Day 3, Part 1: MGM Disney World, We Have Arrived!
June 17, 2007
A good nights rest is just what my tired body needed and by 8:30 AM I was refreshed and ready for the day ahead! There is just something about that first day of vacation at Disney. I never have any problem getting up for the first day or any day for that matter when Disney is involved. DF is another story...he needs to slowly wake up while I can just spring out of bed, especially on the first day and this day was no exception.
I ran down to the kitchen to grab my delcious ice cold Frapuccino, this would become ritual every morning and started getting ready for the day ahead.
We had a lot to look forward to on our first Disney day. Today would be MGM, which meant 2 of Disneys greatest thrill rides: Tower of Terror (TOT) and Rock n Rollercoaster (RnR), not to mention Fantasmic!, which is always one of our favorites! It was also Star Wars weekends & Fathers Day, so we figured it was going to be crowded.
We decided that we would take this day easy and just arrive at MGM when everyone had a good nights sleep and felt ready enough to tackle a park. Surprisingly everyone, except Jeff, who decided to sit MGM out today, was awake by 9:30 and we arrived at MGM by about 11:00, much earlier than expected.
Why did they make the entrance to MGM off to the side of the Disney World arches? It seems so silly to me and I really wanted to drive through them, but I have to say that I got over it pretty quickly. We parked the car, hopped our first tram ride, and made our way to the turnstiles. During the entire process I was poking DBF once again.
Me: MGM exit to the right! *poke*
DBF: I see that. Please dont poke me while I am driving
Me: Can you believe we are finally here? *poke*
DBF: *smile and nods*
Me: Look you can see ToT! *poke*
DBF: *smiles and nods*
The entire walk to the tram proceeded with me poking him.
Me: We are here! We are here! Disney World!!! *poke* *poke* *poke*
Yes, I am like a 4 year old child when it comes to Disney, but isnt that what makes Disney so great? That whether you are 12, 22, 32, 42, or 82 you can act like a 4 year old and no one thinks anything of it.
I was literally skipping all the way to the entrance. I asked DBF to skip with me, but he refused, so I skipped alone, dragging DBF with me.
Since some of us had bags and some of us didnt, we decided to all meet once we entered the park so DBF could collect passes and we could run to get fast passes to ToT or RnR. For some reason, I had a bag, and I somehow got through before everyone else, I guess it is because I have an eye for finding the short lines. So DBF and I waited...and waited...and waited some more. You will find this to be a theme of the vacation. So what is the only thing to do while you are waiting?
TAKE PICTURES!
My first official Disney World 2007 photo!
Of course I made DBF take one too.
A really nice CM saw us trying to take a picture of ourselves, something we are used to, and offered to take it for us. It turned out really nice, so thank you to nice MGM CM!
So we continued to wait. I dont even know where the rest of our group was, I think Matthew wanted a hat so they were waiting in line for that. They werent even through the gates yet and already buying souvenirs.
So I started to scan my surroundings, mainly for other DISers, LGMHs, and the dream team, and that is when I saw it and my stomach dropped worse than when riding ToT...
I quickly called DBF over to show him the horror! One of our favorite rides was not in operation today. He didnt seem too worried, he never is. That is why we are great together. I see something like that and I have a complete freak out moment, DF, who is the rational one stays calm and comes up with an alternate plan.
Me: How could this be? Why is it closed? They cannot close that ride on Fathers Day & Star Wars weekends. The crowds are going to be so much worse! I love that ride! I hope they open it, do you think they will open it?? *poke*
DBF: We have park hoppers, we will just come back on the Animal Kingdom day since it closes early.
Me: Oh, good point. Can have your camera, I need to take a picture of the sign saying it is closed.
DBF: Why do you need a picture of the sign?
Me: For the Trip Report, I must show that it was closed!
DBF: *Rolls Eyes, and hands me the camera*
So after about what felt like 6 hours of waiting, the rest of our crew met up with us. In complete commando mode we dictate that they each give us their passes so we can FastPass ToT and to meet us at Beauty and the Beast show because there would be a show at 12:00. They all agree and DBF and I were off towards ToT. We were surprised to find that it wasnt too crowded, I mean there were a lot of people, but we were expecting much worse since it was a Holiday and a special event. We were also surprised that it wasnt as hot as expected. We always travel in mid-July when it is very hot and humid. But we found that during this June trip it wasnt nearly as humid as July, it was still hot especially in the sun, but the lack of humidity made it bearable to breathe.
We arrive at ToT, get our FPs which I think were for somewhere between 1:15 and 2:15 and make our way back to the Beauty and Beast theater. It was about 11:45 and we were hoping that the rest of our group was already there waiting.
Of course, they werent, so we waited.
Luckily, we found our first Photopass photographer in the vicinity so we posed for our first Photopass picture.
We thanked Mr. ToT Photopass man and checked to see if our group had arrived, surely they had to been there by now, it was about 11:50, 10 minutes till show time. They couldnt have gotten lost, they do know how to maneuver MGM. We wait for a few more minutes when DBF asks me to go check inside the theater and see if they are in there.
Let me tell you, finding someone in that theater is impossible. Everyone looks the same and it was so crowded, nearly all the seats seemed to be filled. I scanned the place a good 10 times but couldnt find them.
I come back to DBF and tell him it is impossible to find anyone. He decides to run back toward to entrance and check the shops because he figured they probably got sucked into one of them.
He returns a few minutes later with no members of our party and is starting to look pretty angry, after all we had planned the entire day and it was already getting ruined. We decide to forget about finding them and just go inside to enjoy the show because the show was starting and we missed it in 2005. We walk in and DBF finds his family instantly, they had seats in the bottom left corner and were waving us down.
DBF and I looked at each other and laughed, turns out they did follow our directions, they just didnt wait outside the theater. We get our seats which were pretty good and tell our crew that next time we tell them to meet us somewhere that they wait outside! Poor DBF was sweating from running to the entrance and back. All that running for nothing, I guess I need better eyes, but I promise it was hard to find anyone in that theater. We literally took our seats and the show began. In fact, I am going to say that they werent even there when I looked...
I just love the B&B show, even though is a little different than the movie it still is a great show to see. I love all the costumes and all the songs, I was singing along in my head the entire show.
After the spell is broken and Beast turns back into a prince we decide to take a bathroom break before ToT. Matthew, who went on ToT when we was 3 years old, decided he didnt want to try it out this time, and since Jeanne isnt a big fan of it they decided to split off and meet us in the store which is in the Big Blue Mickey Hat. Since they split off from us we had 2 extra Fast Passes.
With our FPs we walked right onto ToT that I didnt even have time to brace myself for the thrills that come with that ride. We ended up sitting in the front row, which I had never done before, and it is even creepier than any other row.
I completely love and hate ToT! I love the theming of the entire ride, but I hate that moment when you know you are going to drop. They dropped us so many times this time. I dont even know how many, but I know it was many more than previous visits. I kept thinking it was over, but it just kept going! Finally, we made our way back and when the elevators opened the creepy CMs head was right there in front of me, since we were front row, as he said Welcome Back in his creepiest voice. Of course, I am the one to scream out loud at that which made our entire elevator laugh.
As I stood up to exit the car, my legs were shaking from being so scared, but I was laughing. I wish we would have bought the picture, it was pretty entertaining since I was holding on to DBF for dear life. We took a peak around the gift shop and DBF asked me if I wanted to go again. I was still all shaky from the first round so I offer the FP to Janna since Karen, like me, was not up for it again just yet. Karen and I looked around the store a little more and then decided take a seat on a bench outside the gift shop.
Justin and Janna return shortly and we decide to make our way toward the Mickey Hat to meet up with Jeanne and Matthew. On our way, we introduce the Photopass concept to Karen and Janna since they never heard of it before and we run into Mr. ToT Photopass Man again, who is confused as to why we want our picture taken again. We tell him we have more in our group and want our picture, thank you very much.
We thank Mr. ToT Photopass Man for the second time and continue on our way. I think at this point Janna and Karen needed a bathroom break so we told them we would meet them at the Hat. DBF and I decided to stop for some McDonalds fries because we were getting kind of hungry. I guess the shaking legs werent just from ToT, they came from hunger too.
Yes, we go to Disney World and the first thing we eat is McDonalds fries, of course we can get McDonalds fries anywhere, but when you are desperate and hungry and your ADR isnt for another 3 hours, you get the fries, and you like the fries.
On our way to the Hat we find another Photopass man and decide we need a picture in front of the Hat. It is not my favorite Disney landmark, but a landmark it is, therefore a picture is necessary.
See the fries in my hand?
We arrive at the Hat and see that no one is there yet, man his family is slow. We decide to check the wait time for the Great Movie Ride, it was about 40 minutes and we were not in the mood to wait in that, we figured the line would die down later.
Our group is finally back together and it was time to decide what to do next. We had two choices, wait in line for Voyage of the Little Mermaid or FP it or watch Playhouse Disney. I dont even know why we chose Playhouse Disney, but Jeanne & Matthew wanted to see it. This decision sort of messed up the flow for the rest of our day...more on that later though.
We had some time to kill before Playhouse Disney began so we looked around the shops in the Animation Courtyard area. I love the art store outside of the Magic of Disney Animation building. All the artwork and collectibles are wonderful and I know if I had the money, I could spend a small fortune inside there.
I really felt this part of the day was such a waste of time because we werent doing anything but waiting for Playhouse Disney. We finally stood in line for it and they opened the doors.
I did not like this attraction one bit! I mean it was cute for toddlers and pre-school aged children, and I think it sent a good message about self-esteem and friendship and as a future teacher, I think those are very good messages to send young kids, but I was pretty much bored and annoyed throughout the entire show. I did not like sitting on the floor, and neither did DBF, he decided he was going to lay down before the show began because sitting Indian style is not an easy task for him.
During the part of the show where the kids are asked to come to the front of the theater, some kid stepped on my hand, and it really hurt! That alone was enough to make me hate this show.
I do think it is a good attraction for people with young children and now that I think about it, it was kind of cute seeing all the kids dance and join in the fun.
But the girl who hosts the show, I think her name is Jamie, was way too enthusiastic and happy for my taste. I know Disney is the happiest place on earth, but this girl was way too over the top. Needless to say, the girl needed a tranquilizer.
After Playhouse Disney Jeanne & Matthew split off from us again because Jeanne wanted to see the parade. We really do not do parades unless it is SpectroMagic. We told Jeanne to meet us for 5:10 ADR at Hollywood & Vine. So the rest of us decided to skip Voyage of the Little Mermaid for now and come back to it after dinner because there was still a long line.
We quickly checked the line for the Great Movie Ride, but it was still too long for our liking. I checked the times guide and saw there was a showing of Lights, Motor, Action! At 2:45, it was 2:40 at the time. So what did we do?
We hauled our butts to the back of the park, in hopes to catch the show. We speed walked all the way, I think DBF and I may have broke into a jog at one point. It was during our marathon that we finally saw some Star Wars characters, I think we found Darth Vader, and he one mighty long line. I told DBF that later if we have time we should try and get some pictures with the characters. He agreed and we continued to make our way to Lights, Motor, Action.
The show had already started when we made it there, but good thing when we arrived they were still letting people in, but we had to sit at almost the very top of the theater and we had a giant pole in our view, but it wasnt too bad, you could still see what was going on just fine.
You can kind of see the pole to the left.
This show always amazes me and I love seeing how they do stunts in the movies. I am glad we were able to catch most of the show, but I did not like running half way across the park to see it.
We all decided that after the show we needed to take a breather, so we found some seats at the Studio Catering Company food court. We werent getting any food since our ADR was coming up at 5:10, but we just needed to sit and relax. I then remembered that in 2005 they had some great smoothies around the area. DBF remembered what I was talking about for once so we decided to try and find it. I think they had moved it because I remember it being by the bathroom, but now there was a place selling film. By this time it seemed the crowd had really thickened and the sun was starting to really beat down, not to mention we were so tired from running to Lights, Motor, Action. When we couldnt find the smoothie place, DBF started to get cranky, I think it was becoming close to his usual after work nap time. Sorry DBF, this is Disney, no work here, no naps here.
We made our way back to our table, which Karen was holding while Janna went off to find a snack. When we made it back to our table we saw a family next to us with the smoothies. We asked where they got them and they pointed us in the right direction, turns out we were near it the entire time. The sun was definitely getting to our heads.
We stood in line for awhile to get our Fanta Strawberry frozen treat, but it was worth it. It was refreshing and it was just what I needed to wake me up and re-energize me. This reminded me to tell DBF that we had to try a Dole Whip when we got to Magic Kingdom, I dont even thing he cared at this point, he was that cranky, yikes! I guess the Fanta Strawberry didnt have the same effect on him as it did on me.
It was almost 4:00 and we knew there was a Indiana Jones Stunt Show time at 4:00, it would be cutting it close, but we thought we could get lucky like we did for Lights, Motor, Action! So we casually walked to the Indiana Jones show only to find that they werent letting people in anymore, it was 4:00 on the dot! The CM informed us that they were only letting people in who had a FastPass.
This was the last showing for Indiana Jones we could have seen because the next one was during our ADR. So for the 2nd year in the row, we missed Indiana Jones. It is not the worse thing in the world though, because we had each seen it multiple times and it never changes, but still, I was looking forward to seeing it again.
DBF and I could see that the day was not going as smoothly as planned. We decided Playhouse Disney was the culprit because we wasted so much time waiting for it to begin. We also remembered RnR was closed down and that kind of messed up our itinerary too. Karen and Janna were looking at us with the look that say, ok boss, what do we do next so DBF and I decided that we would wait in line for the Great Movie Ride since it was nearby to our ADR.
The line had died down for GMR too and I think we only waited 20 minutes. But can someone tell me why that darned Chinese Theater is not air conditioned? It was HOT in there! I do not remember it ever being that hot. By this time, DBF was mighty cranky since he was tired and now hungry.
We got on the GMR and it was the same as always, but fun as usual. I always remember the Alien part of the ride as being much scarier. Did they tone that down or am I becoming more brave? I always remember the Alien coming down from the ceiling, but I could have swore that didnt happen this time.
When the ride was over, I noticed DBF had been sleeping, he finally got his midday nap in. I was kind of disappointed that he took a nap on a Disney ride, that is sort of against the law in my book, and I am sure all you DISers are disappointed in him.
I guess his nap helped though because he was not nearly as cranky, now he was just hungry. Lucky for him it was about 5:00 PM and our ADR was at 5:10, we decided to head over to Hollywood and Vine and see if we could check in early.
...continued in next post...
Then, again, you may not like what comes out of our home at that time!
Can't wait for more!
I'd love to try a DVC place with a kitchen.
Glad RRC opened.... that would have been a bummer! Great pictures!
Thanks for joining in!! 
Of course in true planning fashion, I have already set up a planning binder for our wedding. Anyone ever see the episode of Friends where Monica breaks out the Wedding Planning book, well is kind of like that except it is blank at the moment. 
We even talked about one day doing a vow renewal at Disney. 
