Somebody's Gonna Pee in a Cup, West Coast - Link to new TR 1/21

[Gracefulskinny]

DD on the other hand… well, getting a 2 year old to keep 3D glasses on for anything isn’t very easy.

Ugh... didn't think of that!

When it was all said and done, we were at Mama Melrose for about 2 ½ hours from the time we checked in to the time we left.

I'm surprised you didn't try to flag down a manager. I really really would have lost it.

One of the upsides, to me, is one of the biggest downsides to the new FP+ system. I like having that ability to change it on the fly. But I hate that I spent so much time looking at my phone this trip. Either to change an FP+ or check the status of something. It just felt wrong.

I think that is more something that you just have to train yourself to avoid more than anything. I catch myself doing that at times no matter where I am.

Anyway, after trying approximately 900,000 times to change that FP+, it ended up being a total waste of time.

Well thats a bummer.

We went over to ride and when we got in line the posted time had changed to 80 minutes. We were lined up all the way back to the entrance. But people in front of us just constantly kept bailing on the line. It seemed like we moved through all the exterior switchbacks without ever stopping. In the end, it was really only about a 45 minute wait on the clock.

Yay for at least getting a ride. And bonus that the wait time was almost half of what was posted.

(RIP and good riddance!)

Awa I really liked the hat. I'm going to miss it.

We headed that way and when DS saw us, he came running over.

Don't you just love it when you get these kinds of greetings?

It was our last night, and we needed to do some packing. We laid DD in bed. That girl was out cold.

A most impressive task that she never stirred. Thats quite the achievement.

DS asked me about Lightning on the way out to the pool though. Lightning was always parked right in front of our building. So he couldn't figure out how Lightning got to the car show that afternoon or why he won't talk at AoA. I tried to explain to him that the Lightning we were walking past wasn't the real Lightning. He was just kind of a statue. I think he was ok with that explanation.

Quick thinking on your part!

Not that I want the magic to end for him, but I was proud of him logically thinking it all through. He had some very good questions.

Moments like those are always so bittersweet.

I was in Disney World. And I wasn’t ready to leave!

Whoever is?

It was just a magical moment and I didn’t want it to end.

Yay for magical moments when you least expect it.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

That meal at Mama Melrose sounds horrendous. Between waiting so long to be seated, the meal taking such a ridiculously long time, and the meal itself just being "meh"... I don't feel bad about skipping over that place for the last few trips.

YAY - you got your ride on RnRC!!! That's the way to wrap up a night at the Studios! How fabulous that the rest of your family made the most of their time, too!

 

[afwdwfan]

You're a freakin' man on a mission with RnRC! Glad you got to ride!

Pretty much, the day wasn't going to be complete until I rode it.

Thank for the tip on the FP+...sounds like all you have to do after you use your first three is get a fourth, no matter what the heck it is, then you can change it later using MDE? I didn't know that...and this June will be our first experience with FP+!

Yep! You have to get the 4th one from one of the kiosks. But once it is on your account you can access it through the app and change the attraction or time just like any of your 3 original ones.

Yikes regarding your Mama Melrose experience. 2 1/2 hours is just plain way too long. Inexcusable really, in an amusement park setting, where people want to get going. I haven't been to Mama Melrose since 2001, not that I had a bad experience, it just seemed "okay" and I never had a desire to try to get back there.

Yeah. And with kids. Disney almost always seems pretty receptive of the fact that we have young kids and we really just want to get in and out of the restaurant without lingering. This time it was a total fail.

Glad you finally got to ride RnRC. Way to persevere!

Failure was not an option.

Great pictures of your son and wife. I especially like the "ooo, it's cold" one.

Yeah, they had a good time while I bailed on them.

Yeah, you're preaching to the choir about not wanting to leave WDW! But that was a great write-up, had me right with you.

Thanks. That's always the worst part of the trip.

Yay for RnRC! I love the picture of your wife and son, soooo cute!!

Thanks! They had a good time while I was riding. Makes me feel slightly less guilty.

Well, now you have me teary-eyed picturing you in a parking lot in your bathing suit with misty eyes enjoying all of that magic.

That image should make anybody teary eyed.

I'm sorry to hear about Mama Melrose. I have, unfortunately, found that at a lot of the restaurants (Plaza and BOG for starters) where there are empty tables but you wait past your ADR and then have horrid service. I truly don't believe that they hire enough staff for these restaurants.

Over the past few years, I've seen a lot of comments around the Dis about food quality and service going downhill. Quite frankly, I hadn't experienced much of that until this trip. But it really became quite clear this trip. I agree 100%. I just don't think they have adequate staff to serve the number of people they're trying to funnel through these places.

Great pictures of Fantasmic (I plan on seeing that in May). And the picture of your FIL and you on RnR is terrific.

Thanks!

DS looks like he had some fun with mom and grandma while you were off with grandpa. He's such a handsome boy and love his smile with mom and Anna and Elsa.

He had a great time. Probably because his sister was asleep and he could do what he wanted to.

 

[ksinniger]

We had the same experience at Mama Melrose's back in November. Got there a little early, waited quite a bit for our ADR, then sat forever waiting on service. Our server was OK once she finally showed up, but the kitchen was HORRIBLY slow. She kept coming by and letting us know she had checked and was told our food would be coming out "soon", and we'd see/hear her asking others to check, but it was miserable. 2+ hours for mediocre food. I don't think we'll go there again.

 

[afwdwfan]

That is scary. I'm sure you had a hard time getting back to sleep after this.

Eh... not really.

Nice truck!

I'd take it!

Hummm.... wonder what old drinks you'd be trying?

I should have done the challenge.

Nooooooooo......

Glad you ended up finding one that worked.

It would have been a wasted trip, otherwise.

Interesting... Melody nursed each of our kids and nursed Gabby in WDW. I guess she is more modest than some- she always had a cover over her and found a discrete area to do it.But to each their own I guess.

Yeah, that's how DW did it. I was just a little startled to see what I saw in the middle of such a public setting.

Awww.... too bad she wasn't 'hanging out' again.

Understatement of the century!

Great pic!!!!

Thanks!

How cold was it?

There were icebergs.

Who said you had to goto bed? If Melody is ready for bed too early, I go for walks, grab a drink, take in the sights, take some nighttime pictures, etc.

Could have done that. But I really either wanted to be in a park or in bed. I'd have preferred park, but by the time I could have gotten to one, I'd be turning around and leaving.

Oh boy.. not good.

LOL This is when nips come in handy!

This is funny cuz I'm about to write about H&V in my TR as well.

Oh, I'm interested to see what you thought. I'm guessing that must be the update you posted yesterday that I still need to read.

LOL This sounds very familiar.

I think there are a lot of parents in this boat.

I hear ya... this is my favorite ride as well.

Why did you use FPs for this show?

Because of the stupid tiers that wouldn't let us use our third one for RnRC.

Basically to work our show schedule out, we needed to see Disney Jr, Indy, and LMA at specific show times. The third FP+ was going to be for one of them. I just figured Indy and LMA are big enough theaters, that I've never had a problem just walking up and getting in. And with Disney Jr. I thought the FP+ might help so that we don't have to get there and wait to get in standby. I don't know for sure, but based on the standby line when we walked in, I don't see how they could have all possibly gotten into the show.

Ummmmm I know what I'd be getting.

I think we all know.

I hope we can fit this in August. Hopefully it is still there.

Yeah. I wouldn't think it would be closed that soon. I mean if they close much more there won't be anything to do other than TSMM and Sunset Blvd.

Rut Roh.

We've eaten here a few times over the years. I don't really have a glowing review or a bad review. Maybe they were understaffed the day you were there. 2 1/2 hours for salad, pasta, and dessert would make me insane.

They had to have been understaffed. Either that or they were all sitting in back drinking. Either way, it sucked.

But did you get a beer? This is the perfect time for that!

No.

I already have our ADR set for our DHS day in August... I might have to rethink it though for the package.

I really liked how it worked. I mean, we got to the theater 30 minutes before showtime, by the time we sat down it was 15 - 20 minutes away. Much better than being herded in with the masses. And now that they have moved the dining section to the middle instead of off to the side. Yeah, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

WIINNING!!!

So don't. You are the adult. Put your foot down and add on some days!

I was overruled by the bank account.

I was teary eyed too... not from being sad but from laughing so hard.

Go sing Wishes.

You are so bad. You might find ALL of us crying if you ever update your TR.

He just needs to go whip himself.

I'm working on that right now...

Who knows, It might be posted before 3!

I saw that you updated. I still haven't gotten over the shock.

 

[afwdwfan]

oh my gosh! That dining experience at Mama Melrose sounds awful! I think slow service at a restaurant that isn't full (and thus should not have slow service) is one of the most annoying things out there - and to top it off you didn't even get great food out of it! Am glad though at the end you figured out how to get a ride on RnRC in

Yeah, that drives me nuts! I mean we were waiting for our table and the whole waiting area was shoulder to shoulder. When we waited so long and then walked into a sparsely populated restaurant, I kind of had a feeling we were screwed at that point.

I did notice that on our last trip that with FP+ combined with all the wait time apps, etc. it is easy to spend a lot of time on ones phone. Definitely is just par tof modern life a bit, though would be nice to not have to do that as much

totally agree!

well that sucks - though you did get the ride in at the end - too bad the effort was for naught

Yeah, would have been nice to FP instead of wait, but at least I got to ride!

I am dredding all those questions and how to explain everything. I almost blew it with my daughter when I let her know that Idina Manzel would be singing Let it Go at the Oscar awras which was cool as she was the actual voice of Elsa - to which she replied "what do you mean 'voice of? Elsa's real!" - We ultimately settled on that since Elsa is busy meeting guests at WDW and Idina does such a good job singing the song they let her sing it in public.

Yeah, those innocent comments that in another context, aren't so innocent. Always tough.

I don't know what it is but in almost any setting fireworks do make the moment more magical

Especially Disney fireworks. Because other fireworks are only half as good.

 

[KatMark]

He just needs to go whip himself.

You mean like this?

 

[that's nice]

You mean like this?

Do you have this picture on speed dial?

 

[afwdwfan]

I'm going to go out on a limb here..

She beat you anyways, right?

No?

Umm... no. Never. If it ever does happen.

Well, I don't think we have to worry about that.

Is that likely? I haven't heard anything, not that that means much.

Um... maybe. There have been rumors about Star Wars expansions or Pixar expansions. But that show takes up a pretty big footprint. And if they want to build a new land, they could do something pretty impressive using the land from LMA and Backlot Tour.

Dream come true for a lot of boys I'd think.
Princesses as far as the eye can see, but stuff for boys?
Yeah, okay there is, but still.

It's there... but not exactly in abundance. That's for sure.

The 1976 season, you mean?

Um... sure.

It was before I was born anyway...

Keeping fingers crossed here.
As long as dinner is quick, you've got a chance, right?

How long could a theme park dinner possibly take?

I wondered, after the first fit of indignation, if they were turning it over from the lunch set up?

I don't know. It never really got anymore crowded in the restaurant by the time we left.

That's too bad.
Gotta admit, you're not painting a pretty picture!

Sorry. My rose colored glasses are broken.

Way to sell it Andy!
Aren't you glad you waited that long for 'meh' food???

Absolutely!

Yuck.
That's the problem isn't it?
You might want to send it back... but then how much longer is it going to be???

If I had a lighter I'd heat it up myself.

What????
When did this happen!
You should call the news people.

I know... you blink and the next thing you know you can buy a new car for less than the cost of dinner at Disney.

That's crazy! Especially at Disney where time is money more than anywhere else.

Absolutely! They're usually good about trying to turn tables over. Which is why I'm much more inclined to do a table service meal there than I might ordinarily would outside of the parks with our kids.

Made pizza last night... got a lasagne in the oven right now.
We might... might... have similar tastes.

I'm coming over for dinner.

Still keeping fingers crossed.
Do you have any idea how hard it is to type this way?

D'oh! Lies! All lies!
I demand a full refund!
(Or head of the line pass to RnR.... whichever comes first.)

Works for me!

Oh really!
I seem to remember reading in the UOG that it wasn't worth it, or maybe I'm thinking of FP+ for it?
Either way, so I'm guessing you have reserved area and don't have to line up two hours ahead, correct?

I don't know. I know they definitely used to be against it before FP became available for the show. It used to be that the dining package was seated in the far right section of the theater. Now, they seat the dining package front and center. Big time time saver and perfect seats. Makes sense to me.

I think they're probably against FP+ for it now. FP+ seats are off to the sides and if it is one of your 3 FP+ you won't be able to get a 4th until after the show ends.

True. I noticed that too.
But I didn't really mind.
I just figured it was one more advantage over those who don't do their research.

Well, that it is. Almost a necessary evil.

Nooooo!!!!!

Stupid crossed fingers!

Are they stuck yet?

Awwww.... poor tuckered out tyke.

She'd had a busy day. And really handled it well.

I think that's your best picture of the bunch!
Don't quite know why, though....

I think it is the lighting.

Or the shells.

You go, Andy!
Glad you finally got to ride it!

me too! I wouldn't have been very happy otherwise.

Yup. That's how I feel.
You should see the theater when you come in, not the hat.
Unless they replace it with something even gaudier.

Yeah, that's how I feel. I missed the old "MGM" look of the park. I didn't mind the hat itself, but I just prefer to see the theater front and center in the park.

That must've put a smile on your face.
I know that if it was me, even though I would've been happy to ride RnR, I still would've been wondering how DS was doing.

Yeah. And more importantly, I was glad that DW wasn't ticked at me for making her wait an hour in the park while I headed off to ride!

Aw, man! You're killing me with the extreme cuteness here!

She was out cold!

Not even a little pixie dust slip of paper under the wiper?

Thankfully, no!

Good for him!
That's smart.

Sometimes, too smart for his own good.

I'm guessing you might've possibly gotten a little misty eyed there?

Never mind. You just answered the question.

Can't wait to read all about it!
Thanks for the update!

Thanks!

 

[afwdwfan]

YAY you got to ride it after all!! We feel that same way about Mama Melrose. The food was meh and the service was terrible.

I was really glad I got to ride. And Mama Melrose won't be on an ADR list for us anytime soon.

Ugh... didn't think of that!

She really didn't keep them on for any of the movies or TSMM. But managed to have fun anyway.

Honestly, they really don't fit their little heads well enough to stay on if they move around much at all.

I'm surprised you didn't try to flag down a manager. I really really would have lost it.

I probably would have had I ever seen one. I mean it was a ghost town. We really never saw any servers or managers in the dining room.

I think that is more something that you just have to train yourself to avoid more than anything. I catch myself doing that at times no matter where I am.

Well thats a bummer.

Yeah, I was really hoping to find FP+ for it.

Yay for at least getting a ride. And bonus that the wait time was almost half of what was posted.

Yeah, I was prepared to wait no matter how long, but I'm glad it was only about 45 minutes.

Awa I really liked the hat. I'm going to miss it.

Ok, I didn't dislike the hat, itself. I just really like the theater.

I first went to MGM shortly after it opened and I really fell in love with the park. I'm excited about finally having an unobstructed view of the theater again.

Don't you just love it when you get these kinds of greetings?

A most impressive task that she never stirred. Thats quite the achievement.

When she is out, she is out!

Quick thinking on your part!

Sometimes I just get lucky.

Moments like those are always so bittersweet.

Whoever is?

Good point.

Yay for magical moments when you least expect it.

Yeah, it was just one of those moments that was insignificant, but I'm sure will always stick with me.

 

[afwdwfan]

That meal at Mama Melrose sounds horrendous. Between waiting so long to be seated, the meal taking such a ridiculously long time, and the meal itself just being "meh"... I don't feel bad about skipping over that place for the last few trips.

Yeah... I wanted to like it... but there was just no way. I was really disappointed.

YAY - you got your ride on RnRC!!! That's the way to wrap up a night at the Studios! How fabulous that the rest of your family made the most of their time, too!

That was the perfect way to cap the night off. The plan was really to leave the park right after Fantasmic! so that we could pack and get to bed at a decent time before our last day. But I'm glad I made the audible, because I think everyone really enjoyed that last hour.

We had the same experience at Mama Melrose's back in November. Got there a little early, waited quite a bit for our ADR, then sat forever waiting on service. Our server was OK once she finally showed up, but the kitchen was HORRIBLY slow. She kept coming by and letting us know she had checked and was told our food would be coming out "soon", and we'd see/hear her asking others to check, but it was miserable. 2+ hours for mediocre food. I don't think we'll go there again.

Yuck... I'm sorry you had a similar experience. Yeah, I definitely think we'll be cutting that one out next time. I'll probably still look for a Fantasmic! dining package, but we'll eat elsewhere.

You mean like this?

Exactly. Thanks Kathy!

Do you have this picture on speed dial?

She always manages to come up with it quickly!

 

[cstorm65]

Bummer on Mama Melrose. We had a pretty good experience there a couple of years ago, but the more I read of trip reports the more I think we may have been in the minority that night. But at least you all enjoyed Fantasmic! and got a ride in on Rock 'n Roller Coaster! Enjoying the report.

 

[KatMark]

Do you have this picture on speed dial?

If you only knew.

 

[KatMark]

Exactly. Thanks Kathy!

Any time, Andy, any time.

She always manages to come up with it quickly!

I may be old, but.....

 

[SarahDisney]

We finished our ride and had to make a quick walk to our next destination. Lights Motors Action. We wanted to see it again in case it would happen to fall victim to the many cuts that seem to be happening at the studios in preparation for Pixar/Star Wars/Whatever expansions. It’s a show that we’ve seen before but don’t necessarily feel compelled to see every trip.

I've never actually seen it ... but that's what I hear. I'd like to see it before it goes bye bye (not that they've announced anything about that ...), but somehow I'm always pressed for time on HS day and it's something that's easy to take off the list.

DD on the other hand… well, getting a 2 year old to keep 3D glasses on for anything isn’t very easy.

It's not fun to wear really big glasses for 15 minutes. Remember, she has a smaller head than you, so those glasses aren't so comfortable.
Also ... short attention span. I'm told they grow out of it eventually (well, most of them - I never did)

We checked in and we stood and waited.


Every ADR we had all week, we were seated within minutes of checking in. Even if checking in early. 3:15 came and went. We were still waiting.

It was about 3:35 when we were finally seated. I expected to find a full restaurant, but there was hardly anyone there. In fact, the whole time we were in there, I don’t think there was anyone seated at any of the tables directly adjacent to ours.

Ouch. I think Mama Melrose's was also our longest ADR wait before being seated. But 20 minutes past ADR time when you checked in early is really rough.

The kids were getting beyond restless. It had been well over an hour since we had checked in for our ADR. It had been at least 45 minutes since we were seated, a good 30 minutes since we’d ordered.


And we still didn’t have our food.

Well that sounds like great service ...

When it was all said and done, we were at Mama Melrose for about 2 ½ hours from the time we checked in to the time we left. I’m really glad we got all our must do shows in during the first part of the day, because we’d have been screwed at this point.

I hope you wrote to Disney and complained! 2.5 hours for an ADR is really unacceptable (IMO). I'm glad you got things done in the morning, because this really sucks and would definitely have screwed up your schedule.

While they were inside, I was on my Touringplans App checking out the ride/FP+ situation. I forget what the wait time was for RnRC. Still way too long. But… according to their predictions, there should be FP+ available for about an hour out… This might just work!!!!

I don't believe it. I have never seen FP+ for RnRC available day of (and I've checked every time I'm at HS). Touringplans is crazy!

And there’s also the fact that I now had an FP+ for anything in my name that I could now access from my phone. And that would mean I’d be able to check to see if I could selfishly change one single FP+ from TGMR to RnRC. I mean, odds are pretty slim that somebody is going to be canceling an RnRC FP+ at this time of day, but there’s always a chance.

That's a smart plan. I wouldn't expect one to become available, but checking on the phone is a lot easier than constantly running back to the kiosks.

We got in, parked the stroller and had great seats right in the middle section about halfway up. And we were only sitting there maybe 15 or 20 minutes before the show started. This was the first time I’ve ever done the dining package for that show, but it won’t be the last. It really makes it much, much easier to get in and see the show. Especially with the kids.

I also had a bad experience with the actual dining part, but loved the convenience of the dining package (even as adults). They're fantastic seats and it's so much easier to just be able to show up 15-20 minutes before the show.

I spent that time waiting for the show to start being completely anti-social with my phone in front of my face while repeatedly trying to change my FP+ to RnRC. One of the upsides, to me, is one of the biggest downsides to the new FP+ system. I like having that ability to change it on the fly. But I hate that I spent so much time looking at my phone this trip. Either to change an FP+ or check the status of something. It just felt wrong.

I see the point, but I don't think it's just FP+ - I think it's part of smartphone culture. People are always on their phones. When I was in DL in 2012 I was on my phone plenty, and there was no FP+ there (although ... there was at that point in time a DL app).

We all loved Fantasmic! Well, most of us. DD was sitting on my lap. She was all excited when Mickey came out in the beginning, but then when he went away and it got dark and they were projecting on the water screens… Well, it apparently got too boring for her. She was out. Didn’t take long at all.

It is an awesome show, but I can see why it would get boring for the little ones. Hopefully she'll love it when she gets older.

When I got back to everyone else, I laid it out. I was going to ride RnRC. It was a 60 minute posted wait, but I was going to wait. I was willing to give them the keys so they could drive back to the resort and then I’d just catch a bus when I finished.

Wow, offering to take a bus back? You are so magnanimous!

We went over to ride and when we got in line the posted time had changed to 80 minutes. We were lined up all the way back to the entrance. But people in front of us just constantly kept bailing on the line. It seemed like we moved through all the exterior switchbacks without ever stopping. In the end, it was really only about a 45 minute wait on the clock.

I find that happens a lot with long lines - people just give up and get off the line. Always nice when your wait is shorter than advertised!

Yay! You finally got your ride in and you look like you're enjoying!

He looks happy! Did he want to build a snowman?

We went out to the parking lot. Thankfully the Suburban was right where we left it that morning. We made it out of DHS without any of the traffic headaches we experience the first night and we were quickly back at AoA.

Yay! You got out of there with the car still in the right place and no traffic nightmares!

DS asked me about Lightning on the way out to the pool though. Lightning was always parked right in front of our building. So he couldn't figure out how Lightning got to the car show that afternoon or why he won't talk at AoA. I tried to explain to him that the Lightning we were walking past wasn't the real Lightning. He was just kind of a statue. I think he was ok with that explanation. Not that I want the magic to end for him, but I was proud of him logically thinking it all through. He had some very good questions.

It's definitely hard to explain these things. I like your explanation. And it definitely is a good thing that he's asking these kinds of questions - shows a high level of thinking.

The sky was clear, it was a beautiful night.
There were fireworks going off in front of me.


I was in Disney World. And I wasn’t ready to leave!

Aww ... I totally know that feeling. When you're surrounded by the magic and beauty of Disney it's hard to think about leaving. Don't you just wish you could stay there forever?

 

[6travel]

Great report! I've been following along for a while and enjoy the fellow Dis Dad perspective. I'm glad you finally rode the RnRC.

 

[pkondz]

And if they want to build a new land, they could do something pretty impressive using the land from LMA and Backlot Tour.

I would think the Backlot area alone would be good for a couple of good sized rides.

I'm coming over for dinner.

Sure. There's tons of leftovers.

I don't know. I know they definitely used to be against it before FP became available for the show. It used to be that the dining package was seated in the far right section of the theater. Now, they seat the dining package front and center. Big time time saver and perfect seats. Makes sense to me.

I think they're probably against FP+ for it now. FP+ seats are off to the sides and if it is one of your 3 FP+ you won't be able to get a 4th until after the show ends.

Okay. So it sounds like that's what I read. FP+ for Fantasmic not a great idea.
And from what you describe, dinner package worth it.
Um. Was it extra for the package? Or just the cost of the meal?
I assume extra, but...

Are they stuck yet?

Nah. I keep a spare set around.

I think it is the lighting.

Or the shells.

Yeah, that's probably what it is.

 

[afwdwfan]

Bummer on Mama Melrose. We had a pretty good experience there a couple of years ago, but the more I read of trip reports the more I think we may have been in the minority that night. But at least you all enjoyed Fantasmic! and got a ride in on Rock 'n Roller Coaster! Enjoying the report.

That really is a shame. It could be a great restaurant. And in the past, I thought it was. But I was pretty disappointed by it.

Fantasmic is always fun and I was so glad to finally get to ride RnRC!

I've never actually seen it ... but that's what I hear. I'd like to see it before it goes bye bye (not that they've announced anything about that ...), but somehow I'm always pressed for time on HS day and it's something that's easy to take off the list.

No, I'd assume even if it does go away, they'll have to pretty much keep it open until something new is announced and close to opening. If they shut it down anytime soon, there would be nothing to do in that park!

It's not fun to wear really big glasses for 15 minutes. Remember, she has a smaller head than you, so those glasses aren't so comfortable.
Also ... short attention span. I'm told they grow out of it eventually (well, most of them - I never did)

Yeah, they just don't fit the little kids well at all.

Ouch. I think Mama Melrose's was also our longest ADR wait before being seated. But 20 minutes past ADR time when you checked in early is really rough.

Yeah, it was pretty ridiculous. If it weren't for the Fantasmic! package I was tempted to go ask if we could get out of our ADR since we showed up and hadn't been seated yet.

Well that sounds like great service ...

Only the best.

I hope you wrote to Disney and complained! 2.5 hours for an ADR is really unacceptable (IMO). I'm glad you got things done in the morning, because this really sucks and would definitely have screwed up your schedule.

I should have. But truthfully, after we came home it was Christmas, then New Years, then Disneyland. So I didn't really have time to dwell on it and send an e-mail. And it certainly wasn't something worth wasting more of my valuable time there doing.

I don't believe it. I have never seen FP+ for RnRC available day of (and I've checked every time I'm at HS). Touringplans is crazy!

Well, it was really a pretty low crowd day. I thought maybe there was a chance.

That's a smart plan. I wouldn't expect one to become available, but checking on the phone is a lot easier than constantly running back to the kiosks.

Yep, never hurts to try.

I also had a bad experience with the actual dining part, but loved the convenience of the dining package (even as adults). They're fantastic seats and it's so much easier to just be able to show up 15-20 minutes before the show.

Definitely. I love being able to walk in just before show time... rather than show up 2 hours early to stand around, then be herded in and sit there for another hour. Blech!!

I see the point, but I don't think it's just FP+ - I think it's part of smartphone culture. People are always on their phones. When I was in DL in 2012 I was on my phone plenty, and there was no FP+ there (although ... there was at that point in time a DL app).

Very true. I was using mine quite a bit at DL. I used the Disneyland Lines app quite a bit.

It is an awesome show, but I can see why it would get boring for the little ones. Hopefully she'll love it when she gets older.

I'm sure she will!

Wow, offering to take a bus back? You are so magnanimous!

Well, it would certainly be easier for me than them with the kids!

I really don't mind the bus when I'm by myself. But with kids and strollers and all the crap you have to haul around with them... no thanks.

I find that happens a lot with long lines - people just give up and get off the line. Always nice when your wait is shorter than advertised!

Yep. I was sticking it out anyway, but I was more than happy to move aside for those going the wrong way!

Yay! You finally got your ride in and you look like you're enjoying!

He looks happy! Did he want to build a snowman?

And ride a bike around the halls.

Yay! You got out of there with the car still in the right place and no traffic nightmares!

It was much better than our Saturday night at DHS!!!

It's definitely hard to explain these things. I like your explanation. And it definitely is a good thing that he's asking these kinds of questions - shows a high level of thinking.

Thanks. And it made me happy to see him taking what information I was giving him and then process it. He's growing up.

Aww ... I totally know that feeling. When you're surrounded by the magic and beauty of Disney it's hard to think about leaving. Don't you just wish you could stay there forever?

My bank account just isn't quite big enough though.

Great report! I've been following along for a while and enjoy the fellow Dis Dad perspective. I'm glad you finally rode the RnRC.

Thanks! I'm glad I finally got to ride too. I was going to be disappointed if I didn't!

I would think the Backlot area alone would be good for a couple of good sized rides.

Yeah, I think so. But if you're looking to do 1, possibly 2 themed lands, where LMA would basically fall right between them... you just never know. Heck, I'm not sure they know what they're doing at DHS yet. They just keep closing and deconstructing.

Sure. There's tons of leftovers.

On my way!!!!

Okay. So it sounds like that's what I read. FP+ for Fantasmic not a great idea.
And from what you describe, dinner package worth it.
Um. Was it extra for the package? Or just the cost of the meal?
I assume extra, but...

My understanding is that it really doesn't cost more. But you have to order appetizer, entrée, drink and dessert. So if you're paying out of pocket and didn't really want that much food... then you would be paying a little more. At H&V, you get the regular buffet. Either way, I don't recall the exact cost since we were on DP, but on the plan it was still just one Table Service credit at Mama Melrose.

 

[Leshaface]

DS loves the new Muppets movies and we’ve even bought the DVD set of season 1 of the Muppet show and he loves watching those too.

That's awesome that he's enjoying the Muppets! Has he seen any of the older Muppet movies yet?! I put on the original Muppet Movie and the Muppets Take Manhattan for DS a few days ago and he loved them!

It was about 3:35 when we were finally seated

Oh my gosh, how annoying. Especially for the time you guys were having dinner at, you'd think they'd have gotten you out in under 45 minutes. Such a waste of time, that sucks.

But I hate that I spent so much time looking at my phone this trip. Either to change an FP+ or check the status of something. It just felt wrong.

That's how I felt too, but I would make sure to announce to everyone what I was doing and that I wasn't getting of FB or Instagram. In fact, towards the middle of our trip, DM loved the app and would always have me check it for wait times. Cool by me

We were lined up all the way back to the entrance. But people in front of us just constantly kept bailing on the line. It seemed like we moved through all the exterior switchbacks without ever stopping. In the end, it was really only about a 45 minute wait on the clock.

Score! That's fantastic that you were able to ride it! And way to put your foot down that you were waiting no matter what. Definitely paid off!

Lightning was always parked right in front of our building. So he couldn't figure out how Lightning got to the car show that afternoon or why he won't talk at AoA.

Aw, I smiled at this. So cute!

It was just a magical moment and I didn’t want it to end.

 

[Dugette]

Wow, you could have ridden Tower of Terror 10 times in the time it took to have a meal at Mama Melrose! We've never been there and I think I can safely push it lower on our list after hearing about that experience. However, I love the endorsement of the Fantasmic Dining Package. I am hoping that the SWW ADR with Fantasmic is the one we keep for May, as that sounds great. I love the idea of walking in 15 minutes prior and having great seats!

So glad that you did manage to get on RnRC after all! Persistence pays off. And sounds like your family had a great time too, with the less crowded and more enjoyable DHS at their disposal.

Sweet Disney-savoring moments out in the parking lot. I always feel like that early on in the trip too - just drinking it all in. Plus, the added feeling of knowing all sorts of fun is just in front of you. Leaving lacks that element.