wendy & the Goof Troop- Day 3, part 1- walking around the world

[wendy*darling]

Day THREE, Monday, June 25

I forgot to mention that yesterday another Boy Scout troop arrived at our camping area. They have a female Scoutmaster who is quite the drill sergeant. She had me chatting the comfort station until after midnight...I kept inching my way backwards to the door, but she wasn't taking the hint. I didn’t get into my sleeping bag until 12:30 .

Reveille was at 6:15 today. More breakfast, showers, lunches to make.

Yesterday I collected the scouts park passes thinking they were safer with me. But in the evening it became quite confusing- they needed them to get Fast Passes, etc. so I gave up and we let them keep them. I made several announcements reminding them to check for their passes before we left...

We were on the bus stop today by 7:15. We had to get to the TTC and then take the monorail to Epcot for our morning program. At TTC, I had them check again for their passes. Guess who didn’t have them? BOTH of MY sons and the scoutmasters oldest son OMG- You could say I was livid . The Scoutmaster gave his pass to his son and escorted my 2 back to camp to retrieve theirs.
We arrived- Millennium Cultures- which started at 8:15. We met our instructor, Myrna. She was a wonderful lady who really worked well with the boys. She had them make name tags (as we did with all the programs), but the scouts decided to switch them with each other. One of the outgoing boys ended up with ine- so I kept hearing Linda-this and Linda-that all day. He really made an impression of her (in a good and funny way) and she would remember him (me) later in the week.

We were to learn about communication and cultural differences and similarities. We started with learning about the Disney philosophy behind Leave a Legacy- different people wanting to leave something of themselves for future generations. Then we rode Spaceship Earth (which I LOVE, but found out was another scout's "thorn" of the day ) The 3 who went back still hadn't caught up with us, but by phone contact we knew they were close. When they finally arrived, I found out my youngest had had HIS pass with him all along- he had stuck it in his HAT and then forgot about it! The other 2 passes were right where the scouts had left them. Well... we were all together again and now we can move into World Showcase.

Myrna took us "around the world" and encouraged us to look at HOW we identify the countries- architecture, food, statues, etc. We looked at the similarities/differences between Mexico & Norway. She talked about using natural resources to get what you need. Then she gave them goody boxes and made 2 teams. They had to use what was in the box to make something their fictional "society" needed. One group made a medicine box, the other made weapons (leave it to the boys )

Then we met an ambassador from China. We were encouraged to ask her questions about her life at home and how it was different from life in the USA. I was disappointed with our student. She was from Hong Kong- I mean… how Western can you get??? They asked her what she did for fun- movies, soccer, dating. So what's so different?? Myrna was disappointed too. Usually they had a guy from mainland China, but he was off that day. Oh well.

On to Germany for a bathroom break and more discussions about architecture. She showed them the railroad garden. In Italy's plaza she had them put together a puzzle showing the world. Then she gave them concept art cards with Tapestry Parade puppets on them. They were to think about what country they might represent. She played the Tapestry music on a boom box as we continued to travel around the world. We breezed right past America and Japan. We stopped and talked about the puppets again, and shared our impressions. Then some REAL magic- she took us backstage to the hangar where they keep some of the Tapestry puppets. We got to see them us close and personal. (NO pictures allowed- darn) VERY cool. We finished up in Morocco, with some talk about how they were the first nation to officially recognize the US as an independent nation (in 1776). We ended with a sprinkling of rose water- a Moroccan tradition shared with their guests. Another great program, another success.

We met our next group of chaperones in Italy, had lunch together while the musicians and Masquerade performed. Next program is at 1:00 and we meet at the Epcot Tip Board.


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Linda aka: wendy*darling
Intercot Staff: Disney & Orlando Dining
[email protected]

DVC owners at the Wilderness Lodge Villas
WDW:
4/92 (MK day trip only); 9/93 (Poly); 10/96 (DL & BC); 6/98 (YC); 2/00 (Contemporary); 12/00 (BWI); 6/01(FW tent camping with the Boy Scouts!!)
Next trip: ??? Can't be soon enough!)

[JimmyC]

Your reports are great and remind me of my days in the Scouts

And that was funny about the passes being forgotten

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[janetmojo]

I must say-your trip reports have been great so far-I had no idea that Disney did these programs-this is great!

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Janet, aka janetmojo
[email protected]
Intercot Staff Member

No Bad Dancing!!

Hi my name is Janet, and all my friends are on the internet.

[beth]

Another great one Linda.

Like Janet, I had no idea that this kind of thing went on. I'd love to participate in that kind of program!

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beth
[email protected]
Intercot Staff Member

"Love and Mercy that's what you need tonight. So Love and Mercy to you and your friends tonight."

For more fun on all things Disney, check out our sister site, www.webdisney.com

For fun and info on the land that started it all check out our sister site: www.intercotwest.com

[PolyGirl40]

Gotta love them boys!!

Another great report..

I'm also amazed at the programs and interaction you are participating in!..

Wonderful job Linda~

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~Carol
"To get to the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain."

[TiggerRPh]

You sure have been having a wonderful time. I too did not realize that Disney did these programs.



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...the most wonderful things about Tiggers, is I'm the only one.

Ray(aka TiggerRPh)
Intercot Staff : Disney & Orlando Dining; The Water Cooler

[duggan]

Really great trip reports! I can't wait for your next post!

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'72 - Polynesian Resort
'81 - Polynesian Resort
'84 - Contemporary Resort
'93 - Dixie Landings
'99 - Wilderness Lodge
'01 - Off Property

[Patricia]

Sounds like another great day!!

I was trying to get my kids into one of these programs (Youth Education Series) but they are only for groups like schools, churches, Scouts, etc.. unfortunatly you can't squeeze a couple of kids into another group.

For anyone interested, they have many programs to choose from. You can read about them here..
http://disney.go.com/disneyyouthprograms/yes/index.html





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Patricia
(alias: Patriciafallsalot)
[email protected]
Intercot Staff and <A HREF="http://www.intercotwest.com" TARGET=_blank>Intercotwest
Staff</A>

Remember... No Bad Dancing!


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[wendy*darling]

Thanks Patricia for the YES program link.

It is true that you must be part of a group to take part in the programs. The minimum number of stufents is 10, and each one costs about $18 (a few are $28) per student. They allow 1 adult chaperone for every 5 students and they give you 2 free chaperone passes.

Because we had so many adults on the trip, we had to alternate who was chaperoning which program. (Most of us wanted to do all of them ) That was another part of my job- making the chaperone schedule. It came out just fine. Each adult had 3 or 4 programs during the week, which left them lots of "free" time away from the kids to just have fun on their own or in adult groups.

I put myself in ALL except 2 programs- because I really wanted to know exactly what they covered for their Merit Badges and how they did it- I am the advancement chair for our troop (and also as a reward for putting this whole thing together )

That way no adult really got burned out on being with the kids all week.

It's really a fantastic adventure for any group who can make a trip like this one.

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Linda aka: wendy*darling
Intercot Staff: Disney & Orlando Dining
[email protected]

DVC owners at the Wilderness Lodge Villas
WDW:
4/92 (MK day trip only); 9/93 (Poly); 10/96 (DL & BC); 6/98 (YC); 2/00 (Contemporary); 12/00 (BWI); 6/01(FW tent camping with the Boy Scouts!!)
Next trip: ??? Can't be soon enough!)

[bradleysnana]

Can I be a volunteer for the next Scout trip to Disney? This one sounds really sound awesome!

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Nana to Brad, Alex (and Dustin-not yet born)
Becky (aka Bradleysnana)
Intercot Staff
[email protected]

Do you hate having to pay long distance calls to Disney only to be placed on hold? Are you looking for the best resort rates available? Do you want a stressfree vacation? Call Kingdom Magic Travel at 1-800-425-0306 or http://www.kingdommagictravel.com

Do you hate being herded like cattle onto the bus when you arrive at Disney? Do you want direct service to the front door of your hotel? Do you want to be treated like royalty? Call Omar at 1-888-546-IBEX or http://www.ibextowncar.com

[beth]

Yea, I'd volunteer to be a Scout leader for this too!

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beth
[email protected]
Intercot Staff Member

"Love and Mercy that's what you need tonight. So Love and Mercy to you and your friends tonight."

For more fun on all things Disney, check out our sister site, www.webdisney.com

For fun and info on the land that started it all check out our sister site: www.intercotwest.com

[ChipDale]

Another fantastic report, Linda! The programs sound wonderful - I'm learning something just reading about them!

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Jane

[Dopeysfriend]

Another great report! (It's actually quite amazing that you made it to Day 3 with no one forgetting a pass, so I'd say you're still ahead of the game! )

This sounds like such a great program!

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Samantha

[DisneyWizard]

Sign me up, also, to be a chaperone on your next trip! Sounds wonderful. I can't wait to hear more about your backstage tours.

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"...I say believe in the future. The world is getting better."
-Walt Disney

In the works:
-Islands of Adventure, Sept 2001
-Walt Disney World, Sept 2001
-DisneyLand, Feb 2002