Our Last Day Tuesday MGM & E-ride Night
I woke up early, raring to go, since I knew we had a lot to accomplish today. Not only were we checking out, but we were renting a SUV from National, then going to MGM for the day, E-ride night at the MK from 7-10pm, and then driving down 3 hours to my mothers near Pompano after that!
Since we were checking out this morning and stowing our bags with the bellman until we left tonight, I wanted to get all the packing out of the way, and I set out clothes for both DH and DS and told them to hurry up and get dressed! I was now in my drill sergeant mode. Once they were dressed, I pushed them out the door to the Concierge Lounge for breakfast so I could pack everything up in peace and quiet. DH brought me back muffins and coffee and I called the bell desk to come and get our bags.
I had already called National Car Rental to send over their shuttle, which we had to catch at 9:00am in front of the GCH. Its 8:50am, and the bellman still hasnt shown up to get our bags! What do I do??? Luckily, he showed up just in the nick of time, I quickly tell him that we want them stowed away for the day until we pick them up tonight, and give him a big tip and race out the door of our room and run all the way to the GCH from the Hawaii longhouse and make it out in front just in time to sit and wait for the shuttle. Out of breath, huffing and puffing, we rest and nearly miss the shuttle because were not looking for it in the right place! Fortunately, we see it and hop on board and it takes us to the Car Care Center just outside Disney. Everything goes smoothly, we get a Montero Sport that is brand new with only 700 miles on it, and I was able to use my American Express Membership Point vouchers without a hitch to pay for most of it up front, and were off! We drive directly to MGM Studios, which wasnt hard to find and follow the signs of where to park. Then we hop on the tram that takes us to the park directly and we have no trouble getting in, no real lines to speak of. Its about 10:00 am when we get there.
MGM is the only park that I really didnt research before coming down to WDW. I was pretty clueless about what to expect, but I had some ideas of what DS would like and wouldnt like, so I knew we wouldnt be doing the biggies like ToT and RnRCoaster. We walk around, its a nice sunny day and we wind up in front of the Drew Carey Sounds Dangerous attraction. We go in and sit down and this was cute, although I didnt think it was anything great, DS liked it, he thought it was funny, even though he has no idea who Drew Carey is. I look at our map, and find out where the Indiana Jones Epic is. DS really wants to see this. We get over there and were not sure if we should get FastPasses or not, the next show is at 11:30, but we have PSs at Sci-Fi at 11:45, so we dont get the Fast Passes, but well try to see it after lunch. Its now on to the other side of the park, where the Backlot Tour is. I heard this was a lot of fun and that kids will like it, so we head on over. We all enjoyed this a lot, it was a lot of fun, and it was also neat walking along the New York City street set on the way there, I even automatically walked on the sidewalk, it was so realistic! (Since we go to NYC all the time, its force of habit!) There was a long line to get into the Backlot Tour, but luckily the line starts moving pretty quickly. There were 2 teens behind us, a boy and girl, who ask the CM how you get to be in the tour as a volunteer. The CM asks them if they want to be volunteers and they say Yes! and he says OK theyre in it, and Im wondering, what are they volunteering for? They wound up being in the big warship battle scene that shows how they simulate the explosions and flooding on the movie set. It was pretty good, and they did a good job! The Backlot Tour lasted about ½ hour, and we got to see how they simulated a canyon being flooded and DS really enjoyed this whole part of the tour, I highly recommend it for kids. We got a little wet, but nothing to worry about. I was a bit apprehensive when we were first getting on the tram and saw the seats were all wet!
After the Backlot Tour, we browsed around and bought souvenirs in the gift shop. DH and I got sweatshirts, because a cold front had come through, and it was suddenly kind of chilly outside. Then we headed over to Sci-Fi Dine in for Lunch. We didnt have to wait very long to be seated, and we browsed around the bookstore right next to it, and I got some postcards. Sci-Fi was a great place and DS was totally bowled over by it, he thought it was the coolest thing hed seen at Disney up to that point. We all got burgers and fries and shakes and really enjoyed the B movies on the screen , what a hoot! DS and I were sitting in the front seat and DH was behind us. Our waitress was a lot of fun and she took some pictures of us, they came out really well! Even though it was expensive, we had a lot of fun. It was like another attraction!
After lunch, we were stuffed and we walked past Star Tours. I wasnt sure what this was all about, but we decided to check it out --- NOT something you want to do on a full stomach! This was a really cool ride, like a flight simulator, I only wish I wasnt so full when I went on it, but its pretty cool and you really DO need to wear your seat belt. After this, we head on over to the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. There was a long line, but the CM told us that wed have no problem getting in. Once inside were seated, and its really a huge auditorium, so dont let the long lines throw you, they can fit a lot of people in here. DS totally loves this show, it was pretty entertaining, and if youve seen the 1st Indiana Jones movie, its a lot of fun to see the familiar scenes they redo. I highly recommend this as well. I suspect, though, that the volunteers from the audience, might be staged, does anyone know this for sure?
Once outside, DS is begging us to get him one of the toy guns they have for sale right there, and of course, we had to say no, how would I get one on the plane home? No way! What is it about little boys and guns!! Theyre like moths to a light bulb! Next, we walk around and DH goes on ToT, while DS and I get some sodas and wait. Were getting pretty tired of MGM, and its about 3:00pm and were thinking of heading over to the MK, but all of a sudden the Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade starts and were right at the end of it, so we stick around and watch the parade. The MC, Roman Holiday, was very funny and we really enjoyed seeing all the Disney stars and characters, it was a good time and Im glad we caught it. DS took a lot of pictures with his instant camera. My favorite was, as usual, Mary Poppins with Bert. DS liked Alladin and the Princess best.
I only wish I had known more about MGM before going, since we missed a lot, but next time we go, well stay for Fantasmic and that sort of thing, DS will like it better when hes older.
We soon left and went back to the car and drove back to the Polynesian. We parked in their lot, got our luggage, put it in the trunk and then hopped onto the Monorail and took it to the MK. First thing we do is get our bracelets for E-ride night and I get a brochure to see what rides will be open. Space Mountain is under rehab, and Im delighted to see that Pirates of the Caribbean will be open in its plac, instead. Since its about 4:30pm, we head on over to Tomorrowland Speedway, but the line looks long, so we make our way over to Fantasyland, since this area will be closed for E-night. Im hoping well get on Peter Pans Flight, since we forgot about it the other night. As we arrive the line is huge! There are no more fast passes, and the park closes at 7pm, well never be able to make it on it time. I ask the CM if there is any chance of us getting on before it closes, and he says no, the line is too long. We are crestfallen. But he takes pity on us, after I tell him this is our last night there, so he reached into his pocket and gives us 3 Fast Passes! We were so happy and we got right on! What a nice guy, Ill never forget it! Its a cute little ride, and Im thankful we didnt wait for hours in line, since it was so short! But, at least, we finally got to see what it was all about and experience flying over London!
Just after Peter Pan we are walking past the Sword in the Stone, and Merlin is there and hes just starting the whole Sword in the Stone act. We stop and DS is enraptured by the whole thing! He was so into it, and he really believed it all! When it came time for Merlin to choose someone from the crowd to try and pull the sword out, DS was too shy and didnt want to risk being picked, so he would deliberately stand behind someone else. It was so cute and we all really enjoyed the act! This was one of the highlights of the MK for us. After this we made our way over to Toontown so we can ride Goofys Barnstormer. The line wasnt too long, so we only had about a 10 minute wait. DS was getting nervous as we were getting closer, but once we were on, he was enjoying himself, and the ride was so short you dont even have time to get scared! If he could handle BTMR, he could handle this! DS and I sat together in the front car, and DH was behind us taking pictures. After this, we went over to Tomorrowland Speedway and wait in line, DS really wants to try driving, and I volunteer to ride with him (whats this gonna be like?) Finally its our turn and we get in our car and --- what a ride! Stop and go the whole way, you can imagine what a 7 yr. old drives like! He liked it a lot though. Its starting to get dark now and the fireworks are going to begin shortly, so we make our way over to the castle between the bridge to Tomorrowland and Mickey and Walt, and wait for them to begin. Sure enough, Tinker Bell flies right over our heads, Im clicking away on the camera, trying to get a shot of her, and the fireworks begin in all their glory! It was great to see them close up this time, especially since it was our last night there. Really beautiful, I was such a sucker for that castle. I just couldnt get over how beautiful it was!
After the fireworks, its back to Tomorrowland and we walk right up to Buzz Lightyear and show the CM our bracelets for E-ride night and we get right on! This is a lot of fun. Im seated between DH and DS who are working the controls and I am in charge of spinning the cart. At one point of the ride, while were in this tunnel with dizzying red lights we stop. We wait and wait and wait, and Im starting to feel sick from the lights. Were stuck and since this was our first time on the ride, we didnt know if this was supposed to happen or not! Anyway, I finally wise up and turn our car around so I dont have to look at the red lights and eventually we get going again. DH had a decent score, DS needs to improve some more, LOL. They closed the ride for a while after we left to fix whatever was wrong.
Next stop, Pirates of the Caribbean. Now that it was officially E-ride night, the place was a ghost town. In Adventureland, everything was closed and the only thing open was Pirates, it was very eerie. We get on the ride, and theres no line, we walk right on. Its a little hokey, but fun, until we get stuck near the end! Were waiting and waiting, and I can see the CM who has to make a phone call, I guess to notify someone that there is a problem. There was no one in front of us, so I dont know what happened. Imagine getting stuck on two rides in a row! Eventually we got moving again and we went into the gift shop and I got DS a Pirates sweatshirt, and again, I said no regarding a gun! After this we head on to Frontiertown, which Im glad to see is more lively, since Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain are open. DH wants to go on BTMR again, but we dont, so he goes on alone and we wait and watch everybody getting splashed at Splash Mountain. I had had such a great experience on BTMR before, I wanted to leave it that way and not risk repeating it and have it be a let down, plus there was a line. Eventually DH comes back and we all opt to go on Splash Mountain. I was very wary of this, and it took some convincing to get me to go on. It was late and getting chilly and I didnt look forward to getting cold and wet and then have a 3 hour drive ahead of me! But, I relented and took everybodys sweatshirts and my watch and put them in one of my trusty Ziploc bags that I brought in case and we walked right on, there were no lines at all! We had the whole log to ourselves, and we were in the front seat.
Now, Ive never seen the movie Song of the South so I didnt have the remotest idea of what the story of Brer Rabbit was all about as we floated along, all I knew was, I was dreading that big drop! We managed to avoid getting wet in the beginning, and in fact, just floating along was kind of boring, and then we start going up the incline and Im thinking, Oh no, here it is! and ---- it wasnt! They fool you the first time. THEN we finally get to the Laughing Place I think it is, and down we go. I survived it! And we didnt get too wet! I guess we were lucky, or maybe if there had been more people in our log, we would have. We could have gone again, the CM asked us if we wanted to stay in our log, but I didnt want to tempt fate, so we got out. It was getting late and we still hadnt had anything to eat, so we went over to Pecos Bill,s which was open and had a quick dinner. This was a great place and it really hit the spot. I had a chili dog, DH had the chicken wrap, and DS a kids hot dog. It was so nice, not to eat at a real sit-down restaurant for a change, we had been getting kind of sick of eating, eating, eating (I never in a million years would have guessed that would happen!)
On our way back to Main Street as we pass the Castle Mickey and Minnie are in front and we stop and DS has his picture taken with them. He was getting sadder and sadder as we were getting closer and closer to leaving. I still had to pick up the X-mas Ornament that I had bought two nights earlier that they said would be waiting for me at the pick up place near the entrance to the MK. As were leaving, I finally find the place and no one is there! Its all open, so I walk around the desk, find my bag with my name on it in the closet, which is all open, and sign for it and leave a note and go!
Now its good-bye Disney, and were all a bit more down. We take the monorail back to the Polynesian, and for the first time we get to see the inside of the Contemporary, pretty neat! DS is very sulky and crying, so we let him pick out something in the Polynesian gift shop as a keepsake. He chooses a snow globe with Mickey and Minnie in it. Its sad to leave, but we must. We find our car in the Polys parking lot and say farewell to Disney.
It was a great trip and we cant wait to go back!
Sorry this was so long to read, but I just couldnt leave anything out, thanks for being such good sports and reading it through!
Julie
I woke up early, raring to go, since I knew we had a lot to accomplish today. Not only were we checking out, but we were renting a SUV from National, then going to MGM for the day, E-ride night at the MK from 7-10pm, and then driving down 3 hours to my mothers near Pompano after that!
Since we were checking out this morning and stowing our bags with the bellman until we left tonight, I wanted to get all the packing out of the way, and I set out clothes for both DH and DS and told them to hurry up and get dressed! I was now in my drill sergeant mode. Once they were dressed, I pushed them out the door to the Concierge Lounge for breakfast so I could pack everything up in peace and quiet. DH brought me back muffins and coffee and I called the bell desk to come and get our bags.
I had already called National Car Rental to send over their shuttle, which we had to catch at 9:00am in front of the GCH. Its 8:50am, and the bellman still hasnt shown up to get our bags! What do I do??? Luckily, he showed up just in the nick of time, I quickly tell him that we want them stowed away for the day until we pick them up tonight, and give him a big tip and race out the door of our room and run all the way to the GCH from the Hawaii longhouse and make it out in front just in time to sit and wait for the shuttle. Out of breath, huffing and puffing, we rest and nearly miss the shuttle because were not looking for it in the right place! Fortunately, we see it and hop on board and it takes us to the Car Care Center just outside Disney. Everything goes smoothly, we get a Montero Sport that is brand new with only 700 miles on it, and I was able to use my American Express Membership Point vouchers without a hitch to pay for most of it up front, and were off! We drive directly to MGM Studios, which wasnt hard to find and follow the signs of where to park. Then we hop on the tram that takes us to the park directly and we have no trouble getting in, no real lines to speak of. Its about 10:00 am when we get there.
MGM is the only park that I really didnt research before coming down to WDW. I was pretty clueless about what to expect, but I had some ideas of what DS would like and wouldnt like, so I knew we wouldnt be doing the biggies like ToT and RnRCoaster. We walk around, its a nice sunny day and we wind up in front of the Drew Carey Sounds Dangerous attraction. We go in and sit down and this was cute, although I didnt think it was anything great, DS liked it, he thought it was funny, even though he has no idea who Drew Carey is. I look at our map, and find out where the Indiana Jones Epic is. DS really wants to see this. We get over there and were not sure if we should get FastPasses or not, the next show is at 11:30, but we have PSs at Sci-Fi at 11:45, so we dont get the Fast Passes, but well try to see it after lunch. Its now on to the other side of the park, where the Backlot Tour is. I heard this was a lot of fun and that kids will like it, so we head on over. We all enjoyed this a lot, it was a lot of fun, and it was also neat walking along the New York City street set on the way there, I even automatically walked on the sidewalk, it was so realistic! (Since we go to NYC all the time, its force of habit!) There was a long line to get into the Backlot Tour, but luckily the line starts moving pretty quickly. There were 2 teens behind us, a boy and girl, who ask the CM how you get to be in the tour as a volunteer. The CM asks them if they want to be volunteers and they say Yes! and he says OK theyre in it, and Im wondering, what are they volunteering for? They wound up being in the big warship battle scene that shows how they simulate the explosions and flooding on the movie set. It was pretty good, and they did a good job! The Backlot Tour lasted about ½ hour, and we got to see how they simulated a canyon being flooded and DS really enjoyed this whole part of the tour, I highly recommend it for kids. We got a little wet, but nothing to worry about. I was a bit apprehensive when we were first getting on the tram and saw the seats were all wet!
After the Backlot Tour, we browsed around and bought souvenirs in the gift shop. DH and I got sweatshirts, because a cold front had come through, and it was suddenly kind of chilly outside. Then we headed over to Sci-Fi Dine in for Lunch. We didnt have to wait very long to be seated, and we browsed around the bookstore right next to it, and I got some postcards. Sci-Fi was a great place and DS was totally bowled over by it, he thought it was the coolest thing hed seen at Disney up to that point. We all got burgers and fries and shakes and really enjoyed the B movies on the screen , what a hoot! DS and I were sitting in the front seat and DH was behind us. Our waitress was a lot of fun and she took some pictures of us, they came out really well! Even though it was expensive, we had a lot of fun. It was like another attraction!
After lunch, we were stuffed and we walked past Star Tours. I wasnt sure what this was all about, but we decided to check it out --- NOT something you want to do on a full stomach! This was a really cool ride, like a flight simulator, I only wish I wasnt so full when I went on it, but its pretty cool and you really DO need to wear your seat belt. After this, we head on over to the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. There was a long line, but the CM told us that wed have no problem getting in. Once inside were seated, and its really a huge auditorium, so dont let the long lines throw you, they can fit a lot of people in here. DS totally loves this show, it was pretty entertaining, and if youve seen the 1st Indiana Jones movie, its a lot of fun to see the familiar scenes they redo. I highly recommend this as well. I suspect, though, that the volunteers from the audience, might be staged, does anyone know this for sure?
Once outside, DS is begging us to get him one of the toy guns they have for sale right there, and of course, we had to say no, how would I get one on the plane home? No way! What is it about little boys and guns!! Theyre like moths to a light bulb! Next, we walk around and DH goes on ToT, while DS and I get some sodas and wait. Were getting pretty tired of MGM, and its about 3:00pm and were thinking of heading over to the MK, but all of a sudden the Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade starts and were right at the end of it, so we stick around and watch the parade. The MC, Roman Holiday, was very funny and we really enjoyed seeing all the Disney stars and characters, it was a good time and Im glad we caught it. DS took a lot of pictures with his instant camera. My favorite was, as usual, Mary Poppins with Bert. DS liked Alladin and the Princess best.
I only wish I had known more about MGM before going, since we missed a lot, but next time we go, well stay for Fantasmic and that sort of thing, DS will like it better when hes older.
We soon left and went back to the car and drove back to the Polynesian. We parked in their lot, got our luggage, put it in the trunk and then hopped onto the Monorail and took it to the MK. First thing we do is get our bracelets for E-ride night and I get a brochure to see what rides will be open. Space Mountain is under rehab, and Im delighted to see that Pirates of the Caribbean will be open in its plac, instead. Since its about 4:30pm, we head on over to Tomorrowland Speedway, but the line looks long, so we make our way over to Fantasyland, since this area will be closed for E-night. Im hoping well get on Peter Pans Flight, since we forgot about it the other night. As we arrive the line is huge! There are no more fast passes, and the park closes at 7pm, well never be able to make it on it time. I ask the CM if there is any chance of us getting on before it closes, and he says no, the line is too long. We are crestfallen. But he takes pity on us, after I tell him this is our last night there, so he reached into his pocket and gives us 3 Fast Passes! We were so happy and we got right on! What a nice guy, Ill never forget it! Its a cute little ride, and Im thankful we didnt wait for hours in line, since it was so short! But, at least, we finally got to see what it was all about and experience flying over London!
Just after Peter Pan we are walking past the Sword in the Stone, and Merlin is there and hes just starting the whole Sword in the Stone act. We stop and DS is enraptured by the whole thing! He was so into it, and he really believed it all! When it came time for Merlin to choose someone from the crowd to try and pull the sword out, DS was too shy and didnt want to risk being picked, so he would deliberately stand behind someone else. It was so cute and we all really enjoyed the act! This was one of the highlights of the MK for us. After this we made our way over to Toontown so we can ride Goofys Barnstormer. The line wasnt too long, so we only had about a 10 minute wait. DS was getting nervous as we were getting closer, but once we were on, he was enjoying himself, and the ride was so short you dont even have time to get scared! If he could handle BTMR, he could handle this! DS and I sat together in the front car, and DH was behind us taking pictures. After this, we went over to Tomorrowland Speedway and wait in line, DS really wants to try driving, and I volunteer to ride with him (whats this gonna be like?) Finally its our turn and we get in our car and --- what a ride! Stop and go the whole way, you can imagine what a 7 yr. old drives like! He liked it a lot though. Its starting to get dark now and the fireworks are going to begin shortly, so we make our way over to the castle between the bridge to Tomorrowland and Mickey and Walt, and wait for them to begin. Sure enough, Tinker Bell flies right over our heads, Im clicking away on the camera, trying to get a shot of her, and the fireworks begin in all their glory! It was great to see them close up this time, especially since it was our last night there. Really beautiful, I was such a sucker for that castle. I just couldnt get over how beautiful it was!
After the fireworks, its back to Tomorrowland and we walk right up to Buzz Lightyear and show the CM our bracelets for E-ride night and we get right on! This is a lot of fun. Im seated between DH and DS who are working the controls and I am in charge of spinning the cart. At one point of the ride, while were in this tunnel with dizzying red lights we stop. We wait and wait and wait, and Im starting to feel sick from the lights. Were stuck and since this was our first time on the ride, we didnt know if this was supposed to happen or not! Anyway, I finally wise up and turn our car around so I dont have to look at the red lights and eventually we get going again. DH had a decent score, DS needs to improve some more, LOL. They closed the ride for a while after we left to fix whatever was wrong.
Next stop, Pirates of the Caribbean. Now that it was officially E-ride night, the place was a ghost town. In Adventureland, everything was closed and the only thing open was Pirates, it was very eerie. We get on the ride, and theres no line, we walk right on. Its a little hokey, but fun, until we get stuck near the end! Were waiting and waiting, and I can see the CM who has to make a phone call, I guess to notify someone that there is a problem. There was no one in front of us, so I dont know what happened. Imagine getting stuck on two rides in a row! Eventually we got moving again and we went into the gift shop and I got DS a Pirates sweatshirt, and again, I said no regarding a gun! After this we head on to Frontiertown, which Im glad to see is more lively, since Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain are open. DH wants to go on BTMR again, but we dont, so he goes on alone and we wait and watch everybody getting splashed at Splash Mountain. I had had such a great experience on BTMR before, I wanted to leave it that way and not risk repeating it and have it be a let down, plus there was a line. Eventually DH comes back and we all opt to go on Splash Mountain. I was very wary of this, and it took some convincing to get me to go on. It was late and getting chilly and I didnt look forward to getting cold and wet and then have a 3 hour drive ahead of me! But, I relented and took everybodys sweatshirts and my watch and put them in one of my trusty Ziploc bags that I brought in case and we walked right on, there were no lines at all! We had the whole log to ourselves, and we were in the front seat.
Now, Ive never seen the movie Song of the South so I didnt have the remotest idea of what the story of Brer Rabbit was all about as we floated along, all I knew was, I was dreading that big drop! We managed to avoid getting wet in the beginning, and in fact, just floating along was kind of boring, and then we start going up the incline and Im thinking, Oh no, here it is! and ---- it wasnt! They fool you the first time. THEN we finally get to the Laughing Place I think it is, and down we go. I survived it! And we didnt get too wet! I guess we were lucky, or maybe if there had been more people in our log, we would have. We could have gone again, the CM asked us if we wanted to stay in our log, but I didnt want to tempt fate, so we got out. It was getting late and we still hadnt had anything to eat, so we went over to Pecos Bill,s which was open and had a quick dinner. This was a great place and it really hit the spot. I had a chili dog, DH had the chicken wrap, and DS a kids hot dog. It was so nice, not to eat at a real sit-down restaurant for a change, we had been getting kind of sick of eating, eating, eating (I never in a million years would have guessed that would happen!)
On our way back to Main Street as we pass the Castle Mickey and Minnie are in front and we stop and DS has his picture taken with them. He was getting sadder and sadder as we were getting closer and closer to leaving. I still had to pick up the X-mas Ornament that I had bought two nights earlier that they said would be waiting for me at the pick up place near the entrance to the MK. As were leaving, I finally find the place and no one is there! Its all open, so I walk around the desk, find my bag with my name on it in the closet, which is all open, and sign for it and leave a note and go!
Now its good-bye Disney, and were all a bit more down. We take the monorail back to the Polynesian, and for the first time we get to see the inside of the Contemporary, pretty neat! DS is very sulky and crying, so we let him pick out something in the Polynesian gift shop as a keepsake. He chooses a snow globe with Mickey and Minnie in it. Its sad to leave, but we must. We find our car in the Polys parking lot and say farewell to Disney.
It was a great trip and we cant wait to go back!
Sorry this was so long to read, but I just couldnt leave anything out, thanks for being such good sports and reading it through!
Julie
