Here we gooooo! A November 2013 TR {Update 4/23: The Last Installment}

[wiigirl]

Great pics!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

we love the nemo show! i'm so jealous you got to ride EE so much! that's so awesome!

my DH would love your bread and sauces! that's right up his alley, i'll have to remember that. what a bummer they didn't tell you they couldn't get you in until your res time. looking around would have been way more fun than just sitting!

 

[kayemgi]

Great pics!

Thanks!

we love the nemo show! i'm so jealous you got to ride EE so much! that's so awesome!

my DH would love your bread and sauces! that's right up his alley, i'll have to remember that. what a bummer they didn't tell you they couldn't get you in until your res time. looking around would have been way more fun than just sitting!

The bread and sauces were SO GOOD. You should definitely go on your next trip!

 

[kayemgi]

Today we woke up feeling much better than we had yesterday. We decided to eat a hot breakfast at the ASMu food court this time and we both got Mickey waffles before heading to the HS bus. We arrived at about 8:15 am and we were second in line at the “tapstiles” to get in! It was a chilly morning, so we decided to skip getting the locker for our sweatshirts and just wear them until the weather warmed up. This was also a good plan because as a DISer, I knew we had to get to Toy Story Midway Mania right away!

They started letting people in at 8:45, and we, along with the entirety of the masses of people behind us, headed to TSM. We did see some people running, but I’m sorry, that’s ridiculous. I don’t want to get hurt or hurt someone else just to get to a ride first! We arrived in an orderly fashion and still walked straight through the queue without pausing and got right onto the ride.

I have to say, I can only see what about half of the fuss is over this ride! It’s definitely a lot of fun, and I get that it’s one of the only rides that appeals to all ages, and based on a beloved Pixar franchised to top it all off. However, my arm was SO TIRED after! I couldn’t ride TSM twice in a row even if I wanted to! We had a FP+ time for later in the afternoon, so we decided once through in the morning was just fine.

Next we headed across the way to meet with Woody & Buzz. I didn’t really know what to expect, since we hadn’t done any meets on previous trips and our meet with Rafiki yesterday at AK was very chill. But it was so much fun!! Both Buzz and Woody gave me a hug, and Buzz kissed my hand and then offered his arm for the photo. Woody indicated to DH that they should do finger guns together. It was great.

After that we headed down to Tower of Terror! Some of you will remember from my PTR that I was nervous about this ride, but I was surprised to find that I loved it! I wanted to ride it again right away, but DH was not so much a fan — he didn’t like the stomach flip feeling during the drops.

So instead we headed over to Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster, stopping on the way to ask a CM if we should find a locker for our stuff first. They assured us that because of the G-force, we could sit our bags in our laps if we wanted and they would be fine. We chose not to take that risk, but we did take them on the ride. DH had a small, single-strap backpack, which he just wore pulled over to his side but still strapped around his torso, and I tied the straps of my tote bag together and wedged it between my feet. Everything was fine and we enjoyed the ride! The take-off is especially fun, and I liked how the pre-show really set the tone for the ride.

Hidden Mickey!

After RNR it was finally warming up so we decided to head back to the entrance and secure our locker rental, and then we headed to The Great Movie Ride. We enjoyed it, but we were also somewhat underwhelmed. I think the most fun part of this ride was trying to find the Hidden Mickeys! While classic films certainly have a place of respect and remembrance, perhaps TGMR would be well-served by an update. I mean, Easter Parade? Really? I'm a big fan of the classics and I've still never seen Easter Parade. Keep Casablanca, Mary Poppins, and Wizard of Oz and update the rest. Also, we weren't feeling our host or our gangster that took over. Our gangster was especially awful. She just really took you out of the experience instead of making you feel more immersed.

Hard to capture in a photo, but can you see the profile-Mickey head in the window?

After TGMR we headed over to MuppetVision 3D, which we really enjoyed. We are both big Jim Henson and Muppet fans, so that was a lot of fun and we loved the special effects they did in the theater.

After MV, we weirdly didn’t know what to do! We couldn't do a show because we had a lunch ADR soon. We walked around that area for a bit and I took lots of photos, and then we went back over to the Chinese Theater to check out the celebrity handprints in the cement.

And then it hit me… We had completely forgotten about Star Tours! I don’t know how, because that was one of the rides DH was most looking forward to! Brain farts I guess, haha. So we did that, again with pretty much no wait. We loved Star Tours! I think it’s definitely one of the more underrated rides at WDW.

Up next: Lunch at Sci-Fi!

 

[missangelalexis]

I'm glad you guys loved Sanaa and that it was worth the wait!

How awesome that you were second in line at DHS! I'll never understand the running either, is it really worth risking getting hurt? Don't think so!

Your picture with Buzz & Woody is adorable!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

Ooohhhhh, Hollywood studios! My second favorite park! How I love you! Sorry---got carried away with my love of HS!

I'm glad you all got to toy story is an orderly fashion. Seriously, you're on vacation people--lets not sprint to a ride! I still haven't figured out the hype about that ride versus any other ride there.

I'm glad you guys made it to star tours! We love that ride! Last time we were there our oldest got to ride 3 times in a row (with daddy through standby and with fastpass, then with me rider swap fastpass). She was in love with it!

Love the finger guns with woody!! And how are you finding all these hidden mickeys?!? I'm gonna have to write these down for our next trip! We found a few on our last trip. I think it might be my new favorite thing to do at the parks!

 

[scholastica]

Hi! I'm just joining in but I am really enjoying your trip so far! I'm off to the PTR to check out your crafts now!

 

[kayemgi]

I'm glad you guys loved Sanaa and that it was worth the wait!

How awesome that you were second in line at DHS! I'll never understand the running either, is it really worth risking getting hurt? Don't think so!

Your picture with Buzz & Woody is adorable!

Thanks! I know, right? Take it easy people, it's vacation!

Ooohhhhh, Hollywood studios! My second favorite park! How I love you! Sorry---got carried away with my love of HS!

I'm glad you all got to toy story is an orderly fashion. Seriously, you're on vacation people--lets not sprint to a ride! I still haven't figured out the hype about that ride versus any other ride there.

I'm glad you guys made it to star tours! We love that ride! Last time we were there our oldest got to ride 3 times in a row (with daddy through standby and with fastpass, then with me rider swap fastpass). She was in love with it!

Love the finger guns with woody!! And how are you finding all these hidden mickeys?!? I'm gonna have to write these down for our next trip! We found a few on our last trip. I think it might be my new favorite thing to do at the parks!

Thank you! We used the Hidden Mickeys app. I'd never be able to find so many on my own, they are too cleverly hidden! Even in the app I had to sometimes click the spoiler button to get more specific clues.

Hi! I'm just joining in but I am really enjoying your trip so far! I'm off to the PTR to check out your crafts now!

Thanks for joining, I hope you enjoy!

 

[kayemgi]

After ST it was time for our Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater ADR. We walked over and checked-in, and waited about 5-10 minutes to be seated. The lobby area is so underwhelming, and it’s definitely on purpose because when you walk back to the theater area, it’s amazing! It really looks like you’re at a drive-in theater in 1950s Hollywood. We loved the atmosphere.

I ordered the salmon BLT and DH ordered the build-your-own burger. We didn’t want to fill up too much, so we decided to split a black & white milkshake. Our carhop took our order and we enjoyed the movie clips and the atmosphere while we waited. When she returned with our food, she brought a little pixie dust with her! We got two milkshakes for the price of one. I think she just accidentally put in two milkshakes, but she was very sweet to let us benefit from her mistake. I used to work in a restaurant, I know she could have easily poured that extra shake into a to-go cup and kept it for herself in the back! And it wasn’t a bad thing as far as our stomachs — we were expecting these ginormous milkshakes because that’s what our local 50s-themed diner has, but these were nice, normal sized, probably 12-oz milkshakes. Our food was pretty good I think, nothing special, and the sauce on my sandwich kind of overwhelmed the rest of it, but it was still good. We’d definitely go back!

After lunch we decided to head over to One Man’s Dream, as this was something I really wanted to see. The movie was just about to start, so we skipped the exhibits and went right in to see the movie. We decided we’d just go back through the building after. The movie was so sweet and very interesting. I would definitely go back and watch it again on another trip, which is not something I can say about all of the little films available throughout the parks! But after the movie was over, we realized that if we wanted to see the Indiana Jones Stunt Show that day, we needed to go there right that second! So we speed-walked to to the Indiana Jones theater. I really had no idea what this was going to be, and it was so much fun! I loved see how they did the stunts, and the extras from the audience were great. DH really enjoyed it too, it was a lot of fun!

After Indiana Jones, we crossed the park again to finish One Man’s Dream. A little silly, but I really wanted to see the exhibits and I didn’t want to risk missing it later because we ran out of time or were too tired. I’m really glad we did because it was really neat to see all of the stuff they had in there, especially the little models of the parks and attractions, and it made my heart happy to see Figment and the Dream Mobile! I really miss that incarnation of Journey into Imagination.

Then it was time for our Toy Story Mania FP+ time, so we walked back over to Pixar Place. On our way in we saw the cutest kid taking a photo with one of the Army men! We also took some more time to look around that area and we found another Hidden Mickey at the popcorn stand!

We enjoyed TSM just as much the second time around, but agreed that twice in one day was plenty. It’s just so tiring! Haha I guess I prefer my rides without so much work involved.

Up Next: Backlot Tour and some FP+ confusion

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like a good afternoon at DHS! I really need to check out One Man’s Dream on my next trip.

 

[wiigirl]

Wonderful pics!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

Man!! We stopped at that popcorn stand but I didn't see that hidden Mickey! What app do you use? I'm really loving all the hidden mickeys! I didn't check into it, but I read somewhere that you can stop at the welcome center in Epcot and they'll give you a list of the hidden mickeys to help you find them.

Love the little boy and the green army man--too cute!

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Hi! I just found your TR and I am following along! Looks like you are having a great trip so far! I can't wait to read more!

 

[MeeskaMomma]

I am back! And catching up. I feel iChat been Mia for a while when it was probably just right before Christmas,

 

[MeeskaMomma]

All caught up! Your pictures are amazing! I am so excited about flights of wonder! We missed that last time and Sanna looked awesome!

We were so exhausted with all the bus transfers to an from AKL last year that we didn't even consider it for this year even though Boma was delicious!

 

[kayemgi]

Sounds like a good afternoon at DHS! I really need to check out One Man’s Dream on my next trip.

You should! It's a great exhibit and the film is really sweet.

Wonderful pics!

Thanks!

Man!! We stopped at that popcorn stand but I didn't see that hidden Mickey! What app do you use? I'm really loving all the hidden mickeys! I didn't check into it, but I read somewhere that you can stop at the welcome center in Epcot and they'll give you a list of the hidden mickeys to help you find them.

Love the little boy and the green army man--too cute!

I think if you search for Disney World Hidden Mickeys you'll find it. The app icon is yellow and says Hidden Mickeys huge on it. It was expensive for an app and I honestly wouldn't purchase it again. We had the book from 2011 and thought by purchasing the app we'd get the updates with New Fantasyland, etc., because the website is updated, but the app wasn't updated. I was pretty disappointed. We could have just brought our book from 2011 and had the same experience.

Hi! I just found your TR and I am following along! Looks like you are having a great trip so far! I can't wait to read more!

Thanks for joining!

All caught up! Your pictures are amazing! I am so excited about flights of wonder! We missed that last time and Sanna looked awesome!

We were so exhausted with all the bus transfers to an from AKL last year that we didn't even consider it for this year even though Boma was delicious!

Thanks! I can't remember how much the taxi was, but I don't think it was very expensive. Not expensive enough to make me remember how much it cost, anyway! I remember from reading on the DIS, I was concerned that it would cost like $30, but it definitely did not.

 

[kayemgi]

We decided to go over and do Star Tours again, and we caught some of the Jedi Academy show as it was happening after. It was really cute. Then we walked up to do the Studio Backlot Tour. This was so-so. DH loved the beginning with the special effects, but we were underwhelmed by the rest of it. First, because there was no line, we kind of rushed through the warehouse part. That’s totally on us, but it’s really hard to linger in a queue when there are people behind you but no one in front of you. You kind of just feel like an idiot telling everyone to go ahead of you, and in the back of your mind you’re all stressed out thinking that there WILL be a line if you keep this up! It’s a weird psychological thing, at least for us! Second, maybe we just aren’t as big movie fans as we think we are, but we found it difficult to recognize some of the stuff we were passing on the tram ride with no signs identifying any of it. Signs would be really awesome and it seems like it would be minimal effort for Disney to put some out. Third, I was expecting to be able to get a great view and photo of the Earful Tower, and this was the best I could get. The view is not great, unfortunately.

But we did get to see the No Dancing sign, finally! We hadn’t come across it yet on this trip.

After the Backlot Tour we went over to Animation Courtyard to check out the exhibit there. It was all concept art from Frozen, which I ended up taking a ton of photos of because I figured it’d probably be more interesting to look at at home after I’d seen the movie! Still haven’t gotten to see it, so no spoilers please!

We peeked in at the Wreck-It Ralph meet, but only Vanellope was meeting. If we were going to stand in line, we’d have wanted to meet Ralph too, so we skipped it. We also took a look at the Sorcerer Mickey line, but it was disappointingly huge. I had read that there’s rarely a line there because no one knows Mickey is back there, but people had figured out the secret that day.

After strolling around there, we decided to see if we could get in another ride on Tower of Terror. DH said he was ok riding it again, he just didn’t want to ride it twice in a row. We walked down there, and the wait said 20 minutes so we got in line. However, the line was almost all the way to the entrance, and absolutely not moving at all. After about 10 minutes of not moving, we decided to get out of line. I was a little bummed out but I figured we could come back later and hope the line was shorter.

By now it was time for our second FP+ reservation at RNR, so we walked over that way. We discovered why the line for TOT was so long… RNR was down. We asked a CM, and she told us to come back later to see if it was back up before our FP+ time expired. Well I didn’t like that answer and I knew I had read on the DIS that if a ride you had a FP+ for was down that you could ride another ride. So I asked another CM. Same answer. Still not happy. So I asked a third CM, who said he didn’t know, but kindly walked me over to a FP+ kiosk CM, and he knew what was up! He told me that I was right and pulled up on the kiosk the other rides we could choose from. I also did get an email about this, but I had been trying to save my iPhone battery and had email notifications turned off. I didn’t get the email until we were at my Grandpa’s in Daytona Beach later that week!

Happily Tower of Terror was one of our options! So the CM switched it for us and we walked over and got in the FP+ line instead of the looong standby queue. Yay FP+! We still ended up waiting almost 20 minutes in the FP+ line, but it was better than whatever the standby was turning out to be. I used the opportunity to take some photos that I wasn’t able to get that morning when we moved through so quickly. These themed queues are really a catch-22. You don’t WANT to wait in line, but when there’s no line, you miss all of the wonderful details that the Imagineers have thought up.

TOT was even better the second time. What a fun ride that is. I loved it so much!

Up Next: Fantasmic!

 

[MeeskaMomma]

I have been on the fence about the backlit tour. I am leaning towards no. I don't think it would keep he 3 year old interested. I still haven't seen Frozen either! I think it comes out on instant Feb 11? In any case it will be out by Goose's surgery so we are saving or fir after and if I know goose we watch it a ganglion times the next couple of days!

Good to know about the FP+!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

yeah....backlot tour. we haven't done it since the first time we went to Hollywood studios in 2003. it just seems like we'd always rather spend that time doing something else.

no spoilers from me, but I will say that I have seen frozen twice and plan to go once more before it's out of the theater so my DH can see it. it's so good! you'll love it!! it's loosely based on Hans Christian Anderson's story the ice queen, which I now want to read. they are releasing a sing along version on jan 31 in a few theaters. the closest one to us is over an hour away. I wish it was closer--i'd so take the girls. they know the words to the songs already! (probably because I always watch the songs on youtube. I should just get the soundtrack)

am I the only one who thinks the cleaning crew must love TOT? you know they don't have to do any dusting or vacuuming in that queue area!

 

[kayemgi]

I have been on the fence about the backlit tour. I am leaning towards no. I don't think it would keep he 3 year old interested. I still haven't seen Frozen either! I think it comes out on instant Feb 11? In any case it will be out by Goose's surgery so we are saving or fir after and if I know goose we watch it a ganglion times the next couple of days!

Good to know about the FP+!

Yeah, I definitely don't think the backlot tour would keep a 3yo interested. BUT if he's feeling tired it would be a great opportunity for a nice little rest (after the special effects show).

I haven't seen anything about Frozen being on Instant so soon! That would be awesome.

yeah....backlot tour. we haven't done it since the first time we went to Hollywood studios in 2003. it just seems like we'd always rather spend that time doing something else.

no spoilers from me, but I will say that I have seen frozen twice and plan to go once more before it's out of the theater so my DH can see it. it's so good! you'll love it!! it's loosely based on Hans Christian Anderson's story the ice queen, which I now want to read. they are releasing a sing along version on jan 31 in a few theaters. the closest one to us is over an hour away. I wish it was closer--i'd so take the girls. they know the words to the songs already! (probably because I always watch the songs on youtube. I should just get the soundtrack)

am I the only one who thinks the cleaning crew must love TOT? you know they don't have to do any dusting or vacuuming in that queue area!

The Snow Queen has been my favorite Hans Christian Andersen tale since I was a little girl! Of course, I haven't seen Frozen, but from what I can gather it's really not close to the original story at all. The Andersen story is about two best friends, Kai and Gerda. Kai is entranced by an evil troll and becomes enamored with the Snow Queen. She takes him away and makes him forget about Gerda. Most of the story is about Gerda's journey to rescue him from the Snow Queen. It has a lot of religious undertones as well.But it's a beautiful story about friendship and love and it's definitely worth a read! I can't wait to see Frozen anyway. After all, The Little Mermaid movie was also vastly different than the original, but they are both still great stories!

A sing-along version in theaters sounds so fun! Too bad your theater is so far away.

Haha I'm with you on TOT, I was thinking the same thing! I bet the cleaning crew never has to go in there!