We're at All Star Music, my first time there, and everybody else's first trip eveh to WDW. We check in and are given rooms on the third floor of building 3, Rock Inn, as far from the elevators as possible. We are in corner rooms next to each other but non-connecting. Had they heard about us and were trying to hide us? Not one person walked by our rooms the whole week. But we were overlooking the piano pool and were right by the stereo stairs. We decided to unload the car before heading to MGM, and with all that food, it took 3 trips! On the second trip, I got on an elevator with two Mousekeepers, and we did the Happy Dance
on the way down. All week, every time they saw me, we danced, even from across the courtyard. The Magic had started.
At MGM, where would the Big Guys start but at the Tower of Terror? No chickens in this bunch, or so I thought at this point. There was no line, so we rode twice. As we left, it started raining. Or rather, pouring. And we were starving,so we ran to use our first counter credits at Backlot Express on the other side of the park. Now we were on Free Dining!, but these guys hadn't bought in to the whole idea. We all got the double burger with fries. The cashier smiles and says thank you. Goofy stares at her with a wt heck look on his face. It's just hard to grasp. The fries were great, the burgers edible at best. But this just had to hold us til 9:30 when we would pig out at Hoop-de-doo.
While we ate, the sound of the rain never stopped. There was never more than 3 tables in use in there, so we could be loud. Goofy wanted to know what was next. I figured with the rain, all the inside attractions would be busy. We left and saw that everyone was staying put. So we headed to the nearest ride, Star Tours. It was a ghost town. I hate that line because you have to stand on a catwalk that gets progressively higher
. Did I mention I hate heights. To the point that the steps to our room were a constant source of terror. (Yet ToT is not) Well, today there was no standing, just straight up to the queue at the doors to the Starspeeder. They have cleaned up this ride quite a bit. The sound was better and the bumps and film were in synch, last time I rode it wasn't. Four
Through the gift shop(put that Ewok down, Pluto) and back out into ----more rain. It's a quick dash to Muppets 3-D, so that's where we head. We walk in just as they let a new group into the preshow. I'm disappointed cause I've never found the key under the mat. But we go in and spot Annette Fullojello and a thousand other wonderful bad jokes. As always the show was awesome. But this is the one attraction that I wish had a decent shop at the exit. The shop just outside has become a generic Disney shop with maybe 5 things Muppet. Other than Donald stuff, Muppet gear would be the best way to separate me from my cold hard cash. Sigh.
At least when we left, there was no rain! So we decided to do Backlot Tour. But we got a 'wet show' with no volunteers from the audience. But they did the special effects about 5 times because the female cm messed up a couple of times.This was also the first real crowd of the day, we were on the third tram from our tour. Of course, I got the water seat and got drenched one more time. The guys really liked the villians displays at the end of the ride. We were in no hurry, so we spend most of an hour there.
At this point it was after 7 and we started toward the front of the park.
I wore my
crocs that day and they rubbed my foot badly. Pluto was wearing sandals and had a similar problem, so Mickey went into his signature store and found us some Mickey bootie socks- at 7 bucks for 2 pair. We both ended up with minor blisters, but would have been much worse without them. The crocs were retired that night.
Now as gobs(good ole boys) from Kentucky our instincts told us to drive for the Hoop, but we took the bus instead.(testestorone humor) We'd given ourselves plenty of time, so of course the bus was waiting for us at the stop. I'd read on the Dis that if you took the bus to Fort Wilderness from any park except MGM they would drop you off at the main office and you would have to use internal busses to get to Pioneer Hall, but from MGM they stopped there. I'd checked at concierge at ASMu, but they had no clue
. This would be a pattern that repeated itself. So I asked the driver when we boarded and he said they would stop at Wilderness Lodge first, then Pioneer Hall next. We arrived at 8:15 for the 9:30 show. I always like to go to the Settlement Trading Post since the trip I talked to a cm there who sold me a Daisy Duck Pez dispenser she had tucked away in a drawer. Mickey bought a tshirt that said I'm Grumpy cause you're Dopey. I got a Diet Coke cause I knew what I would drink at HDDR.
I had ordered our tickets about 3 months earlier and was told, since we were on
DDP, we would get category 2 seats-in the back or upstairs in the back. I would have preferred to pay oop for cat one, but these guys were sold on going as chea errr thriftily as possible. We line up and are led to our seats
We were seated in the second row of tables the second from the middle. And this show was sold out.
It wasn't all goog news. The table immediately in front of us had a woman alone with her 3-4 year old. This is a 9:30 show, and soon there was a meltdown in progress. The banjo player tried to cheer him up-NOO!!! The server tried-NOO!!!. The cook came out, tears dried up. (We have our ways). The show started and not a peep was heard, just some fine washboard bangin.
Now our server was the most unusual I've ever had at WDW and this is my twelfth trip. He was a maniac. His name is Dallas and if you ever have a choice, choose him. He comes by and sings everything, his spiel, the show, jokes, all of it. HAlarious. He asked for our drink order. Mickey, Pluto, and Donald all get beer. That big Goof, er Goofy asked for wine(has to be different) and root beer. Dallas asks Goofy for id, not for the wine, for the root beer.
When the food came out, Dallas hit our table first, and last. By the time he made his rounds, he know the big guys would be ready for more. He made sure we were stuffed to the gills. Kept the glasses full and a pitcher on the table. We all loved the show, but Pluto said when he came back, he wouldn't get to see it again. He's always out there, so we didn't ask.
When the show is over, they group everyone on busses and in the past, we've stopped at 2 other resorts before getting to All Stars, but they had a bus for all the All Star resorts only, cut the trip home in half. We went to our rooms with our bellies full and a very pleasant little buzz. It's nice to not drive to the Hoop.
Also nice shopping list... nabs are key to maximum park enjoyment..... but where are the pop tarts?
puggymom, look immediately below. er, next page
It was kind of spooky back there at night since we also went to the 9:30 show.
