Jared's "this time I'm not promising to finish" May 2009 Trip Report Day 2

[Jared]

I never can sleep well on the first night. I’m not sure anybody can. Who wants to lie in bed with an entire world of fun awaiting when the sun comes up. Somehow, the first night feels endless. I tossed and turned most of the night, maybe settling down for four or five hours of legitimate sleep, but I woke up at 7:15 a.m. energized and excited. Stitch and Mickey called to wake up my brother five minutes later, as I was getting ready to shower. Neither of us wanted breakfast, we went down to the Classic Hall, bought or three-day Park Hoppers and went outside to the bus stop. The bus to Disney’s Hollywood Studios was waiting for us, so we hopped right in. This was our first experience with the Pop Century bus service, and I will comment more on it as the report goes on. Generally, we were quite happy with it, but there were flaws that I will discuss.

We approached the gate around 8:30 a.m., and I was immediately struck by how many people were already inside the park. I knew Star Wars Weekends drew big crowds, but I didn’t expect the park to be so crowded so early. Little did I know it was Extra Magic Hours. That’s what I get for doing virtually zero planning for this trip. The type-A’s out there are probably having a conniption just thinking thinking about it.

The line for Toy Story Mania was 55 minutes at 8:40 a.m. Just reading that sentence over is mind-boggling. I don’t even think Soarin’ drew crowds like that. There was literally a sea of people all the way from Voyage of the Little Mermaid to the building entrance. Nobody had any idea where the line started or ended, and there was no discernible FASTPASS queue. Finally, after fighting through a mess of human bodies for at least 10 minutes, we were able to get to the machines and obtain FASTPASSes for 11:40 a.m.-12:40 p.m.

With a lot of time to kill, Justin and I started meandering around the park, not exactly sure where to go. The wait times for the two Sunset Boulevard attractions were already insane, and we couldn’t use FASTPASS for another two hours. We wound up at Star Tours, hoping to fly to Endor with a group of crazed Star Wars junkies, dressed in full costume for Star Wars Weekend. There were two young kids dressed as Luke and Leia, and a few others with light sabers attached to their belts, but nothing crazy. I was hoping to ride with someone dressed as Chewbacca or Yoda. Nevertheless, the space capsule was full, and the crowd was clearly excited to be there. I won’t waste anybody’s time explaining why this attraction needs to be updated. It’s been discussed enough. But whenever I watch the preshow, I can’t help but laugh hysterically. How can Disney legitimately pass that off? Have you seen that woman’s hair? It’s almost embarrassing.

Fortunately, we eventually arrived safely at Endor (yet somehow wound up at a shop in Tatooine moments later) and continued our journey through the park. Next up was one of my all-time favorites, The Great Movie Ride -- another attraction desperately in need of a major facelift. Maybe it’s the film buff in me, but I still love this ride, even though it’s pathetically old and antiquated. Starting with the trailers from all-time classics like “The Searchers,” “Alien” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” the entire experience oozes of cinematic excitement. Sure, the concept is tired. And, yes, I admit it could use a few changes (Do kids even know who Sigourney Weaver is anymore?), but I still get a thrill from cruising through Oz and the Nostromo. I’ll keep riding The Great Movie Ride the way it is, always hoping it one day receives the treatment it deserves.

After exiting, we walked down Sunset Boulevard to check the wait times for the two thrill rides. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster was running a queue of 70 minutes, but Tower of Terror was just at 30, so we lined up. It was actually the first time I ever waited on the standby line for this ride, usually opting for FASTPASS, and I was quite impressed by all the detail and intricacy of the hotel’s surroundings. I had always heard such wonderful things about the Tower of Terror’s intense theming, and it was thrilling to finally see it up close.

Unfortunately, the wait was longer than 30 minutes. For the first 15 or 20 minutes, I swear we were not moving at all. It was strange, because it seemed like the ride was fully operational. I heard periodic screams coming from the building. I couldn’t figure out why were stopped cold. I don’t mind a long wait, as long as the line is moving. Standing in one place is brutal, because it feels like you are making no progress.

Suddenly, the line picked up, though, and we were whisked through the lobby and into the library to begin our experience. I have fully come around on the Tower of Terror’s merits. I admit I didn’t ride for the first time until a few years ago because I was scared. The first two or three times through, I was too nervous to pay attention, much like how people react to Splash Mountain the first time. After this ride, the Tower of Terror vaulted into my top-10 list for favorite attractions in the four parks. The technology is astounding, and it really is about more than just the drops. It’s scary, but in a good way. As a funny aside, as we were boarding our elevator, I frantically told my brother I would never ride again. About 10 minutes after leaving, I asked if he wanted to go back on later in the day. Talk about coming full circle.

By now, we were allowed to grab more FASTPASSes, despite having an hour to wait before riding Toy Story Mania. The return time for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster wasn’t until 3:55 p.m., which worked well for our schedule, so we quickly snagged the tickets and hurried to the 11:30 a.m. showing of the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. Here’s another oldie but goodie, and an attraction my brother still enjoys, despite having seen it many times. Of course, it would be exciting not to know what was about to happen, but it’s still fun. We had some time to kill, anyway.

It was now finally time to ride Toy Story Mania, after waiting for what seemed like forever. This is my favorite attraction in the park by far. Before it opened, I was willing to skip the Studios altogether, preferring to spend my time at the other three parks. Toy Story Mania has brought me back because it is so wonderful. This is what all new attractions should be like. The FASTPASS line moved quickly, though I hated having to miss the giant Mr. Potato Head. Justin actually beat me, giving me my first loss ever! I was winning the entire game. Not sure what happened. My hand slipped off the string for a few moments during the bonus round, and I think that was enough to let him catch up. How disappointing. It gave him serious bragging rights to the rest of the family.

Considering neither of us had breakfast, we were pretty hungry by this point. We could have scarfed down some mediocre Hollywood Studios counter service fare, but there was a certain soda shop we vowed to visit this trip. We sprinted at full speed to catch the boat before it pulled away from the dock. Of course, after running that fast in the 90-degree heat, it turned out the boat was waiting for us all along. I think the Cast Members just wanted to see us look silly and then laugh about it when we arrived panting and wheezing for air.

Beaches & Cream had a 35-minute wait, which we happily accepted. We killed some time at the nearby arcade, wasting away by shooting hoops and playing Mario Kart until our pager buzzed. We were seated at the counter, directly in front of the ice cream, so we had the pleasure of watching a Cast Member craft those gigantic and scrumptious sundaes during our entire meal. Quite the temptation. Justin ordered the basic cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate milkshake, and I went with the grilled chicken sandwich with fries and a coffee milkshake. We also shared an order of onion rings. Sitting at the counter was an awesome experienced and added to the old-time feel of the restaurant.

I don’t eat burgers, but Justin seemed to enjoy his. He devoured it quickly and most of the fries. My sandwich was actually better than expected. The chicken was seasoned well without being spicy, and the grilled onions I ordered as extra were a nice touch. Add some ketchup and mustard, and I was in good shape. The onion rings were not quite as good as I remembered. I tried them for the first time last May and thought they were simply heavenly. These were considerably thicker and heavier than what I remembered. Last time, they were thin and crispy. We still ate most of the dish, though.

And for the ice cream, there’s not much to say that hasn’t been discussed already. I don’t know if it’s the wonderfully nostalgic atmosphere or the grease of the fries, but I don’t think I’ve had a better shake in my life. It’s so thick, you could probably flip it upside-down, and the sprinkles and whipped cream are a perfect finish. It’s practically impossible to finish what’s in the glass, let alone the rest of the gigantic metal cup. Overall, our lunch at Beaches & Cream was a perfect way to start our Disney dining for this trip and a huge improvement over anything at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Why can’t that park maintain a single good counter service location? The other three don’t seem to have that problem. Backlot Express is edible, but incredibly vanilla.

With our Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster FASTPASS time approaching, we jumped right back on the boat and headed back to the park. We still had some time to wait, so we moseyed over to Muppet*Vision 3D, another older attraction that definitely still has merit. The 3D technology does not compare with the incredible effects at Mickey’s PhilharMagic, but the jokes are hilarious and script still feels fresh after all these years. The preshow is legitimately as clever as the main presentation, and we were lucky enough to see every hilarious moment of it before entering the theater.

NEXT POST

[Jared]

Justin really wanted to try The American Idol Experience, so that was our next stop. As we waited in the holding area, I caught the very end of the Block Party Bash. I’ve never been a parade guy, and I didn’t see much of it, so I can’t comment.

I do have thoughts, however, on this American Idol Experience. By way of full disclosure: I have never seen the television show. I’m not sure if that taints my feelings on the attraction, but I imagine it appeals more to fans of the program. That being said, I was extremely disappointed with the attraction and found it quite worthless, actually. Not sure if that matches the general opinion among Disney fans, but I certainly will never return by my own accord. I thought the decision to make the judges creepy carbon copies of Randy, Paula and Simon was eerily disturbing and cheesy. For sure, nobody could take their opinions and critiques seriously. I realize this is an attraction, not a true examination of musical talent, but the whole show oozed with inauthenticity.

Beyond that, I left the theater feeling like the whole show was rigged! The first two performers were incredibly mediocre and unimpressive. Both had trouble simply hitting the notes of their songs and were reamed out crudely but appropriately by the “judges.” Then came along little miss Brianna from who-knows-where, New Jersey. Out walks a brunette bombshell with a swagger and aura about her that the other two young women could not have dreamed of. Immediately, I half-joked to my brother that she had my vote, regardless of how she sang. Then she opened her mouth and made my crack totally obsolete. She sang beautifully and powerfully, and was so clearly better than the other two I wondered how they were put in the same contest.

And it hit me: Disney set this whole thing up. I thought back to the holding area, where silly emcees went around with camera begging the crowd to chant Brianna’s name, so they could show it during the show. That, and during the finale. At the time, I wondered why they were singling this girl out. Why not chant the other two girls’ names? Wouldn’t it make them feel weird to know they were less important? Turned out, they were less important. Brianna must have received 98 percent of the vote, but at least they had the decency to not show the results. I imagine Disney figures out who the best five performers are who auditioned that day and make sure to separate them, so they inevitably meet in the finale show. It was no contest. The whole thing left a sour taste in my mouth. I recognize my sentiments may be unpopular -- I have not read any reviews of the attraction -- but I thought it best to be honest.

Sorry for saying so much, but I started writing that review in my head while watching the show. Actually, it was during the ridiculous part where they asked the audience to stand up and sing some silly song by some untalented American Idol hack. OK, no more potshots.

Our Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster FASTPASS time had finally come up. Funny, I wrote about obtaining those FASTPASSes on Monday. Shows how long these things take to write!

Justin and I crossed the park and were inside almost immediately. The decision to have the preshow dump right in front of where the limos blast off is genius. It’s so intimidating to watch those ride vehicles explode into the darkness. Justin absolutely loves this ride. I like it, too, but wish the theming was less sterile. I recently discovered I can ride with my eyeglasses on, so I was able to see the neon Interstate signs as we zoomed by.

We were still feeling pretty energized from our midday table-service lunch break, but there wasn’t much else we wanted to do, so we headed back to Pop Century. We had a dinner reservation at Kona Cafe at 6:55, but it was hot and wanted some time to swim. The Pop pool is nothing special but effective, nonetheless. It’s exactly what you would expect from a value resort. No slide or anything, but the water is nice, and the buildings around it are fun. We didn’t have too much time with our ADR looming, but the swim was certainly appreciated.

After showering and changing, we went back out to the bus stop to find a crowd waiting to go to the Magic Kingdom that probably could have filled three buses. We never would have gotten on the bus that pulled up, so we abandoned ship and took the Epcot bus instead. Good decision. That Magic Kingdom bus left dozens of people behind. Herein lies the problem with the Pop bus system. Though it is timelier than the bus system at any other resort I have experienced, the buses are literally overwhelmed with people. It seems like literally every bus is filled to the brim with people crushed together standing in the aisle. I had only seen that before during the mass exodus after IllumiNations or Fantasmic!.

I had only taken a bus to Epcot once, and I barely remember it, so I was immediately taken by how far the Pop bus stop is from the park. It felt like we were walking forever. Finally, we climbed the ramp to the monorail and had the pleasant experience of riding up front with the pilot. I’ve done it before, but this was the most memorable trip. They were training a new driver at the Transportation and Ticket Center as we were approaching, so we were stuck for about five minutes because of traffic clearance. Our pilot explained all that goes into becoming a monorail driver and told us what was happening up ahead. It was quite interesting and enlightening, and absolutely worth the delay.

We walked from the TTC over to the Polynesian, and as usual found the ridiculously massive crowd waiting for ‘Ohana, and a slightly smaller group outside Kona. As some of you know, Kona has been one of my favorite Disney restaurants for a while, and my family and I have eaten there on numerous occasions. This time was easily my worst meal there ever, entirely because of the service.

Before I get into it, though, let me mention a few menu changes that were apparently implemented the Sunday before our meal. The sauce on the Asian noodles has changed from sweet-and-sour to a light peanut. The teryaki steak is now served with sticky rice instead of mashed potatoes (our server, whose name tag said she was from Honolulu, said that’s how they eat it in Hawaii.) The mahi-mahi is now wasabi-glazed, instead of crusted with macadamia nuts and chives. There is also a full sushi menu, and a sushi appetizer for two. I believe there was one other new entree, but I don’t remember right now. I wanted to take home a menu to contribute to the site, but I had no bags with me and didn’t want to carry it through the park later that night. Sorry!

Now, onto the meal.

Our waitress, Dolly, got off to a terrible start. When I asked how she was doing, she essentially said she was doing terribly. The response was entirely unprofessional, albeit honest, and immediately had me on guard. After taking our orders (tuna for me, Asian noodles for him and a shared appetizer of sticky wings), she disappeared for a while without bringing our drinks or the delicious bread. Finally, out they came. That Hawaiian bread and macadamia nut butter is still unbelievable. We had to force ourselves not to eat the entire loaf.

Then we waited. And waited. And waited. And continued to wait, even though the table next to us was seated, received appetizers and entrees. We hadn’t even seen our entrees yet! Our neighbors had Maria as their server, and she was clearly more competent. Dolly kept blaming the kitchen, saying there were new staffers and the computer system was acting out. Needless to say, I was not convinced. After waiting for what seemed like forever, she came to our table and asked if we were ready for dessert. We informed her we had not yet received our entrees, and she seemed upset and vowed to go “yell and scream” in the back. At that point, the manager saw me looking mightily confused and came over. The entrees came out a few moments later. He was nice enough to comp our dessert without me asking, and he seemed truly apologetic and angry with the server. I think it’s important not to judge a restaurant on the mistake, but how it handles it. I was very happy with how the higher-ups at Kona remedied our situation, despite my frustration with the service. I will return, because I truly believe this was simply a rogue server after many wonderful meals there, including on during Christmas week in 2008.

The food itself was wonderful, as always. It was hot and fresh. I had never tried the tuna there before and loved it. The asparagus was crisp and fresh, and the tempura crabmeat was an excellent touch. I wasn’t too keen on the fried green tomatoes, and I left a little of it on the plate. Everything else was devoured. I didn’t try the noodles, but Justin ate the entire bowl. We had the Kilauea torte for dessert, and it was given to us a la mode, much to my surprise! This is still one of my all-time favorite Disney desserts, and it didn’t disappoint this time. Justin and I inhaled that thing, and left the restaurant slightly miffed, but full and satisfied.

NEXT POST

[Jared]

Unfortunately, our extra-long dinner forced us to miss Wishes, but we had the unique and thrilling opportunity to watch the fireworks from the monorail as we glided toward the park. I had never seen that before, so it was quite fascinating and in some ways even better than watching the show from Main Street.

We entered the park just as the fireworks were ending, and we fought through an ocean of people trying to leave to reach Splash Mountain. The ride was still quite crowded, as the park was still open for another hour, followed by Extra Magic Hours. After a 30-minute wait or so, we took our seats in the back row. We missed the giant splash around the first turn by mere moments, and our entire boat laughed at the poor sap in the log behind ours, who was absolutely zapped. Tough luck. I have written numerous times how Splash Mountain is my absolute favorite Disney attraction. It combines all the best elements of Disney’s best work. Though it may no longer be new, it is timeless and an absolute classic. If I could only try one more Disney attraction for the rest of my life, it would be Splash Mountain.

The wait at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was too long, so we decided to forgo it until another day. We chose to ride The Haunted Mansion, instead. I notice something new here every time, and I really like the new additions, especially the weeding room with that creepy bride with hte axe. We walked through Fantasyland next, but found the lines at Peter Pan’s Flight and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh too unbearable, so we continued on to Tomorrowland. It was actually depressing not to see the Tomorrowland Transit Authority operating overhead. To me, that attraction embodies Tomorrowland in so many ways. I was actually sadder about not getting to ride the TTA than Space Mountain.

We saw that the FASTPASS machine for Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin were operational, so we snagged some. Then we realized there was literally nothing to do in Tomorrowland to pass the time, so we bit the bullet and actually went inside Stitch’s Great Escape!. I had tried it once before, right after it opened, and barely remembered. I just knew it was one of Disney’s all-time worst efforts. It didn’t take long for it all to come back to me. What a waste of time. We were better off waiting normally for Buzz.

Nevertheless, we finished our night by blasting our way through Zurg. By that point, I was actually too tired to play and was half-asleep. I think Stitch was the final straw. We had finally hit the wall after a fabulous first day, so we left the park around 11 p.m. and fell asleep by 12:15 a.m., already excited what the next morning had in store.

Thanks for reading, everybody! Up next is a morning at Epcot, lunch at Coral Reef, more Magic Kingdom fun and dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express.

[faline]

Nice day for your and your brother! You covered lots of ground in a very long day! No wonder you were tired!

[JPL]

Sounds like a great first day

I will say that the Crowds for Ohana are a real turn off for staying at the Poly.


I love Splash as well and could ride it over and over. I am a little disappointed you didn't stay for EMHs

I agree with the TTA I think it's going to be strange going in June and not riding it or see it gliding over head.


Next up Jared plans a NYC meet

[mouseketeer mom]

You hit two of our faves today...Beaches and Cream and Kona's. What a jam packed day..I loved reading along..

[Jared]

Next up Jared plans a NYC meet

Actually, I would like to have a meet this summer. Lisa asked about it, too. We'll have to organize something.

[ElenitaB]

I knew you were disappointed by your meal at Kona's and now I fully understand why. At least the actual food was good though. Too bad you missed Wishes. You just might have to come see it in August.

[pdrlkr]

Thanks for the Report!

[artyboy]

Thanks for the report...and I totally agree with you as far as "Idol" goes...the whole thing was fake and lame, IMHO.

[BluewaterBrad]

Great report bro!! More! More!!

[yjgirl32]

Great report- very detailed. Thanks for sharing.

[offwego]

Your Beaches and Cream review sure makes it tempting. Sorry about the service at Kona.

I can't believe how much you are packing into to your trip, fantastic for all of you.

[KylesMom]

As always, Jared, a most excellent report. You had an incredibly busy day today! I'm sorry that you hit a few bumps, especially at Kona. Inexcusable, but at least the mgr. tried to make it right.

(Do kids even know who Sigourney Weaver is anymore?)

I had to laugh at this one, because my DS watched Aliens today, his 2nd day of summer vacation . . . I guess it all depends on if kids' parents expose them to her (Riply). Shame on me for doing so!

You'd better finish this trip report - love 'em!

[vizsla]

Thanks for the report.

[BriarRose0708]

Love the first day, you guys did so much! I got nostalgic reading about Splash. Once of my favorite Disney memories is riding it with you. I'll read day 2 later, I'm technically at work right now!

[DisneyorBust]

Enjoying your reports! Sounds as if you and your brother are having a great time. Looking forward to day 3, see you there.

[PirateLover]

Jared, I just typed what ended up being an insanely long reply and just as I was about to hit post, my lap top just shut off. Suffice it to say, I'm glad you now recognize the genius of Tower of Terror, and I 100% agree with you about Splash Mountain.

[Bethanymouse]

Jared, thanks for the report. I enjoyed every bit of it. Sorry about the bad service at Kona. Glad to hear they made up for it. Kona is a must do for us every trip- usually for more than one meal too!