Firsts, Fourths, and Farewells (4/28 Back to the Future!)

[thecapells]

Alas, the clock did, indeed strike twelve.
Except this was no ordinary clock.
It was Big Ben and Peter had just launched himself from its arms to Neverland!

Captain Hook’s ship was not far behind.
And there, on deck, the deadly foes were locked in mortal combat.
Watch out Peter!

Trailing behind was loyal Mister Smee trying to help his dear Cap’n.

Snow White was next along with her seven protectors.
They were covered in gemstones and must have just come from the mines themselves.
Grumpy even stopped by to say hello and shake the kids’ hands!

From Dwarve’s Mines to Paradise Island as wooden boys and donkeys were next around the bend.
Pinocchio and his “friends” led the next float and were up to their no good hijinks!

But that lighthouse at the end of Pleasure Island there signaled what we had been waiting for.
At first, we simply saw the smoke.
And then what was causing it.
He had the head of a camel and the neck of a crocodile.
It sounds rather strange, I know.
But there it was.
He was both a fish and a mammal and even had ears like a cow!
A big, green, smoke-blowing dragon glowing right before our eyes.
And there was good ol’ Pete right atop his best friend Elliot.
It doesn’t get any better than that.

Next up was a celebration of the United States which, I can honestly say, I don’t recall from my youth.
My guess was that I didn’t take my eyes off that dragon as he glided down the street so I never saw this float…

And then, all too soon, it was over.
It definitely did our memories proud.
And the kids loved it as well.
What a way to start a vacation in Walt Disney World.
We headed for the exits but not before a stop at our favorite khaki clad cast members:

Then it was off to the buses and back to Pop Century.
We arrived late (around 10:30), put the kids to sleep, and then downloaded the pictures onto the laptop.
What a blast and this was only the first day!
Hopefully by now, I have you hooked and you’ll join us for the rest of our adventures!
Until then, everybody sing!

“He has the head of a camel, the neck of a crocodile”
“It sounds rather strange…”

 

[dawnbu40]

Nice update! I love your enthusiasm for the parade

Sounds like despite the chilly evening you had a wonderful first day! Looking forward to more

 

[thecapells]

Nice update! I love your enthusiasm for the parade

Sounds like despite the chilly evening you had a wonderful first day! Looking forward to more

We were definitely looking forward to it.
One of Mom's favorite Disney movies is Pete's Dragon so seeing Elliot was a highlight of the trip.
Me? I just love dragons.

 

[thecapells]

The next day we awoke with high hopes as we headed for our first full day in the parks!
We were out early and on the bus by 8AM for a 9AM opening of Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Now I know the cardinal rule of touring is that you should not “waste” those early hours of the park with a meal.
And we usually obey this "unwritten rule" by scheduling an 8AM breakfast before the park opens at Play ‘N’ Dine at Hollywood ‘N’ Vine.
However, on this trip that timeslot was not available – even 180 days out.
We found out when we arrived that the kitchen is undergoing some repairs to the dishwashers and the early opening would return once the work was completed.
That explained a lot but meant no early morning in the park for us.
So we were stuck getting to turnstiles around 8:30 for a 9:00 opening.
And since we're not thrill riders, I figured there were really only 2 attractions that we really wanted to do.
We would need to get to both Toy Stoy Midway Mania and Jedi Academy early(Star Tours was currently being refurbished).
I calculated that we could split up and accomplish all of the above and then take a pitstop for breakfast.
So I actually scheduled us for breakfast at park opening (and no they wouldn't let us in even a little earlier which sucked).

J’s mission was to follow the crowd right and grab us all fastpasses for Toy Story Mania.
I would be escorting DS to Jedi Academy to sign him up for the second show of the morning.
Mom would be heading straight to Hollywood ‘N’ Vine and getting X and the Princess settled.
Upon arrival, we all had our assignments and were ready to go.

What we had not counted on was the appearance of every Brazilian tour group known to man.
Huge groups of people stood in different lines outside the turnstiles.
Each marked by a fluorescent-colored shirt and a person in front holding up a flag of the same color.
There was the flaming orange group, the lime green group, the bright red group, and the royal blue group among others.
I was in shock as I had not expected these extra groups and this could significantly affect our touring plan for the day.
Well, I prepared to throw my schedule out the window and figured we’d have to play it by ear.
But I at least knew we’d knock out the wishlist since we were getting those accomplished first.
So the turnstiles opened, we gave J all the tickets and split into our designated teams.

J weaved his way up towards the right and was able to catch the Hollywood Studios Opening with our Director for the day and one of the Streetmosphere stars:

DS and I broke left and found a couple of other father/son tandems heading in the same direction.
We squeezed our way as far forward as we could and turned around.
This is the sea of people that would be charging into the park after us:

Mom was pushing the double stroller and she can tell you about the horror stories she faced trying to make it to Hollywood ‘N’ Vine amidst the swarm of bodies.

The clock struck 9, the rope dropped, and all heck broke loose.
DS and I joined the other father-son tandems on a brisk walk towards Star Tours.
I had recently heard on the DIS about the new sign-up procedures allowing you to book your slot first thing in the morning.
We arrived and were about third or fourth in line.
The mom in front of us was already in an argument since she did not bring her child with her and they were not going to sign her up without him.
They pulled her to the side as she continued to argue.
DS stepped up, answered the questions a little nervously, and then they were about to put us into the first show.
I promptly requested a later one since we had breakfast ADR’s and was obliged.
We were slated for the 10:50 show and had to be back at 10:20.

Happy with our secured ticket, we strolled back to Hollywood ‘N’ Vine stopping only so DS could pull the rope over by Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular.
He loves that little hidden detail.
Finally, we arrived here and we were hungry!

Inside the room was decorated for Disney Junior.
While our kids were a bit old for this (except for X), this is always a fun breakfast.
The kids get to eat a bit and then get up and dance and get excited for the day!

We found Mom and the gang (J was already back) and settled in.
It was my turn to take X to the buffet and you can see how excited our little one was to meet his Disney Junior friends.
He had just finished asking us “When are the Disney chars coming to see me?”

First to visit was Handy Manny – a new character for our kids as he was not around last time.

Of course, me being the big kid I am had to get into the action as well.
After all, of all the Disney Junior characters, Manny is the coolest!

Another “new to us” character followed Manny out.
The kids got a real kick out of seeing Agent Oso in the fur!
After a great big hug, DS exclaimed “He’s so fuzzy!!”

But X was shy all of a sudden and ran away from the large panda bear.

The restaurant was still very empty so the characters spent some quality time with each table.
The kids were having a blast as they were treated to lots of goodies with the breakfast.
Mickey Waffles and strawberries anyone?

And don’t forget the chocolate milk to go with those tater tots!

About now it was time to dance!
A CM headed over with the Little Einsteins (Leo and June) while another CM danced on the other side with Manny and Oso.

The kids were moving and grooving to those Disney Junior Classics.
From the Imagination Movers to Little Einsteins to the Handy Manny theme, it was smiles all around!

After the dancing, the Little Einsteins came to visit.

 

[thecapells]

With all the characters met and the kids all fed, I decided to tour the restaurant a bit before departing.

My tour including the restrooms which are interesting placed between Hollywood ‘N’ Vine and the 50’s Prime Time Café.
So, of course, I snuck a peek in there on my way out.

It’s a cute concept for a restaurant but not our style.
We tried it once but don’t like the waitresses being on our case.
When I got back, everyone was up once again for a parade around the restaurant!

This was definitely a good way to get the kids all excited for a day of Disney!
The kids got their sweatshirts on (not sure why – it was really nice out) and we began to get going.
But before we were able to head out, Handy Manny came to say good-bye!

And with that, we were off to begin our day in the Hollywood That Never Was.
Lights!
Camera!
Action!

 

[boxmaster]

So we were stuck getting to turnstiles around 8:30 for a 9:00 opening.
And since we're not thrill riders, I figured there were really only 2 attractions that we really wanted to do.

Speak for yourself, bucko. THIS one is a thrill rider, but thankfully that was on tap for later, unencumbered by the rest of the family, much as I love you guys.

And, while I'm getting ahead of myself here, and can't do justice to Yoda in print - "There... is... another."

J’s mission was to follow the crowd right and grab us all fastpasses for Toy Story Mania.

We arrived late enough compared to so many other people and chose the oh-so-wrong line (isn't it always, though?), that we were VERY far back in the pack when we finally got through the turnstiles.

But, once everyone got through the turnstiles, I took all 6 of our passes in hand and started to slowly creep my way through the crowd. When you just have one person wending his way through the crowd, frequently people will actually shift aside -- after all, they don't know if you merely got cut off from the rest of your party.

But, unfortunately, there was a point where I just couldn't go any further. People were packed in so tightly, it was unreasonable to expect anyone to move, and there just wasn't a path I could find to make it still closer to the rope. Progress was made, but I knew I needed to be further up if I was to have a prayer of succeeding, given what Mike had told me of how insane the line is for TSM.

The bit that was done before rope drop was kinda cute, definitely getting people into the feel of Hollywood. (I worked in movies long enough to be able to appreciate it more than the average moviegoer.)

And then THE moment came. They repeated several times that we were to WALK, not run. Once rope drop happened, there was enough space for me to walk like the New Yorker I am, fast (while not running) and weaving in and through people, getting pretty close to the front. While I wanted to take a look around, if I took any time for that before getting the tickets, I'd be s.o.l. and then never hear the end of it from the gang.

People were rather well-behaved on the brisk walk up. And we finally arrived to the FP lanes for TSM. I was reasonably close to the front (I thought), but I think there must have been several of those Brazilians with about 20 or 50 tickets each that they needed to get. So, by the time I was within a few people of the machines, they were already slowing things down, seeing that there were few tickets left. (The CMs were taking people's tickets and working the machines. And me having been trained on how to use the FP machines the prior day. ) I was one of the last few who got tickets, a very long line of expectant and disappointed people behind as the CMs started to close down the FP kiosks.

I was happy to be able to make my way back to H&V relatively quickly, passes in hand. Breakfast beckoned, and I, too, was hungry. I was definitely looking forward to what the day - and evening - had in store.

 

[thecapells]

I was one of the last few who got tickets, a very long line of expectant and disappointed people behind as the CMs started to close down the FP kiosks.

Close down?
I don't think I've heard this part of the story.
You snagged us pretty good fastpasses for about 10:00 AM or so.
What was closing down?

 

[dawnbu40]

We've never been to Hollywood and Vine. It looks like fun for the little ones. When Caitlin was little the DHS character meal was in the building that now holds the Playhouse Disney show. Ah memories...

Anyway, so glad that your son got signed up for the Jedi Academy! I can't wait to hear all about it!

Poor Jared having to brave the crazy TSM herd! That stampede is probably my least favorite thing in all of Disney

 

[MEK]

Thank you for posting all those wonderful ELP pictures. I did not see it in May, but I definitely have it on the schedule for December. I am looking forward to seeing it in real life.

What a lovely character breakfast Hollywood & Vine is. The kids look like they are having a blast. How was the food? Did you enjoy it?

Looks like a great start to the morning!

 

[boxmaster]

Close down?
I don't think I've heard this part of the story.
You snagged us pretty good fastpasses for about 10:00 AM or so.
What was closing down?

I may be confusing that first time with a subsequent one for TSM FPs, but didn't think I was solo trying to get those for the 6 of us at this particular attraction any other time. But if they were morning tix that I got (I couldn't remember the time on them), it wouldn't make any sense for them to close down.

 

[thecapells]

We've never been to Hollywood and Vine. It looks like fun for the little ones. When Caitlin was little the DHS character meal was in the building that now holds the Playhouse Disney show. Ah memories...

Anyway, so glad that your son got signed up for the Jedi Academy! I can't wait to hear all about it!

Poor Jared having to brave the crazy TSM herd! That stampede is probably my least favorite thing in all of Disney

Lots of Jedi coming up.
And as for J, it was fun trying to teach him the fastpass system the night before and giving him all the tricks to get there.
It was a good indoctrination by fire.

Thank you for posting all those wonderful ELP pictures. I did not see it in May, but I definitely have it on the schedule for December. I am looking forward to seeing it in real life.

What a lovely character breakfast Hollywood & Vine is. The kids look like they are having a blast. How was the food? Did you enjoy it?

Looks like a great start to the morning!

We love the Main Street Electrical Parade (as I'm sure you can gather from my text).
As for Hollywood 'N' Vine, the food is actually pretty good.
For the kids, it's one of the only places they can get tater tots which is a nice change.
For the adults, there's your standard breakfast fare (bacon, eggs, sausage, potatoes, waffles) plus some stuff not often found in Disney.
For example, I had a breakfast burrito (they have tortillas, cheese, salsa, and other toppings so you can make one yourself)

But the main attraction (for us) is getting into the park an hour early and getting a jump on the crowds.
If you leave at 9AM, you can enter the park alongside the rope drop crowd.
If you're heading to Star Tours, it's great as you're closer.
If you're heading to Toy Story Mania, you'll have to cross the courtyard and merge with the sea of people but you're still close to the front.

I may be confusing that first time with a subsequent one for TSM FPs, but didn't think I was solo trying to get those for the 6 of us at this particular attraction any other time. But if they were morning tix that I got (I couldn't remember the time on them), it wouldn't make any sense for them to close down.

Yeah, I think you were thinking of later in the day.
That morning you should've just grabbed the passes and headed back to us.
The more interesting story is how fun it was trying to get back to Hollywood 'N' Vine against traffic.

 

[boxmaster]

The more interesting story is how fun it was trying to get back to Hollywood 'N' Vine against traffic.

That's not so special, IMO. It's just a simple matter of dodging the onrushing horde and weaving around people standing still (or going so slowly in the same direction as I am that I consider them to be standing still). Every day I've ever been in NYC or DC I'm doing that, so no biggie.

 

[shan23877]

The TSM Stampede is CRAZY! Last time I did it, I was alone with my 4yo pushing her stroller . We got the FPs but by the time we did standby was already 30 mins. It is a great ride tho...

 

[lbuzz52]

so glad the kids got to see MSEP! Elliot is my favorite part too

 

[TheCapellsMom]

Mom would be heading straight to Hollywood ‘N’ Vine and getting X and the Princess settled.
Upon arrival, we all had our assignments and were ready to go.

Mom was pushing the double stroller and she can tell you about the horror stories she faced trying to make it to Hollywood ‘N’ Vine amidst the swarm of bodies.

Sounds like I had the easiest job- right??? HA!

With DD & X in the double-wide stroller, I did my best to weave my way up towards the turn off for Hollywood & Vine.
Of course, pushing 2 heavy, wiggly, bouncy, hungry, troublemakers in a stroller is difficult on an empty road.
With all the people/things at Studios, it was a nightmare!

DD kept complaining because all she could see was the "butts" of the people in front of us.
Once she heard the Streetmosphere performers, and realized she couldn’t see their show at all, she was even more whiney.

X kept trying to turn around and tell me he was hungry-- which of course, I already knew.
To emphasize his point, he kicked his sister, pulled her hair, and threw off his shoe. TWICE.
The second time I nearly got trampled trying to pick it up!

Ok- for those of you who know the layout of Studios, I managed to get up Hollywood Blvd. to the intersection of the first road on the left where I would need to turn to head to Hollywood & Vine.
There were a few rows of people in front of me but CM's had the road roped off so all we could do was wait.

The real fun started when a crazy lady right behind me started shouting that she had an 8:30 reservation for breakfast and everybody needed to move so she could get through.
I tried to explain to her that there were CM's holding us back. I also told her that Hollywood & Vine didn't open until 9 that day.
Her response was to shout twice as loud that we all need to move and let her huge family through!

I was determined to ignore her until she tried actually driving her elderly Mother's ECV into my backside.
The old lady said something like "Be careful! You'll hit her!" and the nasty witch loudly replied "Well, maybe that will make these s#*t-heads move."

Needless to say, I was furious, but not very anxious to get into a fist fight on vacation.
I could see that the people around me were also angry.

Well, somebody must have reported the lady because a big, burly CM squeezed through the crowd and politely asked her “Excuse me, what seems to be the problem?”

The nasty lady ranted at him for a few minutes- and the CM pretty much just nodded his head and let her vent until he could get a word in.
Then he asked her name, radioed over to Hollywood & Vine, and proceeded to tell her that her reservation was actually for 9:30 NOT 8:30.
I noticed he said this rather loudly so the rest of the crowd could hear.

When she called him a liar & cursed him out, the CM calmly said something like:
“Mam, I need you to calm down and stop cussing. There are children present.
You can come with me RIGHT NOW to discuss this situation in the Guest Services Office or I can escort you out of the park.
Which would you prefer?”

…and that’s when the ropes dropped and I was free to walk over to the restaurant.

Honestly, I was SO tempted to stay and just watch the drama for a few more minutes but I knew the fellas were counting on me to do my job!
Which I did- checked in at H&V, got a table near the door so I could see the guys come in, and ordered all the drinks before they arrived.

On a side note, I just have to mention that I love Disney.
That CM was obviously well trained in how to handle lunatics and he kept his cool through the whole crazy incident.
Also, I noticed on my way to H& V that there were a team of other big, burly looking CM’s just hanging back a bit and watching to see if they would need to step in.

The whole thing was such an unDisney start to my day but after just a few minutes of singing and dancing with my kids, I was back in my “happy place.”

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Yikes!

Bravo to you for keeping your cool--I don't know if I would've been able to do the same. (Who am I kidding?! If I would've listened to that ridiculousness, followed by getting rammed in the rear end with an ECV... nope, coolness gone!) It was a good thing you had a mission to distract you!

Bravo, also, to that fabulous CM. Disney hires some fabulous people.

 

[thecapells]

The TSM Stampede is CRAZY! Last time I did it, I was alone with my 4yo pushing her stroller . We got the FPs but by the time we did standby was already 30 mins. It is a great ride tho...

This is why we sent the only one of us WITHOUT kids.

so glad the kids got to see MSEP! Elliot is my favorite part too

We LOVED MSEP!!

 

[thecapells]

About 9:45 or so, we headed out from Hollywood ‘N’ Vine en route to Toy Story Midway Mania.
But since this is us, we have to take some shots along the way to set the tone of course.
Lights! Camera! Action!

On our way to Pixar Place, we passed some billboards for other studios here on the MGM – I mean Hollywood Studios – lot.
Here’s one for Maroon Studios where those famous Baby Herman and Roger Rabbit Maroon Cartoons are made!
And remember folks, she’s not bad – she’s just drawn that way…

We reached the crossroads of Mickey Lane and Minnie Avenue.
We were nearing our destination indeed.

We also past what must be the Walden Media Studios as we saw signs for The Chronicles of Narnia.
Prince Caspian is their latest feature in the 7-book series and we hoped we’d have time to swing by later.

Finally, we saw the entrance to the studios we were looking for.
This backlot sure was full of lots of sound stages.

First thing we passed was the Hey, Howdy, Hey! Shop.
So we had to take a quick pic of this giant Woody Cookie Jar.

Then it was on to the main attraction for the morning – Toy Story Midway Mania.
Once inside, we were shrunk down to the size of toys.
You can see the scale here with Andy’s signature.

Everybody ready for some fun?

This one caught my attention.
Anyone out there know who Scooter the Squirrel is?
I have no idea but its placement here suggests it’s a famous kids thing…

Life. Battleship.
Now, these I know…

And we’ve all played Candyland before.
Not to mention used all those Crayola crayons…

Then our Princess saw a block with her letter on it so we had to stop for a picture.
Sure enough, I found a block with DS’ letter as well…

Then we stumbled across the Viewmaster reels.
I used to love those!
This one is Peter Pan.
We even tried to give you a glimpse of one of the cells…

Around the corner is the packaging for that amazing Space Ranger, Buzz Lightyear!
It looks like there’s an “Attack on Zurg” game – I’ll have to look for that one!

Oh, and pick up those puzzle pieces.
You might lose one…

Next along our path, we located the Sherriff’s office.
Not a very sturdy structure.

And we definitely did not want to end up in jail.
Especially wearing 3-D glasses!

When in this queue, look all around you.
Including up.
Someone just might be riding a chute down on top of you!

Right when the fastpass lane reaches the regular queue, Andy left his mark.
A preview of what we might be facing during our game play.

But alas, the line from this point was fairly long.
We still had to go up the stairs, down the hall, down the stairs, and ride the ride.
And it was already 10:20.
DS and I had to be at the Jedi Academy at 10:30.
So I made a calculated decision and bailed.
I begged the CM to get 2 fastpasses back so we can use them later.
It was a bit of a struggle and this was highly unprecedented.
But I’m a solid debater and made my case.
We left the gang there and headed back through the line going the wrong direction.
Back out in the sunlight, we hightailed it across the park to get to the Jedi Academy in time for our show.
In fact, DS was first on line and I was able to secure a great spot to watch and take pictures.
But that’s jumping ahead – let’s hear what happened back in line.

 

[dawnbu40]

We love TSM! Your pictures from the queue are great! I especially like the viewmaster pics. I had a talking viewmaster back in the day

I can't wait to hear about the Jedi Academy and see all the pictures

 

[boxmaster]

But alas, the line from this point was fairly long.
We still had to go up the stairs, down the hall, down the stairs, and ride the ride.
And it was already 10:20.
DS and I had to be at the Jedi Academy at 10:30.
So I made a calculated decision and bailed.
I begged the CM to get 2 fastpasses back so we can use them later.
It was a bit of a struggle and this was highly unprecedented.
But I’m a solid debater and made my case.
We left the gang there and headed back through the line going the wrong direction.
Back out in the sunlight, we hightailed it across the park to get to the Jedi Academy in time for our show.
In fact, DS was first on line and I was able to secure a great spot to watch and take pictures.
But that’s jumping ahead – let’s hear what happened back in line.

Mike's not kidding when he says the line was long. Even for FP, this was kinda nuts. But I didn't mind so much -- this was my first time in this attraction, as it didn't exist the last time I was down in this neck of the woods, over 15 years ago.

So, the four of us remaining plodded along slowly but surely. Up the stairs, one slow step at a time. (How many stairs are there? Surely I shouldn't lose count, but it was slow enough, I did. )

We finally make it to the top of the staircase and I can finally see my first glimpse of what we have in store for this ride!

We still had a little way to go, though, as we needed to wind our way up and back a relatively small hallway before coming to the stop of the stairs to descend into the attraction's area.

Then I finally see one of my favorite TS characters: the LGMs!

We finally get through the inefficiently loaded ride (there's GOT to be a better way for them to load this thing!), and we have our pairings: I'm with DD, and X is with Stacey.

I was way too busy playing the game and enjoying the ride, that there was no chance of my taking pictures in here. After being whipped around the first 1 or 2 times, I figured out the pacing, but that didn't matter. It always started up a little too fast for me to take a picture.

So, we enjoy the game and, all too fast, it came to a close.

I *think* this was X and Stacey's read-out:

And this was DD's and my scores:

But, not only were the results not favorable, even worse, the ride was over.

X is NOT a happy camper when the rides end. He just wants to stay on. (Can you blame him? And this is one cool ride! Can I swing back on it again? Can I, can I, huh? )

And, the ubiquitous glimpsing of the ball that's in all Pixar movies, is present here, too:

And with one last picture to snap on the way out:

We had to get going pretty quickly, for we had to watch a certain padawan at the Academy.