No Work and All Play – Disney on the Company’s Dime! (8/1 There and Back Again)

[thecapells]

Nice detailed pictures of the cars area DS2 was so scared of this area last year , I think it was a little two loud for his liking . Still a very cool area though Can't wait to see the hidden gems u find !

Our DS2 made us go twice during the upcoming trip.
Lightning is by far his favorite thing in the whole world (next to Thomas the Tank Engine of course).

 

[thecapells]

My wandering started when I noticed the clock on the wall.

Then I recalled how much detail is usually put into Muppet productions, so I headed to the Stage 1 Company Store.
Unfortunately, I was greeted with this sign:

The first gift shop which warns you not to go in.
How’s that for Muppet Logic?
(And did you catch the WDI imprint on the wall below the sign?)

Anyway, I ignored the warning and continued on to find yet another notice

Apparently there are a lot of rules in this place.
But I began to explore and saw the remnants of the original theatre from the Muppet Show.
From the 2nd floor stage doors to props dangling in random places.
Then, several bits of advice.
These are definitely my favorite.

The kids thought these were the funnies things ever.
When I showed them the pictures, they made me promise to take them to see these signs when we went back.
Some further exploring unearthed memories of the Muppet Movie.

There’s a lot of great stuff in here and it’s worth exploring even if you have no intention of purchasing anything.
The theming alone shows how great Disney and the Muppets can be.

After the gift shop, I headed around the bend and decided to check out the details of another venue I often skip – Pizza Planet.
I’ve heard horrible things about the pizza here and no desire to try it.
And the kids have “played” arcade games in here when they were little.
That is, they sat in the seats and moved the wheels and joysticks while in demo mode thinking they were actually playing.
This was a good distraction while we took our restroom breaks.

This time, however, I was in search of details.
So, to start off, I spotted this cool mural on the wall.

And then I noticed something I actually never saw before.
Buzz himself is actually hanging out waiting for his ship to launch.
But you have to look up to notice him!

By now it was getting late, so my mission to discover hidden details was drawing to a close.
It was time for dinner and tonite was the only table service meal I booked for the entire trip!
Who’s hungry?

 

[All7OfUs]

So easy to get 2 updates behind! Sheesh!

I will be back tomorrow to give a few comments, though. Short on time tonight. Happy Valentines Day!!

 

[dawnbu40]

I love the pizza constellation! Too cute!

 

[thecapells]

I love the pizza constellation! Too cute!

That's awesome!
I didn't even see that until you pointed it out!!

 

[thecapells]

So easy to get 2 updates behind! Sheesh!

I will be back tomorrow to give a few comments, though. Short on time tonight. Happy Valentines Day!!

Looking forward to hearing your comments!
And dinner's on the way...

 

[thecapells]

You Will Believe These Burgers Have Cheese!
These Fantastic Fries Will Have You Screaming For More!
Come See the Milkshake That Never Ends!
There will be Thrills! Chills! And Cheesecake!!
Drive on in! It Cannot Be Missed!
But now, “Let’s all go the lobby!”

Yep, I was headed back in time to the 50’s for a good ol’ Drive-In!
A Sci-Fi Drive-In Theatre to be exact.

I looove the theming in this restaurant.
From the car tables to the wait staff on rollerskates to the “speakers” alongside your car.
And then there’s the night sky, the Hollywood Hills in the distance, and classic “B” movies.
This is a Sci-Fi geek’s paradise.
And since I happen to be one of those, I gladly checked in for my 5:15 ADR.

Since I was solo, I was treated as a “hitchhiker” and was seated in a car for 6.
The front of the car was occupied by another family and I was just along for the ride!
Kind of a odd seating arrangement but since everyone is looking forward, it’s really no big deal.
I ordered my usual – bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake.
And this is one of the Disney restaurants that allows a shake to count as a drink on the Disney Dining Plan.
As usual, it was great and not too expensive (which is one of the reasons I picked this as my only table service meal).

After a relaxing meal watching the worst sci-fi trailers of all time (and some Tom and Jerry), my waiter offered to take some pictures.
Rather just me in the car, he started climbing things for better views.
And he actually got some great pics of me here – better than the ones I usually take!

It was a lot of fun and this is definitely one of my favorite sit-downs in DHS.
I was never a fan of Prime Time and the Hollywood ‘N’ Vine buffet is okay.
I just recently tried Mama Melrose and that’s probably my #1 choice here but Sci-Fi is 2nd.
The food is actually good – it’s one of the only burgers I eat at Disney World – and the theming is great!
And for kids, they basically get to watch TV while they eat – how often can they do that?
A winner for the whole family!

Anyway, dinner was over but I was really in a Sci-Fi mode.
In fact, all of a sudden I found myself “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”
Stay tuned…

 

[pipersmom]

I just caught up with all the updates I missed while Piper and I were visiting "Club Med"! I love all the detail about HS, as did Piper..she was reading over my shoulder and talking about all the things she wanted to see that were in your pictures! I'm a huge Muppet fan, so that's definitely high on my list. : I too, am a fan of all the character interactions you find! I can't believe the amount of ground you're able to cover by yourself..very cool. Looking forward to keeping up again...

 

[dtr_angel]

I can't wait to try Sci Fi diner, it looks like a lot of fun! We had a dinner res there on our March trip, but we had an extra table service and ended up canceling it and I'm bummed.

Hubby & I always do Pizza Planet for lunch during out trips. On our honeymoon trip in 08, we tried a bunch of CS places at DHS and didn't really care for any of them, but we love Pizza Planet. The only bad thing is it's so hard to get a seat at lunch time.

 

[WrightFamily06]

Great detailed pictures of Muppets area and the signs , I never even noticed them before , can't wait to look for them on the next trip .

Nice Sci Fi write up and pictures We make ressies here every year and cancel for some reason but we are making an ADR for our Sept. trip and sticking to it this time ! lol

 

[thecapells]

I just caught up with all the updates I missed while Piper and I were visiting "Club Med"! I love all the detail about HS, as did Piper..she was reading over my shoulder and talking about all the things she wanted to see that were in your pictures! I'm a huge Muppet fan, so that's definitely high on my list. : I too, am a fan of all the character interactions you find! I can't believe the amount of ground you're able to cover by yourself..very cool. Looking forward to keeping up again...

Welcome back to you and Piper!
Today was definitely a pretty busy today and there's still lots more to do!!

I can't wait to try Sci Fi diner, it looks like a lot of fun! We had a dinner res there on our March trip, but we had an extra table service and ended up canceling it and I'm bummed.

Hubby & I always do Pizza Planet for lunch during out trips. On our honeymoon trip in 08, we tried a bunch of CS places at DHS and didn't really care for any of them, but we love Pizza Planet. The only bad thing is it's so hard to get a seat at lunch time.

The kids LOVE Sci-Fi Diner and I think it's really neat too.
I love those restaurants which really just make you feel like you're somewhere else.
Biergarten, San Angel Inn, Sci-Fi - it's a whole new world inside those places and so much fun!

Great detailed pictures of Muppets area and the signs , I never even noticed them before , can't wait to look for them on the next trip .

Nice Sci Fi write up and pictures We make ressies here every year and cancel for some reason but we are making an ADR for our Sept. trip and sticking to it this time ! lol

There's actually a lot more of those signs - I just took some of them.
The Muppets hide details EVERYWHERE!

 

[thecapells]

Outside the Drive-In, I hopped on my speeder and raced away!

Where to in such a hurry?
Why, my transport of course.
I had booked a nice solo excursion this trip.
The brochure described beautiful green landscapes and a picturesque location to spot lots of wildlife.
My Starspeeder 3000 was due to depart from the port up ahead so I needed to hurry.

Odd that the entrance was guarded by an Imperial All-Terrain Armored Transport (AT-AT).
It also seemed to be protecting an entire Ewok Village.
But I could explore that later.
I slipped past the AT-AT’s foot (he almost got me) and into the launch bay.
An astromech droid was working feverishly on a Starspeeder that didn’t look so good.
I sure hope that wasn’t my speeder…

To the side a golden protocol droid was shouting out directions and test procedures.
These bumbling droids may be why the company has had a bit of bad luck in recent missions.
I hoped my flight would be a bit smoother than the rumors I’ve heard.

From the control tower, some Mon Calamari were looking on and prepping the speeders for launch.
They better pay attention to these droids down here…

I walked past the launch bay into what I can only describe as a Droid Repair Facility.
Service techs were repairing droids with scraps of metal that seemed discarded and thrown away.
Hey, wait a second. I know that droid – it’s R5-D4! He breaks down all the time.
Waste of credits if you ask me – the Jawas keep trying to sell him off but he never makes it off the lineup without something exploding.

Finally, I arrived at the docking bay and was ushered to my boarding gate.
A screen above me flashed the insignia of the tour company.

And then our boarding instructions via this short video clip:


Who let a wookiee in here?
But it looks like I better put away my camera now.
“It’s not wise to upset a wookie.”
I sat down and buckled in for my trip.
Some tourists next to me asked me about the ride – this being their first trip and all.
I assured them it would be a great time.
Some more safety instructions followed and then Captain Rex hailed us from the cockpit.
He assured us we’re going to have a smooth flight and proceeded to lower the cockpit shields for our viewing pleasure.
With that, we were off!

After a “shortcut” through the hangar, we launched into space and towards Endor.
The trip was smooth enough – that is, until Captain Rex decided to fly us directly into a meteor shower.
After surviving that experience, we came face to face with a…. Star Destroyer.
Suddenly we were caught in a tractor beam.
I had a really bad feeling about this…

Luckily, some Rebel forces came to our aid.
A squadron of X-Wings knocked out the tractor beam before making a trench run at a Death Star that appeared on the horizon.
Yes, everything was happening that fast.
Captain Rex followed them in bellowing “I’ve always wanted to do this.”
Honestly, so have I but wasn’t this a bit extreme for a tour company?

Luckily the X-Wings were great shots and we retreated just as the Death Star exploded across the sky.
Rex blasted into lightspeed and returned us to the Star Tours hangar on Tattooine.
Well, we never quite got to Endor but I think that was enough space travel for one day.
On the way out, of course, Star Tours was advertising Endor as well as some other destinations which are rumored to come online in the near future.
From the lush moon of Endor

To the frozen tundra of Hoth

To the extravagance of the Bespin gas mines

I can’t wait to try these new destinations!!
The gangway, of course, led to a duty free shop – spaceports are loaded with these things.
Nevertheless, I stopped and looked around and even bought myself and the kids some souvenirs.
(A Jedi Mickey figure for me, a pink lightsaber keychain for DD5, and some Disney Star Wars Racers for DS7).
And I even made sure to take a picture of the sign.

Boy these Tattooine summers are hot.
I needed to cool off and I heard tale of a picturesque fountain around the corner.
I’ll wander over that way and see what I can find.
Until next time, May the Force Be With You…

Author’s Note: Can you tell that Star Tours is my favorite attraction at DHS? I am soooo looking forward to Star Tours 2.0!

 

[thecapells]

Hey everyone!
I had to make sure I posted that last one since today is DS' birthday !
He's now 8 and I thought he'd appreciate a trip on Star Tours!!
He loves Star Wars almost as much as his daddy!


Now I have to update his age in my signature as well!

 

[dawnbu40]

Great update! Very fun!

Hope Logan has a great day!

 

[thecapells]

Great update! Very fun!

Hope Logan has a great day!

Thanks for the wishes - I'll make sure he reads it!
And I noticed your count is at 15 days - I'm sooo jealous.
Make sure to grab a Dole Whip for me!

 

[pipersmom]

Happy Birthday Logan! :

Very cool update, as always. I love the way you wrote it up! Looking forward to the next adventure!

 

[thecapells]

Happy Birthday Logan! :

Very cool update, as always. I love the way you wrote it up! Looking forward to the next adventure!

Thanks guys!
I always have a little more fun when it comes to Star Wars!

 

[WrightFamily06]

Awesome Star Tours write up , you can def tell you love Star Wars !

Happy 8th Birthday to your DS , I hope he had a wonderful day !

 

[thecapells]

Awesome Star Tours write up , you can def tell you love Star Wars !

Happy 8th Birthday to your DS , I hope he had a wonderful day !

Thanks - I had fun writing it. It's fun getting "in character!"
And I'll make sure to let DS8 read all his birthday greetings.
He'll be psyched!

 

[boxmaster]

Outside the Drive-In, I hopped on my speeder and raced away!

Where to in such a hurry?
Why, my transport of course.
I had booked a nice solo excursion this trip.

Solo excursion? No pun intended, of course, Han.


Even though I wished him Happy Birthday yesterday and will do so again at his party, add mine to the on-line birthday greetings, from his fellow buccaneer. Happy Birthday!