pennyplanner
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 25, 1999
- Messages
- 1,554
Cast of Characters:
pennyplanner
45
Mom and crazy about Disney
Dad
48 and not so crazy about Disney
kids 10 and 13
We were up bright and early to get to MGM for a full day of touring and Fantasmic to cap it off. We were delighted to see armadillos dotting the roadsides on our bus ride there. That is one animal we don't see up in New England!
We started out in a kind of a long line to get in and through security. This was really the only park where we encountered that.
First stop: The Great Movie Ride
This was a first time visit for us. We lucked out and were instructed by a CM to use both sides of the entrance way. As a result we moved far ahead of some others already waiting. We all enjoyed the old movie previews... over and over again. This is quite a wait, shuffling along to the doorways.
Once inside, we were all quite entertained. Even the corny play acting was lots of fun. We all thought it well worth it.
Next stop:Muppet Vision 3D
This tops one of our Disney favorites. No waiting to speak of, just a short while until the next show time. The pre-game never fails to entertain when you are a big Muppet fan. The antics inside the theater are the same but I love them. Fun, fun, fun and definitely a good early in the day stop. This show fills up quickly as the day wears on.
Our intent was to get right to Castatrophe Canyon. But hey, how could you pass up autographs with Buzz, Woody and Jesse. Toy Story is one of our favorites. Magically they appeared and we were close to first in line.
On the way, we checked out the UK street facade and some street entertainers. More autographs with the Green Army Men.
No waiting for our Backlot Tour. The start was shades of Pearl Harbor and always funny to see those game volunteers drenched with water. I am always glad to be an observer here! We enjoyed the tour as usual. My kids love the old vehicles. I get all sentimental over Walt's plane. And having experienced a mild earthquake in CT, well the canyon experience is just real enough for me to enjoy it.
We exited into the gift shop that really has some interesting movie memorabilia. Off to the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids play area. It was PACKED. Thank goodness my kids are older because you really can't see them all the time unless you shadow them. It makes me nervous to see little kids without parental supervision. It was hot and so crowded that we didn't last long.
By then we were ready for lunch so we threaded our way through the back streets of New York to Pizza Planet. Slow lines but decent pizza and everybody is happy sitting outside and just people watching. We spot Kermit posing for autographs and my husband holds our table and half eaten lunch so we can pose for pictures. I can't resist. I HAVE to have my picture taken with Kermit in his Hawaiian shirt!
We loved Walt Disney: One Man's Dream and wished we had more time to check out all the exhibits before the movie. It helped give my children a sense of Disney history. Afterall my husband and I were fans of Spin and Marty and all the segments on the old Mickey Mouse Club. We grew up with the Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights.
The Magic of Disney Animationwas enjoyable because of the Robin Williams/Walter Cronkite schtic. The whole thing seemed a little long to me this time. It was fascinating to speak with an illustrator and see the artists working on a future movie with bears as the main characters though. One of our children is a gifted artist so it was worth the time.
Disappointing but we can't fit in Millionaire or Beauty and the Beast. Forget Tower and Rockin' Rollercoaster - not our thing!We are game for the parade featuring some great autos and lots of characters. Enjoyable except for the people who insist on squeezing in at the last minute.
Off to Indiana Jones. Our kids in particular love this show but we had a couple of incredibly rude families from New Jersey seated behind us. How do we know? They were talking on their cell phones loudly. They let their kids drip food onto the backs of our seats as they scrambled up and down the row. We were jostled in our seats from behind. I did speak up and nicely asked one of the older children to stop hitting me. Not one parent acknowledged the request.
I had one of those awful moments when I thought, "How will I ever survive WDW until Friday?" I am embarassed to even admit that I was almost at the breaking point and it was only Day 3. Too little sleep and too many people will do that to you. Early flights? Never again. We didn't truly recover until Tuesday.
With Fantasmic being an early show and the only one listed at planning time, we decided to book the Fantasmic Dinner Package at Hollywood and Vine. We are NOT buffet fans so we were all rather skeptical. It was a pleasant surprise - good quality and good selection albeit a little messy. Better suited for the kids who still mostly ate grown-up choices but liked it more than the Brown Derby experience last time. I think the endless dessert choices had something to do with it!!!
Best of all NO WAITING for our seats. Off to the right is just fine for us especially if it means no long lines. And yes, indeed, it was packed.
Fantasmic never fails to impress. It is definitely shades of psychadelics with the water screen images. But couldn't we just turn down the volume please. It must scare the wits out of some kids!
We did fit a little shopping in there during the day. You know, everyone needs Mickey tennis balls and a few more pins. And I did have my new (yeah!) Mickey Mouse fleece sent back to WL for pick-up. All in all it was a full day, long considering we did not break as we usually do after lunch, but we made it.
Happily we grabbed the first bus back but it was a little bit of a wait. We didn't even give a thought to the Osbourne Lights and falling snow. We have lots of both back in New England. We were just too tired to work through another crowd no matter how spectacular the lights are.
Day 3 Highlight: Encountering Kermie in his Hawaiian shirt!
Day 3 Bummer: Those inconsiderate people in the row behind us!!!
pennyplanner
45
Mom and crazy about Disney
Dad
48 and not so crazy about Disney
kids 10 and 13
We were up bright and early to get to MGM for a full day of touring and Fantasmic to cap it off. We were delighted to see armadillos dotting the roadsides on our bus ride there. That is one animal we don't see up in New England!
We started out in a kind of a long line to get in and through security. This was really the only park where we encountered that.
First stop: The Great Movie Ride
This was a first time visit for us. We lucked out and were instructed by a CM to use both sides of the entrance way. As a result we moved far ahead of some others already waiting. We all enjoyed the old movie previews... over and over again. This is quite a wait, shuffling along to the doorways.
Once inside, we were all quite entertained. Even the corny play acting was lots of fun. We all thought it well worth it.
Next stop:Muppet Vision 3D
This tops one of our Disney favorites. No waiting to speak of, just a short while until the next show time. The pre-game never fails to entertain when you are a big Muppet fan. The antics inside the theater are the same but I love them. Fun, fun, fun and definitely a good early in the day stop. This show fills up quickly as the day wears on.
Our intent was to get right to Castatrophe Canyon. But hey, how could you pass up autographs with Buzz, Woody and Jesse. Toy Story is one of our favorites. Magically they appeared and we were close to first in line.
On the way, we checked out the UK street facade and some street entertainers. More autographs with the Green Army Men.
No waiting for our Backlot Tour. The start was shades of Pearl Harbor and always funny to see those game volunteers drenched with water. I am always glad to be an observer here! We enjoyed the tour as usual. My kids love the old vehicles. I get all sentimental over Walt's plane. And having experienced a mild earthquake in CT, well the canyon experience is just real enough for me to enjoy it.
We exited into the gift shop that really has some interesting movie memorabilia. Off to the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids play area. It was PACKED. Thank goodness my kids are older because you really can't see them all the time unless you shadow them. It makes me nervous to see little kids without parental supervision. It was hot and so crowded that we didn't last long.
By then we were ready for lunch so we threaded our way through the back streets of New York to Pizza Planet. Slow lines but decent pizza and everybody is happy sitting outside and just people watching. We spot Kermit posing for autographs and my husband holds our table and half eaten lunch so we can pose for pictures. I can't resist. I HAVE to have my picture taken with Kermit in his Hawaiian shirt!
We loved Walt Disney: One Man's Dream and wished we had more time to check out all the exhibits before the movie. It helped give my children a sense of Disney history. Afterall my husband and I were fans of Spin and Marty and all the segments on the old Mickey Mouse Club. We grew up with the Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights.
The Magic of Disney Animationwas enjoyable because of the Robin Williams/Walter Cronkite schtic. The whole thing seemed a little long to me this time. It was fascinating to speak with an illustrator and see the artists working on a future movie with bears as the main characters though. One of our children is a gifted artist so it was worth the time.
Disappointing but we can't fit in Millionaire or Beauty and the Beast. Forget Tower and Rockin' Rollercoaster - not our thing!We are game for the parade featuring some great autos and lots of characters. Enjoyable except for the people who insist on squeezing in at the last minute.
Off to Indiana Jones. Our kids in particular love this show but we had a couple of incredibly rude families from New Jersey seated behind us. How do we know? They were talking on their cell phones loudly. They let their kids drip food onto the backs of our seats as they scrambled up and down the row. We were jostled in our seats from behind. I did speak up and nicely asked one of the older children to stop hitting me. Not one parent acknowledged the request.
I had one of those awful moments when I thought, "How will I ever survive WDW until Friday?" I am embarassed to even admit that I was almost at the breaking point and it was only Day 3. Too little sleep and too many people will do that to you. Early flights? Never again. We didn't truly recover until Tuesday.
With Fantasmic being an early show and the only one listed at planning time, we decided to book the Fantasmic Dinner Package at Hollywood and Vine. We are NOT buffet fans so we were all rather skeptical. It was a pleasant surprise - good quality and good selection albeit a little messy. Better suited for the kids who still mostly ate grown-up choices but liked it more than the Brown Derby experience last time. I think the endless dessert choices had something to do with it!!!
Best of all NO WAITING for our seats. Off to the right is just fine for us especially if it means no long lines. And yes, indeed, it was packed.
Fantasmic never fails to impress. It is definitely shades of psychadelics with the water screen images. But couldn't we just turn down the volume please. It must scare the wits out of some kids!
We did fit a little shopping in there during the day. You know, everyone needs Mickey tennis balls and a few more pins. And I did have my new (yeah!) Mickey Mouse fleece sent back to WL for pick-up. All in all it was a full day, long considering we did not break as we usually do after lunch, but we made it.
Happily we grabbed the first bus back but it was a little bit of a wait. We didn't even give a thought to the Osbourne Lights and falling snow. We have lots of both back in New England. We were just too tired to work through another crowd no matter how spectacular the lights are.
Day 3 Highlight: Encountering Kermie in his Hawaiian shirt!
Day 3 Bummer: Those inconsiderate people in the row behind us!!!
