anything secret.)
And this is the only picture we took while actually on our tour. We just sort of forgot about taking pictures. In the moment you just forget taking pictures but afterwards you kick yourself for not capturing the moment. It is a hard balance to achieve.
We then took another random door and ended up in the Yong Feng Shangdian Department Store in the China pavilion. (Who knew the store had a name?!?! I had to look it up.)
Our tour was over. Janet told us that we could get a 10% discount in the China restaurant and in the shop and gave us a commerative pin. I had no intention of eating bad chinese food but I appreciated the offer. (If they had only ended the tour at the Mexican margarita stand!!!) The pin is a nice souvenir though.
And then she told us about our special viewing privileges for Illuminations later that night. Yeah!!! Another VIP moment. All we had to do was find a plaid clad CM later tonight in front of Italy and we were good to go. More on that later.
Saying thanks and good bye was a little awkward though. We had been buddies with Janet for over 4 hours but we really didn’t know her know her. In the South we hug but you never know if other people are huggers so you hate to go in for a hug and have it rebuffed. And Mom got all weird because she thought we should tip her like they had on tours they had taken other places. I told her I didn’t think she could accept tips and that we shouldn’t. Of course all of this is going on with whispers and nods and facial expressions because Janet was standing right next to us. I felt like Lucy and Ethel on their trip to Hollywood. In the end, we shook hands with Janet and thanked her profusely saying how much we enjoyed the tour.
The tour was a great experience for us. Basically, with our Disney Visa discount, we paid about $80 for a private tour of Future World. If we had booked a VIP tour it would have been over $600. I’m not sure if the tour would have been as much fun if we had been with lots more people but Mom and I thoroughly enjoyed it and the time we spent together.
It was getting late and we still needed to check in to the Swan, eat lunch, and get to Animal Kingdom, so we made our way back to the parking lot. But on our way out of Epcot we spotted the F&G guy and had to snap his picture.
Next Installment - Finally Big Towels!!!!
(If truth be told, I enjoy Ellen’s Energy Adventure. It is 45 minutes of air conditioned, sitting down, educational enjoyment. And, how someone could sleep on that ride with all that noise is just beyond me.)
There was also a few terradactyl animatronic models for us to look at. They were older models now used for salvaged parts for the newer models but they were intact enough for us to make the wings and beak move. I felt like an Imagineer-in-Training.
This room we were in looked like some kind of break room for the Cast Members and there was the oldest looking microwave I have ever seen. It had to be original to the building which dates back to Epcot’s opening (1982). It might just be time for Disney to splurge a little and buy the Cast Members a Walmart $59 microwave - sort of a way to usher in the 21st century.
Next up was Mission: Space. We stopped outside to explore the Planetary Plaza. There is a big Moon sculpture that has markers on it of where all of the Moon landings occurred. I happened to notice that there was no Apollo 13 marker and mentioned it. (Apollo 13 is the ill fated mission that never made it to the moon but did make it home.) Janet looked at me sort of weird so I explained the Apollo 13 mission and Jim Lovell and the lunar and command modules and using a free-return trajectory to get the crew home safely. She looked at me like I was some sort of space geek who had just come home from Space Camp with a head full of NASA trivia.
Not wanting to seem like a freak of nature I explained that Apollo 13 was one of my favorite movies. She still didn’t really get it so I said "you know, the Ron Howard movie with Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Billy Bob Thornton in it." At this point I think she just humored me and we moved on. Janet must not be a movie buff.
We went in another side door and Janet punched in a code on a secret key pad and we got buzzed in to the Red Planet Room (HP Lounge). It was a nice lounge but nothing terribly extra special. They have drinks and some chips for the HP employees when they stop by. Mom took a bathroom break and we watched the ride queue from up above since the lounge looks over the queue. Janet pointed out the Gravity Wheel prop from Horizons which is a nice homage to the former attraction. I like it when the Imagineers pay tribute to extinct attractions - I think Walt would approve.
We did happen to chat with one of the HP Hostesses who was planning her wedding. She had recently come back from a wedding dress shopping trip at Kleinfelds in New York and was filmed for "Say Yes To The Dress" on TLC. I haven’t seen her on the show yet but keep looking for her in hopes I will recognize her.
Next up was Test Track. We walked along side the building to the back of the attraction right underneath the outdoor track. It is very noisy!! We saw the maintenance shop where they repair the cars and all the extra cars. Janet told us about how the Imagineers had a hard time with the car designs at first but eventually got it right.
We then entered a side door to the Test Track building and ended up in the line for the pre-show. Woohooo, we’re VIPs again!!! Some man tried to engage Janet in conversation while we waited. She was polite to him but essentially turned her back to him in favor of chatting with us since we were her 'peeps'. Janet was very protective of us at this point and made sure we had VIP treatment by holding people back for us to pass and such. (We had been together for almost 4 hours and we knew all about Janet’s husband, kids, parents, siblings and she knew about us also. So we had formed a little bond.) I could get used to being a VIP.
After the pre-show we got in line for the ride. During the pre-show Janet and I had noticed this man in his late 50's with a young woman - early 20's. At first we just thought it was his daughter but it soon became clear that she was NOT his daughter. The woman appeared to be Filipino and the man was a little on the tubby side and not what you would call attractive so it made me think of a mail order bride situation. What was really odd was that the man was wearing what I call a Boca outfit - you know those outfits worn by older woman in South Florida during the late 90's. It was white pull on pants and a white button up shirt with flowers painted on it with some glitter. Janet and I both commented on it and decided it was definitely a woman’s outfit. We may have giggled a little also. All he needed was a Bedazzler to give it a true South Florida look. It was very strange - but part of going to Disney World is the people watching and I am rarely disappointed when I look around.
We got in our test car and had a fun ride. I was in the middle seat which is no fun on the curves because I don’t want to smush the people next to me so I end up bracing myself and not enjoying it as much as I would if I didn’t care whether I end up in my neighbors laps. And I love the end of the ride when you race around the track. It is just too short for me. I’ve decided that my Disney Dream might be to just race around the track over and over without having to get out of the car or doing all the testing part. But has anyone ever noticed that your hair flies forward into your face instead of blowing off of your face. It is really weird since you are moving forward and not backwards. Hmmmm?
After racing around the track in our test car, we found another side door and went back stage to check out the Epcot Cast Services building. Janet asked if anyone needed a bathroom break but I think it was just because she had to go REALLY bad. It had been about 4 hours at this point and we had all been drinking lots of water. I, of course, took advantage of the break and used the facilities because of my adage that you never know when you’ll get another chance.
We checked out the costuming department. Things have changed since I was a Cast Member. We used to have to go up to a window and tell where we worked and what sizes we wanted. Now there are just rows and rows of costumes and the Cast Members just walk in and get their own costumes and take them home - which makes it much easier. But the Cast Members don’t get walk time any more. (Walk time was extra time you got paid for because you had to change in and out of your costume.)
There were lots of awards on the walls and Janet explained those to us. Her husband is a Cast Member and had won some big award. There was also a hall way that each department got to paint a section - of course the Imagineering department’s section had fiber optics in the design - show offs!!
We then wandered over to the Illuminations staging area. And egads!!! Mom snapped a picture of backstage. I said I wouldn’t post it so Janet wouldn’t get in trouble but here it is anyways. (I whited-out any distiguishing parts other than the globe which you can see when they bring out the barge. And I saw this area shown on Modern Marvels so I don’t think I am showing anything secret.)
And this is the only picture we took while actually on our tour. We just sort of forgot about taking pictures. In the moment you just forget taking pictures but afterwards you kick yourself for not capturing the moment. It is a hard balance to achieve.
We then took another random door and ended up in the Yong Feng Shangdian Department Store in the China pavilion. (Who knew the store had a name?!?! I had to look it up.)
Our tour was over. Janet told us that we could get a 10% discount in the China restaurant and in the shop and gave us a commerative pin. I had no intention of eating bad chinese food but I appreciated the offer. (If they had only ended the tour at the Mexican margarita stand!!!) The pin is a nice souvenir though.
And then she told us about our special viewing privileges for Illuminations later that night. Yeah!!! Another VIP moment. All we had to do was find a plaid clad CM later tonight in front of Italy and we were good to go. More on that later.
Saying thanks and good bye was a little awkward though. We had been buddies with Janet for over 4 hours but we really didn’t know her know her. In the South we hug but you never know if other people are huggers so you hate to go in for a hug and have it rebuffed. And Mom got all weird because she thought we should tip her like they had on tours they had taken other places. I told her I didn’t think she could accept tips and that we shouldn’t. Of course all of this is going on with whispers and nods and facial expressions because Janet was standing right next to us. I felt like Lucy and Ethel on their trip to Hollywood. In the end, we shook hands with Janet and thanked her profusely saying how much we enjoyed the tour.
The tour was a great experience for us. Basically, with our Disney Visa discount, we paid about $80 for a private tour of Future World. If we had booked a VIP tour it would have been over $600. I’m not sure if the tour would have been as much fun if we had been with lots more people but Mom and I thoroughly enjoyed it and the time we spent together.
It was getting late and we still needed to check in to the Swan, eat lunch, and get to Animal Kingdom, so we made our way back to the parking lot. But on our way out of Epcot we spotted the F&G guy and had to snap his picture.
Next Installment - Finally Big Towels!!!!
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