Magic

The audio description device, that I talked about in the last entry, knows which theme park, and usually the specific area you're walking through. For example, it might say, "Fantasyland, by restrooms and entrance to It’s a Small World."

The main menu gives you seven options: area description, attractions, restrooms, restaurants, merchandise, entertainment, and exit menu. Option #1 gives you a brief overview of the features of that particular section of the park. If you're in Fantasyland, it would give you a brief overview of the architectural features. At the end of the summary you get a further two options: detailed description and exit menu.

Some of the rides allow you to have a pre-show, or pre-area description. If it detects you're at the ride, or even if it doesn't, you can select the pre-show description from the ride submenu.

You must manually select the description because only the ride narrations begin automatically. Occasionally they didn't begin on time, but that may have had to do with my own self-blocking the signal. It seemed to work better when I took it out of my pocket, after I got on the ride.

Now back to our Disney trip already in progress. When we arrived at the Magic Kingdom, we went to City Hall on Main Street USA first to get the audio descriptive device, and the disability pass. We walked down Main Street, and took the bridge to Adventureland. We went on Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Enchanted Tiki room under old management. It's not really called under old management, but we saw the show when it was under the new management of Iago.

The audio device worked very well in The Enchanted Tiki Room, but this is one place where an automatic pre-show description would be helpful. While you wait to the go in, some of the birds sit outside, and talk to the future birdwatchers. However, unless you manually select it from the menu, you will have no pre-show description. Not interrupting the shows audio, the description tells you about the birds singing on branches, birds hanging from the ceiling, flashing-eyed Tiki gods, and the rest.

Altogether I was very pleased with the devices functionality, but I wish all of the descriptions were automatic.

Then we went to Crystal Palace for lunch, and to see my favorite character Winnie the Pooh. We got pictures with Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger. Apparently, my mother's been lying to me all these years, and my birthday is really April 22. I got a birthday cupcake with a candle in it, and a card signed by all four characters.

Back in the here and now, my mother and I went to see The Raven on Saturday, May 12 which is about an Edgar Allen Poe’s final days. He spent them assisting the police solving murders based on his poems, and it's a pretty good movie.