A Villain at WDW -- Day 7

DisneyVillain

<font color=green>On a quest for lime green duct t
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Apr 28, 2003
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Disney Day 7: Friday, 6-Jun-2003

As we approached the Disney-MGM Studios, we saw a lift truck raising a load of heavily armed Storm Troopers to the roof of the entrance plaza for guard duty. It was the first day of Star Wars Weekend #4.

FastPass or no FastPass, we’re headed to the Tower of Terror and the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster first! (Along with about 1/3 of the rest of those arriving at opening. Another 1/3 of the early arrivers are wandering around looking lost, and the rest are headed somewhere else.) This was the only day on which our scheduled park was the same as the GayDays park. We saw a lot of same-sex couples, but there didn’t seem to be any increase in the crowd. My theory is that, except for Saturday, there are more people avoiding the GayDays park than there are gays visiting that park.

When we arrived at the Tower of Terror, the wait time sign out front said 5 minutes, so we headed up the hill to the entrance. The Cast Member at the entrance said it looked more like 40-50 minutes to her, so we turned around and went back down to pull a FastPass for the Tower, and ride the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.

The wait at the Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster was about 20 minutes. My kids loved the “marble” doors. The pre-show sets the stage very well, and the ride is WOW! When we were at the MK, I said that it would be hard to top Space Mountain. For me, this ride tops everything else I have ever ridden! I could ride this all day. It is fascinating how the Imagineers took an off the shelf rollercoaster, that isn’t that impressive, and made it great by putting it in the dark and adding a theme.

After R’n’R, it is still about 10 minutes until our FP time for ToT. We take a water and potty break, and then head up to the ToT entrance. We had to wait about 5 minutes, and then we went right in on our FastPasses. The Tower was an awesome ride six years ago when we last visited, and they have improved it with the new drop sequences. I think that Disney’s Twilight Zone theme, attention to detail, and story presented before the drop, make the Tower of Terror the best of the drop rides. My kids, however, prefer the pure adrenalin rush of being able to look down as you crash to the concrete on Acrophobia at Six Flags or Drop Zone at Carowinds.

Since you can only have one FastPass every two hours, we decide not to get a Rock’n’Roller Coaster FP at this time. It was a tough decision.

After the Tower of Terror and the Rock’n’Roller Coaster, the next show of the Little Mermaid was in about 12 minutes, and the CM at the entrance said we would probably get into that show. We decided to wait, and if we didn’t get in we would pull FastPasses for later. Later we had reason to wish we had chosen to take the FastPasses and move on, as we encountered the only person smoking outside the designated areas who refused to extinguish his asthma trigger when politely asked, and even when firmly asked. After a few minutes, a CM showed up, and when I moved to speak to him, the smoker and his girlfriend left the queue. It is inconsiderate jerks like this one who are responsible for increasingly strict regulation of public smoking. We did get into the next show, without asthma problems, and enjoyed it very much. The black light puppets are different from other Disney shows, and this is a very upbeat and fun show.

We then went to the Indiana Jones show to get FastPasses for the 1:30PM show. From there, we went to the MuppetVision 3D show. I love the Muppets! We never missed their TV show when it was new. Waldorf and Statler are my favorites. Every time I hear someone yell “Encore! Encore!”, I get a very strong urge to reply “Quiet you old fool. They might hear you!” In It’s Tough to be a Bug, the wheelchair seating is in the front row, and the 3D effects are poor from there. In MuppetVision 3D, they are on the back row. From there the 3D effects are fair, but you can’t see the Chef’s cannon at all. Still, we enjoyed this show as always. When our younger son was 4, everybody else in the theatre was trying to reach out and touch Waldo as he flies over the crowd, but my son was trying to kick him. I had to lunge and grab his leg to keep him from kicking the woman in front of him in the head. We didn’t have this problem now that he is thirteen, because there is an aisle in front of the handicapped row.

After MuppetVision, the kids spent about 10 minutes on a quick run-through of the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, and then we went to pick up a fast pass for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire – Play It!. The FastPasses being given were for the 2:15PM show, and said you should be there by 2:05. I asked the Cast Member who was monitoring the FastPass whether he thought we could make it to the 2:15 Millionaire show, if we were at the 1:30 Indiana Jones show. He said that he thought we could probably make it, but either way, we should take the FastPass, and it would be good for any show after 2:05. He said that this was true of all FastPass attractions, that once your start time has passed, the pass is good for the rest of the day. They don’t advertise this fact, but it isn’t a secret. This knowledge would have been very useful earlier in the week, and we took advantage of it for the rest of our visit.

It was then time for an early lunch (we had a VERY early dinner PS because of the 7:00PM E-Ride night, so we wanted to eat lunch early as well.) As we approached the Backlot Express, where we were planning to eat, we noticed that a large crowd had gathered at the stage next to Star Tours. It was a Star Wars Weekend at the Disney-MGM Studios, and there were activities all weekend. Anyway, since the on-stage activity was drawing many of the people in the area, there was no line at all at Star Tours. Before the Tower of Terror, Star Tours was my favorite attraction at the Studios, and I still love it! I like Star Tours much better than Body Wars, which I believe uses the same simulator.

We made sure not to wait too late to see the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, as we had been seeing typical weather patterns for Central Florida in June, (clear or partly cloudy blue skies in the morning, clouds developing in late morning or early afternoon, thunderstorms late afternoon and early evening, ending in time for evening shows, parades, and fireworks. We have seen the wet weather version of the Indiana Jones show and it is not worth the time. The full version of this show, however, is a lot of fun. As soon as the show ended, we bolted for the exit in an attempt to make it to the 2:15 Millionaire show. We arrived at the Millionaire soundstage at exactly 2:05, (although we would have gotten in had we arrived at 2:10.) This show was a lot of fun, and we added it to our list of things to do when we return to this park on our last day. The funniest thing we saw that day happened in this show. The second person in the hot seat was a gay guy who was there with is partner for GayDays. He did well until he hit the question “What state is represented by this year’s Miss America?” His laughing reply, “How would I know that?”, got a big chuckle from most of the audience, and loud laughter from some.

After the Who Wants to be a Millionaire show, we immediately made our biggest mistake of this vacation. We went to ride the back lot tram tour. Why was this a mistake? Because it meant that we were saving the animation tour for Sunday, when the animators are all at home watching cartoons. Oops. Last visit, we did the animation tour at 4:40PM after the animators had left for the day. I hate making the same mistake twice. This one won’t happen again. The back lot tour is fun, and I like the new Pearl Harbor version of the tank scene. I do wish it were still on the backstage walking tour, instead of the tram tour. The prop room that serves as queue in the tram loading area was fun, and we spotted a lot of props we recognized. I also enjoyed the Villains exhibit at the exit. Margaret Hamilton’s hat from the Wizard of Oz was my favorite. She was the best villain ever! I saw one of her last interviews, and she said that she liked being famous, but she didn’t like scaring all those children over the years. (I was one of those scared children, and I wanted to tell her “Thank You!”.)

By now, it was getting close to time to leave for our PS at the California Grill, and our E-ride night in the Magic Kingdom. We decided to check the lines at the Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster before we left, and with the wait at only 20 minutes, we were able to ride again before we left. What a great ride!

We arrived early at the Contemporary, so we explored the atrium, and then went to the roof to enjoy the view from there. This was our first visit to the California Grill, and I can see why many people name it as their favorite WDW restaurant.

At E-Ride night, there was a Cast Member giving out the wristbands next to City Hall. He let at least 6 people jump in front of my wife’s wheelchair after we were at the front of the line. I had to be assertive just to get our wristbands. If they are not going to have a formal queue, then it is the Cast Member’s responsibility to pay attention to line cutters. I told him so, without invective or inappropriate expletive, but with obvious displeasure.

E-ride nights are great! Even when they are early, (ours was 7:00PM-10:00Pm), the crowds are small and there is virtually no wait at any of the attractions. We went to Frontierland first, because that was where there were three major attractions that we had not seen yet. We went to Big Thunder Mountain first, because it is susceptible to weather, and we were starting to get some rain. We rode Big Thunder in a light rain, which detracted from the experience some, as you had to shield your eyes from the raindrops. This ride isn’t that different from mine-train rides at other amusement parks, so we weren’t particularly disappointed.

We skipped Splash Mountain, because none of us wanted to be wet for the rest of the evening, and went to see the Country Bears. I wish “Blood on the Saddle” would get stuck in my head, instead of “It’s a Small World”.

Then it was on to the Haunted Mansion. There is so much detail in this ride, I think you could ride it 1000 times and still be noticing things for the first time. The Cast Members at this ride really seem to enjoy being gloomy. If you can keep a straight face, the Haunted Mansion or the Tower of Terror would be fun attractions to work.

Tomorrowland is next, where we have not yet experienced Alien Encounter or the Astro Orbiter. I like the Alien Encounter, but it loses much of it’s effect if you are sitting on the back row. You hear voices or whatever behind you, when you know you are at the wall. Next time we will know to sit down front. We decide to skip the Astro Orbiter, because of the rain. It isn’t that great when it’s dry.

On to Space Mountain, and major disappointment. Space Mountain was closed, and the CM’s at the entrance didn’t know if it would open.

We rode Buzz Lightyear a couple of times, and then rode the People Mover. Inside Space Mountain, the lights were out, and the cars were running empty. We hoped that this meant that Space Mountain was about to open, so when we exited the People Mover we went back to Space Mountain to check.

Yes! It was open for the last 25 minutes of our E-ride night! We got in the queue and waited about 10 minutes to board. As we were exiting at 9:15, I told the boys that we should have just enough time to push mom’s wheelchair back to the entrance for one more ride. A cast member overheard me say this, and offered to take us back to the loading area via hallway, so we wouldn’t have to push mom all the way around. This was much appreciated, as the motor on mom’s manual wheelchair was running down after this very long and active day.

After we rode Space Mountain for the second time, it was 10:02PM, and everything was closed. On our way out of the park, we stopped at the ice cream parlor and bakery, and let the park clear out. By the time we got to the bus stop at 10:30, there was almost no one left waiting.

We had a great time, and we will always do an E-ride night if it is offered.

Day 8: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=402788
 
Thanks for sharing ~ Wonderful reviews!!!!!
 
Originally posted by DisneyVillain
Disney Day 7: Friday, 6-Jun-2003
After MuppetVision, the kids spent about 10 minutes on a quick run-through of the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, and then we went to pick up a fast pass for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire – Play It!. The FastPasses being given were for the 2:15PM show, and said you should be there by 2:05. I asked the Cast Member who was monitoring the FastPass whether he thought we could make it to the 2:15 Millionaire show, if we were at the 1:30 Indiana Jones show. He said that he thought we could probably make it, but either way, we should take the FastPass, and it would be good for any show after 2:05. He said that this was true of all FastPass attractions, that once your start time has passed, the pass is good for the rest of the day. They don’t advertise this fact, but it isn’t a secret. This knowledge would have been very useful earlier in the week, and we took advantage of it for the rest of our visit.
...
At E-Ride night, there was a Cast Member giving out the wristbands next to City Hall. He let at least 6 people jump in front of my wife’s wheelchair after we were at the front of the line. I had to be assertive just to get our wristbands. If they are not going to have a formal queue, then it is the Cast Member’s responsibility to pay attention to line cutters. I told him so, without invective or inappropriate expletive, but with obvious displeasure.
...

DisneyVillian,
Thank you, I appreciate your trip reports, especially the parts about the FastPass and your "I told him so, without invective or inappropriate expletive, but with obvious displeasure." I believe you also wrote in a prior post about AK in a way with which I wouldn't disagree! :cool:
 
Originally posted by billybaruch1
Thank you, I appreciate your trip reports, especially the parts about the FastPass and your "I told him so, without invective or inappropriate expletive, but with obvious displeasure." I believe you also wrote in a prior post about AK in a way with which I wouldn't disagree! :cool:
Thanks. We had a great vacation, good enough that I couldn't imagine things going better. That said, nothing is perfect, and I generally call it like I see it. (If I am asked "What do you REALLY think?", you can bet it is with a heavy dose of sarcasm.)
 

This was a busy day! When you posted about nothing beating Space Mountain I wondered if you had ridden RnR yet.

Fast passes are great and make my summer vacations more enjoyable. You can get more than one fast pass in a two hour period though. As soon as your FP time arrives, or sometimes there will be an earlier time printed at the bottom of the FP, you can get a new FP. We always try to get a new FP before we use our current one.
 
Originally posted by bobcat
You can get more than one fast pass in a two hour period though.
I knew that. I just said it poorly.
 














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