BrerSchultzy's "This Should Not Have Been the Best Trip Ever" Trip Report - Day 5
I'm trying to get the last couple of days done now, since I'm starting a new job this week, and I don't know when I'll be able to finish my trip reports...don't want to forget any of the little details.
DAY 5 - STUDIOS!
You all know the cast by now. And the cast is well rested on this day. Since we've had so much luck with crowds, and we knew we wanted to stay for Fantasmic, we slept in a little bit today. There were no EMHs for the Studios today, and there was a MNSSHP scheduled in MK, so we thought we'd take a chance on light crowds at the Studios. And we guessed right!
After plenty of coffee and Disney Junior on TV, we grabbed a bus, and made it to the Studios by 11. I ran ahead to grab FPs for TSM, while DW and DS meandered over to the Commissary for lunch. I did the fried fish thing again (started to feel the law of diminishing returns on this meal) with the Strawberry Parfait (which was the sweetest dessert we had all week...too sweet). DW had the Asian Salad, and raved about it for hours. We got the snack pack for DS, since he overloaded on cereal bars and cheerios for breakfast. DD had formula, but really seemed to enjoy it!
We got to TSM a little before our FPs, but the standby was only 15 minutes, so we thought we'd all give it a go in standby, but as we got to the line, a CM gave us a front of the line pass, so we all got to go in the FP line! This was easily Sam's favorite ride. For his birthday last year, we bought the plug and play game at Walmart, and it's the only video game DS owns...and he plays it whenever he's allowed. This ride absolutely blew him away. I rode with DD, which was easily more terrifying than any roller coaster. The way that ride swings and jerks around, I had to hold on really tight to her, and I didn't really play the game at all. Luckily, we still had FPs, and DW and DD wanted to try the GMR, so DS and I rode again (this time, he was so enamored with the ride, that he never even bothered to pull the string!).
We met back up over in the Animation Courtyard...DW figured the Alien scene in GMR was too intense for DS, so we never even asked him about it. We were about 30 minutes early for the Disney Junior show, but Jake (of the Neverland Pirates crew) and Handy Manny were out, so while the family waited in line to meet them, I grabbed :beer::beer: ... one for me, and one for DW. You will recall, however, that the Disney Junior show was about to start, and I hear they frown on adult beverages being brought into the theatre (poor planning on our part, admittedly)...so we finished our drinks a little faster than we would have liked.
I have to say, the Disney Junior show was a highlight of the trip (which was already filled with highlights, as you can tell by my very wordy reports). And not just because DS reacted like a teenage girl seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. These songs and characters have become so engrained in my head, that I found myself singing along. As an added bonus, my son's favorite Imagination Movers song was part of the pre-show, and he jumped and danced with such reckless abandon, you would think he was at Woodstock. I'm not a huge fan of sitting on the floor, but to sit with a young boy who is literally shaking with glee every time a new character appears on stage...well...that made it all worth it. It helped that the host of the show was especially taken with Zetta, and kept sitting next to her during her breaks in the show.
We went to the store next to the Animation Building (we didn't even bother going into the Animation tour, because it just makes DW and me sad), and we told Sam (who had been everything you want your child to be today) that he could pick out any toy he wanted, and if he was good the rest of the day, we'd buy it for him (yes, it was bribery...but ultimately it benefitted everyone, so that's okay...right?). He picked out a Lightning McQueen with removable parts...combining his two favorite things: Cars and taking things apart. It was the only one in the store, and we hadn't seen it anywhere else, so when the family walked out of the store, I went back in and bought it, and had it sent to the front of the park...better safe than sorry.
With the promise of a new toy for good behavior, our son set records for cute-ness. But more on that later.
DW loves Rock N Roller Coaster. A lot. And I love Tower of Terror. A lot. So we swapped...she went to the single rider line of RNRC (no wait at all), and I got a FP for ToT. While waiting for my FP, DW fed Zetta....and Sam looked nervous. I asked what was wrong, and he was worried about me riding ToT. I convinced him that I would be okay, but I don't think he believed me. With an extra long hug from DS, I headed to ToT....
Wow do I love that ride. Everything about it. I love it so much, I've started watching the Twilight Zone whenever I can. And I'm starting to see a lot of the tributes to the show throughout the library and the ride. It makes my favorite ride even more fun. While I was in line in the Boiler Room, I was behind a family that had a couple of kids who wanted to back out, and were actually terrified. The mom agreed to take the kids back, and told them they wouldn't have to go in the elevator (the parents really handled their kids' fears well, and it was refreshing to see such good parenting). I informed the kids that they would, in fact, have to go on an elevator to get back to the ground floor, but I assured them it was very well-lit and perfectly safe. The dad and I ended up in the same elevator...this was their first trip to WDW, and he knew they were missing a bunch of stuff, but he was having the time of his life. Unfortunately, we were in the same elevator as a bunch of 30 somethings who had probably had too much to drink already, and were making very obnoxious and vulgar comments the whole time. Still, the ride itself is fantastic, and I wish I had one in my back yard.
I met back up with the family, and DS was very happy to see that I was okay...his exact words were "Daddy, I was so worried. I am happy to see you". And with that, he fell asleep in his stroller. So DW and I enjoyed a nice leisurely stroll around the Streets of America...except that annoying American Idol theme song kept blasting throughout the whole park...I'm sure that show is a good draw for the park, but if you're not a fan of AI, it's really cloying.
Either way, DS woke up, and I took him on TSM again...we waited standby, and would have been on in 5 minutes, if the ride hadn't broken down. As it was, we waited 20 minutes, which was the longest wait of the entire week! This time he actually played, and I only barely beat him.
Hungry again. And I'd never been to the Backlot Express, so that's where we headed. It's my new favorite place in DHS. It was empty. You could refill your drink. And my cheeseburger had onion straws on it. Life was good. DW had the Grilled Vegetable sandwich (which stood in very stark contrast to my cholesterol packed dinner), and proclaimed it to be even better than the sandwich at Columbia Harbour House. We both got cheesecake for dessert. DS didn't eat. At all. More on that later.
DS decided he wanted to ride Star Tours, which was a bit of a shock to us, since Darth Vader terrifies him. But DW took him while I fed Zetta...and he was picked to be the Rebel leader that Vader was looking for. DW was worried that it would scare him even more, until she looked down on his face, and the biggest smile in the world looked back at her. They came running back into the Backlot Express and Sam grabbed my hand and pulled me towards Star Tours. He couldn't wait to ride it with me, and show me C-3P0. I hadn't been on Star Tours 2.0 before, and not that Disney needed my approval, but I really like the changes.
Now we had a decision to make....DW had never been on the Backlot Tour, and since it may or may not be making way for Radiator Springs, we decided to ride it instead of seeing Muppet Vision 3-D.
Hey, we all make mistakes.
The sooner they get rid of the tour, the better. Without the benefit of DHS being a real, working studio, the backlot tour is no different than riding the tram in the parking lot. DS did not complain, but you could tell he was very disinterested. He was thinking of his toy, and asked me at least 3 times on the tour if he was being sweet enough to get his toy.
Of course he was. Since the day was near ending, DW and DS headed over toward the Fantasmic entrance, while DD and I went to the front of the park to pick up the toy. We got to Fantasmic and got seats...despite the fact that the park was practically empty all day, Fantasmic was packed! And eventful...
