Monday, March 10 2003
Good morning and welcome to Day
3 of the 9th Annual Spring Training Trek 2003!
It is a
beautiful day at Disney World, the drenching of yesterday
now but a distant memory. Never-the-less, I am including my
poncho in my hip bag, if only to ensure I won't need it. It
is a bright early morning as I arrive at Epcot (Experimental
Prototype Community Of Tomorrow) at 8:45am for the
Undiscovered Future World tour. This 4 hour tour goes on and
back stage, talking about the original vision of Epcot and
insights into the pavilions of Futureworld.
The tour started at the base of Spaceship Earth, made of
over 14,000 triangles. We learned that the top half of the
outer shell contains cracks between self cleaning triangles
that allow for the draining of rain water into a gutter
system that runs down the pedestal legs and into the World
Showcase Lagoon. The bottom half is sealed so that rain will
not drip onto guests passing underneath.
As we were discussing the air traffic control light on top
of the magic wand added for the Millennium Celebration in
2000, the park opened and we were nearly trampled by
thousands of guests rushing to the GM Test Track. The end of
the wand is made of cut metallic glitter pieces, attached by
wire to the main surface. The effect is that whenever the
wind blows the wand sparkles to those on the ground.
At the top of the sphere is a trap door. When Epcot opened
on October 1st, 1982 (the same birthday as the Magic
Kingdom), Mickey Mouse popped up through the door to declare
the park open. He then went back inside and was never seen
again. Walt Disney wanted Epcot to be different from the
Magic Kingdom, and Disney World honored that request by
keeping the Disney stable of characters from the park.
Until Michael Eisner took over the company. He and his
granddaughter were being escorted through the park when she
asked where was Mickey Mouse. The cast member explained how
Epcot was a different park and that there were no characters
there. Eisner said that was not right. Epcot was part of
Disney World, and Mickey was Disney World. Two weeks later,
the first characters hit the streets of Epcot.
The tour continued at Innoventions East where we saw a
demonstration of the new Segway personal transport vehicle.
Next we took a tour of the Home of Tomorrow, including an
oven that can automatically refrigerate food and cook it
before you come home, then re-refrigerate it if you are
running late. The Innovations center features future
technologies available today, such as Disney Interactive
gaming, environmental sciences, home theater and
electronics, and more. This showcase is constantly evolving
as new technologies are introduced.
Our journey continued to Innoventions West where the
development of Epcot was told through photos and banners.
Walt Disney never saw Epcot, and his original vision of a
living community of commerce, residence, play and
transportation center was unrealized. Epcot is the result of
interpretation and economic realities, retaining much the
original character Walt had set forth as guiding principles.
Our next stop was the Living Seas pavilion, with an aquarium
so large that Spaceship Earth could fit inside with about 10
feet to spare on either side. We stopped inside the VIP
lounge, with a view of the aquarium not seen by most guests.
A few years ago I wrote about my Swim With the Dolphins tour
where I met Toby and Bob. Toby let me rub him down as we got
to know each other. Last year, Bob passed away suddenly and
a few weeks ago Toby was transferred to another facility.
Two new dolphins have made The Living Seas their home, and I
hope to meet them soon.
At The Land, we were invited to take a peek at the Behind
The Seeds tour as we learned how plants and food can be
grown without soil in a variety of working experiments. The
vegetation and vegetables from The Land are used throughout
Epcot. From The Land we walked backstage to a rear entrance
to the Imagination! pavilion where our Tour Guide Melanie
pointed out green space between Imagination! and The Land.
This are was originally planned for a pavilion dedicated to
movies and entertainment. However, the concept quickly
outgrew the available area and eventually became the
Disney-MGM Studios theme park.
The Journey Into Imagination attraction underwent yet
another refurbishment last year, as Disney's Imagineers
attempted to recapture the heart of Figment, an original
story telling character removed from the ride in what can
only be described as the biggest mistake since New Coke.
Fans of the original ride let Disney know of their
displeasure. And while Figment was not part of the show, his
character continued to be a hot seller in the merchandise
shop. Whether Disney listed to the mounting voices or
following the bouncing buck, there multiple revisions to the
ride as they try to reintegrate Figment back into the story.
Our next stop was the Universe of Energy where the show
vehicles are so big and heavy they can not be removed for
maintenance. If something breaks down, there is one
replacement car. If it can not be fixed, then the entire
attraction must be shut down. The building is shaped
suspiciously like a diamond, in keeping with it's focus on
fossilized fuels.
A quick stop by the Wonders of Life was followed by a look
at the front of the new Mission: Space pavilion, tentatively
set to open next August. The architecture uses smooth and
wide curves to create an embracing effect. The attraction
story (spoiler) is that families can now travel together in
space, but first must go through training. In this journey
(to Mars, judging from the huge red planet in the center of
the pavilion courtyard, guests must manage all aspects of
space launch and travel, dealing with problems that arise as
a team. Currently, Epcot is selecting random non-paying
guests to test the ride (insurance prevents ticketed guests
from participating), and Imagineers continue to put on the
finishing touches.
Our next stop was backstage from the GM Test Track, where
you can see how much the track really shakes as the cars
achieve speeds of 65+ MPH. The 3 point struts are designed
specifically to give the illusion that the track is unstable
while providing shock absorbers to maintain safety. The
attraction features a new handicap demonstration area, to be
extended to other attractions, where guests who are bound to
a wheelchair can practice getting in and out of the vehicle.
From the Test Track we continued back stage behind Mexico to
the Cast Member Services area where we viewed the costume
room (through the laundry shoot), and continued to a small
classroom where we were entertained by a Guest Relations
intern from Brazil who talked about how Epcot works to
maintain international representation among cast members.
After a bottle of water it was time to walk to a small
marina where the floats for Illuminations were stored. The
man who designed the end-of-day show loads all the fireworks
himself (and still has all his fingers) and has a perfect
record in having his show never fail, even in the nastiest
of weather.
As our tour came to a close, Melanie offered us a 20% Cast
Member discount at the Nine Dragons in China, a limited
edition souvenir pin, VIP seating for Illuminations, and on
top of all that, a VIP forget the lines pass to the Test
Track. A terrific tour where I can not possibly remember all
the trivia and history presented.
After a Taste of China at Nine Dragons where I sampled a
variety of traditional Chinese dishes, I watched the Dragon
Legend Acrobats, a troupe of pint sized girls and boys
throwing some youthful humor into traditional acts. At this
point I realized that, alas, my video camera had been
accidentally set to VCR and the 2 1/2 battery was drained.
On my way back to the resort for my replacement battery, I
stopped by the Art of Disney and picked up a crystal
figurine of Mickey Mouse on top of a stack of film reels as
part of my Magical Wishes.
90 minutes later I was back at Epcot where I made my way to
Canada and the World Showcase. In Canada, I took in a
performance by Off Kilter, a rock band with an Irish flavor
playing a combination of hard rock, country and bagpipes.
Their closing number was a heartfelt, if somewhat confusing
rendition of Sweet Home Alberta.
Up the road was the United Kingdom, perpetually under The
British Invasion, a quartet of mop head look-a-likes belting
out Beatles tunes like there was no tomorrow (land). From
there I made my way over the bridge (instead of through the
Chunnel) to France and the 180 degree presentation of
Impressions de France. I had originally planned to eat at Le
Chefs de France, but chose elsewhere as a personally
statement against France's stand in the UN. Afterwards, I
had an urgent need for a French toilet. No political
statement here, just Mother Nature reaching out.
Finally I passed through Morocco and reached the Mitsukoshi
Teppanyak Dining restaurant in Japan where I had dinner with
a group of guests and our personal chef who prepared a beef
tenderloin and chicken meal on the grill at our table. After
my first Japanese meal since Benny Hanna's years (and years)
ago, I made my way back to Morocco for my VIP viewing of
Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. Then it was back to
Port Orleans Riverside where I picked up merchandise
delivered from yesterday's trip to the Magic Kingdom. And so
ended the day.
But WAIT, you say. Was there no baseball? Horacio Ramirez
provided another strong start and the Braves used a four-run
second inning to claim a 9-1 win over the Cardinals at Roger
Dean Stadium on Monday afternoon. Ramirez allowed one
unearned run on three hits in four innings. The 23-year-old
southpaw has not allowed an earned run in nine innings this
spring.
Matt Franco's two-RBI single highlighted the Braves'
four-run second inning against Cardinals starting pitcher
Brett Tomko. Marcus Giles also provided an RBI in the
inning. Robert Fick launched a towering three-run homer deep
over the right-field wall to account for three of the four
runs the Braves scored in the seventh inning. It was the
first baseman's first homer of the spring.
The Braves, who are now 8-4 in Grapefruit League play, will
return to action on Tuesday when they host the Dodgers at
Cracker Jack Stadium in Kissimmee, Fla.
That means Baseball finally comes to the Spring Training
Trek! Stay tuned!
Fuskie
