The Great Experiment |
Day 12, part 2 |
Once again, I had extraordinary luck getting to the park. I got a parking space in the very last row of the TTC parking lot ('Donald 65' -- the lot wasn't full, because other people had left already; the parking attendants just keep on adding new arrivals to the outer edge of the parking lot until that last row is full, then they call it a day and let new arrivals scavenge for empty spaces on their own.) I also got to ride in the front cab of the monorail on the way to the Magic Kingdom. That was my first time I ever got to ride in the monorail's nose, and it's an amazing view!
I got to the Walk Around The World kiosk just in time. "Congratulations!" the cast member told me.
"You just got the very last brick on the Walk Around The World."
Simply put, she said as I completed my order, they would not be accepting any further sponsors for bricks along the Walk. In fact, about two minutes after I arrived, someone else dropped by to ask about getting a brick, but was turned away. After six years and untold thousands of bricks, mine was The Last.
I knew exactly what I wanted my brick to say, to tie into this web site perfectly:
BRIAN S. KENDIG
"THE GREAT
EXPERIMENT"
"Nope," said the cast member. "We can't allow that; it'll get rejected. We can't allow anything that sounds like it might be a reference to the park itself."
I protested politely. I gave her the whole story of my grand visit out here, of my web site, of the move I was considering to Florida. She called a supervisor over to help, but the supervisor was steadfast and explained the rules to me in more detail: for example, the bricks must not mention the name Disney or anything specifically relating to Disney; they must not bear the name of a Disney character (within reason, I'd guess); they must not be a 'memorial' to another person (though of course they can be purchased as gifts). The bricks are specifically meant to commemorate a visit to Walt Disney World, and I guess they felt that a brick reading "The Great Experiment" might sound like it were referring to the park or something. I gently pressed until they told me they were legally required to limit the things which they could put on the bricks, so then I decided to quit while I was ahead and go with something else.
After some thought, I tried this instead, and they approved it:
BRIAN S. KENDIG
CA TO FL
JULY 2000
On my way home I realized it would have been more fun to put "CALI TO FLORI" instead, but I decided to leave things be and not to push my luck. I'll use that title for the next big part of my adventure, the actual move out here.
I also ordered a little wooden keychain with an image of my brick. The keychain should arrive within a few weeks; the brick will be placed within about three months. They gave me a certificate to commemorate my brick:
After I was done buying my brick, I jokingly wished them luck in finding new jobs, and then they closed up shop.
Being as that I was now in front of the Magic Kingdom, I decided to stop inside to a CD-burning place and purchase a CD with a bunch of tracks I had noticed the other night when I was there with DisNut. They have a small kiosk where you can browse the library of ride music they have available, and then have a CD made for yourself with up to ten tracks of your choice. I chose a bunch of songs from no-longer-existing attractions as well as some 'atmosphere' music:
"The CD presser isn't working," a cast member told me. "At least, I don't think it's working. Go ahead and try anyway." My luck held out, and it worked fine.
The CD is much prettier than the initial version offered at Disneyland; this one gets a silk-screened color picture on it, and the CD case is decorated much more prettily. I also picked up a copy of the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' soundtrack CD, which appears to be as detailed as the 'Haunted Mansion' one I got last year.
While the CD was pressing, I had a great chat with the cast member staffing the area. She told me about all the walkarounds she had seen recently: the most rare was probably the penguin from 'Mary Poppins', complete with short legs to waddle on!
On my way out, I caught the tail end of a parade. Eeyore was on the back of the last float, waving in his own bashfully cheery sort of way.
Then I went back to my hotel room. A trip to the Magic Kingdom, and a twenty minute wait in one of the shops in front of the park... for no cost to park my car, and no cost to enter the park, and even a $10 discount on the Walk Around The World brick! I really like my Annual Pass!
[ Index | Day 12, part 3 ]
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Brian Kendig | eNCHaNTeR |