Astrid
<font color=9933CC>Shoot for the moon. Even if you
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2000
- Messages
- 1,232
MINUTES OF ASTRID'S WDW MEETING (4)
Held Between Monday 11th and Wednesday 27th March 2002
Location: All Star Music, Walt Disney World
Previous Reports: Preliminary Notes
Travel & Arrival Statement
Hotel & Lost Property Report
REPORT ON MGM
1. Present: Astrid - Chairman and Treasurer
Bryn (9) - Junior Partner
Carys (6) - Trainee (but learning fast!)
2. Additional Attendees & Opening Remarks
Three visits to MGM took place twice joining forces with with Dave (SpottyDog), Valerie (UK Valerie), Gary and Julie (Pluto). Touring the Park with another family meant that the Company enjoyed not only the company of friends, but also the opportunity to see shows and go on rides previously undiscovered.
Chairperson was looking forward to riding Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller Coaster for the first time. Junior Partner wanted to see the Indiana Jones Show again after we missed this completely last year and Trainee was just excited about spending some time with her latest heroes Julie and Gary!
3. The Thrill Rides
Chairperson suffers from a dreadful fear of heights but had decided on this trip to try and conquer this fear and was determined to ride Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller Coaster. The thought of going on a coaster let alone go upside down was scary to say the very least, but, it was in the dark, so that meant it didnt really count.
Luckily Dave and Gary volunteered to accompany me on these two rides so, whilst, Valerie kindly took Caryss hand (which she took more than happily and didnt give me a second glance huh, kids!!), I was off!! Fast passes were got for TOT on arrival at the Park and we all went straight to RnRC. The queue seemed quite short and all too quickly we were inside the recording studio, all the time I was chanting in my brain I can do this, Im not scared!!, I put on a nonchalant air for the other two but my insides were churning! Absolutely brilliant theming, but sadly not enough time to take it all in before we were at the front of the queue. I decided there was no way I could sit in the front of the car so sat in the back with Gary warning him that he wasnt to be too horrified if my cold and clammy hand suddenly made a grab for his (poor lad!).
Flashing lights ahead, we pull to a stop (oh heck, theres no getting out now Madam Chairperson!) and suddenly, whooooooosh, whaaaaaaaah, and were all over the place on a mad dash to the concert with Aerosmith blasting all around! Wow, what a complete and utter thrill, I absolutely loved it and was grinning like the Cheshire Cat when we finally stopped! Garys hand had remained safe but as I attempted a ladylike exit from the car my legs turned to complete jelly! I wobbled out and announced, yep, I like that ride, when can I do it again!! During that and other visits I rode it a number of times, and, agree with Dave that the best place to sit for the biggest thrill is right at the back. Sadly Carys, who was desperate to do this ride was an inch or so too small next time my Trainee, promise! Action: Do this ride!!
Tower of Terror was next on the must do list and Dave and I used our fastpasses for this. I love that experience of walking past all those people queuing up for ages! Once again, I was very nervous about this and the spooky theming once we were inside the Hollywood Hotel hardly allayed my fears!! Into the lift, (both times sitting in the front row er, Dave, is this not the scariest place to sit?!). Again, it was excellent and I was incredibly surprised at how much I loved it and even amazed myself by keeping my eyes open when the doors opened what a view!! A big thanks to Dave at this point though as he did tell me when we were about to drop the first time which helped a lot. That feeling of leaving your seat completely over and over is fantastic! Action: If I can do it so can you!!
4. The Other Rides
No Company member had been on Star Tours and, as Junior Partner was a huge Star Wars fan, this was the simulator ride for him. Dave and Julie joined us and Bryn thought one of the funniest things about the whole holiday was Dave likening the hairstyle of the lady on the television to that of a Hidden Mickey!! It seemed we were unlucky both times we rode this as R2D2 was our navigator and got us horribly lost, but luckily we emerged relatively unscathed!
Finally Trainee got to go on a ride when we enjoyed The Great Movie Ride. We always seem to get the cowboy on this, but at least we didnt get dripped on with Alien goo this trip!
5. The Shows
Valerie very kindly took Bryn and Carys to see Beauty and the Beast and also The Little Mermaid which they both thoroughly enjoyed but no amount of cajoling or bribery can persuade them to tell me about either show, It was great Mum seems to be the longest report available. Action: Chairperson to see both Shows.
Our first visit to Who Wants to be a Millionaire was a great success, especially for Bryn who was the only person in the Company to answer the fastest finger first question correctly Put the Harry Potter books in the order that they were released. The chap sitting next to me had obviously been to this attraction on countless other occasions and seemed capable of answering all the questions correctly on both his and the empty seat next to us!! Both contestants did reasonably well, the funniest moment was when the first contestant had a question regarding a Baseball match and elected to Ask a complete stranger, poor woman hit very unluckly when Joe from London, England was picked to answer!! Action: Practise button pressing before next visit.
The entire Company love the Muppet Vision 3d and think the pre-show is one of the best. We all caused hilarity amongst the Robinsons however when, on entering the theatre Dave suggested we head for the front row so we could have a better view of the penguins. Three blank faces What penguins?, Er, the penguin orchestra Astrid, well, how stupid are we, wed always sat halfway back and had never even noticed that there was a penguin orchestra der!! Carys thought the fact that Sweetums decided to attack Dave halfway through extremely funny and, once again, we voted this show a big success. Action: Go to optician, you obviously need glasses.
Indiana Jones was as excellent as ever and Bryn was happy again (he never really forgave me for not getting to see it last year!), Carys thought that queuing for this whilst sitting on Daves shoulders was nearly as good as the Show, and Sounds Dangerous which was all in the dark was surprisingly good.
6. Fantasmic
We had aimed to see this on our last night along with the Dinner Package but sadly, because of Easter, they cancelled the Packages for our last few days. Hence on our last Saturday a last minute decision was made to dash along and see, what we consider, the best Show that Disney offers. The car driven to save queuing for buses and Im sure we ended up parking in the staff car-park, but it was 7pm already and, with Fantasmic starting at 7.30pm the Company was past caring! A dash up Hollywood Boulevard then back down Sunset and were joining the hoards piling in to the Hollywood Hills Amphitheatre. It was really packed by the time we finally got in but we got seats right near the front in Beast section. Various attempts at Mexican waves were made and eventually we got it to a fine art with both ends starting at the same time and crossing over in the middle!
In my opinion all the seats for this show are good, though sitting right at the front does mean you get sprayed with water quite a bit! Once again, it was brilliant the music never fails to thrill me and once again good overcame evil I always love a happy ending! We did something the Company never usually does and actually left our seats to leave just before the end, it was so packed and we were seated so far away from the exit the Chairperson made the decision that wed be stuck in crowds for days unless we had a head start! It was a bit of a bun fight nonetheless but we exited without problem and, unlike last year, I managed not to fall over and make a complete #&@% of myself!!
7. Final Analysis
MGM is still tying with MK as our favourite Park. It has something for everyone and my heartfelt thanks go to Valerie for looking after Bryn and Carys whilst I had the long awaited opportunity to go on ToT and RnRC.
We still have yet to see any Parade at MGM or see Notre Dame, but, in this Chairpersons opinion, you always need to have something you havent seen or done so youve a good reason to return another year! (Take note Messrs Visa and Mastercard!)
Held Between Monday 11th and Wednesday 27th March 2002
Location: All Star Music, Walt Disney World
Previous Reports: Preliminary Notes
Travel & Arrival Statement
Hotel & Lost Property Report
REPORT ON MGM
1. Present: Astrid - Chairman and Treasurer
Bryn (9) - Junior Partner
Carys (6) - Trainee (but learning fast!)
2. Additional Attendees & Opening Remarks
Three visits to MGM took place twice joining forces with with Dave (SpottyDog), Valerie (UK Valerie), Gary and Julie (Pluto). Touring the Park with another family meant that the Company enjoyed not only the company of friends, but also the opportunity to see shows and go on rides previously undiscovered.
Chairperson was looking forward to riding Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller Coaster for the first time. Junior Partner wanted to see the Indiana Jones Show again after we missed this completely last year and Trainee was just excited about spending some time with her latest heroes Julie and Gary!
3. The Thrill Rides
Chairperson suffers from a dreadful fear of heights but had decided on this trip to try and conquer this fear and was determined to ride Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller Coaster. The thought of going on a coaster let alone go upside down was scary to say the very least, but, it was in the dark, so that meant it didnt really count.
Luckily Dave and Gary volunteered to accompany me on these two rides so, whilst, Valerie kindly took Caryss hand (which she took more than happily and didnt give me a second glance huh, kids!!), I was off!! Fast passes were got for TOT on arrival at the Park and we all went straight to RnRC. The queue seemed quite short and all too quickly we were inside the recording studio, all the time I was chanting in my brain I can do this, Im not scared!!, I put on a nonchalant air for the other two but my insides were churning! Absolutely brilliant theming, but sadly not enough time to take it all in before we were at the front of the queue. I decided there was no way I could sit in the front of the car so sat in the back with Gary warning him that he wasnt to be too horrified if my cold and clammy hand suddenly made a grab for his (poor lad!).
Flashing lights ahead, we pull to a stop (oh heck, theres no getting out now Madam Chairperson!) and suddenly, whooooooosh, whaaaaaaaah, and were all over the place on a mad dash to the concert with Aerosmith blasting all around! Wow, what a complete and utter thrill, I absolutely loved it and was grinning like the Cheshire Cat when we finally stopped! Garys hand had remained safe but as I attempted a ladylike exit from the car my legs turned to complete jelly! I wobbled out and announced, yep, I like that ride, when can I do it again!! During that and other visits I rode it a number of times, and, agree with Dave that the best place to sit for the biggest thrill is right at the back. Sadly Carys, who was desperate to do this ride was an inch or so too small next time my Trainee, promise! Action: Do this ride!!
Tower of Terror was next on the must do list and Dave and I used our fastpasses for this. I love that experience of walking past all those people queuing up for ages! Once again, I was very nervous about this and the spooky theming once we were inside the Hollywood Hotel hardly allayed my fears!! Into the lift, (both times sitting in the front row er, Dave, is this not the scariest place to sit?!). Again, it was excellent and I was incredibly surprised at how much I loved it and even amazed myself by keeping my eyes open when the doors opened what a view!! A big thanks to Dave at this point though as he did tell me when we were about to drop the first time which helped a lot. That feeling of leaving your seat completely over and over is fantastic! Action: If I can do it so can you!!
4. The Other Rides
No Company member had been on Star Tours and, as Junior Partner was a huge Star Wars fan, this was the simulator ride for him. Dave and Julie joined us and Bryn thought one of the funniest things about the whole holiday was Dave likening the hairstyle of the lady on the television to that of a Hidden Mickey!! It seemed we were unlucky both times we rode this as R2D2 was our navigator and got us horribly lost, but luckily we emerged relatively unscathed!
Finally Trainee got to go on a ride when we enjoyed The Great Movie Ride. We always seem to get the cowboy on this, but at least we didnt get dripped on with Alien goo this trip!
5. The Shows
Valerie very kindly took Bryn and Carys to see Beauty and the Beast and also The Little Mermaid which they both thoroughly enjoyed but no amount of cajoling or bribery can persuade them to tell me about either show, It was great Mum seems to be the longest report available. Action: Chairperson to see both Shows.
Our first visit to Who Wants to be a Millionaire was a great success, especially for Bryn who was the only person in the Company to answer the fastest finger first question correctly Put the Harry Potter books in the order that they were released. The chap sitting next to me had obviously been to this attraction on countless other occasions and seemed capable of answering all the questions correctly on both his and the empty seat next to us!! Both contestants did reasonably well, the funniest moment was when the first contestant had a question regarding a Baseball match and elected to Ask a complete stranger, poor woman hit very unluckly when Joe from London, England was picked to answer!! Action: Practise button pressing before next visit.
The entire Company love the Muppet Vision 3d and think the pre-show is one of the best. We all caused hilarity amongst the Robinsons however when, on entering the theatre Dave suggested we head for the front row so we could have a better view of the penguins. Three blank faces What penguins?, Er, the penguin orchestra Astrid, well, how stupid are we, wed always sat halfway back and had never even noticed that there was a penguin orchestra der!! Carys thought the fact that Sweetums decided to attack Dave halfway through extremely funny and, once again, we voted this show a big success. Action: Go to optician, you obviously need glasses.
Indiana Jones was as excellent as ever and Bryn was happy again (he never really forgave me for not getting to see it last year!), Carys thought that queuing for this whilst sitting on Daves shoulders was nearly as good as the Show, and Sounds Dangerous which was all in the dark was surprisingly good.
6. Fantasmic
We had aimed to see this on our last night along with the Dinner Package but sadly, because of Easter, they cancelled the Packages for our last few days. Hence on our last Saturday a last minute decision was made to dash along and see, what we consider, the best Show that Disney offers. The car driven to save queuing for buses and Im sure we ended up parking in the staff car-park, but it was 7pm already and, with Fantasmic starting at 7.30pm the Company was past caring! A dash up Hollywood Boulevard then back down Sunset and were joining the hoards piling in to the Hollywood Hills Amphitheatre. It was really packed by the time we finally got in but we got seats right near the front in Beast section. Various attempts at Mexican waves were made and eventually we got it to a fine art with both ends starting at the same time and crossing over in the middle!
In my opinion all the seats for this show are good, though sitting right at the front does mean you get sprayed with water quite a bit! Once again, it was brilliant the music never fails to thrill me and once again good overcame evil I always love a happy ending! We did something the Company never usually does and actually left our seats to leave just before the end, it was so packed and we were seated so far away from the exit the Chairperson made the decision that wed be stuck in crowds for days unless we had a head start! It was a bit of a bun fight nonetheless but we exited without problem and, unlike last year, I managed not to fall over and make a complete #&@% of myself!!
7. Final Analysis
MGM is still tying with MK as our favourite Park. It has something for everyone and my heartfelt thanks go to Valerie for looking after Bryn and Carys whilst I had the long awaited opportunity to go on ToT and RnRC.
We still have yet to see any Parade at MGM or see Notre Dame, but, in this Chairpersons opinion, you always need to have something you havent seen or done so youve a good reason to return another year! (Take note Messrs Visa and Mastercard!)
