Nory Report III: In the Third Person! After 3 Years, the Final Update! NEW 2/6

[Poolrat]

Glad to see this pop up on my notifications!!!

Ah yes the path to the Poly. I remember when I first found it. It is kind of hidden there isn't it?

Such a quiet walk almost creepy but in a nice Disney way.

Love your writing and looking forward to the final day. Even if it was 3 years ago.

 

[KatMark]

I'm reading from my iPhone (we are in Florida on vacation), but wanted to say I enjoyed the update. Simba is growing so fast. Can't wait to read about that last day so long ago.

 

[norybell]

I was just searching through my old posts from 2010 to find something else, and I stumbled upon a comment I made on your PTR and I thought, "Oh yeah, Nory was writing a book! I wonder what she's up to now?" How funny that you updated this old trip report TODAY. I have good timing.

That's so weird! What are the chances???

The baby's adorable! They're a great reason for not getting things done.

Thanks! No argument here. How long do I have before the I-can't-get-things-done-because-of-the-baby excuse expires? Can I milk it until he's 15 or so?

(Confession: My husband and I never finished our 2010 trip report and now I kind of want to resurrect it....)

I say you should...but of course I would say that!

How did I miss your TR?? I've got some catching up to do.

Glad you found me! Let's pretend that that's why I've taken so long with this. To give more readers the chance to find it. Yeah, that's why.

Glad to see this pop up on my notifications!!!

Ah yes the path to the Poly. I remember when I first found it. It is kind of hidden there isn't it?

Such a quiet walk almost creepy but in a nice Disney way.

Love your writing and looking forward to the final day. Even if it was 3 years ago.

Now that I know where the path is, I have a hard time believing I couldn't find it on my own in the first place. But I was so turned around, the first time I walked out into that huge parking lot, I really had no idea. You'd think I would've noticed the tops of the Poly buildings, which you can totally see from there. Maybe it was too dark?

And that's exactly what it was -- creepy but in a nice Disney way. It's pretty fun -- and so rare -- when you can feel a thrill of creepiness, and perfectly safe, at the same time, isn't it?

I'm reading from my iPhone (we are in Florida on vacation), but wanted to say I enjoyed the update. Donna is growing so fast. Can't wait to read about that last day so long ago.

Hi Kat! I hope you're having a great time in FL!

And I hope everybody's having a good Labor Day weekend...my father-in-law gets here tomorrow for a couple of days, and that's the extent of our weekend. Perhaps not my first choice of activities, but hopefully we'll have fun anyway. (Or, maybe even better will be if DH and FIL decide they need lots of quality, outside-of-the-apartment Simba time, while I get to stay home and relax... )

 

[MEK]

Little Simba is adorable. 10 months old already!

Happy to see an update. Still love that Poly view. Doesn't get any better than that.

You have been on 9 trips to WDW since this one? Seriously? I think you owe us a lot more than a Dole Whip. We need another TR as soon as you are finished this one. Pronto!

 

[norybell]

You have been on 9 trips to WDW since this one? Seriously? I think you owe us a lot more than a Dole Whip. We need another TR as soon as you are finished this one. Pronto!

Maybe if I start now, I'll be all caught up with TRs in 100 years or so!

Most of the trips weren't particularly TR-worthy, anyway...quick little solo trips. Fun, yes, but nothing all that interesting to say about them. I did have TR hopes for my last one -- Simba and DH's first trip, along with my dad's first time back in a decade or so, and all three of my sisters, and my 5-year-old niece, joined us for parts of the trip -- but I was too overwhelmed to take notes or pictures. I only have about ten photos from the whole trip! It was lots of fun, but a bit much, having to juggle everyone's needs and trying to make sure everyone was happy, plus staying in a hotel with Simba for the first time (without DH for the first two days).

I'm hoping to get back in October, this time just me, Simba, and one sister -- that should be much more manageable!

I see you have a new(ish) TR going on...I'll have to get over there as soon as I can. I have a lot of catching up to do around here!

 

[Poolrat]

Now that I know where the path is, I have a hard time believing I couldn't find it on my own in the first place. But I was so turned around, the first time I walked out into that huge parking lot, I really had no idea. You'd think I would've noticed the tops of the Poly buildings, which you can totally see from there. Maybe it was too dark?

And that's exactly what it was -- creepy but in a nice Disney way. It's pretty fun -- and so rare -- when you can feel a thrill of creepiness, and perfectly safe, at the same time, isn't it?

I had to ask I think the first time or by the time I found someone to ask I was right by the sign.

Big open ticket booth area leading to huge parking lot and small little "path to poly" sign.

Being that you pass the Poly while on the water knowing you can walk and then trying to find your way are two totally different things.

It is Disney great way of distracting you forward to the parking lot so you don't realize behind you somewhat is a beautiful resort just through the bushes they put there to hide the TTC from the resort.

I have darted down that path in the dark thinking if I was not on Disney Property I would not be going down this dimly but adequately lit path hoping a wonderful resort and beach pop up at the end. Then to keep walking aiming for the Ceremonial House so you can navigate to the bar then the beach is another thing.

 

[norybell]

I have darted down that path in the dark thinking if I was not on Disney Property I would not be going down this dimly but adequately lit path hoping a wonderful resort and beach pop up at the end. Then to keep walking aiming for the Ceremonial House so you can navigate to the bar then the beach is another thing.

Exactly!

 

[dismagiclover]

Looks like you've been keeping busy while we've both been away from the DIS. Your son is adorable, but I'm sure you know that. I'll try and stick around to the end (of this report.)

 

[norybell]

Looks like you've been keeping busy while we've both been away from the DIS. Your son is adorable, but I'm sure you know that. I'll try and stick around to the end (of this report.)

Thanks! And I'll try to not take too long getting there (to the end of this report, that is).

 

[norybell]

Nory had heard a whole lot about Tonga Toast. Sometimes it seemed like it was all her fellow Disney-freaks on the message boards could talk about. She had a strong feeling that the Poly’s signature breakfast treat—French toast filled with bananas—would be too sweet for her. But perhaps it was the promise of it that had her climbing out of bed, easily, for the first time of the trip, without even a thought of snooze buttons or sinus headaches. A few minutes later, room service knocked on the door.

Nory strongly believes in treating herself to a room service breakfast at least once on every vacation. Nothing feels more decadent.

She contemplated her Tonga Toast. This is going to be way too sweet, she thought. I have to be careful not to eat too much of it, or I’ll be sick all morning, and I’m not going to ruin my last day at Disney with a stomachache!

Then she took a bite. The crisp, sugary toast and the creamy banana were the perfect combination—not too sweet at all. Nory chewed slowly, wanting to savor every second of the deliciousness. I could eat this every day, she thought. But still, I can’t overdo it…I’ve eaten half…I should stop now…

She ate three-quarters before she finally forced herself to put down her fork.

Then she had one more bite.

And then one more.

She managed, in the end, to leave about three bites sitting there, uneaten, on the plate. Which felt like quite an accomplishment.

Nory’s plan for the day was to go to Hollywood Studios for a bit, before returning to the Magic Kingdom for the Halloween party that night. As she stepped out onto her patio and saw the castle glowing in the early-morning light, she briefly considered scrapping her plan, and spending all day at the Kingdom.

Of course, she’d still have the next morning there, too, before her sad trip back to the airport.

Is there such thing as too much time at the Magic Kingdom in one vacation? she wondered as she sipped her coffee.

In the end, she decided to make her scheduled trip to Hollywood. She left her room a little after 8:30 and walked through the verdant Polynesian grounds to the TTC, a route that seemed shorter and a little less interesting with the sun overhead than it had in the moonlight. A Studios bus was already waiting, and Nory luxuriated in the convenience of being able to go straight to the park, without making any extra stops at all.

She entered the park just a few minutes after its nine o’clock opening. The young man at the turnstiles warned her that Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster was down, but that they anticipated it would be running again by that afternoon. Nory headed straight for the park’s most popular ride—Toy Story Mania—but even though it was only 9:10, on a day that Touring Plans and Tour Guide Mike and every other Disney-touring expert under the sun had proclaimed as a perfect, non-crowded day to visit, the line for Toy Story was already longer than Nory had ever seen it. She attributed it to the rope drop rush that happens right after the park opens, when every guest runs to the same place at the same time, and figured she’d give it another try a little later.

Instead, she rushed over to her all-time favorite ride in all of Disney World: the Tower of Terror. The ride’s conceit—that the guests at a famous Hollywood Hotel from the 1930s are essentially sucked into a Twilight Zone episode that culminates in a thirteen-story plunge in a service elevator—is impeccably executed, and the drop itself is thrilling. Nory has often felt that she could ride the Tower over and over again, all day long, and on her previous October trip she nearly had.

Another nice thing about the Tower of Terror is that the drop scares a lot of people off, and there usually isn’t a line early in the morning. So Nory was shocked when she got there and had to wait for ten whole minutes. Ten minutes isn’t particularly long in the grand scheme of things, of course. But it is an oddly long wait for the Tower at 9:15 in the morning on a slow day in October.

What’s going on? she wondered as she waited in line in the boiler room of the hotel. Suddenly she heard, once again, the magic words: “Party of one?”

She weaved, squeezed, and excuse me’d past the thirty people in front of her, then was seated in the back row of a full elevator. She strongly prefers the front row, with its lack of heads between her and the twinkly lights that indicate she’s entering the Twilight Zone. But she’d take what she could get on this strangely busy morning.

After she emerged, miraculously unscathed, from the cursed service elevator, she exited through the ride’s gift shop.

A CM, dressed as one of the hotel’s bellhops, stopped her on her way out the door:

“Why do you look so serious, young lady? Smile!”

Nory thought this was funny. She certainly didn’t feel particularly serious!

“I just take this hotel very, very seriously, that’s all,” she said.

***

 

[dismagiclover]

I had Tonga Toast once and I actually did think it was too sweet. One of these years I may give it another try, but I'd rather have the Big Kahuna. I love Tower of Terror too! I think it is probably the best executed ride in all of Disney World. Your pictures of all the details are fabulous! I'm going down for a solo trip in January and I may try to ride it over and over.

 

[wiigirl]

Great update!

 

[norybell]

I love Tower of Terror too! I think it is probably the best executed ride in all of Disney World. Your pictures of all the details are fabulous! I'm going down for a solo trip in January and I may try to ride it over and over.

I highly recommend it! I think I went on it eight times on my first solo trip, between fastpasses and a relatively empty park, I pretty much just walked on over and over.

Great update!

Thanks!

 

[teekathepony]

TONGA TOAST! Hahahaha I tried it for the first time last year after reading all about the hype and learned it's not just hype -- it's truthfully the best food on Earth.
Oh nothing worse than that early morning rush to TSM! Glad you had a great ride on ToT though!

 

[glennbo123]

Hiya Nory! Good to see you posting again. You've been to WDW NINE TIMES since the trip in this TR???! Holy mackerel!

I confess that I've never had Casey's corndog nuggets or the Poly's Tonga Toast, but it's good to hear that you agree with the hype on at least one of them.

 

[KatMark]

Nory, what a wonderful update. My husband enjoyed his Tonga Toast the first time we went to Kona. Did you by chance try the Pressed Pot Coffee? It is worth going just for that!

Funny that TOT (also my FAVORITE ride in all of Disney) was so busy at 9:15 in the morning. But glad you got to ride it quickly.

 

[norybell]

TONGA TOAST! Hahahaha I tried it for the first time last year after reading all about the hype and learned it's not just hype -- it's truthfully the best food on Earth.

It really is, isn't it?

Hiya Nory! Good to see you posting again. You've been to WDW NINE TIMES since the trip in this TR???! Holy mackerel!

I confess that I've never had Casey's corndog nuggets or the Poly's Tonga Toast, but it's good to hear that you agree with the hype on at least one of them.

It might be ten times, come October!

I don't think I'll try the corndog nuggets again. Unless, maybe, someone else is wiling to stand in line for them.

Nory, what a wonderful update. My husband enjoyed his Tonga Toast the first time we went to Kona. Did you by chance try the Pressed Pot Coffee? It is worth going just for that!

Funny that TOT (also my FAVORITE ride in all of Disney) was so busy at 9:15 in the morning. But glad you got to ride it quickly.

I did have the Pressed Pot Coffee, and it was great, too. But not as amazing as the Tonga Toast!

The TOT wait at 9:15 was really just a hint of things to come...

Now, nobody die of shock or anything, but I'm about to post another update. That's right: three updates in like a week or something! Aren't you all proud of me?

 

[norybell]

After leaving the Tower, Nory decided to go check on the Toy Story situation. Unsurprisingly, the line was even longer now than it had been right after nine. And the fastpass return times were for later in the afternoon than Nory thought she’d be staying.

Oh well, she thought. She enjoyed Toy Story Mania, but missing it wouldn’t ruin her day or anything.

Now that two out of three of her reasons for visiting Hollywood Studios—Toy Story Mania and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster—were unavailable, Nory wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself. Finally, she decided to do some of the things she never seemed to have time for, and she turned toward Grauman's Chinese Theater.

Nory remembers visiting the Studios in 1989, the year it opened. Back then, the Great Movie Ride was the park’s hottest ticket, and the line would snake back and forth interminably in front of the vast movie screen and its loop of video clips. Now, the ride is considered so out of date that lines are usually manageable, and Nory walked right on. She hadn’t taken this “Spectacular Journey” in ages, and she was curious to see how it held up.

Their ride vehicle slowly took them past a few classics, until it was oh-so-unexpectedly hijacked by a buxom young criminal with a not-particularly-believable 1930s-gangster accent.

Munchkinland has always been Nory’s favorite part of the ride. The Wizard of Oz used to be her little sister’s favorite movie, and they watched it over and over again when they were young. Nory knows it’s possible to rent out Munchkinland for private events, and occasionally she fantasizes about surprising her sister with a grand surprise party (for some vague special occasion, Nory’s never really gotten that detailed with the idea). But then she starts to wonder about the logistics of it all. Are all the audio-animatronic munchkins just standing there, still and staring, as your party eats dinner? That could get kind of creepy. Or are they moving, singing their happy little song on their happy little loop? That could get kind of annoying. Perhaps Munchkinland isn’t the best Disney World spot for a private party, after all.

Overall, Nory thought The Great Movie Ride was pretty cute. Not a must-do, but pretty cute. Though as she sat there, watching the movie clips they use as the grand finale, she couldn’t help but wonder why in the world they don’t update them. How hard could it be? Sister Act? Two Men and a Baby? These films are hardly classics, and they were certainly jarring when placed in between Casablanca and From Here to Eternity!

Lazy, Disney. Just plain lazy.

***

 

[Poolrat]

I think I have been in that exact same situation once and yes ..... I went to the GMR.

I would tend to think that the clips at the end would be some of the easiest to update but I wonder if rights to clips outside of Disney are the problem. Or the clips they do have the rights to are still under some agreement ?

Seems like DHS is very ride heavy on the right side. I hope some new changes come to the left side of the park.

 

[norybell]

I would tend to think that the clips at the end would be some of the easiest to update but I wonder if rights to clips outside of Disney are the problem. Or the clips they do have the rights to are still under some agreement ?

I know, seems like it shouldn't be that big of a deal, right? I know Sister Act and Two Men and a Baby were big Disney movies at the time, but I'm sure they've had plenty of other big movies (or films that seem like they'll have more longevity) since then. Maybe, if they put in new clips, the quality of the old ones would look bad, and they'd have to remaster the whole thing? Still seems like it shouldn't be that big of a deal. Of course, what do I know?

Seems like DHS is very ride heavy on the right side. I hope some new changes come to the left side of the park.

That would be nice! Is Cars Land coming to DHS?