MajorWoody
The View From My Office
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2002
- Messages
- 294
Major Woodys 2 Week TR 5/17 thru 5/31/04
Who : Bill (45), veteran of numerous WDW trips; Jeanne ( forty something), only her 4th WDW trip, but learning quick.
Where : PO-FQ for 10 nights, followed by 3 nights at the Beach Club
How : Driving from NYS
Day 7 Sunday , May 23, 2004:
We got off to another late start today, sort of lazing around after the late night the previous evening. We finally got in gear, and caught a bus to MGM at noon. The park was very crowded and there were long waits for everything. We went a got a FP ( 1 each, since Jeanne doesnt ride either) for Rock & Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror, with return times of 3-4pm for RnRC and 5-6p for TOT. We then stopped by the dining info booth, and made a PS for the 50's PTC for a 2:30pm lunch. We had time to catch the 1:30pm Millionaire show, so went inside, timing it just right so we didnt have to wait. The interior of the show was freezing, the a/c was on full blast, and it was so cold it was uncomfortable. The show opened with a fastest finger question, spelling the word lime, which was one of the easiest I have ever seen. The winner made it in 0.7 seconds, which was remarkable. Usually if its that quick, its someone who just hit the keypad randomly, but the winner actually spelled it out, or so he said. He went along pretty good, and as the score progressed, I was at the top of the leader board at 32,000. I then got the next one wrong, which had something to do with which country in South America is not bordered by Brazil. The hot seat contestant also got it wrong, and then the show was over, so I wouldnt have made it anyway after getting one wrong. I was glad to get back outside in the warm air.
We then walked over to the BAH, and browsed the pins. We didnt have time to buy any, as it was nearing chow time at the Prime Time Café. We walked over, and gave our name to our cuz at the front desk. Unfortunately, our familial connections didnt amount to much, as we still had to wait 20 minutes for a seat. We were waited on by Big Brother Scott, who did a fine job keeping us in line. We had the fried cheese appetizer, two chocolate malteds, I had the fried chicken, and Jeanne had the chicken sammich. The total came to $45, with a $9 tip, for a grand total of $54. As always, the portions were very large, and we left stuffed.
After finishing with our grub, it was back to the Rock & Roller Coaster. There was a huge line, but thanks to my trusty FP, I was on in no time, while Jeanne waited for me outside. I took the front row once again, and had a great ride. After the ride, I met Jeanne outside, and we walked to the backlot for the tram ride. It seemed rather short with out the residential section, and they only briefly addressed the upcoming new stunt show stadium. After the backstage ride, we walked back to the BAH. I saw another guy ask for and receive his AP MGM commemorative coin. I thought they had run out weeks ago, so I had never bothered to ask for one. We each showed our APs and got a free MGM Anniversary coin in a nice sealed package, and best of all, it was free!! And you know the old saying about freebies, the only time you say no, is when they ask if youve had enough! We also bought an MGM 15th anniversary LE pin while we were there. We then headed over to the sweets shop, and I bought a strawberry slush drink. We then hoofed it over to the TOT, and I rode it with my FP, while Jeanne waited outside. Once again, the standby line was huge, and the FP saved the day. I rode mine in the front row, and enjoyed it thoroughly. After TOT, we decided to head back to PO. On the way out we stopped at the Five & Dime ( I think thats what its called), and Jeanne bought an embroidered cat towel, with the Cheshire Cat and her daughters name on it. It was somewhere around $20, but Im not sure exactly as she paid for it. The bus was packed, even though it was not closing time. We arrived at PO at 6:00pm, and hit the pool for awhile before heading out for the night.
We then left the pool, got dressed, and hit the boat dock to take a boat to DTD. The ride was nice and relaxing, and we arrived at 8:30pm. We walked over to PI, and found they had instituted a new, and in our opinion, not so good policy. They removed the ticket turnstiles, so anyone can wander around PI, even without a ticket. Anytime you enter a club, you have to show a pass, which created lines at AC, and later slowed down entry to CW. It was very annoying to have to produce our AP and ID every time we re-entered a club. In addition, there were hordes of people milling around, with no real attempt at control. It seemed like the outdoor bars were doing a booming business, as anyone of age could purchase a drink, even without a PI ticket. The only people hurt by this change are the passholders and those who pay to enter the clubs. The clubs were not any busier even though the streets were more crowded. In fact, it seemed a hindrance if you wanted to enter a cluband were a non-ticketed guest enjoying the sights, you had to go down to the old ticket booth, buy a pass, and then return to the club. You can not buy a ticket at a club, even though they have turnstiles at every club now. We subsequently spent 15 minutes at the AC, then went over to CW for the 9:15pm show, which featured Joy ( Jeannes favorite), Mary, John, Rob, and Brian. We also stuck around and caught the 10:30pm CW show, which again featured Joy ( still Jeannes favorite), Christine, Jake, Mary, and Brian ( who gets my vote for most cerebral of the cast). After that show, we caught the bus back to PO, and it was packed to the gills. And to top it off, the bus driver decided to do PO-R first, even though the normal route is PO-FQ 1st. We finally got back to PO-FQ at midnight, and decided to forego the river path walk tonight.
Stay tuned for the next part.....
Who : Bill (45), veteran of numerous WDW trips; Jeanne ( forty something), only her 4th WDW trip, but learning quick.
Where : PO-FQ for 10 nights, followed by 3 nights at the Beach Club
How : Driving from NYS
Day 7 Sunday , May 23, 2004:
We got off to another late start today, sort of lazing around after the late night the previous evening. We finally got in gear, and caught a bus to MGM at noon. The park was very crowded and there were long waits for everything. We went a got a FP ( 1 each, since Jeanne doesnt ride either) for Rock & Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror, with return times of 3-4pm for RnRC and 5-6p for TOT. We then stopped by the dining info booth, and made a PS for the 50's PTC for a 2:30pm lunch. We had time to catch the 1:30pm Millionaire show, so went inside, timing it just right so we didnt have to wait. The interior of the show was freezing, the a/c was on full blast, and it was so cold it was uncomfortable. The show opened with a fastest finger question, spelling the word lime, which was one of the easiest I have ever seen. The winner made it in 0.7 seconds, which was remarkable. Usually if its that quick, its someone who just hit the keypad randomly, but the winner actually spelled it out, or so he said. He went along pretty good, and as the score progressed, I was at the top of the leader board at 32,000. I then got the next one wrong, which had something to do with which country in South America is not bordered by Brazil. The hot seat contestant also got it wrong, and then the show was over, so I wouldnt have made it anyway after getting one wrong. I was glad to get back outside in the warm air.
We then walked over to the BAH, and browsed the pins. We didnt have time to buy any, as it was nearing chow time at the Prime Time Café. We walked over, and gave our name to our cuz at the front desk. Unfortunately, our familial connections didnt amount to much, as we still had to wait 20 minutes for a seat. We were waited on by Big Brother Scott, who did a fine job keeping us in line. We had the fried cheese appetizer, two chocolate malteds, I had the fried chicken, and Jeanne had the chicken sammich. The total came to $45, with a $9 tip, for a grand total of $54. As always, the portions were very large, and we left stuffed.
After finishing with our grub, it was back to the Rock & Roller Coaster. There was a huge line, but thanks to my trusty FP, I was on in no time, while Jeanne waited for me outside. I took the front row once again, and had a great ride. After the ride, I met Jeanne outside, and we walked to the backlot for the tram ride. It seemed rather short with out the residential section, and they only briefly addressed the upcoming new stunt show stadium. After the backstage ride, we walked back to the BAH. I saw another guy ask for and receive his AP MGM commemorative coin. I thought they had run out weeks ago, so I had never bothered to ask for one. We each showed our APs and got a free MGM Anniversary coin in a nice sealed package, and best of all, it was free!! And you know the old saying about freebies, the only time you say no, is when they ask if youve had enough! We also bought an MGM 15th anniversary LE pin while we were there. We then headed over to the sweets shop, and I bought a strawberry slush drink. We then hoofed it over to the TOT, and I rode it with my FP, while Jeanne waited outside. Once again, the standby line was huge, and the FP saved the day. I rode mine in the front row, and enjoyed it thoroughly. After TOT, we decided to head back to PO. On the way out we stopped at the Five & Dime ( I think thats what its called), and Jeanne bought an embroidered cat towel, with the Cheshire Cat and her daughters name on it. It was somewhere around $20, but Im not sure exactly as she paid for it. The bus was packed, even though it was not closing time. We arrived at PO at 6:00pm, and hit the pool for awhile before heading out for the night.
We then left the pool, got dressed, and hit the boat dock to take a boat to DTD. The ride was nice and relaxing, and we arrived at 8:30pm. We walked over to PI, and found they had instituted a new, and in our opinion, not so good policy. They removed the ticket turnstiles, so anyone can wander around PI, even without a ticket. Anytime you enter a club, you have to show a pass, which created lines at AC, and later slowed down entry to CW. It was very annoying to have to produce our AP and ID every time we re-entered a club. In addition, there were hordes of people milling around, with no real attempt at control. It seemed like the outdoor bars were doing a booming business, as anyone of age could purchase a drink, even without a PI ticket. The only people hurt by this change are the passholders and those who pay to enter the clubs. The clubs were not any busier even though the streets were more crowded. In fact, it seemed a hindrance if you wanted to enter a cluband were a non-ticketed guest enjoying the sights, you had to go down to the old ticket booth, buy a pass, and then return to the club. You can not buy a ticket at a club, even though they have turnstiles at every club now. We subsequently spent 15 minutes at the AC, then went over to CW for the 9:15pm show, which featured Joy ( Jeannes favorite), Mary, John, Rob, and Brian. We also stuck around and caught the 10:30pm CW show, which again featured Joy ( still Jeannes favorite), Christine, Jake, Mary, and Brian ( who gets my vote for most cerebral of the cast). After that show, we caught the bus back to PO, and it was packed to the gills. And to top it off, the bus driver decided to do PO-R first, even though the normal route is PO-FQ 1st. We finally got back to PO-FQ at midnight, and decided to forego the river path walk tonight.
Stay tuned for the next part.....
