Will I be Herding Cats Again?* **** COMPLETED *****

[KathyRN137]

Still plodding along, but I'm slowly getting caught up!

(And enjoying every minute!)

Kathy

 

[jillyb]

Great start to the morning! And man...is that a scary looking crowd!!!

 

[kaysmommie]

Great update. I think all the parks this October were kind of busy. You have been over Thanksgiving and even you thought it was busy . I'm thinking I can handle a thanksgiving trip for sure. Yeah on getting the FP's for TSM. I make Tom get the FP's for us. But maybe I will try your plan this next trip and let Kaylee ride her favorite ride (RNRC) with Tom and Thomas and I will get FP's for TSM. Good plan Thanks. So glad Michael got to ride and loved it! I'm sure you all loved TSM.

 

[mom2mek]

Still plodding along, but I'm slowly getting caught up!

(And enjoying every minute!)

Kathy

Aww...thanks Kathy!

Great start to the morning! And man...is that a scary looking crowd!!!

Thanks Jill! Yeah, that crowd does look scary in that picture, but honestly once it disburses into the park, it's not that bad...Well, unless you want to ride TSM!!

Great update. I think all the parks this October were kind of busy. You have been over Thanksgiving and even you thought it was busy . I'm thinking I can handle a thanksgiving trip for sure. Yeah on getting the FP's for TSM. I make Tom get the FP's for us. But maybe I will try your plan this next trip and let Kaylee ride her favorite ride (RNRC) with Tom and Thomas and I will get FP's for TSM. Good plan Thanks. So glad Michael got to ride and loved it! I'm sure you all loved TSM.

Thanks for reading along Nichole! I can't believe I am still writing this thing! Other than the MK on the 11th (Katie's bday), which I knew was going to be bad per our buddy, TGM, we didn't find the crowds to be bad at all. I think the rope drop pics are always scary because the crowd has no where to go, so they are all just standing there in one spot, and it can't help but look bad! Granted, the crowd to TSM was crazy...but that's why I'm glad we didn't all try to go that way. I really liked the split we had for this morning. It worked well - we were able to get in RNRC and 2 FPs for TSM before 10:00! And truthfully, had they thought about it, the RNRC crowd could have done ToT after RNRC and still met us back for TSM. They shopped instead....

TSM update coming up shortly....

Sara

 

[mom2mek]

Day 5 - Disney Hollywood Studios
Part 2 - Mania! Mania! Mania!


When I left off, I had obtained TSM fastpasses with the coveted return time of 9:50, met up with Mom and the girls, and taken a ride through the movies on the Great Movie Ride. The guys had managed to ride RNRC and were finding their way back to the hat to meet up with us and ride TSM!

We had about 10 minutes to kill before we could ride (and get the 2nd set of FPs), so we looked around at some of the gift shops right there.

At exactly 9:50, I excused myself to walk the short way to the Toy Story Mania fastpass machines. The rest were following behind by a few minutes to give me the time to retrieve them.

When I arrived, this is what the return time had been pushed to.

50 minutes into the day, the return time was already 1:45 – 2:45!! What’s even more funny, is that I waited about 10 minutes to get up to the machines (the lines to get the FPs were still that long) and during that 10 minutes, I saw the return time click to 1:55, then 2:05, then 2:15, etc, etc…it was like a running watch…hardly ever stayed on the time before it was pushed out further.

I had never seen it tick so fast right before my eyes!! At that pace, they were probably gone for the day in just another hour.

I’m very glad we didn’t ride with our first set and THEN get our 2nd set, as the return time would have been much, much later. As it was now, we still had to wait 2 hours to get another FP for anything else. Another reason why I was glad they had already done RNRC!! (insert patting on the back smilie here)!

Shawn was busy taking pictures of the kids and the theming while I was obtaining the 2nd set of fastpasses.

I have now since heard that they changed the way you obtain your FP for TSM. When we were there in October, there were 5 machines I think. And each machine had its own line. Sounds good in theory, but in reality, it made it very hard for the people who were trying to get to the standby line (which at 10:00 was already at 60 minutes I believe), because the FP machines are stationed before the entrance to the ride if you are walking from the entrance to the park.

It made that whole area very congested, and since it is not very wide right there, it was just horribly crowded. I have heard that now they do it slightly different (restroom style, if you will)! One big line, and as someone finishes up, the next person takes the available machine. I’m sure the line looks horrific as you come up on it, but I’m positive that it has to work better.

(Of course I say this probably because I had the absolute SLOWEST fastpass line out of all of them on my 2nd attempt! Ugh. Come on people….put your ticket in, fastpass spits out, you take it, then you take your ticket….it’s not brain surgery!) I’m kidding, of course…I’ve had trouble before too, for whatever reason, but the line next to mine had a CM out there who was physically doing the FP retrieval for people to help move their line along! And it was indeed moving a lot faster than any of the other lines! I felt like saying, "Hello? Come on man! Share the love! Come to this side now! Please? FOR THE LOVE OF PETE MAN!! COME ON!!!!!"

Eventually, I made it up there to a return time of 2:45 – 3:45. A whole hour later than when I got in line 10 minutes ago! “Wow” I said again!

Ok, enough of that…on to the ride….in we go....

We jumped in the FP line with our first set of passes and even the FP line had about a 10 minute wait. Hey…much better than an hour, right?

The queue is so very cute…but I think most of the interactive stuff is in the standby line, as we didn’t see any of it.

We obtained our 3D glasses and before we knew it, we were on our way up the stairs, over, and down the stairs again to load into our vehicles...

Before long we were being immersed in an animated world, shooting darts, tossing blueberry pies, plastic eggs, and breaking plates by hurling baseballs at them with the green army men cheering us along and cleaning up our messes!

This ride is so much fun! I could ride it all day long and I just giggled the whole time! What a great concept and wonderful execution – much better than Buzz, IMO! I love the design of the seats and the lap bars on each seat. Each rider is able to pull down their own bar, so that their “shooter” is aligned to their height! Much more comfortable for kids. And unlike Buzz, where you have a red laser to try and follow (which I never can), you have a string to pull behind the gun each time you want to launch something towards your target and it is very easy to see what you are shooting towards! Love it, love it, love it….It is now one of my favorite rides in all of Disney World!

I rode with Emily, and she scored 44,000 and I scored 93,300 (I know you can’t see the “9”, so you will just have to trust me)! But check out my 5 year old’s accuracy – not bad! Especially when you consider that her 34 year old mother's isn't much better!

Coming up...the grumpies appear!

Sara

 

[faerieprincess]

Wow, thanks for the actual description of the TSM ride! i've never read about it in so much detail before - enough detail to make it more clear what to expect but not so much detail that there won't be TONS of stuff left to notice! :thumbsup: thank you!

Sounds like your DHS day is a blast so far! Yay!

 

[mom2mek]

Wow, thanks for the actual description of the TSM ride! i've never read about it in so much detail before - enough detail to make it more clear what to expect but not so much detail that there won't be TONS of stuff left to notice! :thumbsup: thank you!

Sounds like your DHS day is a blast so far! Yay!

I'm glad you found it helpful! It truly is a fabulous ride! I wish I were on it right now instead of here at work!

You don't have long to go! 2 Days! You deserve a little happy dance....



(I am reading your PTR - you and your sister are going to have a fabulous time! I'm way behind though, so I haven't posted...but know that I am reading...on page 4 right now.... )

Sara

 

[julezdisney]

Again, read the update- now have to look at the pictures once I get home!

We enjoyed TSM too but I must say, I actually enjoy Buzz much more. I don't know what it is. I think it's the 4-D world instead of the 3-D virtual world. And I love the tunnel in Buzz. I wish that were a ride itself.

 

[julezdisney]

OK- saw the pictures! Adorable!!

 

[mom2mek]

Thanks for reading along Julia! I think I am slowly but steadily losing my readers....

I love Buzz too, but TSM was just more enjoyable to me - I love that there is an actual "ride" element to it - it kind of whisks you around - as opposed to the buzzmobile just sitting there (unless you have a 4 year old who likes to spin you around uncontrollably, LOL). I do like that tunnel at the end though! Fun!

Sara

 

[hcmommy]

I read ALL of your trip reports, I'm just not a frequent poster on this board. Loving the report so far and can't wait to read more. Your kids are so cute Just wanted to let you know you haven't lost all your readers

 

[OhioTony]

I love the pictures from TSM. It wasn't open the last time we went so I like seeing what I'm missing!

 

[Poohtigeey]

Those are crazy crowd pictures!! I'm sorry I haven't been around to read. Since no one is reading my report I'm not very motivated to come on the DIS! But, then I remembered that I could come over and read your fun report! Sounds like a great ride. How did the crowds feel in general? I can't wait to read more. I am liking DHS more and more.

 

[mom2mek]

I read ALL of your trip reports, I'm just not a frequent poster on this board. Loving the report so far and can't wait to read more. Your kids are so cute Just wanted to let you know you haven't lost all your readers

Thanks for reading (and for posting.... )! I'm glad you are liking the report! I still can't believe I'm not DONE with it, so a big thank you for sticking with me!!

I love the pictures from TSM. It wasn't open the last time we went so I like seeing what I'm missing!

Thanks Lynn! Toy Story Mania is a fantastic ride! Disney really nailed it - so much fun and everyone can ride it! It's just great!

Those are crazy crowd pictures!! I'm sorry I haven't been around to read. Since no one is reading my report I'm not very motivated to come on the DIS! But, then I remembered that I could come over and read your fun report! Sounds like a great ride. How did the crowds feel in general? I can't wait to read more. I am liking DHS more and more.

Thanks Monica! Yeah, DHS is still my least favorite park, OVERALL, but now dagnabit, it has one of my favorite rides in it!! Disney is so smart!

After the inital thinning of the crowds to TSM at rope drop, the crowds that day were fine! Are ya asking because you are planning for next time? I still think a big group trip with a rented house would be fun and work out pretty economical!!! Might have to leave the guys at home though....hmmm....something to think about.....

Sara

 

[KathyRN137]

It was so special, and I just love him for doing it! She really felt like a princess!

Awww, I love Pop-Pop, too!! He's a real-life Prince Charming!

Kathy

 

[whogirl'smom]

I loved, loved TSM, too! I didn't really care for Buzz b/c I couldn't tell where I was shooting at all. Was your hand sore the next day riding TSM twice? Mine was just from riding once, who would have thought? We thought October seemed very crowded, too, this year.

Your son is very brave to ride RNRC (another one of my favorites!) My dd is 54ish inches, but I'm sure it will be a while before she rides it; this year was the first time on Everest and that took a lot of wheedling and pleading on my part!

 

[mkluvsmickey]

Great updates Sara - all caught up again!

Sounds like a great start to your Studios morning. I'm so glad Michael liked RnRC. That is Sam's favorite ride also. Of course, just the other day she told me that now she is a little scared of it (but will still ride). I think as they get older they maybe start thinking too much!

Isn't TSM so much fun! I really wasn't sure what all the hype was about before we rode in October but after one ride I was hooked! Glad to hear they've changed the fast pass line system. It was horrible when we were there. The fast pass lines were way out in the walkway like you mentioned. I'll have to report back after this weekend and let you know how they are doing it now!

Love the pic of everyone in their 3-D (or 4-D?) glasses going up the stairs - cute!

 

[mom2mek]

Awww, I love Pop-Pop, too!! He's a real-life Prince Charming!

Kathy

Yeah, my kids are pretty lucky to have him! He's part Prince Charming, part GIANT KID!!!!

I loved, loved TSM, too! I didn't really care for Buzz b/c I couldn't tell where I was shooting at all. Was your hand sore the next day riding TSM twice? Mine was just from riding once, who would have thought? We thought October seemed very crowded, too, this year.

Your son is very brave to ride RNRC (another one of my favorites!) My dd is 54ish inches, but I'm sure it will be a while before she rides it; this year was the first time on Everest and that took a lot of wheedling and pleading on my part!

My hand wasn't really sore, but I just barely pulled the string - I used my index finger and my middle finger and just moved the two of those really fast (obviously I was going for quantity, not quality, as Emily's score is 1/2 mine but her accuracy was almost the same! ) On Buzz though my thumb aches after riding it...and I don't ever take my thumb off...just holding down the dang button hurts!

Other than the TSM controlled chaos, the crowds weren't too bad I found. I would love to go in October again, my biggest complaint was that it was more "soupy" than I thought it would be. I figured the temps would be what they were, but I thought the humidity would have leveled off by then. Did your DD like Everest? I haven't been on RNRC yet either (something about that going upside down thing) but I love Everest! I probably would have tried RNRC this time had I not been the FPV....um, yeah...that's it!

Great updates Sara - all caught up again!

Sounds like a great start to your Studios morning. I'm so glad Michael liked RnRC. That is Sam's favorite ride also. Of course, just the other day she told me that now she is a little scared of it (but will still ride). I think as they get older they maybe start thinking too much!

Isn't TSM so much fun! I really wasn't sure what all the hype was about before we rode in October but after one ride I was hooked! Glad to hear they've changed the fast pass line system. It was horrible when we were there. The fast pass lines were way out in the walkway like you mentioned. I'll have to report back after this weekend and let you know how they are doing it now!

Love the pic of everyone in their 3-D (or 4-D?) glasses going up the stairs - cute!

I think you are right about the kids getting older and understanding more "danger" involved! I think for Michael, not being able to see the ride is probably what got him on it! When we were at the mountain house, he wouldn't even try the bungee trampoline, and Emily was all for it! Go figure! Out of sight, out of mind I suppose!

I felt the same way about TSM...I thought people were talking it "up" too much and that it would disappoint! But, NOPE! It is fabulous!

I just love the way they did it - we just giggled our way through the whole darn thing!

Sara

 

[mom2mek]

Day 5- Disney Hollywood Studios
Part 3 - Commence whining!!!

You will have to bear with me as I have no notes and my memory is fading quickly (hmmm….wonder why…..could it be, maybe…..just maybe....it's because the trip was FOUR MONTHS AGO! DUH!!!)

When we left Toy Story Mania, we took a few pictures outside with an army man (looked more like a GI “Jane” than a GI "Joe" to me though )

(kind of dainty, no?)

And my MIL went off to buy another ride pin (trying to breathe…trying to breathe…LOL…Just kidding).

So, I whipped out my handy dandy times schedule that I remembered to bring with me and saw that the next JTA should be getting ready to start.

Brief interlude….back during our November 2007 trip, we knew about JTA, but didn’t tell Michael because I thought he would get his hopes UP too much and then NOT be selected….well, it was the total opposite…he really did not want to be picked and it was a downward emotional spiral between him and his dad that involved lots of urging, requesting, bribing, begging, on his dad’s part, and lots of whining, complaining, whimpering and no’s on Michael’s part. What I think happened is when we arrived to the Studios that day, Michael got a glimpse of Darth Vader from a distance (keeping in mind, he still didn’t know what JTA was) and literally jumped behind me. He thought DV could see him and was um…shall we say…a little intimidated by the gigantic sith lord! LOL! So I don’t think he realized what else went on during JTA, and that there was so much more stuff than just DV coming out at the end to battle.

In the end, he watched it, but did not want or try to be selected. I was fine with it, but his dad had a little bit harder time understanding the WHY behind his son’s fear. Shawn realized the error of his ways later and redeemed himself with a quick spin on Star Tours and some gift shop time with Michael, and all was better.

Here is a picture of him last year....still doesn't look too happy....but he was watching it!

(I do love this picture though)


And the two of them...all better

Ok, so back to 2008…we knew Michael would still not want to be selected for JTA (although we were secretly hoping he had changed his tune), but thought FOR SURE he would still want to WATCH it! So, the times guide said the next show was at 10:50 (it was now about 10:20), and so I made the suggestion….and.....



I got a big fat head shaking served up with a side of a grumpy attitude!!!

He didn’t even want to watch it!

Hold the phone there, buddy…you are the biggest Star Wars fan this side of the Death Star…what in the world is going on here? It came down to this…Michael is fairly shy, and he thought that by just watching the show, even if he was standing in the back and not at all raising his hand to be picked, that there might be a slight chance someone would pick him to do it! And he was not willing to take that risk!

Oh brother!

This sort of stunned everyone and he got the requisite….

”Come On Michael,” from his Dad, the “You can watch it and not be picked,” from his Grandmother, and the ever so popular, “Why are you so scared” from his well-meaning, but slightly clueless Pop Pop.

Ugh. Let’s just drop it folks!


Ok, back to the times schedule….We were too late for Playhouse Disney and Little Mermaid (plus I had a plan for later in the day that involved both of those shows), so I offered up a ride on Star Tours, followed by Indy at 11:30. Okey dokey. Off we go.

Picture of a pretty flower Shawn saw as we were walking:

We passed the Narnia exhibit and Michael really wanted to go in and see Prince Caspian (remember he was Sir Peter for Halloween)….the wait time was 30 minutes!!! WTH?? I told him we would try to come back, and that turned Michael from “Sir Peter” into “Sir Whines-a-lot”!

Oh joy.

I told him he better change his tune real fast or I could just take him back to the house….(we all have these moments, right….? Please say yes! )

We arrived to Star Tours just as the JTA show was starting.

My heart broke a little bit as I saw all those little boys and girls being selected to learn the ways of the force, knowing how much Michael would enjoy it if he wasn’t so riddled with stage fright.

The guys (Shawn and Pop Pop) sat this one out again (wimps) – I'm tellin ya...that Mission Space Orange version was still in the back of their minds….plus Shawn had been on Star Tours last year and the AC wasn’t working, so he got very nauseous!

So, the grandmothers and I took all 3 kids in to ride. It was a total walk-on! Katie and Emily were very excited that they were tall enough to ride this time! I got excited when I saw the Dream Team standing right outside one of the pods!!! Unfortunately, we were ushered into the pod next to where they were standing. Whaaa…

We all took off for our fun ride through space and when we exited the ride, who was standing there but a whole bunch of winners of YOMD ears! Drat – we missed it by one measly pod! Oh well. We exited the gift shop after Michael took his time looking at every dream toy imaginable and after a sufficient amount of begging, we rejoined the group outside.

It was now after 11:00 so I knew we should head back towards Indy to get a seat for the show....


Up next....Why must everyone mess up my plans?

 

[nessz79]

I told him he better change his tune real fast or I could just take him back to the house….(we all have these moments, right….? Please say yes! )

Yes, we all have moments Don't worry!