therealgoofy
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 26, 2003
- Messages
- 168
Two Texans and a Mouse
Day 1, 9/22
Dates: 9/22-9/29 Austin, TX to WDW
Coronado Springs Resort
Cast Members:
Chris ambitious planner, twenty-something (ok, 29, but that still counts)
Jill (girlfriend) recent college grad that has no idea whats in store for her. Newbie to everything WDW/Universal
We were up pretty early today after getting a great night sleep. I forced Jill to set out her clothes and take a shower at night so that she could be out of the room more quickly in the mornings. She thanked me later. Wait that was me patting myself on my own back. I make Einstein look like Forest Gump when it comes to planning.
Today was our MGM day. The weather would cooperate but it is so humid in Florida even at this time of the year. Im from Houston originally and that is a humid city, however Orlando seems more humid. Maybe Im just a big baby. Either way, it wasnt a big deal, but it was noticeable.
We had breakfast over at the Pepper Market which I must say is a very cool place to eat. Its pretty freakin expensive for breakfast but good. No matter what we ate during the week for breakfast it was always $20. Today I had a huge platter with eggs, bacon and biscuits. That was the last time I did that, because I was felt disgusting the rest of the morning. Jill was good and had something light.
We snapped a Picture from El Centro and then headed out to the bus stop. We probably only waited for 10 minutes, but it seemed like longer. If I would have realized how close MGM was to Coronado, I would have crawled over there. This was an EE day and you could tell by the people at the gate. We got there after 9, but there were still a lot of people waiting. <b>TEXAN TIP #7 During the slow season, I would not do the Early Entry days at the parks because they seemed to be a lot busier than those that werent. MGM was clearly busier than other parks that week. </b>
We took a pic and then headed straight for the Tower of Terror and waited for about 10 minutes. There is no way to explain to someone how cool this ride is. If you were to just tell them that its an elevator that goes astray, it wouldnt do it justice. I knew it had been a favorite years ago, but forgot how insanely good the theming was. The new drop sequences were awesome! Just talking about it makes me want to go back!
We walked over to Rock n Roller Coaster but it was closed and they said it may be open later, so we decided to grab a FP for ToT for around noon. We then strolled over to the Movie Ride but the line was way too long. The Little Mermaid had about a 30 minute wait too. I was beginning to get flustered when we stopped into the One Mans Dream showcase. This was really cool and I thought it was setup nicely. We then walked over to the backstage tour where all the Lemmings were lined up in the front row so we went back. The CM said that there was about a 15 minute wait but there were too many booger kids running around and we didnt feel like waiting. So, we jumped out of line.
Booger kids are kids are ones that run around freely and cause all kinds of trouble. They usually have snot running from their noses and wear cloth diapers with no pants even though they look old enough to use the restroom by themselves. They are basically a menace to society. My buddy and I coined the term booger kid in college and it just stuck. Booger doesnt always have to be referenced to kids either. There is booger food, booger rides, etc. For example, Its a Small World is definitely a booger ride. There are plenty of parents beating their kids in line, and the ride is just LAME. Its has booger written all over it. Now I know you die hards probably want to kill me write now, but I'll get to that ride later.
On our way out we stopped by Flick to take a picture. This is what happens when you let a stranger take your camera. Cruddy pics that are too far away and not centered. I should have viewed it right there on my camera, but I didn't want to insult the guy. It's kind of like when someone uses that pen to check if your $20 bill is fake or not or is that just me?
We walked over to the Muppets 3D and really liked that show. Pic As we walked back toward the the Great Movie Ride I was contemplating drowning myself in the pond because here we were almost 3 hours into our day and we had only done 2 or 3 things. I was just like the rest of the Lemmings who had no clue. No plan. No mission. I vowed to Jill that this foolishness would seize immediately. We needed to get with the program!
After waiting what seemed like an eternity for the Great Movie Ride, we were back on track. WE WERE IN THE ZONE. Our FP for ToT was up in 5 minutes and we had to haul butt to get over there. I stopped off at the RnRC to grab a FP and claimed that WE ARE BACK IN THE ZONE AND CANT BE STOPPED. We did the ToT again with zero minutes to spare on our FP and had a completely different drop sequence. I could ride that 50 times in a row!
We then swung over to the RnRC where we bypassed the lemmings and were let directly into the Studio lobby. The queue to this ride is great. I loved the old recording gear that you can look at as you wait. Studio C opened up and we were let in.
If you remember yesterday, I told you that Jill thought the POTC had real people in it. Today, she tells me that at first she thought the Aerosmith guys were really in the studio. I rightly ridiculed her about Disney hiring Aerosmith year round. I told her that it was their side job. She didnt think that was funny, but I laughed and thats all that matters in this story. We left the studio to go to the back alley and I was floored at how cool the super-stretch limos were. They even made a squealing sound as they pulled up. The ride was amazing and I didnt even realize that we had gone upside-down that many times, because I was too busy trying to read all the signs. That ride is soooo smooth.
From there we decided to hit the Brown Derby for lunch. We had a 1:00 PS, but there was no wait when we got there early. We both ordered the Cobb Salad and each had a beer I was expecting a bit more from the Cobb salad. Dont get me wrong, it was good, but the lettuce is FINELY chopped and I didnt care for the texture. You may be thinking Im crazy, but it really did kind of ruin the salad for me. I like salad and I'm man enough to eat one, but this one reminded me of rabbit food.
We were charged up and refreshed and headed over to the Little Mermaid for our 1:10 FP. That show was packed but we enjoyed it. The A/C was on full blast and when that water hit you, I was COLD.
After the LM we went over to Millionaire where I claimed that I was going to get in the hot seat. The show started and out came the guy from the planning video. He was just as goofy in real life too, but he did a good job. Neither Jill or I made the top 10 but Im guessing that I was number 11 by the way that I was playing .
This was a lot of fun and highly suggested.
We went back over to the Backlot tour and again went to the top row while the Lemmings stayed in front and all got wet. Serves them right. The CM who did the water show was awful. I dont think I could understand one word she said as she had probably done the show 8000 times and just didnt care anymore. The backlot tour is pretty damn weak. I mean, when the highlight is the ship from the Flight of the Navigator cmon. We also saw Walt Disney's plane We decided that was 30 minutes of our lives that we could NEVER have back. I thought about going back through the line just so I could heckle the disgruntled CM, but we had other things to do.
Next stop was Star Tours which we both liked. I would like a broken pogo stick as long as it said Star Wars on it though. Heres a pic from outside.
We then walked right into Drew Careys Sound Stage where I took a nap for the 11 minutes that are in the complete dark. We explored the sound booths outside the attraction once it was over.
The parade was about to start at this time and we looked at each other and decided that there was no way we were going back to the hotel this early. We didnt want to stick around for the parade, so we made our way to Epcot, which was not on our itinerary. This is the point our trip that I let my emotions get the best of me. All of my planning was basically thrown in the lake.
We took a bus over to Epcot enjoyed the A/C. The first thing that we noticed was that Epcot wasnt near as busy as MGM was. We walked in the front gate and took an obligatory picture
Spaceship Earth had no wait so we jumped on. The entire ride I kept thinking that there is no way in hell that I would ride that thing with an empty park at night. Those animatronics creep me out! This is a great ride but if the rumors are true about a thrill ride replacing it, then I would help dismantle the current one.
Grabbed a FP for Test Track and headed to (drumroll) Mission:Space! I had some expectations about this ride, but no expectation was great enough. We were stuck in queue for about 20 minutes because there were technical difficulties (read as, someone puked) I cant really say that someone puked, but that was what I was telling everyone in line. The queue is awesome, the pre-show is awesome, the pre-board was awesome and the ride was INCREDIBLE. Im tall and felt fine in the capsule, but its pretty damn confined. The blast off was amazing. I couldnt believe how real it felt. I wont spoil it, but its a must do for everyone. I never got dizzy, but could definitely feel the pressure. Of course I looked to the side, just because they said not to and it was like turning your head to the side on the Gravitron at any local fair. You could feel that you were spinning, but only if you turned your head. The beauty of it is that the pressure/spinning only comes in spurts. It doesnt last the entire ride. We got off and I claimed that the imagineers are complete geniuses. Up until this point, it was the best theme park experience ever. Later in the week I would change my mind. We passed up the games at the end because we knew that we had an entire day dedicated to Epcot later in the week.
We booked it over to Test Track and passed all the Lemmings. The queue for TT was incredible too. Our car broke down for a bit while we were on it, but all in all this ride wasnt as good as I thought it was going to be. I didnt like how they told you in the pre-show the exact tests that you were going to be performing. When I was on the ride I kept checking them off in my head and realizing that it was coming to an end. The element of surprise was kind of taken away for me. Its definitely worth checking out though. I think kids would like this one too.
For dinner we headed over to the Rose and Crown. After a long day at the park a beer sounded wonderful. The pub itself looked pretty busy and a lot of fun, but the restaurant was pretty dead. We had a table with a view of the water, ordered a couple of beers and had a fruit and cheese plate to start off. I had the Steak and Shrimp and Jill had some sort of fish (cant remember). They came with mashed potatoes that looked like they had been put in a blender, left on for 10 minutes, and then squirted out through one of those cake decorating bags. Im from Texas. Wheres are the skins?! Where are the chunks of potato?! The steak was ehhh. We decided at the end of our trip that wish we would have gone somewhere else for dinner that night. I wouldnt recommend it. I was going to opt for the fish and chips, but the fries looked like they came out of an frozen bag. Anyway, we were full very full.
Back at the Resort we laid in the hammock and discussed how we should both quit our careers and work for Disney full-time. We were kidding at the time, but it doesnt seem like such a bad idea after coming back to the real world! We had been out of the house for a full 12 hours and needed our sleep.
Tomorrow is Animal Kingdom and Scuba diving at the Living Seas.
Day 1, 9/22
Dates: 9/22-9/29 Austin, TX to WDW
Coronado Springs Resort
Cast Members:
Chris ambitious planner, twenty-something (ok, 29, but that still counts)
Jill (girlfriend) recent college grad that has no idea whats in store for her. Newbie to everything WDW/Universal
We were up pretty early today after getting a great night sleep. I forced Jill to set out her clothes and take a shower at night so that she could be out of the room more quickly in the mornings. She thanked me later. Wait that was me patting myself on my own back. I make Einstein look like Forest Gump when it comes to planning.
Today was our MGM day. The weather would cooperate but it is so humid in Florida even at this time of the year. Im from Houston originally and that is a humid city, however Orlando seems more humid. Maybe Im just a big baby. Either way, it wasnt a big deal, but it was noticeable.
We had breakfast over at the Pepper Market which I must say is a very cool place to eat. Its pretty freakin expensive for breakfast but good. No matter what we ate during the week for breakfast it was always $20. Today I had a huge platter with eggs, bacon and biscuits. That was the last time I did that, because I was felt disgusting the rest of the morning. Jill was good and had something light.
We snapped a Picture from El Centro and then headed out to the bus stop. We probably only waited for 10 minutes, but it seemed like longer. If I would have realized how close MGM was to Coronado, I would have crawled over there. This was an EE day and you could tell by the people at the gate. We got there after 9, but there were still a lot of people waiting. <b>TEXAN TIP #7 During the slow season, I would not do the Early Entry days at the parks because they seemed to be a lot busier than those that werent. MGM was clearly busier than other parks that week. </b>
We took a pic and then headed straight for the Tower of Terror and waited for about 10 minutes. There is no way to explain to someone how cool this ride is. If you were to just tell them that its an elevator that goes astray, it wouldnt do it justice. I knew it had been a favorite years ago, but forgot how insanely good the theming was. The new drop sequences were awesome! Just talking about it makes me want to go back!
We walked over to Rock n Roller Coaster but it was closed and they said it may be open later, so we decided to grab a FP for ToT for around noon. We then strolled over to the Movie Ride but the line was way too long. The Little Mermaid had about a 30 minute wait too. I was beginning to get flustered when we stopped into the One Mans Dream showcase. This was really cool and I thought it was setup nicely. We then walked over to the backstage tour where all the Lemmings were lined up in the front row so we went back. The CM said that there was about a 15 minute wait but there were too many booger kids running around and we didnt feel like waiting. So, we jumped out of line.
Booger kids are kids are ones that run around freely and cause all kinds of trouble. They usually have snot running from their noses and wear cloth diapers with no pants even though they look old enough to use the restroom by themselves. They are basically a menace to society. My buddy and I coined the term booger kid in college and it just stuck. Booger doesnt always have to be referenced to kids either. There is booger food, booger rides, etc. For example, Its a Small World is definitely a booger ride. There are plenty of parents beating their kids in line, and the ride is just LAME. Its has booger written all over it. Now I know you die hards probably want to kill me write now, but I'll get to that ride later.
On our way out we stopped by Flick to take a picture. This is what happens when you let a stranger take your camera. Cruddy pics that are too far away and not centered. I should have viewed it right there on my camera, but I didn't want to insult the guy. It's kind of like when someone uses that pen to check if your $20 bill is fake or not or is that just me?
We walked over to the Muppets 3D and really liked that show. Pic As we walked back toward the the Great Movie Ride I was contemplating drowning myself in the pond because here we were almost 3 hours into our day and we had only done 2 or 3 things. I was just like the rest of the Lemmings who had no clue. No plan. No mission. I vowed to Jill that this foolishness would seize immediately. We needed to get with the program!
After waiting what seemed like an eternity for the Great Movie Ride, we were back on track. WE WERE IN THE ZONE. Our FP for ToT was up in 5 minutes and we had to haul butt to get over there. I stopped off at the RnRC to grab a FP and claimed that WE ARE BACK IN THE ZONE AND CANT BE STOPPED. We did the ToT again with zero minutes to spare on our FP and had a completely different drop sequence. I could ride that 50 times in a row!
We then swung over to the RnRC where we bypassed the lemmings and were let directly into the Studio lobby. The queue to this ride is great. I loved the old recording gear that you can look at as you wait. Studio C opened up and we were let in.
If you remember yesterday, I told you that Jill thought the POTC had real people in it. Today, she tells me that at first she thought the Aerosmith guys were really in the studio. I rightly ridiculed her about Disney hiring Aerosmith year round. I told her that it was their side job. She didnt think that was funny, but I laughed and thats all that matters in this story. We left the studio to go to the back alley and I was floored at how cool the super-stretch limos were. They even made a squealing sound as they pulled up. The ride was amazing and I didnt even realize that we had gone upside-down that many times, because I was too busy trying to read all the signs. That ride is soooo smooth.
From there we decided to hit the Brown Derby for lunch. We had a 1:00 PS, but there was no wait when we got there early. We both ordered the Cobb Salad and each had a beer I was expecting a bit more from the Cobb salad. Dont get me wrong, it was good, but the lettuce is FINELY chopped and I didnt care for the texture. You may be thinking Im crazy, but it really did kind of ruin the salad for me. I like salad and I'm man enough to eat one, but this one reminded me of rabbit food.
We were charged up and refreshed and headed over to the Little Mermaid for our 1:10 FP. That show was packed but we enjoyed it. The A/C was on full blast and when that water hit you, I was COLD.
After the LM we went over to Millionaire where I claimed that I was going to get in the hot seat. The show started and out came the guy from the planning video. He was just as goofy in real life too, but he did a good job. Neither Jill or I made the top 10 but Im guessing that I was number 11 by the way that I was playing .
This was a lot of fun and highly suggested. We went back over to the Backlot tour and again went to the top row while the Lemmings stayed in front and all got wet. Serves them right. The CM who did the water show was awful. I dont think I could understand one word she said as she had probably done the show 8000 times and just didnt care anymore. The backlot tour is pretty damn weak. I mean, when the highlight is the ship from the Flight of the Navigator cmon. We also saw Walt Disney's plane We decided that was 30 minutes of our lives that we could NEVER have back. I thought about going back through the line just so I could heckle the disgruntled CM, but we had other things to do.
Next stop was Star Tours which we both liked. I would like a broken pogo stick as long as it said Star Wars on it though. Heres a pic from outside.
We then walked right into Drew Careys Sound Stage where I took a nap for the 11 minutes that are in the complete dark. We explored the sound booths outside the attraction once it was over.
The parade was about to start at this time and we looked at each other and decided that there was no way we were going back to the hotel this early. We didnt want to stick around for the parade, so we made our way to Epcot, which was not on our itinerary. This is the point our trip that I let my emotions get the best of me. All of my planning was basically thrown in the lake.
We took a bus over to Epcot enjoyed the A/C. The first thing that we noticed was that Epcot wasnt near as busy as MGM was. We walked in the front gate and took an obligatory picture
Spaceship Earth had no wait so we jumped on. The entire ride I kept thinking that there is no way in hell that I would ride that thing with an empty park at night. Those animatronics creep me out! This is a great ride but if the rumors are true about a thrill ride replacing it, then I would help dismantle the current one.
Grabbed a FP for Test Track and headed to (drumroll) Mission:Space! I had some expectations about this ride, but no expectation was great enough. We were stuck in queue for about 20 minutes because there were technical difficulties (read as, someone puked) I cant really say that someone puked, but that was what I was telling everyone in line. The queue is awesome, the pre-show is awesome, the pre-board was awesome and the ride was INCREDIBLE. Im tall and felt fine in the capsule, but its pretty damn confined. The blast off was amazing. I couldnt believe how real it felt. I wont spoil it, but its a must do for everyone. I never got dizzy, but could definitely feel the pressure. Of course I looked to the side, just because they said not to and it was like turning your head to the side on the Gravitron at any local fair. You could feel that you were spinning, but only if you turned your head. The beauty of it is that the pressure/spinning only comes in spurts. It doesnt last the entire ride. We got off and I claimed that the imagineers are complete geniuses. Up until this point, it was the best theme park experience ever. Later in the week I would change my mind. We passed up the games at the end because we knew that we had an entire day dedicated to Epcot later in the week.
We booked it over to Test Track and passed all the Lemmings. The queue for TT was incredible too. Our car broke down for a bit while we were on it, but all in all this ride wasnt as good as I thought it was going to be. I didnt like how they told you in the pre-show the exact tests that you were going to be performing. When I was on the ride I kept checking them off in my head and realizing that it was coming to an end. The element of surprise was kind of taken away for me. Its definitely worth checking out though. I think kids would like this one too.
For dinner we headed over to the Rose and Crown. After a long day at the park a beer sounded wonderful. The pub itself looked pretty busy and a lot of fun, but the restaurant was pretty dead. We had a table with a view of the water, ordered a couple of beers and had a fruit and cheese plate to start off. I had the Steak and Shrimp and Jill had some sort of fish (cant remember). They came with mashed potatoes that looked like they had been put in a blender, left on for 10 minutes, and then squirted out through one of those cake decorating bags. Im from Texas. Wheres are the skins?! Where are the chunks of potato?! The steak was ehhh. We decided at the end of our trip that wish we would have gone somewhere else for dinner that night. I wouldnt recommend it. I was going to opt for the fish and chips, but the fries looked like they came out of an frozen bag. Anyway, we were full very full.
Back at the Resort we laid in the hammock and discussed how we should both quit our careers and work for Disney full-time. We were kidding at the time, but it doesnt seem like such a bad idea after coming back to the real world! We had been out of the house for a full 12 hours and needed our sleep.
Tomorrow is Animal Kingdom and Scuba diving at the Living Seas.
. Love reading your reports and the pics are great too. What kind of camera do you use? Your pics are awesome. Anyway, thanks for the great trip reports and keep 'em coming 
