Suz36
02-24-2011, 10:04 PM
Date: February 1st
Cast of Characters: me (38), DH (39), DD (10), DS (7)
All-Star Music
Day 5 – Hollywood Studios
I was determined to have us at the turnstiles well before park opening today, and boy did the troops rally around me! After a quick breakfast at the food court, we were on our way, and were stepping off the bus at 8:10. We were first in line at the turnstiles, and it was at this point the family began asking, “Why are we here so early?” I’d specifically planned today on a non-Fantasmic day, hoping for low crowds and lots of opportunities for one of the family favorites, Toy Story Mania! It was a beautiful morning, and I passed the time taking pictures of the empty park. We also received a phone call from DD’s best buddy’s mom. They were to arrive in Orlando today, and I’d been worried that weather would hold them up. Well, it turns out they’d had the same worry and changed their plans at the last minute, arriving safely last night. I was so relieved, and we looked forward to our time together two days from now. We enter upon park opening only to wait at the end of Hollywood Blvd. At this point we were only about the 3rd row deep (I wasn’t into the pushing and shoving once we were through the ticket gates) and we watched the masses grow behind us. We prepared for our shoot with Alberto Dante, and then, “Hollywood, here we come!” The original plan was to grab FPs then hop in line, but we were doing so well I decided to flip the order, and we ended up literally walking on to TSM! I won round one, and we grabbed FPs good for late morning. We then took the Backlot Tour, where for the second time there were no guests participating in the first part – maybe because it’s the first show of the day? We checked out the Villains display and Showcase shop, then did a little more browsing and exploring through the very empty Streets of America set. We took in a showing of Muppet Vision 3D while back in this part of the park, finding the key under the mat on the way in. Next up was something I’d been looking forward to, a performance by Mulch, Sweat and Shears. I was really making an effort to catch a lot of the musical acts we may have missed on previous trips, and they were not disappointing! Their set list was right up our alley, and they chose DS to perform with them! They gave him a blow-up air guitar to play, and prompted him through his performance. He was a bit tentative about the whole thing, but went along with everything and seemed to enjoy it overall. My son is now a rock star! He had on his mirrored shades and really fit the part. Of course, the video camera ran out as soon as he went up – doesn’t it figure? But I got some cute still shots, and they gave him a souvenir guitar pick along with his guitar. Definitely two of his favorite treasures from the trip, and a highlight for me as well! My kids have never been ones to volunteer for shows, but since he really wasn’t given much of a choice, he finally got to experience it.
DH was beginning to run a little low on energy, so we grabbed him some coffee at the bookstore, then headed towards the Hat to watch Disney Channel Rocks! We’re more familiar with the High School Musical movies, so we definitely preferred that show, but the cast did a great job. Their performance did seem to be cut short a bit for some reason - I think they only did 2 or 3 songs. Our TSM FPs were now open, so we grabbed another set and hopped in line. I’m pretty sure I won this round as well. This trip marked the first time we allowed the kids to ride separately from us (first time they really requested it, too.) It was fun to compete more directly with DH! We were starting to get hungry, so we made our way to Starring Rolls, which has definitely become one of my favorite lunch spots. The sandwiches are so fresh, and the cupcakes are delicious! On the dining plan, it’s an incredible deal. We wanted the kids to try the grapefruit cake we’d tried on our adults-only trip in October, so we again got the star treatment as they “went in the back” to get us a slice. The kids weren’t real impressed, but DH and I again enjoyed it. We unfortunately wasted a ton of food during this meal, but we’re on vacation and wanted to live it up! It was now time for Lights, Motors, Action, but for some reason the boys were not interested! So we temporarily parted ways, and the girls watched the stunt show while the boys went for DS’s first visit to the Hollywood Hotel! DD could not be convinced to give this a try. We met back up with the boys at the Hat, and DS had loved Tower of Terror! Yeah! We made some pin purchases, then took a trip down memory lane on the Great Movie Ride. It was now parade time, so we purchased some frozen snacks (it had warmed up beautifully!) and found a spot to sit. I must admit I was disappointed with the parade – it seemed like half of it was missing (which it was!) It was fun to see Remy and the Up! Characters, but this is not something I will need to interrupt my day for in the future. And I love parades! I wish they would bring back Stars and Motor Cars! We made our way to the Animation Academy, where we drew Piglet, then it was time for Beauty and the Beast. Boy, a day at the Studios can be challenging when you’re trying to fit in all the shows! We really pulled it off though, thanks to low crowds. It was now Mommy’s turn to ride what I lovingly refer to as the Tower of Giggles, as I can’t stop laughing the entire ride! It was posting the foreboding 13 minute wait time, and DS and I walked right into the library. What a great ride!! We met up with DH and DD and did a little shopping in the hotel gift shop, with me picking up some resort lotion, disappointed that they did not have the shower gel. We first used the lotion during our stay at the Wilderness Lodge, so now every night when I put it on my hands, it takes me back! We wandered over to the Rockin’ Roller Coaster gift shop, specifically for pin trading as on our last trip we’d encountered a cast member there with a drum head full of pins. We didn’t see it out, but when we inquired about it, the cast member went to the back to bring it out for us. She asked if we were looking for anything specific, and when I mentioned a Stitch fireman pin I was looking for, she thought she’d seen one on her manager’s lanyard and went to check! Unfortunately it had already been traded for, but it was so nice of the CM to take the time to check! We encountered some really wonderful CMs this trip – great Disney guest service is alive and well!
We slowly made our way down Sunset Boulevard, popping into a shop here and there, and I made my big purchase of the trip – a Mickey watch that I’d spied on our previous trip. My brother- and sister-in-law gave me money for Christmas to put towards the watch – thanks, guys! We made our way back to Animation at DS’s request – he was pouting because we hadn’t had time to play at the computers when we were there earlier. Once he was satisfied, we went back to Pixar Place for rounds 3 and 4 on TSM. (We’d picked up another set of FPs at some point during the afternoon!) I would not recommend back to back rides on TSM – our arms were about to fall off! I believe DH took both of these, tying the series at 2 all. Can you believe we were able to ride TSM 4 times in one day? We were excited! Mommy’s planning paid off! It was almost park closing time, so we just wandered around a bit, stopping to say hi to Lightning and Mater (DS’s absolute favorites!), taking in the different atmosphere in the dark. The park was practically deserted at this point, which was fun. We had 7:15 ADRs at 50’s Prime Time, so we eventually ended up there. I was worried about this one – we are all quite shy, but I felt it was time to step out of our comfort zone and try something new. It really paid off! The food was delicious (I got pot roast, DD and DH got fried chicken, DS chicken tenders, DD and I got milkshakes!), and our waitress was perfect with us – just enough hassling to make it fun, but not enough to make any of us uncomfortable. Most of it was aimed at me – elbows on the table, wearing my hat inside – “I’d make you take it off but I DO NOT want to see what your hair looks like underneath!” It was definitely a place that we will return to! We did see a boy forced to help bus the tables, and the waiters were ribbing each other pretty good. What a fun place!!! Full and happy, we slowly made our way out of the now empty park, camera shutter snapping the whole way! I believe this was the night we sang “Friends in Low Places” with fellow bus riders on the trip home. Another perfect day in Disney! We were in bed fairly early, exhausted from our adventures, and had a quiet, peaceful night’s sleep. (I forgot to mention that I had to again call security the night before for the noisy teenage girls! They were thankfully quiet tonight.)
Cast of Characters: me (38), DH (39), DD (10), DS (7)
All-Star Music
Day 5 – Hollywood Studios
I was determined to have us at the turnstiles well before park opening today, and boy did the troops rally around me! After a quick breakfast at the food court, we were on our way, and were stepping off the bus at 8:10. We were first in line at the turnstiles, and it was at this point the family began asking, “Why are we here so early?” I’d specifically planned today on a non-Fantasmic day, hoping for low crowds and lots of opportunities for one of the family favorites, Toy Story Mania! It was a beautiful morning, and I passed the time taking pictures of the empty park. We also received a phone call from DD’s best buddy’s mom. They were to arrive in Orlando today, and I’d been worried that weather would hold them up. Well, it turns out they’d had the same worry and changed their plans at the last minute, arriving safely last night. I was so relieved, and we looked forward to our time together two days from now. We enter upon park opening only to wait at the end of Hollywood Blvd. At this point we were only about the 3rd row deep (I wasn’t into the pushing and shoving once we were through the ticket gates) and we watched the masses grow behind us. We prepared for our shoot with Alberto Dante, and then, “Hollywood, here we come!” The original plan was to grab FPs then hop in line, but we were doing so well I decided to flip the order, and we ended up literally walking on to TSM! I won round one, and we grabbed FPs good for late morning. We then took the Backlot Tour, where for the second time there were no guests participating in the first part – maybe because it’s the first show of the day? We checked out the Villains display and Showcase shop, then did a little more browsing and exploring through the very empty Streets of America set. We took in a showing of Muppet Vision 3D while back in this part of the park, finding the key under the mat on the way in. Next up was something I’d been looking forward to, a performance by Mulch, Sweat and Shears. I was really making an effort to catch a lot of the musical acts we may have missed on previous trips, and they were not disappointing! Their set list was right up our alley, and they chose DS to perform with them! They gave him a blow-up air guitar to play, and prompted him through his performance. He was a bit tentative about the whole thing, but went along with everything and seemed to enjoy it overall. My son is now a rock star! He had on his mirrored shades and really fit the part. Of course, the video camera ran out as soon as he went up – doesn’t it figure? But I got some cute still shots, and they gave him a souvenir guitar pick along with his guitar. Definitely two of his favorite treasures from the trip, and a highlight for me as well! My kids have never been ones to volunteer for shows, but since he really wasn’t given much of a choice, he finally got to experience it.
DH was beginning to run a little low on energy, so we grabbed him some coffee at the bookstore, then headed towards the Hat to watch Disney Channel Rocks! We’re more familiar with the High School Musical movies, so we definitely preferred that show, but the cast did a great job. Their performance did seem to be cut short a bit for some reason - I think they only did 2 or 3 songs. Our TSM FPs were now open, so we grabbed another set and hopped in line. I’m pretty sure I won this round as well. This trip marked the first time we allowed the kids to ride separately from us (first time they really requested it, too.) It was fun to compete more directly with DH! We were starting to get hungry, so we made our way to Starring Rolls, which has definitely become one of my favorite lunch spots. The sandwiches are so fresh, and the cupcakes are delicious! On the dining plan, it’s an incredible deal. We wanted the kids to try the grapefruit cake we’d tried on our adults-only trip in October, so we again got the star treatment as they “went in the back” to get us a slice. The kids weren’t real impressed, but DH and I again enjoyed it. We unfortunately wasted a ton of food during this meal, but we’re on vacation and wanted to live it up! It was now time for Lights, Motors, Action, but for some reason the boys were not interested! So we temporarily parted ways, and the girls watched the stunt show while the boys went for DS’s first visit to the Hollywood Hotel! DD could not be convinced to give this a try. We met back up with the boys at the Hat, and DS had loved Tower of Terror! Yeah! We made some pin purchases, then took a trip down memory lane on the Great Movie Ride. It was now parade time, so we purchased some frozen snacks (it had warmed up beautifully!) and found a spot to sit. I must admit I was disappointed with the parade – it seemed like half of it was missing (which it was!) It was fun to see Remy and the Up! Characters, but this is not something I will need to interrupt my day for in the future. And I love parades! I wish they would bring back Stars and Motor Cars! We made our way to the Animation Academy, where we drew Piglet, then it was time for Beauty and the Beast. Boy, a day at the Studios can be challenging when you’re trying to fit in all the shows! We really pulled it off though, thanks to low crowds. It was now Mommy’s turn to ride what I lovingly refer to as the Tower of Giggles, as I can’t stop laughing the entire ride! It was posting the foreboding 13 minute wait time, and DS and I walked right into the library. What a great ride!! We met up with DH and DD and did a little shopping in the hotel gift shop, with me picking up some resort lotion, disappointed that they did not have the shower gel. We first used the lotion during our stay at the Wilderness Lodge, so now every night when I put it on my hands, it takes me back! We wandered over to the Rockin’ Roller Coaster gift shop, specifically for pin trading as on our last trip we’d encountered a cast member there with a drum head full of pins. We didn’t see it out, but when we inquired about it, the cast member went to the back to bring it out for us. She asked if we were looking for anything specific, and when I mentioned a Stitch fireman pin I was looking for, she thought she’d seen one on her manager’s lanyard and went to check! Unfortunately it had already been traded for, but it was so nice of the CM to take the time to check! We encountered some really wonderful CMs this trip – great Disney guest service is alive and well!
We slowly made our way down Sunset Boulevard, popping into a shop here and there, and I made my big purchase of the trip – a Mickey watch that I’d spied on our previous trip. My brother- and sister-in-law gave me money for Christmas to put towards the watch – thanks, guys! We made our way back to Animation at DS’s request – he was pouting because we hadn’t had time to play at the computers when we were there earlier. Once he was satisfied, we went back to Pixar Place for rounds 3 and 4 on TSM. (We’d picked up another set of FPs at some point during the afternoon!) I would not recommend back to back rides on TSM – our arms were about to fall off! I believe DH took both of these, tying the series at 2 all. Can you believe we were able to ride TSM 4 times in one day? We were excited! Mommy’s planning paid off! It was almost park closing time, so we just wandered around a bit, stopping to say hi to Lightning and Mater (DS’s absolute favorites!), taking in the different atmosphere in the dark. The park was practically deserted at this point, which was fun. We had 7:15 ADRs at 50’s Prime Time, so we eventually ended up there. I was worried about this one – we are all quite shy, but I felt it was time to step out of our comfort zone and try something new. It really paid off! The food was delicious (I got pot roast, DD and DH got fried chicken, DS chicken tenders, DD and I got milkshakes!), and our waitress was perfect with us – just enough hassling to make it fun, but not enough to make any of us uncomfortable. Most of it was aimed at me – elbows on the table, wearing my hat inside – “I’d make you take it off but I DO NOT want to see what your hair looks like underneath!” It was definitely a place that we will return to! We did see a boy forced to help bus the tables, and the waiters were ribbing each other pretty good. What a fun place!!! Full and happy, we slowly made our way out of the now empty park, camera shutter snapping the whole way! I believe this was the night we sang “Friends in Low Places” with fellow bus riders on the trip home. Another perfect day in Disney! We were in bed fairly early, exhausted from our adventures, and had a quiet, peaceful night’s sleep. (I forgot to mention that I had to again call security the night before for the noisy teenage girls! They were thankfully quiet tonight.)