The Good, The (Very,Very) Bad, and the Adorable - Day Three

**BrerSchultzy** · 11-27-2013, 04:05 PM

Okay, time for Day Three. Let's recap – There's me, complete Disney fanatic who stuck with Disney through paper straws in Tomorrowland, the removal of Mr. Toad and 20,000 Leagues, and even managed to find a few nice things to say about the Dick Tracy stage show, but has finally found something about WDW he dislikes...that, of course, being Fastpass Plus (in its current form). There's my lovely wife, a rockstar at being a mom, wife, and actual rockstar. Sam, who will turn 6 in two weeks, and loves anything Star Wars, Toy Story, and Disney Junior. And there's Zetta, who turns two on our last day in Disney World, and loves all things princess.
So today is the Studios, because Animal Kingdom has an early opening, andMagic Kingdom has evening EMH...therefore, it is the perfect day to visit the Studios (Fastpass Plus logic).
First things first, we head to Toy Story Mania just to see if we can get on (our FP+ isn't until noon)...at 9:15 in the morning, the standby line is 60 minutes long. So we head over to Star Tours. Which has a 5 minute wait. Perfect first ride for Sam. Meanwhile, Erin is auditioning for American Idol (something she's always wanted to do, and this might be her last chance here in WDW, if rumors are true). Well, she gets in, and they ask us to film a video...which Sam LOVES!!!! We had a great time, and Mary, the CM in charge of the production, was so great with our kids. Well, Erin wants to take Sam on Star Tours before she has to be back for her makeup appointment for the show. 5 minute wait again. Then Sam and I get to go on again...and for the first time in over a dozen rides, we get the Wookie planet scenario. Sam loved seeing the wookie land on our windshield. He is still laughing about that.
Well, I have just enough time to take the kids to lunch at the Commissary while Erin is getting ready for the show. I have a Gluten-Free Cheeseburger (which is very, very good...I don't know where Disney gets its gluten-free hamburger buns, but they're better than anything I've found). Sam and Zetta share the snack pack, and they devour my chocolate mousse. We head up to American Idol and get in the VIP line. Sam is literally shaking with excitement. He introduces himself to the CM at the door as “Sam...my mommy is a rockstar. Her name is Erin.” I love that kid. We get to watch the video, and laughs and laughs, and tells everyone around him that he was in it. Erin sounded wonderful (she sang “Walkin' After Midnight”), but she didn't win...a CM later told me that parents rarely win, because they almost never show up for the 6 PM show, and that there is a disclaimer somewhere in the show that says the audience vote is not the only determining factor for picking a winner during the preliminary shows.
Anyway, while Erin and Zetta grab something to eat, Sam and I head to Toy Story Mania. I don't think anyone has seen a happier kid. Ever. This is his favorite. And we do pretty well...but he spends much more time watching the game than playing it. Either way, he had a blast. As we leave, we notice that the standby line is 120 minutes. I don't envy the parents waiting in line for 2 hours with their kids.
Next, we hit up Great Movie Ride, which Zetta loved, but Sam kinda got scared. I noticed, though, that the fire effect in the western scene was working again. I don't know when that got fixed, but I don't recall it working in the last five or six years.
Usually, Erin and I like to take turns riding the big rides, while the other shops with the kids. Erin likes RNRC, I like ToT. Unfortunately, the single rider line for RNRC was 90 minutes, and ToT was 120 minutes. I don't like to beat a dead middle management bad corporate decision to death, but the restaurants and shops were empty...the park was not that busy. Everyone was stuck in standby lines. Disney is a smart enough company that this will be fixed, but I was not happy being a guinea pig.
We went to Star Tours instead. Again, lots of fun.
We had FP+ for the Disney Junior show before dinner, so he headed to the Animation Courtyard....and Sam saw Sofia the First and Jake signing autographs. We get in line. Now, earlier this year, Sam and I had our 15 minutes of internet celebrity with a story about Sam wanting the Sofia the First DVD, and some guy telling him not to get it. So getting Sofia's autograph, and our picture with Sofia was kind of a big deal for my wife and my son. As it turns out, so was getting Jake's autograph...Sam could not contain his enthusiasm for seeing Jake. He almost exploded.
We still had some time before the show, so Erin and Sam went into the Animation show, where Sam promptly decided to become a cartoonist. Afterward, we all went into Disney Junior, Live on Stage, where you would have thought our children saw the Beatles and Elvis at the same time. Lots of jumping and clapping. For me, I think the best part is all the parents looking around, acknowledging one another's commitment to their kids that they know all these songs by heart.
Then more Star Tours, which never had more than a 10 minute wait.
We had dinner at Backlot Express...I again had a gluten-free burger, Erin had the veggie sandwich, which again became her favorite Disney food.
We got to meet Phineas and Ferb, who were absolutely amazing characters. My son absolutely loved the experience. They were so good with him, and he talked about how they were his friends now. So great.
And finally, I got to take my wife and kids through the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights, which I had seen about 10 years ago. My wife and kids loved it...loved, loved, loved it. And the streets were almost half empty. Probably all waiting in line for the big three rides.
Well, we get back to the hotel, and the wife and kids get to bed.
I am in bed THREE HOURS LATER, after a major FP+ debacle. It is well documented in my post about how bad FP+ is. Let's just say that it's the focal point of my letter to the Disney Company, and have now spent over 8 hours of my vacation dealing with this stupid, poorly planned, lousy excuse for a guest benefit. Again, I am sure they will fix the problems, but I greatly resent being used as a guinea pig.
Tomorrow – One of the most magical days in the Magic Kingdom.