przed | Down and Safe

Just got back an hour ago from our Disney vacation. In the end, it was actually a heck of a lot of fun, if also intensely exhausting. (My fantasy for the trip included early nights back at the hotel with some leisurely writing time after we got Ros to bed. The reality consisted of getting Ros back to the resort after whatever dinner/parade/fireworks we'd done that night, putting her to bed, and then collapsing in an exhausted heap shortly thereafter. And that even after we deliberately tried to keep to a relaxed pace that wouldn't drive the kids into the ground.)

I'm planning on doing a full report in the next few days, but in the meantime, here's a pic of me making a pilgrimage to the replica of the MGM backlot at the Hollywood Studios park.

The UNCLE fans among you might recognize this as the street where Del Floria's was found. It looks like I was a door or two off on the actual location of Del Floria's, alas. Me hitting Hollywood Studios was a last minute thing, so I didn't research the look of Del Floria's before I took off for the park. But it was still very cool being on, if not the same backlot where UNCLE was shot, at least an exact replica of it.

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YAY! You're back safe and sound! And looking mighty fine! Those red shoes suit you really really well!!! :)

Good to have you back and hear you had a great if exhausting time!

::HUGS::

I still love my red shoes, but I have to say, they're not the footwear for long days at amusement parks. Apart from that, they're brilliant.

It was a really fun time. The Sweetie is (frighteningly) already planning when we can go back.

::HUGS::

Once you break those shoes in a bit (though I think a few days at Disney ought to about do it), they will be the most comfortable shoes you can imagine! Ive worn Converse almost exclusively as casual footwear for the better part of 10 yeats, I love them :)

Glad you had fun though! You're making me want to go back to Disney, I love it there.

The shoes are mostly awesome, but the problem is that I've got wide feet and they're rubbing my little toes. It's not enough to be a problem most days, but the one day I wore them the entire day at the park those little toes were very unhappy. I'm hoping that breaking them in a bit more will solve the problem.

Disney was surprisingly fun. I hadn't been since I was 10, which was... a ridiculously long time ago. (Epcot didn't even exist yet!)

I did think you might be over-optimistic about early nights and long leisurely evenings... But it sounds as if it was all good, anyway!

I remember the thrill of finding the actual set of the town in PotC when we visited St. Vincent. There's something very special about feeling that 'connection' with a film location, especially, somehow, one that was built by the film-makers and that your subconscious keeps telling you shouldn't still be there!

Welcome back, and I hope you got the relaxation, if not the rest!!

Wow, was I over-optimistic. I think I was more shattered than Ros most nights. About the only thing I was usually up for was faffing about on Tumblr for 20 minutes and then falling into bed.

Finding film locations is definitely a blast. When we went to New Zealand a few years ago, I dragged the Sweetie to a bunch of places just because they were Lord of the Rings locations. And we went way out of our way on a jet boat tour because it was the closest I could get us to the place where they filmed Boromir's death scene.

I do feel relaxed, if not rested. But today is a holiday here, so there will be a bit of relaxing, along with gardening and the blowing up of soccer balls for my team.

That's actually pretty cool! I didn't expect that the facade would still be there after all this time.
Sounds like you crammed a lot in to your holiday. Hope you get some rest now that you're home.

Well, it's not exactly where they filmed it. That was in California, and I think they've since razed the real MGM backlot. But Disney built the street location based on the original MGM blueprints, so it's as close as you can get these days.

We tried not to make the vacation the Disney Death March (TM), but we did manage to do a lot without completely exhausting ourselves. It's definitely nice to be back home, though.

I'm glad you had fun!

We had a blast. (OMG, I enjoyed the House of Mouse!)

I've just given up on all the quibbles and admitted that I do have a heck of a lot of fun at Disney. *g* I'm so glad you all had a great time!

Fantastic photo. I had no idea UNCLE was filmed on the MGM backlot. Huh! (And, see, there's the Disney magic right there: you're happily enjoying yourself at a replica of a replica... *g*)

Intellectually, I still have huge issues with the corporate Disney machine. But I have to admit, they know what they're doing in the resort/amusement park arena, and it was a lot of fun.

The photo turned out rather well, considering I just drafted random guy there with his family to take it for me. (The Sweetie and Ros had gone back to the hotel to swim, and the other mom we were travelling with had taken off to Downtown Disney to shop, so the Sweetie encouraged me to pop off on my own to check out the backlot.) Replicas of replicas can be fun!

They *do* know what they're doing. It's the only place that the 99 percent can be treated like the one per cent. Everyone smiles; everyone wants you to be happy.

I'm so glad you were able to find Del Floria's Cool, huh? The first time I turned into the block, not realizing what was there, I got such an eerie deja vu feeling. Now, of course, we all know.

No one rests at Disney but I still think it provides a very decent vacation, especially if you have kids. They make it easy to get the kid food, to go to the bathroom ---they even have lots of support if you have a baby. And also, if you're handicapped.

Looking forward to your reports...

They've designed the parks and resorts to within an inch of their lives. And I mean that in a good way. They really do think of everything.

Del Floria's was very cool, though it was a bit of a endurance test to get their. (The monorail and boats had broken down at the same time and the buses were way overloaded. It took an hour and a half to get from the Magic Kingdom to the Hollywood Studios.) Thanks so much for clueing me into its existence.

It's definitely a great place to go with kids. And I have to say I was really impressed not only by the effort they put in to making it handicapped accessible, but also by the number of handicapped people they employ in visible locations.

BTW, the Wilderness Lodge was brilliant! Thanks so much for the rec on that one. It was definitely a great place to stay.

I totally recognized that location as the UNCLE block! (Well, re-created anyway). Cool!

It was totally trippy to find the UNCLE block. Re-created.

Glad to hear that you made it home safely and that you had a great, if exhausting time. I've only been to Disneyworld once but, yeah, exhausting.

As to the picture, I'd say close enough. :D

It was loads of fun. And it looks like we'll be going back at some point. (The Sweetie seems to having drunk at least a tiny sip of the Disney koolaid, and even I have to admit it's a great place for families.)

Even if I wasn't in front of exactly the right building, it was still pretty fun.

Welcome back luv, it sounds like a great, if exhausting, time was had.

Thanks! It was definitely fun, and I'm also definitely knackered.

The Game of Thrones throne and now this! *has the envy* I'm so glad you had fun, and holidays shouldn't be for working! *g* ♥

I think this is my quota of fannish locations for the next decade. *g* (If I'd managed to get some writing in, it wouldn't have been working. It would have been fun!)

Down and Safe

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