Ride the Mountains at MK 10/13/02

[BarryHom]

I visit Walt Disney World on a semi-regular basis and sometimes visiting can get tedious. Sometimes I can fall into a pattern of going to the rides in the same route because that has always worked. It may be good for guests who come to the park yearly or even once in a lifetime to do this, but for a regular, it can get boring. I try to think of new things to do to make a return visit fun. Here’s one of them. Today, I was going to ride the mountains at the Magic Kingdom – Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. This was also going to be a meet at DIS Con, so today would be a test.

I arrived late at the Magic Kingdom. After staying late at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights the night before, I was tired and didn’t get into the park until 11:00 am. Because I was going to walk a lot today, I decided to take the train from Main Street, U.S.A. to Mickey’s Toontown Fair. It was a 5-minute ride.

I headed to Space Mountain and the wait was 45 minutes. I got a Fast Pass and my return time was 12:20 pm to 1:20 pm. I walked through Fantasyland to see if there was any rides with short waits that I could do while waiting for a Fast Pass. I was looking in the wrong place. Even It’s a Small World had a 20 minute wait. That’s too long to wait for abuse from singing dolls.

I headed to Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to check out the times. Splash Mountain had a 30-minute wait and Big Thunder had a 35-minute wait. Splash Mountain lasts about 10 minutes and Big Thunder lasts about 5 minutes. So I would be in the either ride for a total of 40 minutes. It was even money to me. I chose to ride Big Thunder Mountain first.

The Big Thunder line moved swiftly. It was moving nearly the entire time. The actual wait ended up being about 20 minutes. The ride was pretty smooth, like I remember it. At one point, I saw the other train pass us by. I never knew that this was a dueling coaster!

One mountain conquered…

I had about 25 minutes until my Fast Pass time opened, so I looked for something to ride in the meantime. I headed over to Pirates of the Caribbean because that usually has a short ride. I headed to the entrance and the left and right hand sides were open. The line on the right hand side was nearly to the front door. The left hand side was deserted. There was no Cast Member out front directing people. I decided to go down the left hand side. I figured that if it was closed, a Cast Member down the ramp would shoo me back and I’d just visit something else.

I walked through the empty queue and walked right onto a boat! I didn’t even have to wait a minute! The other queue was just wall-to-wall people! I would have liked to have heard some of the comments of the guests in the other line. “How did he get so far up?” “How come we waited 45 minutes and he didn’t even have to wait?” Pirates of the Caribbean is always a good ride. It’s a relaxing ride and it was some cool AC!

I could use my Space Mountain Fast Pass in 10 minutes. I almost rode something else, but by the time I got a Fast Pass for Splash Mountain and headed back, it would be my time to ride. I got a Splash Mountain Fast Pass and my return window was 1:50 to 2:50 pm. Splash Mountain’s regular wait was 45 minutes.

I headed to Space Mountain to use my Fast Pass. It’s a Small World still had a 20-minute wait. I rarely look at Winnie the Pooh because the wait is almost always over 60 minutes. I took a peek anyway and it was 65 minutes.

I used my Fast Pass at Space Mountain. Space Mountain seemed a lot smoother than I remember in past rides. Plus, it was darker and a lot faster! I think this was one of my best Space Mountain rides ever.

Two mountains conquered…

I had about an hour until I could use my Splash Mountain Fast Pass. I took a ride on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. This is my favorite ride to relax on. You get to sit on your butt for 10 minutes! Too bad Space Mountain was running. When Space Mountain is down, I usually ride the Tomorrowland Transit Authority to see Space Mountain with the lights on. One unusual thing I saw here was with the Cast Member. The Cast Member at the end of the ride was reading a Universal Studios brochure! I wondered if he thought, “Man, the rides over there are so much cooler than Disney’s!” I thought that his supervisor would appear and take the brochure from his hands!

I then headed over to Splash Mountain to see what I could do while waiting for a Fast Pass. I decided to see the Country Bear Jamboree. I hadn’t seen it in a long time. The Cast Members at the Country Bear Jamboree seem to have a lot of fun. One was making funny comments to the guests as they entered. I remember one time a dad was carrying his son on his shoulders. The Cast Member said to the son, “What’s wrong with your feet? Don’t you know your daddy is on vacation too?” The seats seem a lot more comfortable than I remember. This is another attraction to relax in. You can’t beat the cool AC either!

Now it was time to use my Splash Mountain Fast Pass. I got to sit in the front seat. I thought that I would get soaked, but I didn’t get really wet. Yes, I did get wet, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Too bad I couldn’t buy my photo. My screen was blanked out! Hey, I didn’t flash anyone!

Three mountains conquered!

I had met my objective. It was time to leave the park. I took the train back to the front gate and headed home.

 

[nativetxn]

What fun, Barry! I love TTA for the same reason, very relaxing

Sounds you enjoyed conquering the mountains

 

[Marla Hellwig]

Thanks for the research Barry - and for posting - see you real soon!

 

[Mxman819]

So your meaning to tell me that you spend 50$ to ride 5 rides, 1 show, and 2 train rides. Are u a castmember or did you just get a huge raise form your boss. You rode

1. train ride to mickeys toontown fair
2.Big Thunder Mountain
3. Pirates of the Caribean
4.Space Mountain
5. Tomorow Land Transit Authority
6. Country Bear Jambory
7.Slash Mountain
8. Train Ride back to gate

What a waste of time and money

 

[Barb]

No, Barry is a Florida resident and I'm sure he has a resident AP. I don't think he'd consider it a waste of time or money.

 

[luvdsny]

Sounds like fun to me! I'm sure we'll be doing more of the same soon at DIS-Con.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Nice, Barry. I am in the mood.

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by Barry Hom
The Big Thunder line moved swiftly. It was moving nearly the entire time. The actual wait ended up being about 20 minutes. The ride was pretty smooth, like I remember it. At one point, I saw the other train pass us by. I never knew that this was a dueling coaster!

<P>
Big Thunder is not a "dueling coaster." There is only one track, so another train couldn't actually pass you. What you saw was a train that had either left the station just before or after yours. There can be 2 trains running at the same time. When we were there 2 weeks ago, they were only running one train since the crowds were light. But what they've done in the past is have the trains alternate sides in the station. In other words, the train that leaves from the right side returns to the left side and vice-versa. I assume they still do it this way. There is a switch at the end of the ride just before entering the station.
<P>
Steve

 

[BarryHom]

Originally posted by Mxman819
So your meaning to tell me that you spend 50$ to ride 5 rides, 1 show, and 2 train rides. Are u a castmember or did you just get a huge raise form your boss. You rode

1. train ride to mickeys toontown fair
2.Big Thunder Mountain
3. Pirates of the Caribean
4.Space Mountain
5. Tomorow Land Transit Authority
6. Country Bear Jambory
7.Slash Mountain
8. Train Ride back to gate

What a waste of time and money

Actually, I have a Florida resident AP.

 

[BarryHom]

Originally posted by disneysteve
<P>
Big Thunder is not a "dueling coaster." There is only one track, so another train couldn't actually pass you. What you saw was a train that had either left the station just before or after yours. There can be 2 trains running at the same time. When we were there 2 weeks ago, they were only running one train since the crowds were light. But what they've done in the past is have the trains alternate sides in the station. In other words, the train that leaves from the right side returns to the left side and vice-versa. I assume they still do it this way. There is a switch at the end of the ride just before entering the station.
<P>
Steve

Actually, it was a joke. Sorry it did not come out very clear. Anyway, they were running both sides that day, which I don't think I've seen before.