Our tour was Sunday, 12/26. Although we had a rented car, we decided to take the bus to Hollywood Studios to end at the Magic Kingdom. This approach would allow us to avoid losing time being picked up or dropped off since we stayed at the Grand Floridian.
Using
@karenc15 itinerary as a template, we met at Hollywood studios, Baseline Tap House, at 1 PM. You have to find your Guide, as not all wear the plaid vest but still a distinctive uniform. She was fantastic from the start. Unfortunately, the list of priority rides we spent quite some time organizing was not forwarded to her, but a quick verbal discussion gave her the lowdown. We made adjustments as she recommended along the way but ultimately, the priorities centered around the proximity of the headliner rides to each other.
Hollywood Studios
Rise of The Resistance (Our Guide [OG] took Selfie of all of us), Slinky Dog Dash ([OG] pointed out Hidden Mickeys), Toy Story Mania (on this ride, we bypassed the
Lightning Lane through a separate switchback, She met us at the exit with bottled water), Slinky Again, Micky and Minnie Runaway Railway, Tower of Terror (on this ride, we bypassed the Lightning Lane through a separate hallway), Rock and Rollercoaster
The backstage exit (no pictures allowed) is at the entrance to Lightning Mcqueen, and other cast members had our SUV waiting and running.
EPCOT
[OG] parked backstage next to the Soarin show building, entered the park near the world case pavilion, a short 10-minute walk to Remy’s Ratatouille ([OG] pointed out a hidden Mickey getting off the vehicle on the wall) walked back towards the car. We entered the Soarin building at the doors near the bathrooms, spent 30 minutes eating sandwiches from Sunshine seasons. Even with a big breakfast, we were hungry. I am glad we sacrificed the time to fuel up. [OG] isn’t allowed to take her mask off indoors, so she went backstage to eat. We exchanged phone numbers, and we texted her when we were done eating.
Animal Kingdom
[OG] parked backstage in a designated VIP parking spot and entered the park near the Pandora bathrooms, Navi River ([OG] informed us that the story starts with this ride so we could do Flight of Passage second. We exited the park.
Magic Kingdom
[OG] parked backstage behind Tomorrowland, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin (on this ride, we bypassed the Lightning Lane through a separate hallway), Seven Dwarves (twice), and finally Peter Pan
Fireworks viewing Area
We walked through Liberty Square around the Hub filled with a sea of humanity. As mentioned, the viewing area is in front of Casey’s Corner. We arrived about 7:55, and there was still plenty of room. My family even laid down on the turf for a few minutes. [OG] and other guides had large transparent bags, passing out ice cream and water for their groups. She surprised us with a small gift (see attachment) for groups that take the tour.
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Again, [Og] was fantastic. Great personality, accomodating, sharing Disney information, and we even got to know her at a personal level. As mentioned, plan ahead with cash in an envelope. For a 7 hour tour for a group of 4, we tipped $260. She said that it wasn’t necessary because she really loves her job, again showing how awesome she is. We insisted, and it was the time to say goodbye, and there were hugs and tears. One final example is that she returned about 10 minutes later to give my youngest DS the sunglasses he had inadvertently left in the SUV; wow! We will never forget this experience.
P.S. Somehow, I and my eldest DS mustered the energy to head back to Epcot (First ferry out to TTC, Monorail to EPCOT) to watch Harmonious before calling it a day. We somehow scored a front and center spot to put the icing on the cake.
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