donaldbuzz&minnie
Happy to be here!
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2004
- Messages
- 1,728
Finally! We were all going to a park together! Wednesday dawned a little drizzly, but we had our ponchos and rain covers for the strollers, everyone was feeling better, and so off we went to MGM.
We absolutely loved being able to walk there from the Boardwalk. The guys carried the strollers down 2 flights of stairs, the women carried the kids, and in no time we were walking along the really lovely path to the Studios, admiring the ducks and the boats. Heeding all the dire warnings to beat the crowds by arriving early, we got to the gates about 15 minutes before opening at 9 am. The damp day worked to our advantage, since I think that the threat of rain kept many people away, but it never poured and we were perfectly comfortable the whole morning with the weather and the reasonable crowds.
Like everyone else, we headed straight for the RnR and TOT, intending to get fastpasses for TOT and ride RnR. But RnR was "experiencing technical difficulties" and so we fastpassed that, and then those who wanted to ride TOT did it, while the rest of us headed over to get in line for the 10 am Playhouse Disney show. I had been looking forward for months to taking the kids there, since I'd heard babies and toddlers loved it, and it didn't disappoint!
On the way over to Playhouse Disney, in the spirit of nothing ventured, nothing gained, I stopped in at the Brown Derby to see if we could make a reservation for a party of 8 (!) for that day for lunch. We had to cancel out of the lunch reservation I'd made months earlier, and I'd long assumed that we would just have to eat lunch there on our next trip. But they took us!! So in a very good mood, we walked over to Playhouse Disney.
Because of the expected crowds, the Studio had added another show at 9:30 am, and they were giving out fastpasses to boot. Even the TOT riders made it over in time to squeak into the 9:30 show. This day was getting better and better.
One of the absolute highlights of the trip, a memory I hope I carry for years, was the sight of our two grandchildren lighting up at the show. 8 month old DGD sat in her mom's lap absolutely delighted, and almost 2 year old DGS was drawn to the stage like a magnet. He kept inching closer and closer, completely oblivious to anyone or anything except the characters on stage. He recognized the Pooh characters immediately, and I don't think he could believe that they had come to life! Up until now, he's seen them only in books. He danced when they danced, and DGD played with the bubbles that floated down from the rafters, and the adults in our little group just couldn't stop grinning at how happy the kids were.
After Playhouse Disney, the adults' next choice was Star Tours. Since it was still early, the line was only 5 minutes long. Bopa and I offered to watch the kids (Star Tours makes both of us a little queasy) while the mom, the dad, the aunt and the uncle rode together. My husband and I, and the two kids went off with the strollers to the Writer's Cafe. Since it was so damp out, my husband wanted a cup of coffee, and I was looking forward to a cup of tea. Of course, once in the cafe the Mickey Mouse shaped gingerbread cookie had to be purchased for DGS (we're grandparents, after all.) Remembering my daughter's warning about the lethal combination of DGS and sugar, he got a lot more fanfare than cookie, and then after a few more minutes of walking around, it was time to meet the Star Tourists.
As they got off, I asked my daughter, the aunt, if she wanted to ride again since the line was still non-existent, but she said that her stomach had had enough. This from the former teenager who made me cringe at the sight of her on roller coasters I didn't want to see, much less ride. Age is creeping up on her. She's a teacher now, and watching her pass out bubble-blowing kits to the kids she stood next to in lines was a real joy. She is so good with kids, and she (and I) can't wait for her to have one of her own.
Anyway, my husband and I wanted the adults to have a chance to ride the Great Movie Ride, and thought that the babies might be freaked out by the Aliens scene, so we stayed under the Sorcerer's Hat with the little ones while the adults got in line for the ride. DGD had fallen asleep by this time, but as my daughter said, she is like a shark. She just needs to keep moving. So my husband and I took turns pushing her stroller around in circles to keep her asleep, while the other grown-up watched DGS run around happily blowing off some steam.
The characters came out and gathered near the hat! DGS was too shy to get in line to meet them, but he admired them all from his Bopa's arms from a distance. By the time his parents and aunt and uncle got off the ride, he had seen a host of characters and had a new Mickey-Sorcerer stuffed toy and a Mickey-Sorcerer light toy to play with. (Well, we're grandparents, the shop was right there, and he took them out of the bins and hugged them. What were we supposed to do?)
It was time for lunch. We headed over to the Brown Derby, and were seated within about 10 minutes. We were there at opening (our preferred time anyway) and the restaurant was empty! It didn't fill up until we were almost finished with our meal. So far, the Easter crowds hadn't affected us at all! We were all ready for a little quiet break and the Brown Derby fit the bill for everyone. After a perfect lunch - Cobb Salad and Grapefruit Cake for most of us - we decided that the original plan to ride RnR was a bit too ambitious. Moving through the tide of the masses of people now entering the park, we headed back to the Boardwalk to take naps.
We absolutely loved being able to walk there from the Boardwalk. The guys carried the strollers down 2 flights of stairs, the women carried the kids, and in no time we were walking along the really lovely path to the Studios, admiring the ducks and the boats. Heeding all the dire warnings to beat the crowds by arriving early, we got to the gates about 15 minutes before opening at 9 am. The damp day worked to our advantage, since I think that the threat of rain kept many people away, but it never poured and we were perfectly comfortable the whole morning with the weather and the reasonable crowds.
Like everyone else, we headed straight for the RnR and TOT, intending to get fastpasses for TOT and ride RnR. But RnR was "experiencing technical difficulties" and so we fastpassed that, and then those who wanted to ride TOT did it, while the rest of us headed over to get in line for the 10 am Playhouse Disney show. I had been looking forward for months to taking the kids there, since I'd heard babies and toddlers loved it, and it didn't disappoint!
On the way over to Playhouse Disney, in the spirit of nothing ventured, nothing gained, I stopped in at the Brown Derby to see if we could make a reservation for a party of 8 (!) for that day for lunch. We had to cancel out of the lunch reservation I'd made months earlier, and I'd long assumed that we would just have to eat lunch there on our next trip. But they took us!! So in a very good mood, we walked over to Playhouse Disney.
Because of the expected crowds, the Studio had added another show at 9:30 am, and they were giving out fastpasses to boot. Even the TOT riders made it over in time to squeak into the 9:30 show. This day was getting better and better.
One of the absolute highlights of the trip, a memory I hope I carry for years, was the sight of our two grandchildren lighting up at the show. 8 month old DGD sat in her mom's lap absolutely delighted, and almost 2 year old DGS was drawn to the stage like a magnet. He kept inching closer and closer, completely oblivious to anyone or anything except the characters on stage. He recognized the Pooh characters immediately, and I don't think he could believe that they had come to life! Up until now, he's seen them only in books. He danced when they danced, and DGD played with the bubbles that floated down from the rafters, and the adults in our little group just couldn't stop grinning at how happy the kids were.
After Playhouse Disney, the adults' next choice was Star Tours. Since it was still early, the line was only 5 minutes long. Bopa and I offered to watch the kids (Star Tours makes both of us a little queasy) while the mom, the dad, the aunt and the uncle rode together. My husband and I, and the two kids went off with the strollers to the Writer's Cafe. Since it was so damp out, my husband wanted a cup of coffee, and I was looking forward to a cup of tea. Of course, once in the cafe the Mickey Mouse shaped gingerbread cookie had to be purchased for DGS (we're grandparents, after all.) Remembering my daughter's warning about the lethal combination of DGS and sugar, he got a lot more fanfare than cookie, and then after a few more minutes of walking around, it was time to meet the Star Tourists.
As they got off, I asked my daughter, the aunt, if she wanted to ride again since the line was still non-existent, but she said that her stomach had had enough. This from the former teenager who made me cringe at the sight of her on roller coasters I didn't want to see, much less ride. Age is creeping up on her. She's a teacher now, and watching her pass out bubble-blowing kits to the kids she stood next to in lines was a real joy. She is so good with kids, and she (and I) can't wait for her to have one of her own.
Anyway, my husband and I wanted the adults to have a chance to ride the Great Movie Ride, and thought that the babies might be freaked out by the Aliens scene, so we stayed under the Sorcerer's Hat with the little ones while the adults got in line for the ride. DGD had fallen asleep by this time, but as my daughter said, she is like a shark. She just needs to keep moving. So my husband and I took turns pushing her stroller around in circles to keep her asleep, while the other grown-up watched DGS run around happily blowing off some steam.
The characters came out and gathered near the hat! DGS was too shy to get in line to meet them, but he admired them all from his Bopa's arms from a distance. By the time his parents and aunt and uncle got off the ride, he had seen a host of characters and had a new Mickey-Sorcerer stuffed toy and a Mickey-Sorcerer light toy to play with. (Well, we're grandparents, the shop was right there, and he took them out of the bins and hugged them. What were we supposed to do?)
It was time for lunch. We headed over to the Brown Derby, and were seated within about 10 minutes. We were there at opening (our preferred time anyway) and the restaurant was empty! It didn't fill up until we were almost finished with our meal. So far, the Easter crowds hadn't affected us at all! We were all ready for a little quiet break and the Brown Derby fit the bill for everyone. After a perfect lunch - Cobb Salad and Grapefruit Cake for most of us - we decided that the original plan to ride RnR was a bit too ambitious. Moving through the tide of the masses of people now entering the park, we headed back to the Boardwalk to take naps.
