manchurianbrownbear
<font color=green>Not very concise<br><font color=
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2002
- Messages
- 1,160
Here are several highlights, very few lowlights and some general observations from our recent trip to WDW, October 30 November 6.
Our party consisted of me DW, DS12, DS8, DD7, DD4, FIL, MIL and on the last day of the trip, BIL, SIL and niece, age 2.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3
We woke up a little before 7am and I decided not to go outside our neighbors room and talk really loud! Skies looked a little dark and it was warm and humid again as we waited for the bus. By the time we arrived at MGM/Disney Studios a few minutes before rope drop, the sun was out. We had time to get our stroller and line-up to be among the first in the park. Like 90% of the people in line, we headed to the first right turn and hurried down to TOT & RRC. I really like having two popular attractions next each other (same thing with M:S and TT in Epcot) because you can get a FP for one (TOT in this case) and then hurry over to the other (RRC) before the lines get too long.
We only had to wait about five minutes to get on RRC. My DS8 was the only one my kids brave enough to ride, so most of our party waited for FIL, DW, DS8 and me to ride. Fortunately for them, this ride is FAST!
Next DSs and MIL/FIL and I rode The Great Movie Ride while DW took DDs to Playhouse Disney. Mickeys Sorcerer Hat was not here when during our last trip in 2000. Its a nice centerpiece, but I missed the view of Manns Chinse Theatre. I guess its a fair trade!
We enjoyed GMR, but I learned that the CMs that accompany you really make a big difference. The last time I rode we were really impressed by the CMs. This time they were just OK, but the rest of the ride still makes it worth experiencing.
Our kids got their first autographs, from Minnie Mouse, when we all met up after Playhouse Disney and GMR.
We headed back to TOT to use our FPs. DD4 wasnt riding so we did child swap. Only one of the two elevators was running, so even using FP, it took about a half hour to go through the line and ride. So doing child swap, we spent an hour at TOT. Even with a long wait, this is still a cant miss attraction. And, with the child swap pass, three people in our party were able to ride twice in the hour we were there!
I took everyones park hoppers and went to get FPs for Little Mermaid show while everyone else went to Mama Melroses for lunch. I found that the Little Mermaid FP return time was only a few minutes from the time I was there and would have expired by the time our lunch was over , so I picked up Star Tours instead. Then, I made a bonehead mistake, misreading my map. I found that Mama Melrose was letter D (if I remember correctly), but I didnt notice that there are different color letters on the map. So, I headed up toward the front of the park and wandered around for a few minutes before asking for directions and a CM straightened me out!
Our family all ordered pizza, which was very good and a pretty affordable lunch for a family of six!
In the afternoon, we used our Star Tours FP, did the Back Lot Tour and then the men and women split up. Women went to Little Mermaid show and men went to a making of the Haunted Mansion movie presentation. DSs are big Haunted Mansion fans, so this show was great.
After the HM show, the men headed over to the Beauty & the Beast show to save spots for the women. We were able to watch a minute of two of the parade on our way. The theatre was probably already half full by the time we got there; 15 or 20 minutes before the start of the show. Im very reluctant to save seats. It kind of annoys me when someone tries to save 20 feet of curb space for a group of people, but I was able able to rationalize this because each of us were only saving one spot. If you got squeezed out of the 4:30 Beauty and the Beast show on 11/3, please forgive me! The ladies finally made it a buot five minutes before the show started. Even the boys enjoy this show, so I can recommend it for anyone!
When we left, we were disappointed to find that someone had taken our stroller. We were given a replacement with no questions asked, but it was an inconvience to have to walk all the way to front of the park to get another one. Word to the wise, never leave anything you care about in your stroller. We saw a lot of people that did!
The kids got to play in the Bugs Life play area for a few minutes before we headed over toward Fantasmic for supper. The Bugs Life play area is great; why didnt they have anything like that when I was a kid?!?! If you have more than a couple kids, let me warn you that it can take a LONG time to retrieve several kids!
We took supper on the run from Rosies All-American Café (just burgers, chicken strips, etc ) and got a place in the Fantasmic theatre. We were there over an hour early, but we got a great seat, three quarters of the way up and right in the middle! DW had packed some activities in the kids fanny packs, so after eating they had something to keep them occupied while we waited. Mandatory trips to the restroom were made about fifteen minutes before the start of the show!
On our last trip, DS8, who was 5 years old at the time, got sick about half way through our day at MGM, so I spent the rest of that day back in the room with him, and we missed Fantasmic. So I guess wed been waiting three years for this show! And, it didnt disappoint. It has a little of everything, music, lots of characters, snippets of familiar Disney stories and the Fantasmic storyline. Oh, and then there are some special effects too! Fire, Water, Pyrotechnics of all kinds! Thats ending the day with a bang! Literally.
Our party consisted of me DW, DS12, DS8, DD7, DD4, FIL, MIL and on the last day of the trip, BIL, SIL and niece, age 2.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3
We woke up a little before 7am and I decided not to go outside our neighbors room and talk really loud! Skies looked a little dark and it was warm and humid again as we waited for the bus. By the time we arrived at MGM/Disney Studios a few minutes before rope drop, the sun was out. We had time to get our stroller and line-up to be among the first in the park. Like 90% of the people in line, we headed to the first right turn and hurried down to TOT & RRC. I really like having two popular attractions next each other (same thing with M:S and TT in Epcot) because you can get a FP for one (TOT in this case) and then hurry over to the other (RRC) before the lines get too long.
We only had to wait about five minutes to get on RRC. My DS8 was the only one my kids brave enough to ride, so most of our party waited for FIL, DW, DS8 and me to ride. Fortunately for them, this ride is FAST!
Next DSs and MIL/FIL and I rode The Great Movie Ride while DW took DDs to Playhouse Disney. Mickeys Sorcerer Hat was not here when during our last trip in 2000. Its a nice centerpiece, but I missed the view of Manns Chinse Theatre. I guess its a fair trade!
We enjoyed GMR, but I learned that the CMs that accompany you really make a big difference. The last time I rode we were really impressed by the CMs. This time they were just OK, but the rest of the ride still makes it worth experiencing.
Our kids got their first autographs, from Minnie Mouse, when we all met up after Playhouse Disney and GMR.
We headed back to TOT to use our FPs. DD4 wasnt riding so we did child swap. Only one of the two elevators was running, so even using FP, it took about a half hour to go through the line and ride. So doing child swap, we spent an hour at TOT. Even with a long wait, this is still a cant miss attraction. And, with the child swap pass, three people in our party were able to ride twice in the hour we were there!
I took everyones park hoppers and went to get FPs for Little Mermaid show while everyone else went to Mama Melroses for lunch. I found that the Little Mermaid FP return time was only a few minutes from the time I was there and would have expired by the time our lunch was over , so I picked up Star Tours instead. Then, I made a bonehead mistake, misreading my map. I found that Mama Melrose was letter D (if I remember correctly), but I didnt notice that there are different color letters on the map. So, I headed up toward the front of the park and wandered around for a few minutes before asking for directions and a CM straightened me out!
Our family all ordered pizza, which was very good and a pretty affordable lunch for a family of six!
In the afternoon, we used our Star Tours FP, did the Back Lot Tour and then the men and women split up. Women went to Little Mermaid show and men went to a making of the Haunted Mansion movie presentation. DSs are big Haunted Mansion fans, so this show was great.
After the HM show, the men headed over to the Beauty & the Beast show to save spots for the women. We were able to watch a minute of two of the parade on our way. The theatre was probably already half full by the time we got there; 15 or 20 minutes before the start of the show. Im very reluctant to save seats. It kind of annoys me when someone tries to save 20 feet of curb space for a group of people, but I was able able to rationalize this because each of us were only saving one spot. If you got squeezed out of the 4:30 Beauty and the Beast show on 11/3, please forgive me! The ladies finally made it a buot five minutes before the show started. Even the boys enjoy this show, so I can recommend it for anyone!
When we left, we were disappointed to find that someone had taken our stroller. We were given a replacement with no questions asked, but it was an inconvience to have to walk all the way to front of the park to get another one. Word to the wise, never leave anything you care about in your stroller. We saw a lot of people that did!
The kids got to play in the Bugs Life play area for a few minutes before we headed over toward Fantasmic for supper. The Bugs Life play area is great; why didnt they have anything like that when I was a kid?!?! If you have more than a couple kids, let me warn you that it can take a LONG time to retrieve several kids!
We took supper on the run from Rosies All-American Café (just burgers, chicken strips, etc ) and got a place in the Fantasmic theatre. We were there over an hour early, but we got a great seat, three quarters of the way up and right in the middle! DW had packed some activities in the kids fanny packs, so after eating they had something to keep them occupied while we waited. Mandatory trips to the restroom were made about fifteen minutes before the start of the show!
On our last trip, DS8, who was 5 years old at the time, got sick about half way through our day at MGM, so I spent the rest of that day back in the room with him, and we missed Fantasmic. So I guess wed been waiting three years for this show! And, it didnt disappoint. It has a little of everything, music, lots of characters, snippets of familiar Disney stories and the Fantasmic storyline. Oh, and then there are some special effects too! Fire, Water, Pyrotechnics of all kinds! Thats ending the day with a bang! Literally.
