E
erikthewise
Guest
Cast
Self (Richard): likes seafood, gets up too early, walks too fast. Thinks that entering a park after the scheduled opening is like walking in on a movie after its started. Can accurately estimate the duration of any sequence of activities.
DW (Julia): Family photographer. Hates seafood, likes to sleep in, walks too slow. Has no sense of time. Thinks its immoral if not illegal to arrive at a park before opening time.
DS9 (Jonathan): Tall enough to ride anything but doesnt like thrill rides. Loves computer games and arcades. Haven't told him about Disney Quest.
DS6 (Patrick): Fearless; will ride anything. Just barely tall enough to ride Space Mountain. Has the patience of a forest fire. Doesnt like anything that isnt a ride or a meal. Haven't told him about Tower of Terror.
We are staying 5 nights at Beach Club Villas in our first trip as members of Disney Vacation Club, followed by 3 nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Also see restaurant report
http://www.disboards.com/showthread...threadid=303938
Wed Dec 11: Theres a line out there!/Erikthewise earns his name!
We didnt have any definite plans for this day, but decided to go back to MGM. Once again everything we did in the morning was a walk-on.
We decided to eat lunch at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre, so we stopped to make a PS on the way to Muppets 3D. DW and I have always been big Muppet Fans so we enjoy this show, which is longer than the other two 3D movies.
We backtracked to Little Mermaid. This was somewhat of a disappointment because the story has shrunk almost to the vanishing point. It seemed like it was even shorter than last year, and definitely shorter than when we first saw it in 1992. I think it was about 17 minutes. However Ariel was the best Ive seen! Many of them are obviously 30-ish which just doesnt work. This one had an appearance and voice which were a much closer match to what you expect from the movie. Its a shame we didnt get to see and hear more of her!
Because Mermaid was so short we had plenty of time to get to the 10:15 Indiana Jones show. DS9 seemed to enjoy it quite a bit although he hasnt seem the movies yet. DS6 managed to sit through it. Afterward both were clamouring to go to the Honey I Shrunk The Kids playground. It was actually a good idea to go before lunch because its a lot less crowded then.
After lunch at Sci-Fi, headed over to Millionaire. We saw a considerable line at the Standby entrance, not nearly enough to fill the theatre but enough that we decided to grab fastpasses, then do Backlot Tour and come back. As we walked past the Fastpass entrance for Millionaire with the fastpasses still in my hand, the CM said Come on in!. I explained to her that the fastpasses in my hand were new and we were planning to come back later, but she insisted that we could come in anyway, not needing the passes! We decided Sure! Why not! As we walked in, I said Thank you very much, but there ARE quite a few people in line back there. As we entered the theatre, I heard her saying to a fellow CM He says theres a line out there! Sounds like she could have used another couple days of training
No harm done though as the show again was not full. We had a different host this time. I decided to try out the strategy of rapid clicking on the selected answer.
I dont think Ive fully explained the setup for those who havent been there. In front of every seat is a small panel with the letters A, B, C, and D on buttons. When the four possible answers to a question have been given, the buttons will light up, and then you press your selection. Except that you cant possibly win that way. The insiders will click as rapidly as possible on their selection so that they will hit it within one or two tenths of a second after the lights come on. I seemed to be doing all right, but once in a while I would stop clicking before the lights came on, so that when they did come on it took me too long to click again. Then I knew I was doomed. It seemed that to get on the top ten list you had to have all the correct answers selected within about 0.1 seconds. I just couldnt do it consistently. But we were all still having fun! The prizes, by the way, are
-- at 1,000 points: a Millionaire baseball cap and 5 pins
-- at 32,000 points: a Millionaire polo shirt and 10 pins
-- at 1,000,000 points: a 7-day Disney cruise with air included!
In the three shows we went to, the cruise was never in danger. The highest level anyone reached was 32,000.
Well after the show was over, we still had our fastpasses, so we went right back in! We actually used fastpasses! But it didnt really count, because the show still didnt fill, so we would have gotten in anyway.
This time there was a group of hotshots sitting to my left. Very nice people, but they knew how to play. One of them got in the hotseat! And another got into the top ten list in the second round. I thought I was doing well, but just couldnt break into the top ten. One problem was that unless the player in the hot seat was pretty sharp, it was ALL about quickness, because they didnt last long enough for any challenging questions to come up! You could know everything and it still wouldnt matter unless the hotseat player was good enough to get to questions that other people would miss.
In the third round there was finally such a player. I was doing pretty good, and then the questions started to get serious. One asked for a Judy Garland movie where the film ended with her calling to announce she was now Mrs. So-and-So. I selected A Star is Born and quick-clicked it in. I was right! This was at the 16,000 level. When the top ten list came up, I was suddenly in third place! I finally had a chance! But for what? I knew what would happen. But some battles must be fought even when there is no hope.
The 32,000 question came up. It asked for the city where the first television transmission was received and displayed. DAMN! I knew what year it was, but I didnt know where! But when the answers came up, I selected San Francisco because the others made less sense. I was right again! And the hotseat player was wrong!! And then, as I knew would happen, the buzzer sounded signaling the end of play. But the final top ten list was displayed, and I was NUMBER ONE!! YES!!! As everyone else headed for the exit, I stood up and pumped my fists in the air! An empty victory, you say, but I say its the game thats important, not the money.
You just cant win. If the hotseat player lasts long enough to allow your superior knowledge (and luck!) to come into play, then they also last long enough that time runs out! But I had a lot of fun and it was one of the two highlights of the trip for me.
We went back to our room and relaxed for a while. One transportation quirk is worth mentioning here. If you stay at an Epcot resort, there is no bus service to MGM! The options are to take the boat or walk. Walking is not always practical or convenient, and the boat can be slow and fill up quickly at busy times, e.g. coming back from Fantasmic! But if you have a car (we did), MGM is a five-minute drive!
We ate an early dinner in our room and headed back to MGM to watch the Osbourne Lights. When we arrived around 5:45, I had the bright idea of walking over to Fantasmic (6:00) and seeing if we could get a seat. No dice standing room only. So back to plan A. We head down to New York Street to find a couple thousand other people waiting for the Lights to open at 6:00. It really wasnt too bad; I put DS6 on my shoulders for a while so he could see, but the crowd thinned out somewhat as we walked along. It is easy to imagine that total gridlock could take place if were more crowded. It seems that the best time to go is probably about 6:15, after the initial rush but before Fantasmic lets out. Or wait until 6:50 and go through as the park closes.
Back to our room. What did we do in the evenings? The boys watched our Monsters, Inc DVD three times during the five days were at BCV. And for some reason they really liked watching the bedtime stories (read-along DVDs broadcast with still pictures and narration) on Channel 14. And three times we went out on the balcony to watch Illuminations fireworks at 9:30. Im sorry to say we never used the whirlpool tub! Maybe next year!
Self (Richard): likes seafood, gets up too early, walks too fast. Thinks that entering a park after the scheduled opening is like walking in on a movie after its started. Can accurately estimate the duration of any sequence of activities.
DW (Julia): Family photographer. Hates seafood, likes to sleep in, walks too slow. Has no sense of time. Thinks its immoral if not illegal to arrive at a park before opening time.
DS9 (Jonathan): Tall enough to ride anything but doesnt like thrill rides. Loves computer games and arcades. Haven't told him about Disney Quest.
DS6 (Patrick): Fearless; will ride anything. Just barely tall enough to ride Space Mountain. Has the patience of a forest fire. Doesnt like anything that isnt a ride or a meal. Haven't told him about Tower of Terror.
We are staying 5 nights at Beach Club Villas in our first trip as members of Disney Vacation Club, followed by 3 nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Also see restaurant report
http://www.disboards.com/showthread...threadid=303938
Wed Dec 11: Theres a line out there!/Erikthewise earns his name!
We didnt have any definite plans for this day, but decided to go back to MGM. Once again everything we did in the morning was a walk-on.
We decided to eat lunch at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre, so we stopped to make a PS on the way to Muppets 3D. DW and I have always been big Muppet Fans so we enjoy this show, which is longer than the other two 3D movies.
We backtracked to Little Mermaid. This was somewhat of a disappointment because the story has shrunk almost to the vanishing point. It seemed like it was even shorter than last year, and definitely shorter than when we first saw it in 1992. I think it was about 17 minutes. However Ariel was the best Ive seen! Many of them are obviously 30-ish which just doesnt work. This one had an appearance and voice which were a much closer match to what you expect from the movie. Its a shame we didnt get to see and hear more of her!
Because Mermaid was so short we had plenty of time to get to the 10:15 Indiana Jones show. DS9 seemed to enjoy it quite a bit although he hasnt seem the movies yet. DS6 managed to sit through it. Afterward both were clamouring to go to the Honey I Shrunk The Kids playground. It was actually a good idea to go before lunch because its a lot less crowded then.
After lunch at Sci-Fi, headed over to Millionaire. We saw a considerable line at the Standby entrance, not nearly enough to fill the theatre but enough that we decided to grab fastpasses, then do Backlot Tour and come back. As we walked past the Fastpass entrance for Millionaire with the fastpasses still in my hand, the CM said Come on in!. I explained to her that the fastpasses in my hand were new and we were planning to come back later, but she insisted that we could come in anyway, not needing the passes! We decided Sure! Why not! As we walked in, I said Thank you very much, but there ARE quite a few people in line back there. As we entered the theatre, I heard her saying to a fellow CM He says theres a line out there! Sounds like she could have used another couple days of training
No harm done though as the show again was not full. We had a different host this time. I decided to try out the strategy of rapid clicking on the selected answer.
I dont think Ive fully explained the setup for those who havent been there. In front of every seat is a small panel with the letters A, B, C, and D on buttons. When the four possible answers to a question have been given, the buttons will light up, and then you press your selection. Except that you cant possibly win that way. The insiders will click as rapidly as possible on their selection so that they will hit it within one or two tenths of a second after the lights come on. I seemed to be doing all right, but once in a while I would stop clicking before the lights came on, so that when they did come on it took me too long to click again. Then I knew I was doomed. It seemed that to get on the top ten list you had to have all the correct answers selected within about 0.1 seconds. I just couldnt do it consistently. But we were all still having fun! The prizes, by the way, are
-- at 1,000 points: a Millionaire baseball cap and 5 pins
-- at 32,000 points: a Millionaire polo shirt and 10 pins
-- at 1,000,000 points: a 7-day Disney cruise with air included!
In the three shows we went to, the cruise was never in danger. The highest level anyone reached was 32,000.
Well after the show was over, we still had our fastpasses, so we went right back in! We actually used fastpasses! But it didnt really count, because the show still didnt fill, so we would have gotten in anyway.
This time there was a group of hotshots sitting to my left. Very nice people, but they knew how to play. One of them got in the hotseat! And another got into the top ten list in the second round. I thought I was doing well, but just couldnt break into the top ten. One problem was that unless the player in the hot seat was pretty sharp, it was ALL about quickness, because they didnt last long enough for any challenging questions to come up! You could know everything and it still wouldnt matter unless the hotseat player was good enough to get to questions that other people would miss.
In the third round there was finally such a player. I was doing pretty good, and then the questions started to get serious. One asked for a Judy Garland movie where the film ended with her calling to announce she was now Mrs. So-and-So. I selected A Star is Born and quick-clicked it in. I was right! This was at the 16,000 level. When the top ten list came up, I was suddenly in third place! I finally had a chance! But for what? I knew what would happen. But some battles must be fought even when there is no hope.
The 32,000 question came up. It asked for the city where the first television transmission was received and displayed. DAMN! I knew what year it was, but I didnt know where! But when the answers came up, I selected San Francisco because the others made less sense. I was right again! And the hotseat player was wrong!! And then, as I knew would happen, the buzzer sounded signaling the end of play. But the final top ten list was displayed, and I was NUMBER ONE!! YES!!! As everyone else headed for the exit, I stood up and pumped my fists in the air! An empty victory, you say, but I say its the game thats important, not the money.
You just cant win. If the hotseat player lasts long enough to allow your superior knowledge (and luck!) to come into play, then they also last long enough that time runs out! But I had a lot of fun and it was one of the two highlights of the trip for me.
We went back to our room and relaxed for a while. One transportation quirk is worth mentioning here. If you stay at an Epcot resort, there is no bus service to MGM! The options are to take the boat or walk. Walking is not always practical or convenient, and the boat can be slow and fill up quickly at busy times, e.g. coming back from Fantasmic! But if you have a car (we did), MGM is a five-minute drive!
We ate an early dinner in our room and headed back to MGM to watch the Osbourne Lights. When we arrived around 5:45, I had the bright idea of walking over to Fantasmic (6:00) and seeing if we could get a seat. No dice standing room only. So back to plan A. We head down to New York Street to find a couple thousand other people waiting for the Lights to open at 6:00. It really wasnt too bad; I put DS6 on my shoulders for a while so he could see, but the crowd thinned out somewhat as we walked along. It is easy to imagine that total gridlock could take place if were more crowded. It seems that the best time to go is probably about 6:15, after the initial rush but before Fantasmic lets out. Or wait until 6:50 and go through as the park closes.
Back to our room. What did we do in the evenings? The boys watched our Monsters, Inc DVD three times during the five days were at BCV. And for some reason they really liked watching the bedtime stories (read-along DVDs broadcast with still pictures and narration) on Channel 14. And three times we went out on the balcony to watch Illuminations fireworks at 9:30. Im sorry to say we never used the whirlpool tub! Maybe next year!
I have yet to check out the attraction. Hopefully, I'll catch it next time.
