MrScubaBHT
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2002
- Messages
- 40
The Big Family Trip to WDW Day 7
Day 7 Thursday, July 11
I dont even know why I bother to put in for a wake up call. Im always up by 6:30 anyway. I take my shower as usual, but my Dad surprises us this morning; hes already gone and got us McDs for Breakfast today. All right Dad! Everyone, or at least 12 of us (minus the 1 family that decided they would do their own thing, whatever ) are ready and waiting for the bus in front of All Star Music by 8:15. Im impressed, my BIL and SIL are usually slow in the morning and we usually have to wait on them or just meet them in the park a little later in the morning. Bus arrives within 5 minutes and were off to MGM Studios for the day.
You might have noticed that so far we havent done any park hopping with our ultimate park hopper passes. We plan on doing this towards the end of our stay, however, Im a firm believer that you need to hit the park at opening and stay until close on your first day in each park. Then start park hopping to re-ride or catch things you missed the first day. To this end I just want to say that my kids have been real troopers (son 8, daughter 10) and theyve been going at it non-stop from day one and not once have they complained that theyre tired or want to be carried or that their feet hurt.
I also might add that one thing that is a little different with my kids and their first trip to WDW vs. my first trip to Disney Land is the level of excitement. I was 10 when we made our first trip to DL in 1973, back when you had to carry tickets (E being the best and most expensive). Well, I was about 2 feet off of the ground from the time we got checked into the Disney Land Hotel until the day we left. I was always pulling on my parents to get them to see this and ride that. To make things even better, my Dad worked for the Education Service Center and the Disney Film Rep and Disney paid for our entire 3-day stay at DL. Including our stay at the Disney Land Hotel, Unlimited Tickets, and even dinner at Walts Private Club inside of Disney Land. A few years later, they paid for our entry and unlimited tickets to MK as well, unfortunately no fee lodging this time (Times have changed and now its getting to the point where you can cant even except a coffee mug from a sales rep). Anyway, my kids are excited, but just not to the level of excitement that I had as a kid. I think the biggest difference is when I was growing up we didnt have a lot of extra money and this was my first trip to a really theme park. So I think the primary difference is that weve been taking our kids to the Six Flags Theme parks in San Antonio and Dallas since they were really young and that has a lot to do with it. The other thing that I have been surprised at (well not really) is my kids havent really been into the Character thing. We bought them the autograph book on our first day, but they are much more interested in doing the rides. To me, this is really a good thing since we dont have to waste precious park time standing in line waiting for our kids to get an autograph and picture. We still managed to get Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and a few other photos and autographs, but we didnt have to wait in a long line to do it either. One thing I was glad for is that they wanted to stay in the park as long as possible and werent whining to go back to the hotel to swim like my Niece and Nephew were towards mid-afternoon each day. My kids are excited and they have been telling me what they want to do and what they want to ride again and were doing the rides they want to see, so all in all Im happy.
Ok, back to MGM . We arrive and get through security in good time once again and head towards TOT and RnR and stop at the rope. Here is where we separate for a little bit. So, my BIL, SIL, son, and myself check the FRS radios and tell them that we will meet back in front Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Play it at 10:00 AM. They are going to catch some of the shows nearby and wont be needing their FPs, so we take everyones UPHopper Passes and head to TOT and RnR as soon as the rope drops. We get 12 FPs for TOT and then jump in line for RnR. We make it all the way into the Sound Studio and watch the clip and then to the room right out side of the boarding area. And then we wait . You guessed it RnR has broken down. We wait about 30 minutes and then a CM comes in and tells us it will be a while and hands out an Anytime FP to return to RnR later. Its about 9:40 now and we are within our return time for TOT and we head on over. But before we do we get 12 FPs for RnR just in case it comes back online by the time we are finished riding TOT. We hand over our first set of FPs and are in the Preview Room in no time at all. After the video is over we see that a little bit of a line has formed in the boiler room and we have about a 10-minute wait. This is an excellent themed ride, the lobby, preview show, boiler room, the elevator motor that keeps shorting out, just a great atmosphere. Anyway, we finally all 4 of us are seated on the back row and experience TOT for the first time. Its great, having never ridden it before you dont know whats going to happen or when you are going to drop. This is now my favorite ride of all time. Glad we have enough FPs to ride it 2 more times back to back . By the time we finish riding TOT for the first time is already 10 and were supposed to meet back with everyone in from of WWTBAM but we only have 20 minutes remaining on our FPs for TOT. So a quick call on the FRS to advise the others to revise our meet time to 10:45, so its back in line for our 2nd ride. This time we position ourselves by the door to the boiler room so we can be ahead of everyone else into the boiler room. We get a different Service Elevator this time but the same back row seat. Now I get to have a little fun since I know when the drops come. When the doors close for the first time I let out a big scream and laugh as everyone in the elevator screams with me, and then laughs when they realize we arent going to drop . Ha, Ha, Ha!!! ROFLOL! The ride experience is still good, but it will never be as good as the first time from here on out since you know what to expect. The drops are a little different, but for the most part the same. Back around to the FP return for the 3rd trip. This time I request the front row, and its granted and were seated in yet the 3rd service elevator. I try the scream again, but this time I think the elevator is filled with TOT veterans as no one fell for it and they all start laughing right away. Darn!
Its 10:50 by now and time to meet up with everyone. We meet everyone in front of WWTBAM and since we are within our return time for RnR we get FPs for everyone. They really werent needed, but the show starts in just 10 minutes and we get to wait inside and watch and answer the questions on the video monitors. When they let us in for the show I ran and tried to get seats on the floor, but just missed out, end up sitting on the 2nd row. The game gets underway and the first FF questions is put the books of the New Testament in the order that they appear from First to Last. This is an easy one. Unfortunately, I didnt know that you had to wait for all of the lights to appear before punching in your answers so I miss out. I actually dont figure this out until about 5 questions later. Ok, now I know how to play and were going to have to come back later and try again. I actually do quite well as far as knowing all of the correct answers and dont miss any, but because I was early on punching in my answers, I never make it to the top 10.
Its time to split up again since we have to go back to RnR before our FP window is over. To my surprise, my wife and daughter decide they want to ride. Who! My wife will sometimes ride, but usually only if I really twist her arm. My daughter on the other hand is really surprising me now. She requested to ride Space Mountain and declared that her favorite ride. This was surprising since she cried the first time she rode a BIG roller coaster and vowed she would never ride one again. After that I always asked if she wanted to ride, but never forced the issue. I think the fact that her little brother isnt afraid to ride the Big Ones has had some influence here. Anyway, Im pleased as punch that she wants to ride and she proudly states that shes riding with Daddy! Way to go girl! So Son rides with mom. RnR is back on line and we are in and seated in our Limo in less than 5 minutes. Daughter loves it and is ready to ride again. Guess what, we have enough FPs for all 6 of us to ride again, and we do.
Time to meet up with everyone again and we head back to the Pizza Planet for Lunch. After we eat I take my son back to the bathroom and there in one of the stalls is a Spider Man Fanny Pack that some kid left behind. I look in the fanny pack and there is a brand new Game Boy Advanced with Game. Oops! Some kid is going to be very unhappy and might be in a little bit of trouble when they discover its missing. So I take it and find a CM working the game room and hand it over to her (unfortunately, there wasnt a name or anything written inside of the fanny pack to identify the owner). The CM gives me a handful of tokens as appreciation for turning it in and I promptly had them over to all of the kids. Dont know if the kid ever got his GBA or not, but I hope he did.
Since were at the back of MGM we do the back-lot tour and a few other things before heading back to the front of the park to catch the Indiana Jones Stunt Show. Somehow were separated from my parents and they get seated about mid way up in the center row and the rest of us get seated in the section just to the left of center and on the 2nd row. Great seats. The show starts and after the initial act they ask for volunteers. I raise my had and yell out a little bit and they call down a few younger looking actors and I decide that its just not going to happen and I put my hand down. Well my SIL tells me, to stand up and try again. So I do, and I get picked! I end up being one of the Laughers and the host asks me to give her a really good Evil Laugh. I let out a really evil one and my mom later tells me that a lady behind her says to her husband that the laugh had to have been electronically enhanced. So my mom turns around and tells them nope, its all him, its all him . HaHaHa! Too funny. Anyway they get us dressed up and we get to make fools out of ourselves, it was a lot of fun and the kids really got a kick out of seeing their dad/uncle up on stage. Priceless video Im sure ..
We decide to head back over and do the Muppets, Star Tours and The Great Movie Ride. The Muppets was a Hoot, Star Tours was so-so, and The Great Movie Ride was really good with the actor/actress interaction.
Its 7:30 now and we decide to head back to grab our seats for Fantasmic. We grab us some food to go and take it into the amphitheater with us. We are seated in the section just to the right of the center section and at the top. There really isnt a bad seat that I can see unless your behind one of the support beams. We eat our dinner and await the show.
From reading everyones posts I was a little disappointed in this show, I was expecting a lot more. It was still very entertaining, but the Illuminations show at Epcot is by far the best of all IMHO.
We have an easy time leaving since were at the top and make it back to the busses ahead of the majority of the crowd and are seated on the bus within 15 minutes. I might add this is the first full day that everyone stayed in the park from opening to close. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that my BIL really is into movie type stuff and was willing to stay the entire day. Hes not a big fan of the Mouse and I think this is one of the reasons they have left the other parks earlier.
I might add that while we were doing TOL and RnR everyone else went to see The Hunchback and Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Things that were missed were Disney On Mans Dream, The Day Parade, Magic Of Disney Animation, and Legend of the Lion King (alternates days with Hunchback), and Sounds Dangerous. We probably could have done more, but we spent the entire morning it seems doing TOT and RnR and that was just fine. Maybe next trip well catch the other things we missed.
This was a great day and I now count this park as my 2nd favorite to MK with TOT and RnR not topping my list of the best all around Rides.
Tomorrow its off to AK.
Day 7 Thursday, July 11
I dont even know why I bother to put in for a wake up call. Im always up by 6:30 anyway. I take my shower as usual, but my Dad surprises us this morning; hes already gone and got us McDs for Breakfast today. All right Dad! Everyone, or at least 12 of us (minus the 1 family that decided they would do their own thing, whatever ) are ready and waiting for the bus in front of All Star Music by 8:15. Im impressed, my BIL and SIL are usually slow in the morning and we usually have to wait on them or just meet them in the park a little later in the morning. Bus arrives within 5 minutes and were off to MGM Studios for the day.
You might have noticed that so far we havent done any park hopping with our ultimate park hopper passes. We plan on doing this towards the end of our stay, however, Im a firm believer that you need to hit the park at opening and stay until close on your first day in each park. Then start park hopping to re-ride or catch things you missed the first day. To this end I just want to say that my kids have been real troopers (son 8, daughter 10) and theyve been going at it non-stop from day one and not once have they complained that theyre tired or want to be carried or that their feet hurt.
I also might add that one thing that is a little different with my kids and their first trip to WDW vs. my first trip to Disney Land is the level of excitement. I was 10 when we made our first trip to DL in 1973, back when you had to carry tickets (E being the best and most expensive). Well, I was about 2 feet off of the ground from the time we got checked into the Disney Land Hotel until the day we left. I was always pulling on my parents to get them to see this and ride that. To make things even better, my Dad worked for the Education Service Center and the Disney Film Rep and Disney paid for our entire 3-day stay at DL. Including our stay at the Disney Land Hotel, Unlimited Tickets, and even dinner at Walts Private Club inside of Disney Land. A few years later, they paid for our entry and unlimited tickets to MK as well, unfortunately no fee lodging this time (Times have changed and now its getting to the point where you can cant even except a coffee mug from a sales rep). Anyway, my kids are excited, but just not to the level of excitement that I had as a kid. I think the biggest difference is when I was growing up we didnt have a lot of extra money and this was my first trip to a really theme park. So I think the primary difference is that weve been taking our kids to the Six Flags Theme parks in San Antonio and Dallas since they were really young and that has a lot to do with it. The other thing that I have been surprised at (well not really) is my kids havent really been into the Character thing. We bought them the autograph book on our first day, but they are much more interested in doing the rides. To me, this is really a good thing since we dont have to waste precious park time standing in line waiting for our kids to get an autograph and picture. We still managed to get Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and a few other photos and autographs, but we didnt have to wait in a long line to do it either. One thing I was glad for is that they wanted to stay in the park as long as possible and werent whining to go back to the hotel to swim like my Niece and Nephew were towards mid-afternoon each day. My kids are excited and they have been telling me what they want to do and what they want to ride again and were doing the rides they want to see, so all in all Im happy.
Ok, back to MGM . We arrive and get through security in good time once again and head towards TOT and RnR and stop at the rope. Here is where we separate for a little bit. So, my BIL, SIL, son, and myself check the FRS radios and tell them that we will meet back in front Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Play it at 10:00 AM. They are going to catch some of the shows nearby and wont be needing their FPs, so we take everyones UPHopper Passes and head to TOT and RnR as soon as the rope drops. We get 12 FPs for TOT and then jump in line for RnR. We make it all the way into the Sound Studio and watch the clip and then to the room right out side of the boarding area. And then we wait . You guessed it RnR has broken down. We wait about 30 minutes and then a CM comes in and tells us it will be a while and hands out an Anytime FP to return to RnR later. Its about 9:40 now and we are within our return time for TOT and we head on over. But before we do we get 12 FPs for RnR just in case it comes back online by the time we are finished riding TOT. We hand over our first set of FPs and are in the Preview Room in no time at all. After the video is over we see that a little bit of a line has formed in the boiler room and we have about a 10-minute wait. This is an excellent themed ride, the lobby, preview show, boiler room, the elevator motor that keeps shorting out, just a great atmosphere. Anyway, we finally all 4 of us are seated on the back row and experience TOT for the first time. Its great, having never ridden it before you dont know whats going to happen or when you are going to drop. This is now my favorite ride of all time. Glad we have enough FPs to ride it 2 more times back to back . By the time we finish riding TOT for the first time is already 10 and were supposed to meet back with everyone in from of WWTBAM but we only have 20 minutes remaining on our FPs for TOT. So a quick call on the FRS to advise the others to revise our meet time to 10:45, so its back in line for our 2nd ride. This time we position ourselves by the door to the boiler room so we can be ahead of everyone else into the boiler room. We get a different Service Elevator this time but the same back row seat. Now I get to have a little fun since I know when the drops come. When the doors close for the first time I let out a big scream and laugh as everyone in the elevator screams with me, and then laughs when they realize we arent going to drop . Ha, Ha, Ha!!! ROFLOL! The ride experience is still good, but it will never be as good as the first time from here on out since you know what to expect. The drops are a little different, but for the most part the same. Back around to the FP return for the 3rd trip. This time I request the front row, and its granted and were seated in yet the 3rd service elevator. I try the scream again, but this time I think the elevator is filled with TOT veterans as no one fell for it and they all start laughing right away. Darn!
Its 10:50 by now and time to meet up with everyone. We meet everyone in front of WWTBAM and since we are within our return time for RnR we get FPs for everyone. They really werent needed, but the show starts in just 10 minutes and we get to wait inside and watch and answer the questions on the video monitors. When they let us in for the show I ran and tried to get seats on the floor, but just missed out, end up sitting on the 2nd row. The game gets underway and the first FF questions is put the books of the New Testament in the order that they appear from First to Last. This is an easy one. Unfortunately, I didnt know that you had to wait for all of the lights to appear before punching in your answers so I miss out. I actually dont figure this out until about 5 questions later. Ok, now I know how to play and were going to have to come back later and try again. I actually do quite well as far as knowing all of the correct answers and dont miss any, but because I was early on punching in my answers, I never make it to the top 10.
Its time to split up again since we have to go back to RnR before our FP window is over. To my surprise, my wife and daughter decide they want to ride. Who! My wife will sometimes ride, but usually only if I really twist her arm. My daughter on the other hand is really surprising me now. She requested to ride Space Mountain and declared that her favorite ride. This was surprising since she cried the first time she rode a BIG roller coaster and vowed she would never ride one again. After that I always asked if she wanted to ride, but never forced the issue. I think the fact that her little brother isnt afraid to ride the Big Ones has had some influence here. Anyway, Im pleased as punch that she wants to ride and she proudly states that shes riding with Daddy! Way to go girl! So Son rides with mom. RnR is back on line and we are in and seated in our Limo in less than 5 minutes. Daughter loves it and is ready to ride again. Guess what, we have enough FPs for all 6 of us to ride again, and we do.
Time to meet up with everyone again and we head back to the Pizza Planet for Lunch. After we eat I take my son back to the bathroom and there in one of the stalls is a Spider Man Fanny Pack that some kid left behind. I look in the fanny pack and there is a brand new Game Boy Advanced with Game. Oops! Some kid is going to be very unhappy and might be in a little bit of trouble when they discover its missing. So I take it and find a CM working the game room and hand it over to her (unfortunately, there wasnt a name or anything written inside of the fanny pack to identify the owner). The CM gives me a handful of tokens as appreciation for turning it in and I promptly had them over to all of the kids. Dont know if the kid ever got his GBA or not, but I hope he did.
Since were at the back of MGM we do the back-lot tour and a few other things before heading back to the front of the park to catch the Indiana Jones Stunt Show. Somehow were separated from my parents and they get seated about mid way up in the center row and the rest of us get seated in the section just to the left of center and on the 2nd row. Great seats. The show starts and after the initial act they ask for volunteers. I raise my had and yell out a little bit and they call down a few younger looking actors and I decide that its just not going to happen and I put my hand down. Well my SIL tells me, to stand up and try again. So I do, and I get picked! I end up being one of the Laughers and the host asks me to give her a really good Evil Laugh. I let out a really evil one and my mom later tells me that a lady behind her says to her husband that the laugh had to have been electronically enhanced. So my mom turns around and tells them nope, its all him, its all him . HaHaHa! Too funny. Anyway they get us dressed up and we get to make fools out of ourselves, it was a lot of fun and the kids really got a kick out of seeing their dad/uncle up on stage. Priceless video Im sure ..
We decide to head back over and do the Muppets, Star Tours and The Great Movie Ride. The Muppets was a Hoot, Star Tours was so-so, and The Great Movie Ride was really good with the actor/actress interaction.
Its 7:30 now and we decide to head back to grab our seats for Fantasmic. We grab us some food to go and take it into the amphitheater with us. We are seated in the section just to the right of the center section and at the top. There really isnt a bad seat that I can see unless your behind one of the support beams. We eat our dinner and await the show.
From reading everyones posts I was a little disappointed in this show, I was expecting a lot more. It was still very entertaining, but the Illuminations show at Epcot is by far the best of all IMHO.
We have an easy time leaving since were at the top and make it back to the busses ahead of the majority of the crowd and are seated on the bus within 15 minutes. I might add this is the first full day that everyone stayed in the park from opening to close. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that my BIL really is into movie type stuff and was willing to stay the entire day. Hes not a big fan of the Mouse and I think this is one of the reasons they have left the other parks earlier.
I might add that while we were doing TOL and RnR everyone else went to see The Hunchback and Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Things that were missed were Disney On Mans Dream, The Day Parade, Magic Of Disney Animation, and Legend of the Lion King (alternates days with Hunchback), and Sounds Dangerous. We probably could have done more, but we spent the entire morning it seems doing TOT and RnR and that was just fine. Maybe next trip well catch the other things we missed.
This was a great day and I now count this park as my 2nd favorite to MK with TOT and RnR not topping my list of the best all around Rides.
Tomorrow its off to AK.
