Hey all!
Day 3 started off with the after effects of a bad hangover. We had an awful lot to drink Tuesday night so Wednesday kind of dragged into a harsh fucking wake up. On a bit of a personal note, I don't travel well when it comes to using the bathroom. I tend to block up internally and explode when I get home. Well after the drinks and events of the night before (and one dry heave) I didn't feel well at all until all of that came unlocked but as soon as I did, I felt loads better.
Wednesday was the big day though. The last day on the floor and the day I had to sing karaoke. We went in for the the con (gratefully skipping breakfast) and I polished off the last two event booths I had and my final learning elective. I finished up around 2 and had a few hours to kill before the closing ceremony so I wandered the floor and boned up on my IPod to prep for singing. I did manage to sample some of the new food items we are going to be offering, like frappes and smoothies. The smoothies were excellent. Strawberry and banana and wild berry. The frappes were pretty good too, but I am not much of a coffee guy.
After the closing ceremony where they gave away an assortment of cash prizes and a vacation to Orlando, Oh and a new Ford Escape (no worries, I didn't win) I headed back to the hotel to freshen up. There was a final gala party for all the managers that was held at Disney's Hollywood Boardwalk. It was incredible! I got to go in as a VIP as a part of the karaoke team early to have a private meal (sausages, fajitas, barbecue chicken and pulled pork) complete with free drinks! OK, it was just beer and wine as well as a specialty fruity mixed drink that wasn't bad. I ate and was actually pretty nervous about singing at this point.
See for the second round the rules changed. We would sing accapella one song to either a casting producer or director of American Idol. No music, no screen with lyrics, just you, a producer and a barrel full of nerves. I sang Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues (the damn song had been stuck in my head all day). I tried to put all the emotion and stage presence I could into it but I could feel myself laying an egg as I did it. After 30 seconds we stopped and he said that I was not the next American Idol. Basically he said I had no vocal range and jokingly said, "On the bright side, at least it's over!" I headed back to the VIP room in shame, but not before getting a tour of the stage and the singing area.
By this point all the rest of my team had gone through general admission and eaten so we met up to hot some of Disney's great rides. First off, Star Tours, the Star Wars themed ride that is basically a motion ride. It was fun to ride on but a little disappointing in the end though the sets were incredible! The Park had a couple of really fun rides, the Aerosmith Roller Coaster was a lot of fun, entirely indoor and in black lights and neon, it starts off incredibly fast and rockets into 360's, loop the loops and corkscrews that was a lot of fun. Next up was the Twilight Zone's Tower of Terror, a ride that that starts you off in an elevator, then you plunge up and down over and over, each time varying when and where the drops will occur. I actually came out of my seat multiple times we had so much force being applied! The best part was one of our supervisors, who we tricked onto coming on. He loves roller coasters, but hates those drop rides. We told him it was another coaster and he freaked out!!!! He was screaming like a girl it was hilarious. Th picture it snaps actually show him clutching to the arm of the female manager next to him. Funny!
We actually rode both the Tower of Terror and the coaster twice, before heading to Disney's Great American Film Ride, a sort of animatronic salute to some of the greatest movies of the past, with a little live action thrown in. A lot of our party hated the 15 minute ride, but I loved it. Animatronic versions of some of my favorite classic stars, John Wayne, Jimmy Cagney, Gene Kelley, Indiana Jones, and a great Wizard of Oz scene with an animatronic Wicked Witch of the West that was almost lifelike. I think a lot of people don't have the same appreciation for classic cinema that I do, but that's okay, I had a great time. My only regret was missing the Muppet 3D movie as everyone saw that while I was auditioning at American Idol.
The final action of the night was free Ice Cream and popcorn as we watched a special 3D fireworks show that highlighted the McDonald's theme of the night. It was short, but visually very cool. Then it was back on the bus and to the hotel. We stopped for a late night nosh in the diner at the hotel and then actually went to bed at about 1:30am, early considering the previous nights exploits. I was tired and exhausted, so that is why this is up late. I intend to post a brief post on the last day of travel from Orlando later today, but for now here are some of the pictures I snapped.
Caught in the sights of an AT-AT in front of Star Tours!
C-3PO directing traffic inside the ride.
A group of us on The Great American Film Ride (before they told us to stop taking flash photos!)
My one shot to be the Next American Idol....
An early Day shot of The Tower of Terror!
Hope you enjoyed the sampling of pics I took. I have a few more of the last day in Orlando that I will post up later, as well as some poetry and a movie review over the weekend. Thanks for reading!
End of Line.
Gerrad!
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