Noah's Helper
11-09-2011, 11:21 PM
(Day 1 is here (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=187047))
DAY 2 – Sunday, October 16
We ate breakfast in the room each morning, using the groceries we had had delivered. The groceries were expensive, especially considering the delivery charges and tips, but I think we still saved money over eating in the food court. We definitely saved time.
We arrived early at the Magic Kingdom, and were near the front of the line when the turnstiles opened. We stopped on Main Street for a Photopass photo (http://home.hiwaay.net/~btdarby/wdw_2011/Magic%20Kingdom/slides/29074900000.html) (I had pre-ordered the CD). Tina noticed the photographer was from Kobe, Japan. Tina lived there for a couple of years, so they had a fun moment. We proceeded on to ride Dumbo (http://home.hiwaay.net/~btdarby/wdw_2011/Magic%20Kingdom/slides/n111016_1654.html) at the kids’ request. We could see lots of construction activity from the ride. Next came Winnie the Pooh, Snow White, Peter Pan (with fastpass), Mickey’s Philharmagic, and it’s a small world.
Noah has always been timid about rides, and this trip we were hoping to get him on Splash Mountain and Big Thunder. But no amount of pleading or even bribing could get him to ride either. We grabbed four fastpasses for BTMRR and went through the standby line for Splash. The wait time was posted as 20 minutes, but I don’t think we waited more than 10. Noah went through the queue with us and waited at the exit. Tina and I then took turns riding BTMRR with Julianna using the fastpasses.
Lunch was hot dogs (http://home.hiwaay.net/~btdarby/wdw_2011/Magic%20Kingdom/slides/c111016_1391.html) from Casey’s, followed by some shopping. Next we wanted to get in some rides that would not be available during the Halloween party. We did the Jungle Cruise (using fastpass), and afterward Noah drove one of the radio controlled boats. (I was pleasantly surprised by how much time he got.) We saw the refurbished Tiki Room show – this brings back great memories for me of watching the Wonderful World of Color. We took a break for ice cream and Dole whips, the headed for Tomorrowland.
We rode Buzz Lightear’s Space Ranger spin using fastpasses – one of Noah’s favorite rides, although we had to force him to ride it the first time on a previous trip. Then we rode Carousel of Progress, which was the first time for all of us. Next was another first, the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. The technology used here is impressive, but I was not crazy about the show itself.
After the show, we started making our way to the exit. The Magic Kingdom was closing at 7 for MNSSHP, so our plan was to hop over to the Studios to see Fantasmic. I wanted to leave early enough to avoid any closing-time crowd, and also to allow plenty of travel time. Magic Kingdom was not very crowded, though, probably in part because of the early closing time. We saw some folks arriving in their costumes for the party.
We stopped in the Main Street shops again on the way out. As we were shopping, I heard live music outside. I stepped out the door right in front of the Main St. Philharmonic (http://home.hiwaay.net/~btdarby/wdw_2011/Magic%20Kingdom/slides/n111016_1715.html). They were playing jazzed-up arrangements of Disney tunes, including “Under the Sea” and a Mary Poppins medley. I had never heard this group, and had no idea they were so good! Being right up front with the brass blaring right at us was a great experience, and they were fun to watch as well; one of the guys was quite a ham. Julianna watched with me – she is in her first year of marching band (in a really super band), so she enjoyed it quite a bit too.
The weather for today was overcast but very comfortable. Our previous October trips have been on the warm side; I was glad to see more seasonable temperatures this time.
We took the ferry then a bus to Hollywood Studios (http://home.hiwaay.net/~btdarby/wdw_2011/Disney%27s%20Hollywood%20Studios/slides/29074900029.html), and made it to the park in time to ride Star Tours at Noah’s request. We discovered we have a rebel spy in our family (Julianna)! Noah could have spent an hour in the gift shop, but he came to a quick decision on how to spend his money when he saw the build-your-own lightsaber station.
I had planned to pick up sandwiches for dinner at Starring Rolls Bakery, but they closed at 4. We ended up getting pizza, salad, and sandwiches from Catalina Eddie’s to take into the theater to eat while waiting for Fantasmic (http://home.hiwaay.net/~btdarby/wdw_2011/Disney%27s%20Hollywood%20Studios/slides/n111016_1729.html). We enjoyed a beautiful sunset while we waited, followed by a great show. We took our time exiting the theater, and had no trouble getting on a bus back to our resort. I noticed there was a second showing of Fantasmic this evening; this must have been a late addition, as I did not notice it on the park schedules before we left home.
DAY 2 – Sunday, October 16
We ate breakfast in the room each morning, using the groceries we had had delivered. The groceries were expensive, especially considering the delivery charges and tips, but I think we still saved money over eating in the food court. We definitely saved time.
We arrived early at the Magic Kingdom, and were near the front of the line when the turnstiles opened. We stopped on Main Street for a Photopass photo (http://home.hiwaay.net/~btdarby/wdw_2011/Magic%20Kingdom/slides/29074900000.html) (I had pre-ordered the CD). Tina noticed the photographer was from Kobe, Japan. Tina lived there for a couple of years, so they had a fun moment. We proceeded on to ride Dumbo (http://home.hiwaay.net/~btdarby/wdw_2011/Magic%20Kingdom/slides/n111016_1654.html) at the kids’ request. We could see lots of construction activity from the ride. Next came Winnie the Pooh, Snow White, Peter Pan (with fastpass), Mickey’s Philharmagic, and it’s a small world.
Noah has always been timid about rides, and this trip we were hoping to get him on Splash Mountain and Big Thunder. But no amount of pleading or even bribing could get him to ride either. We grabbed four fastpasses for BTMRR and went through the standby line for Splash. The wait time was posted as 20 minutes, but I don’t think we waited more than 10. Noah went through the queue with us and waited at the exit. Tina and I then took turns riding BTMRR with Julianna using the fastpasses.
Lunch was hot dogs (http://home.hiwaay.net/~btdarby/wdw_2011/Magic%20Kingdom/slides/c111016_1391.html) from Casey’s, followed by some shopping. Next we wanted to get in some rides that would not be available during the Halloween party. We did the Jungle Cruise (using fastpass), and afterward Noah drove one of the radio controlled boats. (I was pleasantly surprised by how much time he got.) We saw the refurbished Tiki Room show – this brings back great memories for me of watching the Wonderful World of Color. We took a break for ice cream and Dole whips, the headed for Tomorrowland.
We rode Buzz Lightear’s Space Ranger spin using fastpasses – one of Noah’s favorite rides, although we had to force him to ride it the first time on a previous trip. Then we rode Carousel of Progress, which was the first time for all of us. Next was another first, the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. The technology used here is impressive, but I was not crazy about the show itself.
After the show, we started making our way to the exit. The Magic Kingdom was closing at 7 for MNSSHP, so our plan was to hop over to the Studios to see Fantasmic. I wanted to leave early enough to avoid any closing-time crowd, and also to allow plenty of travel time. Magic Kingdom was not very crowded, though, probably in part because of the early closing time. We saw some folks arriving in their costumes for the party.
We stopped in the Main Street shops again on the way out. As we were shopping, I heard live music outside. I stepped out the door right in front of the Main St. Philharmonic (http://home.hiwaay.net/~btdarby/wdw_2011/Magic%20Kingdom/slides/n111016_1715.html). They were playing jazzed-up arrangements of Disney tunes, including “Under the Sea” and a Mary Poppins medley. I had never heard this group, and had no idea they were so good! Being right up front with the brass blaring right at us was a great experience, and they were fun to watch as well; one of the guys was quite a ham. Julianna watched with me – she is in her first year of marching band (in a really super band), so she enjoyed it quite a bit too.
The weather for today was overcast but very comfortable. Our previous October trips have been on the warm side; I was glad to see more seasonable temperatures this time.
We took the ferry then a bus to Hollywood Studios (http://home.hiwaay.net/~btdarby/wdw_2011/Disney%27s%20Hollywood%20Studios/slides/29074900029.html), and made it to the park in time to ride Star Tours at Noah’s request. We discovered we have a rebel spy in our family (Julianna)! Noah could have spent an hour in the gift shop, but he came to a quick decision on how to spend his money when he saw the build-your-own lightsaber station.
I had planned to pick up sandwiches for dinner at Starring Rolls Bakery, but they closed at 4. We ended up getting pizza, salad, and sandwiches from Catalina Eddie’s to take into the theater to eat while waiting for Fantasmic (http://home.hiwaay.net/~btdarby/wdw_2011/Disney%27s%20Hollywood%20Studios/slides/n111016_1729.html). We enjoyed a beautiful sunset while we waited, followed by a great show. We took our time exiting the theater, and had no trouble getting on a bus back to our resort. I noticed there was a second showing of Fantasmic this evening; this must have been a late addition, as I did not notice it on the park schedules before we left home.