The weather forecast for today is hot - I mean not just hot but HOT! - SCORCHIO!
With this in mind - as the chief co-ordinator - I feel it my duty to get everyone up early in order to hit the park at opening time - do a few rides - and get out before 1.00p.m. when it will be unbearable - get back to the villa for a swim - then return at @ tea-time to grab a couple more rides before the grand finale of Fantasmic.
That's the plan - but as I'm beginning to realise - this is why you make a plan - so that when it goes "pear shaped" you have at least got some idea of what to do and where to go as an alternative!!
Anyway - we start perfectly - we are standing in front of the "Big Mickey Sourcerer's Hat" with about 50 or so others as they open the park and we're off - we've had our "Toast & Twinkies" breakfast at home and we're ready to "Rock & Roll". We start at Star Tours - DS2's request as he's a Star Wars "nut" - this is very similar to "Body Wars" at Epcot and DD loved that so she is realy "up" for this one. After a re-start due to a Mexican gentleman trying to video the trip !!!! we then move to Muppet 3D - I just love these 3D films - why don't we get any in England? - then we do the "Back Lot Tour" . Now - so far - we have done three of the most popular attractions and walked straight on to all three - no queue's at all - brilliant!
After a quick re-fuelling stop (coffee!) while the youngsters play in the Honey I Shrunk The Kids Playground - we decide (well - actually were fed up with DS2 moaning about us not going on rides that he wants!!) to see how the Tower of Terrors looks...........TERRIFYING!!!!! Somehow - I get volunteered to take DS2 & DD on to this. Despite my best efforts to try to disuade DD (and thus give me an excuse not to go!) by using scary tactics - she seems determind to see me more petrified than her for once - I have to say she succeeded - it's a real "thrill ride"!!!! - never to be ridden again by me!!!!
Luckily - as they come off this one and move confidently towards the Rock & Roll Rollercoaster we meet the boys and I manage to persuade them to take DS2 on with them while a large ice cream bribe works with DD!
DW,DF & DM had fastpassed R & R Rollercoaster while I was on Tower of Terror and we are able to give the three boys another go on this. Actually - I now regret not going on this ride as it was on my "must do" list. Oh well - I need an excuse to come back again! There it is!
We leave the park at @ 2.15p.m - a bit later than anticipated but there is a lot of cool shady places to avoid the sun here and it's been great fun.
We lunch at McDonald's - I do like the Chicken Flatbread meal - and home for a swim.
Then - back to MGM by 6.45p.m - we ask a CM about Fantasmic eg. when do we need to go to get a seat and she tells us that if were not there by 7.45 - 8.00p.m. then were unlikely to get a seat. With this in mind we head up the street towards the theatre and she was right - the place is filling up fast.
We get a good seat and wait patiently for @ and hour & fifteen minutes - ther is a great atmposphere - there are two groups of Mexican students in the audience who eventually manage to start a rather good "Mexican Wave" going back & forth - then after the numerous "ME-HEE-CO" chants from them - a bunch of very patriotic Red Neck's - sorry - I mean locals - start up a huge "U-S-A" chant. It all add's to the atmosphere and makes the time pass quicker. Eventually the lights dim and the croud roars -the music starts and suddenly Mickey appears to screams of delight. The water fountains start and lights come on - and then go off!........this doesn't look quite right........there are murmers from behind about this "not happening last time" & "where are the pictures?". After 2 or 3 minutes - everything stops - audience lights come back on - then an anouncement - "Sorry - due to a technical fault - tonights Fantasmic show is cancelled"! People are stunned - they just look at each other in amazement - surely this must be a mistake - they can't just tell 6900 people that's it can they? After a couple of minutes the hoots and whistles of derision start - but - amazingly - 6900 people seem to just shrug and say "Oh well - never mind" and off we go. I feel very dissapointed but at least we have the ability to come back again before we go home - but what about the people who were on their last day? How dissapointed must they be? I cant help thinking to myself that if this were England then there would be a riot and the whole park would be in danger of being destroyed! But here - everyone just seems to say "It can't be helped" and move on to the next thing! Needless to say - the queue at Customer relations is the longest that I've seen all week and as we exit the park there are a number of pretty irate conversations taking place at the desk!
Right - lets not let it spoil what has been another great day - Tomorrow - Busch Gardens - I have reservations about this trip but the boys are desperate to ride the big coasters so - majority rules! - I will keep an open mind and try to be positive!
Milly
With this in mind - as the chief co-ordinator - I feel it my duty to get everyone up early in order to hit the park at opening time - do a few rides - and get out before 1.00p.m. when it will be unbearable - get back to the villa for a swim - then return at @ tea-time to grab a couple more rides before the grand finale of Fantasmic.
That's the plan - but as I'm beginning to realise - this is why you make a plan - so that when it goes "pear shaped" you have at least got some idea of what to do and where to go as an alternative!!
Anyway - we start perfectly - we are standing in front of the "Big Mickey Sourcerer's Hat" with about 50 or so others as they open the park and we're off - we've had our "Toast & Twinkies" breakfast at home and we're ready to "Rock & Roll". We start at Star Tours - DS2's request as he's a Star Wars "nut" - this is very similar to "Body Wars" at Epcot and DD loved that so she is realy "up" for this one. After a re-start due to a Mexican gentleman trying to video the trip !!!! we then move to Muppet 3D - I just love these 3D films - why don't we get any in England? - then we do the "Back Lot Tour" . Now - so far - we have done three of the most popular attractions and walked straight on to all three - no queue's at all - brilliant!
After a quick re-fuelling stop (coffee!) while the youngsters play in the Honey I Shrunk The Kids Playground - we decide (well - actually were fed up with DS2 moaning about us not going on rides that he wants!!) to see how the Tower of Terrors looks...........TERRIFYING!!!!! Somehow - I get volunteered to take DS2 & DD on to this. Despite my best efforts to try to disuade DD (and thus give me an excuse not to go!) by using scary tactics - she seems determind to see me more petrified than her for once - I have to say she succeeded - it's a real "thrill ride"!!!! - never to be ridden again by me!!!!
Luckily - as they come off this one and move confidently towards the Rock & Roll Rollercoaster we meet the boys and I manage to persuade them to take DS2 on with them while a large ice cream bribe works with DD!
DW,DF & DM had fastpassed R & R Rollercoaster while I was on Tower of Terror and we are able to give the three boys another go on this. Actually - I now regret not going on this ride as it was on my "must do" list. Oh well - I need an excuse to come back again! There it is!
We leave the park at @ 2.15p.m - a bit later than anticipated but there is a lot of cool shady places to avoid the sun here and it's been great fun.
We lunch at McDonald's - I do like the Chicken Flatbread meal - and home for a swim.
Then - back to MGM by 6.45p.m - we ask a CM about Fantasmic eg. when do we need to go to get a seat and she tells us that if were not there by 7.45 - 8.00p.m. then were unlikely to get a seat. With this in mind we head up the street towards the theatre and she was right - the place is filling up fast.
We get a good seat and wait patiently for @ and hour & fifteen minutes - ther is a great atmposphere - there are two groups of Mexican students in the audience who eventually manage to start a rather good "Mexican Wave" going back & forth - then after the numerous "ME-HEE-CO" chants from them - a bunch of very patriotic Red Neck's - sorry - I mean locals - start up a huge "U-S-A" chant. It all add's to the atmosphere and makes the time pass quicker. Eventually the lights dim and the croud roars -the music starts and suddenly Mickey appears to screams of delight. The water fountains start and lights come on - and then go off!........this doesn't look quite right........there are murmers from behind about this "not happening last time" & "where are the pictures?". After 2 or 3 minutes - everything stops - audience lights come back on - then an anouncement - "Sorry - due to a technical fault - tonights Fantasmic show is cancelled"! People are stunned - they just look at each other in amazement - surely this must be a mistake - they can't just tell 6900 people that's it can they? After a couple of minutes the hoots and whistles of derision start - but - amazingly - 6900 people seem to just shrug and say "Oh well - never mind" and off we go. I feel very dissapointed but at least we have the ability to come back again before we go home - but what about the people who were on their last day? How dissapointed must they be? I cant help thinking to myself that if this were England then there would be a riot and the whole park would be in danger of being destroyed! But here - everyone just seems to say "It can't be helped" and move on to the next thing! Needless to say - the queue at Customer relations is the longest that I've seen all week and as we exit the park there are a number of pretty irate conversations taking place at the desk!
Right - lets not let it spoil what has been another great day - Tomorrow - Busch Gardens - I have reservations about this trip but the boys are desperate to ride the big coasters so - majority rules! - I will keep an open mind and try to be positive!
Milly
