Day 13: Saturday, May 8: MGM and Tomorrowland at Night
Weather: You guessed it, another beautiful day. Temperatures we in the low to mid 80s all day before dropping into the mid 70s at night.
This was the only day we took advantage of EMH. We grabbed a taxi to MGM around 7:50. Though it wasnt deserted, the park was not crowded at all. Since both my sister and brother bailed on us, I was left to take DS on TOT again. It was a walk on and it was just as terrifying for me the second time. DS loved it again. Next, we grabbed FPs for Indy for the first show and then headed over to Muppets 3D. We caught the tail end of the pre-show and then walked in for a well below capacity show. My kids really enjoyed the show despite not being big fans of the Muppets. Next, we hit Star Tours for the second time this trip. It was a walk on as well (it was just before official park opening).
By this time, it was just after the official park opening and we decided to head over to The Great Movie Ride before a long line built up. At about 9:30 there was already a decent size line in the pre-show queue. I enjoy this attraction and would hate to see it go. After GMR, we grabbed a bite to eat at Starring Rolls. There was a pretty good selection and the quality was good (Grade: "B"). RANT: As far as I know, this is the only place that serves breakfast in MGM. It is way too small. Also, I wish they would lose the lox. It only takes a couple of people to order that to bog the line down. By the time I got out of there, we had to hoof it over to Indy since our FPs were about to expire at 10:20 for the 10:30 show. We ate our breakfast after we got seats, which were pretty close to the center. The place was pretty close to capacity by the time the show started. Indy was great as always, perhaps a little more special since this is the first time my kids have seen it since they have watched the movies (we got them the box set for Christmas). After Indy, the park was getting a little crowded, but still very manageable. Nevertheless, we grabbed some milkshakes at Min and Bills Dockside Diner ("A-") and then decided to go back to the resort.
OK, anyone who doubts that I am completely cured of my commando-mentality, I would like the record to reflect that it is only 11:00, we have only hit five attractions, and we are leaving a perfect good park. We actually didn't leave right away, we strolled through some of the streets and hit some of the shops. As we were walking through the park exit, I felt like I had won the war.
We got back to the Poly around 12:30. The kids wanted more pool, which was fine with me. DW balked a bit because of the breeze, but, between the three of us, it was pretty easy to guilt her into going. My kids really fell in love with the water at the Poly. DD loves to swim, and shes adorable when shes doing it. DS loves the slide, which I enjoyed too.
We went over to MK around 4:00. We had 4:30 PS for Crystal Palace. This was a first for us. We had breakfast PS back in 2002, but CP was closed for refurbishment, so the character breakfast was held at Tonys. Crystal Palace was a nice surprise. The food was incredible for buffet food. And the character (Pooh and friends) were very attentive. We got a window seat, which was great. One word of caution: the line for the buffet was one of the longest lines all trip. But after about 15 minutes, it completely died down and there was barely a wait. We will do this one again in the future. But we will definitely do it a little later to avoid the opening rush. Grade: "A-".
After dinner, we checked out the tip board outside the restaurant at the top of MainStreet. We were doing Tomorrowland that night and were pleased to hear that there were plenty of FPs for Space and Buzz. So went over and grabbed FPs for Space Mountain. It was 5:30 and the return window was only 6:40 to 7:40. We then headed to Frontierland to hit the Haunted Mansion again at DDs request. It surprised me a little, but DD really loved this ride. There was a posted 10 minute wait for stand by, but it ended up being a walk on. We loitered around Frontierland a little to hit some of the shops. I bought DS his third wooden gun (I know, Im a bad parent). 2nd RANT of day: Disney, why do you put those big white price tag/bar code stickers on the stock of the guns. They are very annoying to get off. In fact, even after wiping them down with a hot rag, the stock is still sticky where the sticker was. You go through a lot of trouble to make the guns look real. They didnt have stickers back then, or bar codes for that matter. Please figure out a different way to inventory these things. End Rant.
After HM, we shot down to Tomorrowland. We were just in our FP return time for Space Mountain, so we grabbed FPs for Buzz Lightyear first (return time: a surprising 7:30 to 8:30). Tomorrowland is really cool at night so I always try to be there at least one night of our trip. I was of course a wreck about going on Space. The boy was enjoying my fear. I rode Space one time when I was teenager and spent the entire ride feeling like I was falling off the rocket. I hadnt tried since. I have to say, I kind of enjoyed the ride. My biggest fear was when I realized you dont sit next to anyone, which meant DS was in his own seat. So the entire ride I had one hand gripping my seat for dear life, and the other hand gripping DS for his (just in case Disney hasn't tested Space Mountain in the last 30 years to make sure it is safe for 45 inch kids
). Since we only used two of our FPs, we of course did it again. DS is pretty perceptive and somehow figured out that (1) there were two tracks and (2) the back of a roller coaster is more intense. When we got to the top of the FP line, he requested the other track and the back seat. I enjoyed it again. 3rd RANT of day: When we walking up for our second ride, about half way up the walkway, a father pulls his kid out of the standby line and hops over the rail onto the FP line. He apparently thought that he had made it far enough past the FP check point to do so without being seen. Now, Im no prude, but thats cheating and not a good lesson for his six to seven year old kid. But what really got me, was this guys knee, which nailed me in the arm as he was hopping over the railing. He was very apologetic. I guess I could have saved him the trip to the top, because I knew that there was another FP check point up there. But I didnt. Of course, he gets to the top and, when he wasnt able to produce FPs, is sent right back down to the beginning of the standby line. The posted wait time was 50 minutes, plenty of time for him to explain to his kid why he shouldnt cheat, cut in line, etc. I felt bad for him. And I am big into Karma, so I was sure God was going to throw me right off the rocket for not telling him about the top FP checkpoint. God spared me.
After our two trips to outers space, we hit the Tomorrowland Arcade. An arcade doesnt seem like a good way to spend time when you are in MK. But I was an arcade addict when I was a kid, and my Dad always indulged me, so in we went. After the arcade, we hit Buzz. Then we jumped on TTA. We had planned to ride Astro Orbiter, but one of the elevators was down, so the wait time was 45 minutes. We decided to high tail it out of there before the SpectroMagic Parade started. My kids have never seen Spectro, but we decided to save it for the next trip. We were back in the comforts of our room by 9:30. We grabbed some snacks from the concierge lounge and then watch Wishes from our balcony. We wanted to go to the beach, but the balcony was just so much easier. DW swore that the fireworks were different that night. I wasn't so sure, but they were great again.
Weather: You guessed it, another beautiful day. Temperatures we in the low to mid 80s all day before dropping into the mid 70s at night.
This was the only day we took advantage of EMH. We grabbed a taxi to MGM around 7:50. Though it wasnt deserted, the park was not crowded at all. Since both my sister and brother bailed on us, I was left to take DS on TOT again. It was a walk on and it was just as terrifying for me the second time. DS loved it again. Next, we grabbed FPs for Indy for the first show and then headed over to Muppets 3D. We caught the tail end of the pre-show and then walked in for a well below capacity show. My kids really enjoyed the show despite not being big fans of the Muppets. Next, we hit Star Tours for the second time this trip. It was a walk on as well (it was just before official park opening).
By this time, it was just after the official park opening and we decided to head over to The Great Movie Ride before a long line built up. At about 9:30 there was already a decent size line in the pre-show queue. I enjoy this attraction and would hate to see it go. After GMR, we grabbed a bite to eat at Starring Rolls. There was a pretty good selection and the quality was good (Grade: "B"). RANT: As far as I know, this is the only place that serves breakfast in MGM. It is way too small. Also, I wish they would lose the lox. It only takes a couple of people to order that to bog the line down. By the time I got out of there, we had to hoof it over to Indy since our FPs were about to expire at 10:20 for the 10:30 show. We ate our breakfast after we got seats, which were pretty close to the center. The place was pretty close to capacity by the time the show started. Indy was great as always, perhaps a little more special since this is the first time my kids have seen it since they have watched the movies (we got them the box set for Christmas). After Indy, the park was getting a little crowded, but still very manageable. Nevertheless, we grabbed some milkshakes at Min and Bills Dockside Diner ("A-") and then decided to go back to the resort.
OK, anyone who doubts that I am completely cured of my commando-mentality, I would like the record to reflect that it is only 11:00, we have only hit five attractions, and we are leaving a perfect good park. We actually didn't leave right away, we strolled through some of the streets and hit some of the shops. As we were walking through the park exit, I felt like I had won the war.
We got back to the Poly around 12:30. The kids wanted more pool, which was fine with me. DW balked a bit because of the breeze, but, between the three of us, it was pretty easy to guilt her into going. My kids really fell in love with the water at the Poly. DD loves to swim, and shes adorable when shes doing it. DS loves the slide, which I enjoyed too.
We went over to MK around 4:00. We had 4:30 PS for Crystal Palace. This was a first for us. We had breakfast PS back in 2002, but CP was closed for refurbishment, so the character breakfast was held at Tonys. Crystal Palace was a nice surprise. The food was incredible for buffet food. And the character (Pooh and friends) were very attentive. We got a window seat, which was great. One word of caution: the line for the buffet was one of the longest lines all trip. But after about 15 minutes, it completely died down and there was barely a wait. We will do this one again in the future. But we will definitely do it a little later to avoid the opening rush. Grade: "A-".
After dinner, we checked out the tip board outside the restaurant at the top of MainStreet. We were doing Tomorrowland that night and were pleased to hear that there were plenty of FPs for Space and Buzz. So went over and grabbed FPs for Space Mountain. It was 5:30 and the return window was only 6:40 to 7:40. We then headed to Frontierland to hit the Haunted Mansion again at DDs request. It surprised me a little, but DD really loved this ride. There was a posted 10 minute wait for stand by, but it ended up being a walk on. We loitered around Frontierland a little to hit some of the shops. I bought DS his third wooden gun (I know, Im a bad parent). 2nd RANT of day: Disney, why do you put those big white price tag/bar code stickers on the stock of the guns. They are very annoying to get off. In fact, even after wiping them down with a hot rag, the stock is still sticky where the sticker was. You go through a lot of trouble to make the guns look real. They didnt have stickers back then, or bar codes for that matter. Please figure out a different way to inventory these things. End Rant.
After HM, we shot down to Tomorrowland. We were just in our FP return time for Space Mountain, so we grabbed FPs for Buzz Lightyear first (return time: a surprising 7:30 to 8:30). Tomorrowland is really cool at night so I always try to be there at least one night of our trip. I was of course a wreck about going on Space. The boy was enjoying my fear. I rode Space one time when I was teenager and spent the entire ride feeling like I was falling off the rocket. I hadnt tried since. I have to say, I kind of enjoyed the ride. My biggest fear was when I realized you dont sit next to anyone, which meant DS was in his own seat. So the entire ride I had one hand gripping my seat for dear life, and the other hand gripping DS for his (just in case Disney hasn't tested Space Mountain in the last 30 years to make sure it is safe for 45 inch kids
). Since we only used two of our FPs, we of course did it again. DS is pretty perceptive and somehow figured out that (1) there were two tracks and (2) the back of a roller coaster is more intense. When we got to the top of the FP line, he requested the other track and the back seat. I enjoyed it again. 3rd RANT of day: When we walking up for our second ride, about half way up the walkway, a father pulls his kid out of the standby line and hops over the rail onto the FP line. He apparently thought that he had made it far enough past the FP check point to do so without being seen. Now, Im no prude, but thats cheating and not a good lesson for his six to seven year old kid. But what really got me, was this guys knee, which nailed me in the arm as he was hopping over the railing. He was very apologetic. I guess I could have saved him the trip to the top, because I knew that there was another FP check point up there. But I didnt. Of course, he gets to the top and, when he wasnt able to produce FPs, is sent right back down to the beginning of the standby line. The posted wait time was 50 minutes, plenty of time for him to explain to his kid why he shouldnt cheat, cut in line, etc. I felt bad for him. And I am big into Karma, so I was sure God was going to throw me right off the rocket for not telling him about the top FP checkpoint. God spared me. After our two trips to outers space, we hit the Tomorrowland Arcade. An arcade doesnt seem like a good way to spend time when you are in MK. But I was an arcade addict when I was a kid, and my Dad always indulged me, so in we went. After the arcade, we hit Buzz. Then we jumped on TTA. We had planned to ride Astro Orbiter, but one of the elevators was down, so the wait time was 45 minutes. We decided to high tail it out of there before the SpectroMagic Parade started. My kids have never seen Spectro, but we decided to save it for the next trip. We were back in the comforts of our room by 9:30. We grabbed some snacks from the concierge lounge and then watch Wishes from our balcony. We wanted to go to the beach, but the balcony was just so much easier. DW swore that the fireworks were different that night. I wasn't so sure, but they were great again.
