My plans for this day had been switched a time or two. My original plan called for AK - a partial day park for us - and then dinner back at AKL at Boma. We'd enjoyed it last year.
My original plan for DHS was for the Friday evening, after we'd been to Typhoon Lagoon. DHS is also a half day for us - we aren't that into shows, and the boys can't do RnRC and won't do ToT, so...
But then I was talking to Dr. Belle whilst I was in IL earlier in the summer, and she and her dad had assured me that if we wanted to do Toy Story Mania, we'd really want a rope drop, or face horrendous lines.
So then I thought of DHS on our leaving day - our flight out wasn't until 8:00, so we'd have most of a day that day. But the boys were all talking about how they wanted to do TSM as the first ride of the TRIP, not just DHS day.
So I flipped DHS and AK, feeling that we could wait on AK more easily than DHS.
With that in mind, we got up around 7:20. No one was very quick to get going, but that's OK.
We had packed granola and cereal bars, and cereal. The boys had some cereal, D got ready, and I went down to get coffee and a couple of bananas and some milk. It was rainy, so there weren't many animals on the savannah, but the boys still sat outside to eat.
We got down to the bus around 8:20. There was a pretty large crowd for DHS already waiting. One lady in particular was very vocal about the wait

and started bugging the bus CM dude at the podium. He finally did agree to ask for a "floater" bus to come.
I don't know how long we waited, particularly, but it wasn't that bad. The bus was PACKED, though. D & I sat the boys down, but we stood so that other little kids could sit. I think we shamed a few others into doing the same thing -
I got pretty vocal about "Oh, let me stand, it should be the little ones sitting down."
But then we were standing next to angry lady, who jawed the whole time on the bus about the wait.
Look, the buses are what they are, in my opinion. It's nice to have the option, you have to accept that they aren't on a schedule, just deal. I DO wish they'd add a few more buses for AKL, being so far away from MK and DTD, in particular, but... Get over it.
We still made DHS around 8:50. I know we were wearing the ponchos and it was VERY windy when we arrived. We hustled up to the far left side of the rope, and when it dropped, the whole crowd hustled to TSM. They had CM's blocking a few of the "shortcuts" I might have tried, but we still got there with no issue. D went to get FPs, whilst the boys & I got in line. They hadn't even opened the queue inside the building yet, so like Lessa mentioned from the previous day, it was hard to see who was in the hugely deep FP machine lines, and who was in the actual ride queue. Angry Bus Lady was about 5 people behind us (hee, hee!) and started yelling at people who were walking up to the building "THIS IS THE END OF THE LINE, PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!"
She was pleasant.
But, she had a point, here, at least - they need to have CM's out in the FP/outdoor queue area before they open the building, if this is happening every day.
D came back with FP's - already at 11:50! (This is maybe 5 minutes after rope drop.)
As soon as they actually opened the building, the line was basically a walk-through, though the queue lines were full.
Oh, and Angry Bus Lady wound up even further behind us.
Anyway, despite the posted 60 minute wait, it was only about 30, and we were moving constantly.
We loved the ride! It was SO much fun, and the scoring is so much better than Buzz.
We exited to more rain and wind. We had checked the times guide and our next item was to meet more Power Rangers, but we had about 20 minutes. So, we went to the boys' previous fave from DHS - Star Tours. There was NO wait at all. In fact, it was really deserted over there. I guess everyone was at TSM or the RnRC/ToT area.
We finished ST, had a little peek through the dump shop, then headed back to the "streets" to find the Power Rangers.
Because of the weather, they were moving them inside, so we were directed to a nondescript gray building around behind the Muppet area.
It was pretty lame. They weren't signing, just doing pictures, and the room was not decorated or anything, but here's the pic:
I mean, really, if this is the "rain room", why not have a backdrop or something?
The boys have been really into the Chronicles of Narnia movies - D has been reading them the books (they're on the next to the last) and we've seen both movies. So, Prince Caspian was next.
We opted to both meet the prince AND see the attraction (about which I knew nothing) and the line for Caspian was a tad slow moving. The nice CM letting us into Narnia was pleasant, though, and it was fine. The sun appeared for a bit - of course we were under a shaded queue

, but that was nice!
Here are Prince Woody of NH, Prince Buzz of NH, and Prince Caspian:
He was really, really nice and took quite a bit of time with them.
The attraction was fine - but if you've not seen the movie, it has spoilers.

The kids liked looking at the movie props and stuff.
The boys were wanting Star Tours again, so off we went - with just a small wait that time.
Then it was time for Muppets! We know it needs help, but the boys love it and it's still kind of funny. We got in pretty quickly, but during the pre-show, I took off my poncho. A lady behind me said, "Excuse me, are you a DISer?" I said yes! It was no one I knew - never even got her name - but she said she'd first wondered when she saw my baggalini, then she spotted my LGMH.

She wound up sitting next to me during the show.

I'm sorry I don't know who she was, but if you're reading, "hi!"
Next we decided to have lunch. We had all enjoyed Pizza Planet last year, and the meals for the kids are huge on the
DDP. Of course, though, Buzz & Woody didn't want the same thing, so they each wound up with their own meal. One got the pepperoni pizza, one got cheese, I got the "junkyard" veggie, and D had a salad with grilled chicken and some fruits and stuff, which he really liked.
It wasn't actually raining at this point, so we sat outside at a non-umbrellaed table. JUST as we were finishing, it started up again - good timing!
Next up: it gets a tad more crowded...