Buzz and Woody's Summer Escape- Day 4

puffkin

DVC Owner- SSR & AKV
Joined
Apr 30, 2001
Messages
9,848
Cast:
Woody- planner, 23-year Accountant/Disney nut- 4th trip

Buzz- 25 year old fiancé and Billing Coordinator/night college student- 3rd trip

Dates: July 19th – July 26th, 2003

Tuesday July 22nd:

Today was another early morning, with the Mickey wake up call coming at 7:00 a.m. I can’t speak for Buzz, but I didn’t mind because I was really looking forward to today. I decided that we had been to Walt Disney World enough now that we would enjoy a behind the scenes tour. Buzz balked a little at the price, but with an AP discount, I booked the Keys to the Kingdom tour for $98. We got ready and were at the bus by 8 a.m.

We waited about 10 minutes for a bus and had to stand for the trip. We made it to the entrance by 8:30 a.m. and it was mobbed. We went in through the breakfast line and checked in at Town Hall for our 9:00 a.m. tour. Main Street was EMPTY, not a guest in site. We took tons of pictures of Main Street, only occasionally seeing a family heading to the castle for breakfast. We headed back to Town Hall to wait for our tour and saw the train come around with the characters for the opening ceremony.

Spoiler alert- I will try to just cover the basics of this tour, but if you are planning on taking the tour in the near future and want to be surprised, I would skip this part.

There were 13 of us signed up for our tour with our guide Rae. She was very nice and extremely informative. The tour started by walking along Main Street. We sat down in some shade and she went over the 4 keys of Walt Disney World; safety, courtesy, show and efficiency. We then walked along Main Street and she pointed out lots of things that you wouldn’t normally take notice of unless you were looking for them. She also positioned us so we got a front row spot for the street performers that were heading down Main Street.

We then stopped at an outdoor eating area where we sat while Rae went over the history of the Disney Company. We rode the Jungle Cruise with Rae as our skipper so she could point out certain things. She made sure to throw in some corny jokes though! After a “biological stop” we rode Pirates of the Caribbean and looked for some of the behind the scenes stuff Rae had told us to look for. We then went into the backstage area in Frontierland and discussed the Disney parades, including everything you ever wanted to know about the characters. For instance, characters only get paid $6.75 to start and max out around $13 if they are face characters and in the parades and shows. Rae used to be a character, as well as the fairy godmother in Cinderella’s Surprise Celebration, so she was quite knowledgeable on the subject. We also got to see the floats for the Share a Dream Come True and Spectromagic parades.

We then stopped for our lunch at the Columbia Harbor house. We had selected our lunches before the tour started, and they were waiting for us. I had the Clam Chowder bread bowl and Buzz had a sandwich (lunch was included in the tour price). This was a very nice place to eat, and I loved the colonial décor. Following lunch, we looked at the architecture and attention to detail in Liberty Square and then had a lengthy discussion about Hidden Mickey’s. We then rode the Haunted Mansion and saw all of the Hidden Mickey’s Rae had instructed us to look out for.

After our ride, we went through the shops on Main Street and out a secret door to another backstage area. We walked through a hallway that was specifically set up for this tour, and it had displays and aerial photographs of Magic Kingdom under construction. A CM portraying Cruella walked by in full wig and make up, but not in costume yet. Rae then took us down into the Utilidors and showed us around. We saw Meeko walk by without his head on, which was funny. We discussed various things, and had a lengthy discussion about Tinkerbell’s flight during the fireworks (yes it is a real person).

End of Spoiler Alert.

By now it was 1:30 and the tour was over. This was an excellent tour and well worth the cost. I would recommend it for anyone who wants to find out about how Walt Disney World operates. It was probably the highlight of the trip for us. Even Buzz admitted to enjoying it. A thunderstorm was rolling through, so we decided to head back to the resort for a nap. We ended up waiting about 20 minutes for a bus back to POR, and returned to our room for a much needed 2 hour nap.

After our nap, we changed and headed to the bus stop. We waited about 15 minutes for a bus to either Epcot or MGM. We were heading to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner, so we needed to transfer at one of the theme parks. An MGM bus came first, so we headed there and then walked right onto a waiting Animal Kingdom Lodge bus.

Wow, this resort is stunning. The lobby was very impressive and we made sure to check out the thatched roof that we had discussed in the Keys to the Kingdom tour that morning. We checked into Boma right at 6 p.m. for our priority seating, and we were seated within a few minutes. Buzz and I are not very adventurous eaters, so I was proud of how many things we tried. I especially liked how the buffet was set up with the chef’s standing right there to help explain and encourage you to try the food. I believe we ended up trying a little bit of everything. I found the desserts to be especially delicious, the Zebra dome and coconut tiramisu were yummy! Buzz liked the soups the best. Our total with a soda for Buzz and Pretoria Punch for me came out to $60 before tip.

We explored the resort and took some pictures. We walked out to the public viewing area and watched the animals. I especially liked the giraffes; they were feeding on some trees that were quite close to where we were standing. The attention to detail in this resort was very good, and I would love to stay here sometime. We wandered down to the bus stop and waited about 15 minutes for a bus to the Magic Kingdom.

We entered the park and got our wristbands at Town Hall with no wait. Spectromagic was just starting, so we headed back to Fantasyland to ride Peter Pan. The line was still pretty long, so we decided to pass again. Will I ever get to ride this attraction? Buzz wanted to ride the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway (another first for us), so we headed over and got in the 20 minute standby line. It ended up taking a little longer than the posted wait because a car broke down on the one track and it took them awhile to remove it. The teacups didn’t have a long line, so we jumped in line and got on the next ride. Buzz spun our cup, so I just sat back and laughed.

The fireworks were due to start, so I grabbed a good spot to see Tinkerbell fly and I noticed some of the things Rae had mentioned during our tour that morning. We skipped the rest of the fireworks and headed over to Splash Mountain. We waited about 10 minutes and had an enjoyable ride. I saw a hidden Mickey in the one scene, but I wasn’t able to point it out to Buzz in time. We then headed over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and waited about 10 minutes. We got in the back of the train, and had one of our best rides ever. I definitely prefer the back on this coaster! We then stopped by the Haunted Mansion and waited about 5 minutes. We looked for the Hidden Mickey’s we had discussed on our tour and found them again.

We were both a little thirsty, so when we made it to Tomorrowland, we grabbed a frozen coke and frozen cherry ($5). We decided to do Alien and waited about 10 minutes. I am not that impressed with this ride. The first time, it is pretty good, but it isn’t nearly as good on future viewings. I think the attraction is based too much on the element of surprise, and it doesn’t have other attributes to make future viewings just as enjoyable. Anyway, after Alien, we rode Buzz Lightyear with a 5 minute wait. Buzz avenged his dismal performance from Saturday and crushed me 104,700 to 35,600. We then decided to do the Astro Orbiters since the wait was 20 minutes and the line for Space Mountain was way out the door. This was another first for us, and I enjoyed the views of the Magic Kingdom. By this time, it was 12:55 a.m. so we decided to call it a night, and we headed to the POR bus stop. We waited less than 5 minutes for a bus.

This was our 3rd e-ride night, and I am still not sure how I feel about them. We have never been to an E-ride where all the rides are walk-ons as some people claim. We usually have at least 15 minute waits for the mountains. It is nice to be in the parks late at night, but it is still crowded because the people are pretty much limited to Frontierland and Tomorrowland. I am not sure if we will do another E-ride night. I guess it depends on the time of the year and if we feel the need to spend the extra time in the Magic Kingdom. Anyway, we were back to the resort, showered and in bed by 1:45 a.m.

Stay tuned for Buzz and Woody’s Summer Escape- Day 5

Best and Worst of the Day:
Best
Woody- Keys to the Kingdom Tour
Buzz- Boma

Worst
Woody- This is kind of a generic answer, but we felt the need to say the crowds for at least one of the days
Buzz- Same as above
 
Thanks for sharing ~ Wonderful report!!!!
 
Isn't the Key tour great - did it a couple of years ago and loved it and dinner at Boma's - one of my favorite places - thanks for posting!
 
Can you (or someone else) explain Tink's flight for me? DH and I are going to MNSSHP, and I understand that instead of Tink there is a witch. I'm still not understanding what she does before the parade.
 

Tink flies down from the castle to start the fireworks at MK. During MNSSHP, I've seen a witch instead.
 
lissawynn-
If you look at the castle, you will see a wire going from one of the highest towers all the down to Tomorrowland. Right before the fireworks begin, the narrator says a little piece. Then Tink comes out and glides down the wire to Tomorrowland. As soon as she lands, the fireworks start. It is a long flight, and very dangerous, so it can be cancelled if conditions aren't just right. Hope you get to see the witch, I bet that is a sight!
 














Save Up to 30% on Rooms at Walt Disney World!

Save up to 30% on rooms at select Disney Resorts Collection hotels when you stay 5 consecutive nights or longer in late summer and early fall. Plus, enjoy other savings for shorter stays.This offer is valid for stays most nights from August 1 to October 11, 2025.
CLICK HERE







New Posts







DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest

Back
Top