We are NOT a rope-drop family. The way Disney exhausts you... we just need to sleep a little bit longer than rope-dropping allows. But today, today was different. Today we were determined to get our butts to DHS at rope drop so we could FINALLY ride that Toy Story Mania ride!!
As soon as we got there (on time, thank you very much), we realized WHY we don't bother with rope drops:
The kids and I hung back in the crowds while Matt pinched and squeezed his own self as close to the front as he could.
Here are the kids thinking, "Glad it's him and not us!!"
Ty was sporting his lanyard and pins today. The funny thing is, he is NOT into trading at all. If someone asks him, he really can't bring himself to get rid of any that he has. We might need to get him a new lanyard filled with 'traders'!
Matt rocked the house and made his way to the FP machines right away! He called us and told us he already had FP in hand, but we should hurry and get over there so we could jump in the standby line, ride it, then use the FP for a second time. Our big focus for the day was TSM, so it sounded like a good idea!
Of course, by the time we got over there (along with 99.4% of the rope-drop crowd), the line was out the door, around the corner, and all the way to the back-lot tour entrance!
WOW! This ride MUST be good!
The line was moving pretty quick, so we figured "Why not?
" and hopped on in. We did end up waiting close to 45 minutes, but compared to the 120minute wait we see posted most of the time, we figured we did pretty well. Here is Shae waiting with Daddy:
And some more shots from the queue:
As Tyson likes to always remind us... it's waiting.. but it's DISNEY WAITING!
The hidden Mickey:
Daddy, are we almost there?
We finally made it onto the ride. The boys took one side of the car, and the girls the other. We had the most FABULOUS time ever!!! I. LOVE. THIS. RIDE!! Shaelyn had NO trouble manipulating the equipment (unlike Buzz Lightyear at MK.. she struggles with that laser gun). I love how fast it whirls you around. I love how simple it is to score points. I love the variety of games, even tho the premise is the same. I love how LONG the ride is. I love it!!! We were so happy we decided to wait in standby, because as soon as we got off, we were able to jump back on in the FP line. Second time around was even better, since we knew what to expect. This is a definite new favorite for me.. and I would absolutely wait 45 minutes for it again.
The boys were ready for some thrills, so they split again. Shae and I decided to wait in yet another line to see Buzz and Woody. She just loves meeting and greeting and hugging characters. It is SO different from Tyson, who never really got into that!
Running to Buzz!
And a hug for the cowboy:
And here we are on Andy's bed! I just LOVE how it looks like his bed. You really don't notice how cool it is until you step back and look at your pictures!
Next stop was the animation exhibit, where we always bypass the movie and go in through the gift shop. We were super excited to see Bolt and Rhino, but we only observed them from afar. We wanted our meeting to be a whole family event!
But Mickey's line was super short (crazy enough) so we ventured over for some more hugs:
Matt and Ty came over as soon as they were done with whatever thrill ride they enjoyed. We quickly hopped in line for the Bolt characters:
By this time, we were hot and tired and ready for some pool time in Stormalong Bay. Time to catch a boat, catch a nap, then catch some time at Fort Wilderness with our friends. Stay tuned!
I am not too sure about that one, Dan!! Ick!!!
Hi from another band geek!
But I got some cute pictures, so that's ok! Enjoy!
