In case you missed days 1-4, here is a recap: I traveled with wife (DW), son 15 (DS), daughter 14 (DD1), daughter 10 (DD2), and sister-in-law (DSIL). Stayed off site (Residence Inn, LBV) and drove our own car (1300 miles in two days). The WDW part of the trip lasted from Tuesday, June 11 to Saturday, June 15. This is our second trip to WDW. The last visit was five years ago. Day 1 was AK with Dinner at Boma and evening at Fantasmic. Day 2 was Epcot with Lunch at Norway. Day 3 was MK with dinner at Margaritaville and parade and fireworks at MK. Day 4 was shopping at Downtown Disney and the outlet mall, lunch at Kona Café, and Cirque de Soliel.
Day 5: Our last day at WDW! We went to MGM for the 9 AM opening. Unlike MK on Thursday, the park seemed almost empty. I suppose there was a large group at the rope drop headed toward RnR and ToT, but we were going the opposite direction. There wasn't that much at MGM we were really interested in seeing, and considered going back to one of the other parks instead. But we couldn't really agree on which park, so we thought we would start at MGM and go elsewhere, if time and interest allowed. We saw the Muppet 3D movie first and had the theater to ourselves. The show is fun (we are big Muppet fans) but I don't think this show is as good as the other 3D movies. We then went to take the Back Lot Studio Tour. We had to wait a bit, not because of the crowd, but because the first tour didn't start until 10:00. I think they have changed this a bit since we were there 5 years ago. The first part, which showed how they put together a movie with special effects, was fun. The kids were surprised to find this is a REAL movie studio. DSIL enjoyed the costume display. We got out of the tour just in time to get into the first showing of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire. Our family has always watched this show on TV and it was a real treat to be able to see it AND to play along. I got creamed on the first FF question but on the second game, worked my way up to third place (it seems I was one of the few people who knew that cuttlefish, not snails, are cephalopods). We dodged rain showers again and split up, with DSIL and DD1 going their own way. The rest of us went to the Star Tours gift shop to buy gifts for friends back home. We had a snack (ice cream between two giant cookies) and looked for another attraction to see. We considered Sounds Dangerous, but decided to pass. Would liked to have seen the Great Movie Ride, but between the wait and the length of the attraction, we wouldn't be out in time to meet up with the rest of the group. I recall this problem with MGM from our last trip. The shows are longer and not always at convenient times, so there is often a lot of waiting, even if it isn't crowded. Perhaps there is a better touring strategy for MGM, but I haven't figured it out yet. So we decided to just browse the shops. DW really likes the atmosphere of MGM, if not the attractions. There was an interesting interactive display about Disney history under the giant Hat. I really wanted to ride ToT, but knew there was no chance of getting anyone to go with me, and with our rendezvous time approaching, I figured I was out of luck. But when I checked the board of wait times at the end of the street, it said ToT only had a 15 minute wait and the ride is only a few minutes long. So I ran down and walked into the lobby with little or no wait. I had expected there to be a long line and would never have gone all the way down there had I not seen the short wait time listed on the board. Do any other parks have this feature of listing wait times at a central location? Anyway, ToT was as good as I had heard. The special effect were really neat and the drop was really a drop. There was one poor child in the queue that was screaming "I don't want to get on the elevator" over and over despite being assured by her parents that she didn't have to ride (poor kid). We left the park and had sandwiches back at the hotel room for lunch. After the usual afternoon routine of pool, rest, laundry, and pack for tomorrow's departure, we got ready for a last evening at Epcot. We went to WS around 4:00 and planned an evening around the entertainment schedule we had picked up on Wednesday. We started by playing Yahtzee in the car while waiting for the downpour-de-jour to pass. We had checked the Weather Channel before leaving the room and they predicted the storm would pass soon and a clearing trend was expected for the evening. They were right on both accounts. We explored Norway and then went to see the acrobat show in China (amazing). We continued around and some of the Blast show at the American Pavilion. We watched the parade between Japan and U.S. and heard the drummers in Japan. While in Japan, we shopped in the Mitskoshi department store. This is, in my opinion, the single best place to shop in all of WDW. Variety, quality, prices - it has everything, from $3500 Mikimoto pearl earings to dried cuttlefish, which IS as cephalopod, by the way. We walked through France and saw the "statues" and finished in the UK to hear the British Invasion band. It was amazing how much live entertainment we worked in these couple of hours. It was now 7:30 and time for our PS at Rose and Crown Pub. We had hoped (and asked politely) to get a water front table for Illuminations. Unfortunately, we were informed that they are obliged to give out tables as they become available and would forfeit our PS if we didn't like what was offered, which was a table in the back corner by the bar. Reviews here were mixed. We thought the food was excellent, but overpriced. DS couldn't find anything he liked on the menu and ended up splitting a prime rib with DW. DD1 and DD2 each had the cottage pie from the kid's menu, but found it a bit too spicy. The floor under the table was very dirty and the seating by the bar was a disappointment. I am a card carrying beer snob and was looking forward to some fine ale, but besides the Boddington's, the selection was pretty ordinary (although still better than the rest of WDW). After dinner, we went out to the beer garden which is part of the pub and found a place to stand, between a table and a hedge right on the waterfront, just a few minutes before Illumnations. This show also had changed since our last trip. Everyone was really impressed and we thought this is still the best of the nighttime shows at WDW. We stopped at the big Disney Store for a last minute T-shirt purchase on the way out of the park. When pulling out my credit card, I saw our six park hopper tickets. A few days ago I guarded them as I would $1200 in cash, not knowing if lost tickets can or would be replicable. Now, they were just souvenirs. Bottom line for Day 5 - We still don't care for MGM too much. Use the Weather Channel. World Showcase entertainment is great. Shop in Japan. Shop in Japan. Shop in Japan. Illumination rules.
Had a great trip. Feedback, comments welcome
Day 5: Our last day at WDW! We went to MGM for the 9 AM opening. Unlike MK on Thursday, the park seemed almost empty. I suppose there was a large group at the rope drop headed toward RnR and ToT, but we were going the opposite direction. There wasn't that much at MGM we were really interested in seeing, and considered going back to one of the other parks instead. But we couldn't really agree on which park, so we thought we would start at MGM and go elsewhere, if time and interest allowed. We saw the Muppet 3D movie first and had the theater to ourselves. The show is fun (we are big Muppet fans) but I don't think this show is as good as the other 3D movies. We then went to take the Back Lot Studio Tour. We had to wait a bit, not because of the crowd, but because the first tour didn't start until 10:00. I think they have changed this a bit since we were there 5 years ago. The first part, which showed how they put together a movie with special effects, was fun. The kids were surprised to find this is a REAL movie studio. DSIL enjoyed the costume display. We got out of the tour just in time to get into the first showing of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire. Our family has always watched this show on TV and it was a real treat to be able to see it AND to play along. I got creamed on the first FF question but on the second game, worked my way up to third place (it seems I was one of the few people who knew that cuttlefish, not snails, are cephalopods). We dodged rain showers again and split up, with DSIL and DD1 going their own way. The rest of us went to the Star Tours gift shop to buy gifts for friends back home. We had a snack (ice cream between two giant cookies) and looked for another attraction to see. We considered Sounds Dangerous, but decided to pass. Would liked to have seen the Great Movie Ride, but between the wait and the length of the attraction, we wouldn't be out in time to meet up with the rest of the group. I recall this problem with MGM from our last trip. The shows are longer and not always at convenient times, so there is often a lot of waiting, even if it isn't crowded. Perhaps there is a better touring strategy for MGM, but I haven't figured it out yet. So we decided to just browse the shops. DW really likes the atmosphere of MGM, if not the attractions. There was an interesting interactive display about Disney history under the giant Hat. I really wanted to ride ToT, but knew there was no chance of getting anyone to go with me, and with our rendezvous time approaching, I figured I was out of luck. But when I checked the board of wait times at the end of the street, it said ToT only had a 15 minute wait and the ride is only a few minutes long. So I ran down and walked into the lobby with little or no wait. I had expected there to be a long line and would never have gone all the way down there had I not seen the short wait time listed on the board. Do any other parks have this feature of listing wait times at a central location? Anyway, ToT was as good as I had heard. The special effect were really neat and the drop was really a drop. There was one poor child in the queue that was screaming "I don't want to get on the elevator" over and over despite being assured by her parents that she didn't have to ride (poor kid). We left the park and had sandwiches back at the hotel room for lunch. After the usual afternoon routine of pool, rest, laundry, and pack for tomorrow's departure, we got ready for a last evening at Epcot. We went to WS around 4:00 and planned an evening around the entertainment schedule we had picked up on Wednesday. We started by playing Yahtzee in the car while waiting for the downpour-de-jour to pass. We had checked the Weather Channel before leaving the room and they predicted the storm would pass soon and a clearing trend was expected for the evening. They were right on both accounts. We explored Norway and then went to see the acrobat show in China (amazing). We continued around and some of the Blast show at the American Pavilion. We watched the parade between Japan and U.S. and heard the drummers in Japan. While in Japan, we shopped in the Mitskoshi department store. This is, in my opinion, the single best place to shop in all of WDW. Variety, quality, prices - it has everything, from $3500 Mikimoto pearl earings to dried cuttlefish, which IS as cephalopod, by the way. We walked through France and saw the "statues" and finished in the UK to hear the British Invasion band. It was amazing how much live entertainment we worked in these couple of hours. It was now 7:30 and time for our PS at Rose and Crown Pub. We had hoped (and asked politely) to get a water front table for Illuminations. Unfortunately, we were informed that they are obliged to give out tables as they become available and would forfeit our PS if we didn't like what was offered, which was a table in the back corner by the bar. Reviews here were mixed. We thought the food was excellent, but overpriced. DS couldn't find anything he liked on the menu and ended up splitting a prime rib with DW. DD1 and DD2 each had the cottage pie from the kid's menu, but found it a bit too spicy. The floor under the table was very dirty and the seating by the bar was a disappointment. I am a card carrying beer snob and was looking forward to some fine ale, but besides the Boddington's, the selection was pretty ordinary (although still better than the rest of WDW). After dinner, we went out to the beer garden which is part of the pub and found a place to stand, between a table and a hedge right on the waterfront, just a few minutes before Illumnations. This show also had changed since our last trip. Everyone was really impressed and we thought this is still the best of the nighttime shows at WDW. We stopped at the big Disney Store for a last minute T-shirt purchase on the way out of the park. When pulling out my credit card, I saw our six park hopper tickets. A few days ago I guarded them as I would $1200 in cash, not knowing if lost tickets can or would be replicable. Now, they were just souvenirs. Bottom line for Day 5 - We still don't care for MGM too much. Use the Weather Channel. World Showcase entertainment is great. Shop in Japan. Shop in Japan. Shop in Japan. Illumination rules.
Had a great trip. Feedback, comments welcome
