MorningGlory
Space for rent
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2007
- Messages
- 761
Cast
Me. Paul. 34. Chief planner and taxi driver. Scared and excited at the thought of the big coasters.
DS9. Paul (now called junior for the sake of this report). Absolutely bursting at the thought of Disney. As scared as his dad of the coasters but isn't showing it (yet).
Dad. 60 something. Doesn't know how he is going to handle 9 hours without a cigarette!
Brother. John. 45. Possibly the most excited of us all. Definitely looking forward to meeting Mickey.
Day 3 - Saturday 16th June 2007
Today was a long-awaited day in our itinerary. We were off to MGM for the Star Wars Weekend. I must point out however that the day was long-awaited more by my son, who loves all the Star Wars movies. For my part, I knew this was going to be a big day for him in our holiday, getting to see some of the characters up close.
We rose at the much more respectable time of 7am, looking forward to the day ahead. For the first time, my brother John was joining us to go to a park (he and dad never came yesterday as they wanted time to adjust and get over the flight). So, once showered and Paul fed with cereal and ready to go, we collected John and left Dad in bed. A short drive later and we turn into the parking area for MGM Studios, pay our parking fee and head off to park the car. Getting the tram from the car park to the entrance was a novelty that didn't really wear off - much better than walking!
Off the tram, we walk round to the entrance of the Studios and immediately we can hear the Star Wars music blaring inside the park. Even my heart skipped a beat with excitement - Junior was grinning from ear to ear though! I could tell he was already loving it. This was it, the big moment! Junior was asking all sorts of questions; 'Do you really think we will see Darth Vader?!', 'Will Darth Maul be in the parade?!' I'm starting to get worried about my son's choice of 'heroes' from the Star Wars saga when we are interrupted by a couple of Storm Troopers having a discussion over the entrance gates;
(I made the mistake of putting my camera in beside freezing bottles of water. The condensation apparently mists the lens....lesson learned lol).
Junior's jaw hit the floor. I think I might have heard mumblings of 'Wow', 'Cooooool', 'Amazing!'.....wait, that was me haha. Seriously though, we did gape in awe at this for a couple of minutes before carrying on through the gates. Next, we were enveloped in a throng of people;
For a few seconds I was confused, then I remembered this thing called 'rope drop'. Ahah! Uh oh, there is alot of people in front! That was soon forgotten however when this storm trooper decided to take the mickey out of the waiting throngs;
He was really funny and kept everybody well entertained until the bell struck 9. His final 'joke', and something that Junior talked about for the rest of the holiday, was along the lines of;
"I have been told to execute order 66. Hmm, now what was it again.....
Was it 'Kill all Jedi'
Or.....
'Let everybody in'
Cue the waiting crowd screaming in unison 'LET EVERYBODY INNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!'
'Oh yes, that's right, 'Let everybody in'. 'off you go then'
The reason it stuck in Junior's mind is that through the course of the holiday, he convinced himself that we were only allowed in on that storm trooper's say-so, and said storm trooper was therefore the guy who calls all the shots at MGM! Hehe, that lad has some imagination I can tell you! I almost broke the illusion without thinking, then caught myself in time to remember that this is exactly what it is all about. The more 'illusion' anyone can make out of it, the more enjoyment they will get.
Anyway I digress. I promised pictures so I'll get on with the story.
Once inside the parks, we knew exactly what we wanted to do. Paul wanted a ride in his first Star Speeder (is that what they are called?). So, straight round the lake, sans map as we had been so entertained on the way in it totally slipped our mind, and im trying to remember the layout of the park from maps I had looked at before. I knew Star Tours was over on the left hand side, and we easily spotted it with the monolithic structure of a......okay, I admit, I don't know what it's called. I told you im not into Star Wars, and I wasn't lying. Maybe I should get junior to write this trippie instead lol. Anyway, this thing;
Once inside, we took our time slowly walking through all the pre-ride stuff. It really is amazing when all you are used to is the boring barriers that we have over here. Paul loved seeing the various characters;
C3PO?
R2D2? (or did I get them the wrong way round?)
And this guy, who was babbling senselessly (which meant we probably laughed inanely - hey, it was our first time)
On to the ride, and it was definitely given the thumbsup by everyone! The CMs were really funny and into their parts doing the boarding - it's only a small touch but it means alot. It wasn't too rough for my brother John, as he can suffer motion sickness I was a little worried about it. Once the ride was over, we then spent about another 30 minutes in the store. Paul didn't know what to buy - this was Star Wars heaven! In the end, he settled on Jedi Mickey and Darth Goofy plushes, and a set of erasers. John bought himself a Star Wars t-shirt.
Them happy with their purchases, me glad I haven't been stung for more, we left and walked along past the ABC theatre. We had seen a sign around here to meet Jedi Mickey, and went and enquired with the CMs. It was actually a film about the making of Star Wars, but Paul and John decided they would really like to see it anyway, so in we went. I sat for a couple of minutes, then decided I couldn't be bothered watching it and really needed to eat something, so left them to it and agreed to meet them at the exit when the show was over.
Not sure where to head for (still sans map) I went and asked a CM and was directed to the Starring Rolls cafe on Sunset Boulevard. Had myself a really nice bagel with cream cheese and coffee, and shared a laugh and a joke with the CM at the counter about the faux pas of calling a Scotsman English. She has a friend at uni who is Scottish and had drummed this into her lol.
After an enjoyable, albeit small, breakfast I went back and waited for John and junior to appear. Around 5 minutes later they came back to the warmth of the outside both having thoroughly enjoyed the movie.
We decided to just walk slowly around the park and take everything in for a bit. Here is junior and John posing in front of the streets of San Francisco;
It was now nearing the time for the 11:30am Star Wars parade which we definitely wanted to catch, so we headed down to Hollywood Boulevard and found a seat on the pavement across from the Tailors to enjoy the parade;
After the parade, we grabbed ice creams from a vendor just behind our seats, and decided to set off in search of Darth Vader as Junior had been wanting photos with him (I told you, i'm worried about that kid!!). We eventually caught up with Darth near the water spraying coca-cola bottle;
We then joined the queue for photos with Darth. Junior was up first;
Then, it was John's turn. This was really funny. John walked up, stood beside Darth and folded his arms in a gesture of defiance hehe! Darth snorted at him....and John jumped so high he nearly hit the overhang above him!
He decided to move a step to his right;
You had to see it to appreciate how funny it was. Everyone around us was in raptures!
At this point, we decided it would be a good time for some R&R, so we headed back to the hotel. We were expecting to see Dad around somewhere but evidently the old sod had decided to use his free time wisely....back in Hooters no doubt!! And without me again!!
After some TV, we headed down to the McD's at the Crossroads for some lunch. Me and John had the 1/4 pounder with cheese meal, junior the chicken nuggets happy meal. Think he got a duck on a surfboard for the toy. Not that you should care....I didn't...
Oh, and neither did he before any of you decide to phone Esther!
Anyway, back to the yarn..
After an hour or two of returning, we're heading back along the road to MGM and get there within 15 mins of setting out. Gotta love the road system in Disney!
We re-enter the park with a plan...
First off, we head for Jedi Mickey. This was our original aim this morning when J & J got sidetracked by a movie they didn't expect, and I had managed to make a swift getaway. This time, however, we knew exactly where to head to find him (the queue out the door sorta gave the game away as well though).
Not being the photogenic one, I shoved Paul and John up onto the stage on my cue hehe.
Here is Paul getting his baseball cap signed by Jedi Mickey;
And John looks a mite more cheerful with Mickey than he did with Darth lol;
cont.
Me. Paul. 34. Chief planner and taxi driver. Scared and excited at the thought of the big coasters.
DS9. Paul (now called junior for the sake of this report). Absolutely bursting at the thought of Disney. As scared as his dad of the coasters but isn't showing it (yet).
Dad. 60 something. Doesn't know how he is going to handle 9 hours without a cigarette!
Brother. John. 45. Possibly the most excited of us all. Definitely looking forward to meeting Mickey.
Day 3 - Saturday 16th June 2007
Today was a long-awaited day in our itinerary. We were off to MGM for the Star Wars Weekend. I must point out however that the day was long-awaited more by my son, who loves all the Star Wars movies. For my part, I knew this was going to be a big day for him in our holiday, getting to see some of the characters up close.
We rose at the much more respectable time of 7am, looking forward to the day ahead. For the first time, my brother John was joining us to go to a park (he and dad never came yesterday as they wanted time to adjust and get over the flight). So, once showered and Paul fed with cereal and ready to go, we collected John and left Dad in bed. A short drive later and we turn into the parking area for MGM Studios, pay our parking fee and head off to park the car. Getting the tram from the car park to the entrance was a novelty that didn't really wear off - much better than walking!
Off the tram, we walk round to the entrance of the Studios and immediately we can hear the Star Wars music blaring inside the park. Even my heart skipped a beat with excitement - Junior was grinning from ear to ear though! I could tell he was already loving it. This was it, the big moment! Junior was asking all sorts of questions; 'Do you really think we will see Darth Vader?!', 'Will Darth Maul be in the parade?!' I'm starting to get worried about my son's choice of 'heroes' from the Star Wars saga when we are interrupted by a couple of Storm Troopers having a discussion over the entrance gates;
(I made the mistake of putting my camera in beside freezing bottles of water. The condensation apparently mists the lens....lesson learned lol).
Junior's jaw hit the floor. I think I might have heard mumblings of 'Wow', 'Cooooool', 'Amazing!'.....wait, that was me haha. Seriously though, we did gape in awe at this for a couple of minutes before carrying on through the gates. Next, we were enveloped in a throng of people;
For a few seconds I was confused, then I remembered this thing called 'rope drop'. Ahah! Uh oh, there is alot of people in front! That was soon forgotten however when this storm trooper decided to take the mickey out of the waiting throngs;
He was really funny and kept everybody well entertained until the bell struck 9. His final 'joke', and something that Junior talked about for the rest of the holiday, was along the lines of;
"I have been told to execute order 66. Hmm, now what was it again.....
Was it 'Kill all Jedi'
Or.....
'Let everybody in'
Cue the waiting crowd screaming in unison 'LET EVERYBODY INNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!'
'Oh yes, that's right, 'Let everybody in'. 'off you go then'
The reason it stuck in Junior's mind is that through the course of the holiday, he convinced himself that we were only allowed in on that storm trooper's say-so, and said storm trooper was therefore the guy who calls all the shots at MGM! Hehe, that lad has some imagination I can tell you! I almost broke the illusion without thinking, then caught myself in time to remember that this is exactly what it is all about. The more 'illusion' anyone can make out of it, the more enjoyment they will get.
Anyway I digress. I promised pictures so I'll get on with the story.
Once inside the parks, we knew exactly what we wanted to do. Paul wanted a ride in his first Star Speeder (is that what they are called?). So, straight round the lake, sans map as we had been so entertained on the way in it totally slipped our mind, and im trying to remember the layout of the park from maps I had looked at before. I knew Star Tours was over on the left hand side, and we easily spotted it with the monolithic structure of a......okay, I admit, I don't know what it's called. I told you im not into Star Wars, and I wasn't lying. Maybe I should get junior to write this trippie instead lol. Anyway, this thing;
Once inside, we took our time slowly walking through all the pre-ride stuff. It really is amazing when all you are used to is the boring barriers that we have over here. Paul loved seeing the various characters;
C3PO?
R2D2? (or did I get them the wrong way round?)
And this guy, who was babbling senselessly (which meant we probably laughed inanely - hey, it was our first time)
On to the ride, and it was definitely given the thumbsup by everyone! The CMs were really funny and into their parts doing the boarding - it's only a small touch but it means alot. It wasn't too rough for my brother John, as he can suffer motion sickness I was a little worried about it. Once the ride was over, we then spent about another 30 minutes in the store. Paul didn't know what to buy - this was Star Wars heaven! In the end, he settled on Jedi Mickey and Darth Goofy plushes, and a set of erasers. John bought himself a Star Wars t-shirt.
Them happy with their purchases, me glad I haven't been stung for more, we left and walked along past the ABC theatre. We had seen a sign around here to meet Jedi Mickey, and went and enquired with the CMs. It was actually a film about the making of Star Wars, but Paul and John decided they would really like to see it anyway, so in we went. I sat for a couple of minutes, then decided I couldn't be bothered watching it and really needed to eat something, so left them to it and agreed to meet them at the exit when the show was over.
Not sure where to head for (still sans map) I went and asked a CM and was directed to the Starring Rolls cafe on Sunset Boulevard. Had myself a really nice bagel with cream cheese and coffee, and shared a laugh and a joke with the CM at the counter about the faux pas of calling a Scotsman English. She has a friend at uni who is Scottish and had drummed this into her lol.
After an enjoyable, albeit small, breakfast I went back and waited for John and junior to appear. Around 5 minutes later they came back to the warmth of the outside both having thoroughly enjoyed the movie.
We decided to just walk slowly around the park and take everything in for a bit. Here is junior and John posing in front of the streets of San Francisco;
It was now nearing the time for the 11:30am Star Wars parade which we definitely wanted to catch, so we headed down to Hollywood Boulevard and found a seat on the pavement across from the Tailors to enjoy the parade;
After the parade, we grabbed ice creams from a vendor just behind our seats, and decided to set off in search of Darth Vader as Junior had been wanting photos with him (I told you, i'm worried about that kid!!). We eventually caught up with Darth near the water spraying coca-cola bottle;
We then joined the queue for photos with Darth. Junior was up first;
Then, it was John's turn. This was really funny. John walked up, stood beside Darth and folded his arms in a gesture of defiance hehe! Darth snorted at him....and John jumped so high he nearly hit the overhang above him!
He decided to move a step to his right;
You had to see it to appreciate how funny it was. Everyone around us was in raptures!
At this point, we decided it would be a good time for some R&R, so we headed back to the hotel. We were expecting to see Dad around somewhere but evidently the old sod had decided to use his free time wisely....back in Hooters no doubt!! And without me again!!
After some TV, we headed down to the McD's at the Crossroads for some lunch. Me and John had the 1/4 pounder with cheese meal, junior the chicken nuggets happy meal. Think he got a duck on a surfboard for the toy. Not that you should care....I didn't...
Oh, and neither did he before any of you decide to phone Esther!
Anyway, back to the yarn..
After an hour or two of returning, we're heading back along the road to MGM and get there within 15 mins of setting out. Gotta love the road system in Disney!
We re-enter the park with a plan...
First off, we head for Jedi Mickey. This was our original aim this morning when J & J got sidetracked by a movie they didn't expect, and I had managed to make a swift getaway. This time, however, we knew exactly where to head to find him (the queue out the door sorta gave the game away as well though).
Not being the photogenic one, I shoved Paul and John up onto the stage on my cue hehe.
Here is Paul getting his baseball cap signed by Jedi Mickey;
And John looks a mite more cheerful with Mickey than he did with Darth lol;
cont.
