Aurora
06-22-2011, 12:08 AM
Our pack-it-all-in trip, June 4-12, 2011, Part 4, Day 6
Met up with sis and her family today at Hollywood Studios. Here’s a reminder of our cast list:
Me, 48
DH, 46
DD, 15
DS, 12
DS, 6
Sis and her family:
Sis: 47
Her DH: 48
DS: 16
DS: 15
DS: 14
DS: 7
We drove to DHS and arrived at 8:15 a.m. Sis’s family got there around 8:30. Park opening was at 9. Again, crowded. Yesterday and today, no finger scans were taken while putting tickets through the gates at the beginning of the day. While we were waiting to get in, there were announcements for tryouts for American Idol Experience. My DD has wanted for years to do this, so I asked her about trying out. She said a flat-out “no.” I was shocked! But that’s teenagers for you.
The plan was for me to run (OK, walk very fast) to Toy Story Mania to get Fast Passes for the group, and then meet them at Star Tours. Boy, this experience was a new one for me! We’re lucky we got there early enough because at 8:40, they let the crowd in and stopped them at the end of the first stretch of Hollywood Boulevard, right before where Sunset Boulevard branches off on the right to Tower of Terror.
I’ve written about the crowds for this week, but I have only two words for this morning: total mob. (Very well-behaved, though!) The crowd was packed in from Sunset Boulevard to the entrance, shoulder to shoulder, sidewalk to sidewalk. I’ve never been to Disney at holiday times, but this must be what it’s like. Another thing, there was something exciting going on. I don’t know how often they do this, but they said they were shooting a new Disney World commercial and asked the crowd to yell all together (I think it was, “Let the memories begin”), then as guests were passing by the cameras they were asked to say which city they were from. At rope drop, I could hear people in the microphones saying their cities, but I had to get going and wasn’t near the cameras anyway.
When my family got to Star Tours, DH called me on my cell to say there was a 5-minute wait when they got in line, then the sign immediately jumped to 30 minutes. I got in line for FPs for Toy Story Mania, which although long, only took me about 5 minutes. There was an attendant at every machine loading in guest tickets. I asked my guy whether it was like this all the time, and he said “every day.” I’ve never seen a ride get so much more popular as the years went on. Amazing. Even with just a few minutes of waiting in line, our FP return time was already 10:45 a.m.
I called DH and he said they were already off the ride. Wow! I made my way around the back end of the park to avoid the crowds. Ladies, I know there will be someone else out there excited about this -- as I passed the rest rooms with nobody around, I realized that I had to use them and that NO ONE ELSE HAD USED THEM YET! Yes, the things that make me happy.
I saw my group near the Star Tours ride, and here’s what my 12yo old had to say: “Did you go on?” Me: “No, I was getting Fast Passes for Toy Story for everyone.” Him: “Oh, I didn’t even know you weren’t with us.” Nice! Anyway, the group thought the new ride was excellent. DH felt like it was a little shorter, but I told him I heard it wasn’t and that it might have been because it was something new to see.
All the kids wanted to do the thrill rides so we headed over to Sunset Boulevard. We waited a few minutes for our time to get Fast Passes for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, then got in line for Tower of Terror. After my experience with the Harry Potter ride at Universal, I decided not to chance it with my stomach, so I just stood in line with the group. Sis’s 7yo was trying to decide whether to ride. My 6yo was gung-ho, so he went on, and I took my nephew out the “back” exit to wait for the group. Of course they all loved it, but my 6yo said it was the scariest ride he’d ever been on. :D
By this time it was our FP return for TSM. We walked up at 10:45 and saw that the FP machines were already covered and out for the day. :eek: I have no idea when they ran out, but according to the Unofficial Guide, the last FP distributed on a typical summer day is at 12:10 p.m. Of course, the kids loved the ride.
We headed over to the Backlot Tour, which we hadn’t done in many years (big kids didn’t remember and little kids had never seen it). The CMs who did the war film bit were excellent, and so were the guests, so we enjoyed it even though the adults had seen it many times before. I was surprised that the voiceover on the tram part was automated. It made me wonder how many “tour” guides are just recordings now. The little kids were awestruck by Catastrophe Canyon, just as we were the first time. Driving past the Lights, Motors, Action! show, we saw the finale through an archway. I don’t know if the Backlot Tour times this with the show, but it was phenomenal to get a little “preview” with a big explosion.
We ate lunch at Studio Catering Co. and then let the big kids go off by themselves while the little ones played in “Honey I Shrunk the Kids.” There was a weird situation with a lost child and a woman who was carrying the child around. A CM asked if the child was hers, and she said yes, she was taking care of the child until the parent was found. :confused: But that all worked in the end when the mom finally found them.
Next was Lights, Motors, Action! It was the first time for all of us seeing the show, but I was sorry the big kids weren’t with us. We loved it! LIghtning McQueen will be a great addition. Another crowd note: The place was packed. They announced it seated 5,000 people, and there were very few empty spots. Leaving the show reminded me of exiting the stadium at a major league baseball game.
We watched MuppetVision 3D (again, crowds were so big they filled the pre-show room), and then we did the Great Movie Ride. The overhead alien didn’t work – bummer, cause I was right below it. There was also some kind of glitch in the Wizard of Oz room that prompted our tour guide to quip: “Apparently the Yellow Brick Road is a lot like traffic on I-4.” Got the biggest laugh of the ride.
It was about time to meet the big kids for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, and I had already decided I didn’t want my 6yo to ride – I was just nervous about it and felt it would be great if he had something big to look forward to on another trip. He wasn’t happy, but he was pretty wiped out anyway, so DH decided to take him back to the room for a nap. (With one for DH as well :D )
After that our big group of nine decided to head over to Epcot on the boat. We walked to the China pavilion to see if we could eat at Nine Dragons. It was about 5 p.m., and we had no ressies, but it was early enough that we didn’t need them. The place was nearly empty. As we ate, it started to fill up. We had a GREAT server – attentive to the kids, funny, quick, made sure we had everything we needed. We ordered lots of different things on the menu, loved the sauces, and even the fried rice was delicious.
After that we walked through Mexico and went on the Gran Fiesta Tour ride (we do miss the old Rio del Tiempo), then headed over to Test Track. In the meantime, DH and 6yo DS came back from the nap and met up with my sis and her 7yo to visit Turtle Talk with Crush again. The rest of us, for the first time ever, used the single-rider line at Test Track to take advantage of a 15-minute wait instead of the standby of 55 minutes. The wait was actually shorter than that and so worth it.
Because we only had three park days, we decided to use our mornings to do Magic Kingdom twice and Hollywood Studios once. That meant we had to give up going to Epcot early and getting FPs. My DD really wanted to go on Soarin, so we walked over with my 12yo and my 15yo nephew to check the wait time. I told them to forget it if it was over 90 minutes. The sign said 70 minutes, so I said OK. When we arrived at the entrance, I asked the CM whether 70 minutes was the actual wait time or was it longer? He said that was the expected standby time. So we got in line at 7:15. I told the kids if we weren’t on the ride by 8:30, we were bagging it.
The line moved slowly, as Soarin always does. We advanced by about 10 steps at a time, then waited in the same spot for about 5 to 10 minutes. By 8:30 we were next to the wall for FP guests, and we peeked through the door to see if anyone was there. There were very few FP guests, but the standby line kept being held back for any FP guests going through. We’ve dealt with this before, especially in the past with the Winnie the Pooh ride, but it’s maddening. I really wish they could figure out how to move FP guests through without severely lengthening the standby line.
By this time we had been waiting for 80 minutes, but it’s so hard to dump a line you’ve been in this long. A woman who was in line behind us said the wait time was posted at the front of the park as 110 minutes, but when she got to the ride, it was at 70, so she decided to try it too. I was hoping we could see Illuminations that night, but it didn’t look promising. 8:45 came and went, then 8:50. By 8:55 we were being loaded on the ride, and it began a few minutes later.
DD loved it as usual. The boys’ enthusiasm was dampened by the wait. We rushed out just in time to catch the end of “We Go On” and meet the rest of our party at the International Gate, but we had to stop to let the crowds go by. We finally made it and chatted for a few minutes, then split up to go to our respective resorts. By this time most of the crowd was gone, and we walked through United Kingdom and Canada to the music of the old “Tapestry of Dreams” parade. :clappy: We took the monorail back to the TTC, and by this time, “Wishes” had started at the MK, so we got a glimpse of it once again.
All in all, a long and great day.
NEXT: Day 7, Magic Kingdom on Friday and our last full day at Walt Disney World.
Met up with sis and her family today at Hollywood Studios. Here’s a reminder of our cast list:
Me, 48
DH, 46
DD, 15
DS, 12
DS, 6
Sis and her family:
Sis: 47
Her DH: 48
DS: 16
DS: 15
DS: 14
DS: 7
We drove to DHS and arrived at 8:15 a.m. Sis’s family got there around 8:30. Park opening was at 9. Again, crowded. Yesterday and today, no finger scans were taken while putting tickets through the gates at the beginning of the day. While we were waiting to get in, there were announcements for tryouts for American Idol Experience. My DD has wanted for years to do this, so I asked her about trying out. She said a flat-out “no.” I was shocked! But that’s teenagers for you.
The plan was for me to run (OK, walk very fast) to Toy Story Mania to get Fast Passes for the group, and then meet them at Star Tours. Boy, this experience was a new one for me! We’re lucky we got there early enough because at 8:40, they let the crowd in and stopped them at the end of the first stretch of Hollywood Boulevard, right before where Sunset Boulevard branches off on the right to Tower of Terror.
I’ve written about the crowds for this week, but I have only two words for this morning: total mob. (Very well-behaved, though!) The crowd was packed in from Sunset Boulevard to the entrance, shoulder to shoulder, sidewalk to sidewalk. I’ve never been to Disney at holiday times, but this must be what it’s like. Another thing, there was something exciting going on. I don’t know how often they do this, but they said they were shooting a new Disney World commercial and asked the crowd to yell all together (I think it was, “Let the memories begin”), then as guests were passing by the cameras they were asked to say which city they were from. At rope drop, I could hear people in the microphones saying their cities, but I had to get going and wasn’t near the cameras anyway.
When my family got to Star Tours, DH called me on my cell to say there was a 5-minute wait when they got in line, then the sign immediately jumped to 30 minutes. I got in line for FPs for Toy Story Mania, which although long, only took me about 5 minutes. There was an attendant at every machine loading in guest tickets. I asked my guy whether it was like this all the time, and he said “every day.” I’ve never seen a ride get so much more popular as the years went on. Amazing. Even with just a few minutes of waiting in line, our FP return time was already 10:45 a.m.
I called DH and he said they were already off the ride. Wow! I made my way around the back end of the park to avoid the crowds. Ladies, I know there will be someone else out there excited about this -- as I passed the rest rooms with nobody around, I realized that I had to use them and that NO ONE ELSE HAD USED THEM YET! Yes, the things that make me happy.
I saw my group near the Star Tours ride, and here’s what my 12yo old had to say: “Did you go on?” Me: “No, I was getting Fast Passes for Toy Story for everyone.” Him: “Oh, I didn’t even know you weren’t with us.” Nice! Anyway, the group thought the new ride was excellent. DH felt like it was a little shorter, but I told him I heard it wasn’t and that it might have been because it was something new to see.
All the kids wanted to do the thrill rides so we headed over to Sunset Boulevard. We waited a few minutes for our time to get Fast Passes for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, then got in line for Tower of Terror. After my experience with the Harry Potter ride at Universal, I decided not to chance it with my stomach, so I just stood in line with the group. Sis’s 7yo was trying to decide whether to ride. My 6yo was gung-ho, so he went on, and I took my nephew out the “back” exit to wait for the group. Of course they all loved it, but my 6yo said it was the scariest ride he’d ever been on. :D
By this time it was our FP return for TSM. We walked up at 10:45 and saw that the FP machines were already covered and out for the day. :eek: I have no idea when they ran out, but according to the Unofficial Guide, the last FP distributed on a typical summer day is at 12:10 p.m. Of course, the kids loved the ride.
We headed over to the Backlot Tour, which we hadn’t done in many years (big kids didn’t remember and little kids had never seen it). The CMs who did the war film bit were excellent, and so were the guests, so we enjoyed it even though the adults had seen it many times before. I was surprised that the voiceover on the tram part was automated. It made me wonder how many “tour” guides are just recordings now. The little kids were awestruck by Catastrophe Canyon, just as we were the first time. Driving past the Lights, Motors, Action! show, we saw the finale through an archway. I don’t know if the Backlot Tour times this with the show, but it was phenomenal to get a little “preview” with a big explosion.
We ate lunch at Studio Catering Co. and then let the big kids go off by themselves while the little ones played in “Honey I Shrunk the Kids.” There was a weird situation with a lost child and a woman who was carrying the child around. A CM asked if the child was hers, and she said yes, she was taking care of the child until the parent was found. :confused: But that all worked in the end when the mom finally found them.
Next was Lights, Motors, Action! It was the first time for all of us seeing the show, but I was sorry the big kids weren’t with us. We loved it! LIghtning McQueen will be a great addition. Another crowd note: The place was packed. They announced it seated 5,000 people, and there were very few empty spots. Leaving the show reminded me of exiting the stadium at a major league baseball game.
We watched MuppetVision 3D (again, crowds were so big they filled the pre-show room), and then we did the Great Movie Ride. The overhead alien didn’t work – bummer, cause I was right below it. There was also some kind of glitch in the Wizard of Oz room that prompted our tour guide to quip: “Apparently the Yellow Brick Road is a lot like traffic on I-4.” Got the biggest laugh of the ride.
It was about time to meet the big kids for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, and I had already decided I didn’t want my 6yo to ride – I was just nervous about it and felt it would be great if he had something big to look forward to on another trip. He wasn’t happy, but he was pretty wiped out anyway, so DH decided to take him back to the room for a nap. (With one for DH as well :D )
After that our big group of nine decided to head over to Epcot on the boat. We walked to the China pavilion to see if we could eat at Nine Dragons. It was about 5 p.m., and we had no ressies, but it was early enough that we didn’t need them. The place was nearly empty. As we ate, it started to fill up. We had a GREAT server – attentive to the kids, funny, quick, made sure we had everything we needed. We ordered lots of different things on the menu, loved the sauces, and even the fried rice was delicious.
After that we walked through Mexico and went on the Gran Fiesta Tour ride (we do miss the old Rio del Tiempo), then headed over to Test Track. In the meantime, DH and 6yo DS came back from the nap and met up with my sis and her 7yo to visit Turtle Talk with Crush again. The rest of us, for the first time ever, used the single-rider line at Test Track to take advantage of a 15-minute wait instead of the standby of 55 minutes. The wait was actually shorter than that and so worth it.
Because we only had three park days, we decided to use our mornings to do Magic Kingdom twice and Hollywood Studios once. That meant we had to give up going to Epcot early and getting FPs. My DD really wanted to go on Soarin, so we walked over with my 12yo and my 15yo nephew to check the wait time. I told them to forget it if it was over 90 minutes. The sign said 70 minutes, so I said OK. When we arrived at the entrance, I asked the CM whether 70 minutes was the actual wait time or was it longer? He said that was the expected standby time. So we got in line at 7:15. I told the kids if we weren’t on the ride by 8:30, we were bagging it.
The line moved slowly, as Soarin always does. We advanced by about 10 steps at a time, then waited in the same spot for about 5 to 10 minutes. By 8:30 we were next to the wall for FP guests, and we peeked through the door to see if anyone was there. There were very few FP guests, but the standby line kept being held back for any FP guests going through. We’ve dealt with this before, especially in the past with the Winnie the Pooh ride, but it’s maddening. I really wish they could figure out how to move FP guests through without severely lengthening the standby line.
By this time we had been waiting for 80 minutes, but it’s so hard to dump a line you’ve been in this long. A woman who was in line behind us said the wait time was posted at the front of the park as 110 minutes, but when she got to the ride, it was at 70, so she decided to try it too. I was hoping we could see Illuminations that night, but it didn’t look promising. 8:45 came and went, then 8:50. By 8:55 we were being loaded on the ride, and it began a few minutes later.
DD loved it as usual. The boys’ enthusiasm was dampened by the wait. We rushed out just in time to catch the end of “We Go On” and meet the rest of our party at the International Gate, but we had to stop to let the crowds go by. We finally made it and chatted for a few minutes, then split up to go to our respective resorts. By this time most of the crowd was gone, and we walked through United Kingdom and Canada to the music of the old “Tapestry of Dreams” parade. :clappy: We took the monorail back to the TTC, and by this time, “Wishes” had started at the MK, so we got a glimpse of it once again.
All in all, a long and great day.
NEXT: Day 7, Magic Kingdom on Friday and our last full day at Walt Disney World.