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December 1, 2003 – Day Three
Awake at 3:40 but I doze until 5:00. It seems that every trip,
my internal clock goes out of whack for a few days. I get up and
make a pot of coffee then head to the balcony. It’s a mild
morning, maybe in the 60s with a forecast of mid-70s today. Our
room overlooks the Luna Park pool and I can already hear music coming
from the Leaping Horse Libations bar area. I decide I need a newspaper
so I head down to the lobby gift shop. It’s closed but a CM
is bringing some items in and there’s a stack of USA Today
papers by the door. I ask if I can buy one and she tells me it’s
$.54. I find 3 quarters in my pocket and tell her we’ll call
it even.
We have a light in-room breakfast and are out at 8:30 for a brisk
walk to the MGM Studios. We join a moderate line, after the security
check, and enter the park. There’s a rope up before you get
to Sunset Blvd. At precisely 9:00 (my watch is once again synchronized
to Disney-time) we hear “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls…”
and we join the mob heading down Sunset for Tower of Terror (ToT)
and Rock ‘n Roller Caster (RnRC).
Barb joined us on RnRC on our last trip and has vowed never to
do it again. We head into ToT where we move continuously until we’re
in the library. Through the boiler room and into a waiting elevator.
We share Row 2 (front row – right side) with a dad and son
who are riding for the first time. ToT has always been a favorite.
I love the theming and the ride although, as I get on in years,
I’m less enthused about the drops. This ride we get a drop
sequence I’ve never had before – several drops (4-5?)
of varying lengths before we finally stop at the bottom and that
circular, spinning video plays. However, something about the design
of the spiral looks different and I immediately remember reading
something… “We’re not done yet” I say to
Barb. Sure enough, we shoot up one more time, nothing but air at
the top.
The lap bars are no longer there. They have handles on either side
that you can grip although, because I was on the end, I only had
a right-side handle that I held in a death-grip the entire time.
Next up is the Great Movie Ride (GMR) with only a 2-minute wait
(the crowds are officially gone). This was in a lengthy rehab since
I visited last January but I saw nothing different at all. Our CM
guide was only so-so (I’m so tired of hearing “Take
it away, CB”) and we had a female gangster for the second
consecutive ride. Also, I’ve said this before and, in case
someone important ever reads this stuff, I’ll say it again.
I may be alone in this but; I would like to see the film montage
at the end extended to 10-15 minutes. Keep it updated and current.
You could bring 3 trams at once into the room to keep things flowing
(kind of what they do at Universe of Energy). I know this will never
happen but I gotta ask.
We head to Star Tours and walk through the queue without seeing
another (non-droid) soul. We board a cruiser with about 12 people
and take our tour of the moon of Endor. In 1992-1997, this was my
favorite ride. It’s still good but, people, it needs to be
updated. I’m delivering the lines along with our robot pilot.
On to MuppetVision 3D where we catch the entire pre-show again
– always fun. I can not find the ‘Net Full of Jello’.
Did they move it? Is it gone? Muppets is always fun. I think I’d
like to watch it once from the balcony with the 2 old guys (Statler
and Hilton?).
We head over to Who Wants to be a Millionaire (WTTBAM) to see
if we can get in the 11:15 show. If not, we figure we’ll FP
it for the next one. The Standby queue is empty and I assume everyone
is inside already. I ask a CM and he hands me 2 FPs for this show.
We walk in and the place is about ¾ full.
The Fastest Finger brings up Micky (a lady – Mikki? Mickey?)
from the UK. She does pretty well although she had to ask the audience
on a fairly simple Civil War question. I guess they don’t
teach the Civil War in the UK. At the 32,000 point mark, they flash
the Leader Board and I’m #7. Micky misses at the 64,000 point
question and they bring up the Leader Board from bottom to top.
I’m #2 – beaten by a smidge by Roy from NY. Roy does
well but misses just after 64,000 and…we’re out of time.
Another visit without the hot seat…damn!
It’s just about lunch time so we decide on the 50’s
Prime Time Café (PTC). I ask about seating for 2 and am told
20 minutes or less. We head into the bar and grab seats there while
we wait. Barb gets a coke, I get an iced tea and we wait to hear
our name called. There’s a couple next to Barb. She’s
drinking rum and cokes; he’s drinking shots of tequila. With
each shot, he’s clinking her glass and toasting “To
Nemo”, “To Dory”. She’s also offering unsolicited
advice to others at the bar that are perusing menus. “The
meatloaf here is the best”. “You HAVE to go to Alfredo’s”.
I just want a table. Quickly.
After 30 minutes, and just after Barb gave me that “Do you
want to go somewhere else” look, we’re seated. Our server
is Cousin Elaine and she’s a lot of fun without overdoing
it – just the right amount of kitsch. Barb had the meatloaf
and I, at Elaine’s suggestion, had the pot roast. Both were
good and the place is a lot of fun. The table next to us had a very
young waitress who was having a great time. She did the airplane
thing with one of her patrons and asked me if I’d oblige my
“cousins’ by taking her picture with them.
As a large group on our left got up to leave, Elaine said goodbye
and “don’t worry about the mess you left, I’ll
take care of it”.
We left PTC and headed into the shops. I found the same watch
I saw at the Screen Door – same price, $150. I just couldn’t
decide. I told Barb that I thought the numbers on the face were
a little large making it look a bit childish. She replied “You
don’t think having a cartoon mouse on the face is childish?”
Touché. But I think you’d agree there is a difference.
Back to the Boardwalk. I have a bone to pick with Marriott. I
call and, thankfully, this time I get a human being. I’ve
managed to work myself into just enough of a rage that… whoops,
not so fast. After a quick check, this nice young lady apologizes
and informs me that the full value of the gift cards will be applied
to the Courtyard bill. Any amount due over that will be applied
to the charge card. Uh, thanks. We’ll see.
We sit around the room resting when, after an intolerable amount
of time (about 12 minutes), I announce that I’m bored. I do
this a lot at WDW. We decide to head to the Magic Kingdom so, after
a quick freshen up, we’re off at 2:15.
We head to the bus stop and on to a waiting Magic Kingdom bus
(this is getting just a bit scary). The Share a Dream Come True
(SDCT) parade is at 3:00 and we’re hoping to make it. We enter
the Magic Kingdom and just as we pass through the tunnel, we hear
a train coming in (man, our timing has been impeccable). Up the
stairs and on the Railroad – we exit at Frontierland at about
2:50. We take a look at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (BTMRR) but
it shows a 20-minute wait. We grab FPs for 5:20 and make our way
to the porches in front of Pecos Bill’s. We grab a spot by
the wall, leaving an area in front for those moving through.
The parade starts at 3:00 and as the first float comes by, a family
of 4 decides to stop and stand right in front of us – inches
away. Barb asks, fairly loudly, if she “should use my invisibility
to fight crime or for evil”. They moved on.
There’s a short wall that’s “street side”
here and there were a number of folks sitting there. As the parade
starts, a number of children stand on the wall for a better view
– this is fine. A number of adults also stand, completely
blocking the view of those behind them. If they sat where they were,
or leaned against the wall while standing, they’d be able
to see fine – and block no one. Why do these shows seem to
bring out the rudest behavior?
SDCT was good. I’m not much of a parade person but I did
enjoy it. When it was over we decided to brave the 20-minute wait
for Big Thunder. We were on the ride in 15. Evidence of the rehab
was obvious – fresh paint on the railings, etc. It was, and
is, a fun ride. We managed to get one of the rear-most cars so that
made it more enjoyable.
We walked to Liberty Square and decided to hit Haunted Mansion
(HM). The line was out through the gates but the posted wait was
10 minutes. I found that surprising but, in 10 minutes, we were
inside. Always a fun ride. I tried to show Barb the 3rd Hidden Mickey
we learned about on the Keys to the Kingdom tour last year but she
wasn’t able to see it. It’s very difficult to pick up
– even if you know where to look. After the ride, I tried,
again unsuccessfully, to find the wedding ring by the gates.
We walked through Fantasyland, pausing at Mickey’s Philharmagic
– no FPs available. In Tomorrowland we hit the Timekeeper
– a favorite that’s been closed during our past few
visits. I enjoy the show and noticed that the flight over New York
still has the World Trade Center towers in it. We then took a spin
on the WEDWay (I know, I know). Buzz Lightyear had a 50-minute wait
(I guess some of the Thanksgiving crowd is still here) and no FPs.
It was getting near dinner time and we were hoping to catch SpectroMagic
at 6:00. We stopped near Main Street so I could get some Castle
photos (need to fill the montage). We had talked about getting dinner
at Tony’s Town Square but I thought that, with the crowd level,
there’d be no way we’d get seated in a reasonable time.
At Barb’s urging, we forced our way through the Main Street
crowds and into Tony’s. I asked about a table for 2 and was
told it would be 10 minutes and to stay in the lobby until called.
In 10 minutes, we hear “Attencion, attencion. Tony’s
has a fine table for the Russos” and in we go. Unfortunately,
we got a table in the back and couldn’t see the windows so
Spectro was going to be missed. Our server (Princess – I kid
you not) obliged and took our picture – cheek to cheek in
a booth with a display of poinsettias behind us. I had the NY Strip
Steak and Barb chose Chicken and polenta. Both were very good and
the steak was done to perfection. I’d had my doubts about
ordering a steak there but was pleasantly surprised. We skipped
dessert and, with soft drinks, the bill came to right around $50
(sorry this isn’t more precise but I’m terrible with
receipts).
We had missed Spectro but were anticipating the new show, Wishes.
We thought we’d grab a coffee in the Plaza Pavilion but it
was closed. There were a lot of people grabbing seats in there for
the fireworks so we found a table. Just before 7:00, I realized
that, with the roof overhang, we’d probably miss a good deal
of the show. We moved around the corner and part way toward Main
Street to an area that was relatively free of trees blocking your
view.
The show started and, for the first time up close, we saw Tinkerbell
soar down from the Castle, passing almost directly over our heads.
The view was so good I could almost tell you the color of her eyes.
I can also say that this woman (I’m assuming it was a woman)
must be fearless, or at least a lot braver than I. That’s
quite a trip to make suspended from a wire.
Wishes was fantastic. I’m a fireworks lover and this did
not disappoint. I’m ranking it up there with Illuminations,
maybe (gasp) better. The narration is good, the music outstanding.
Most of the music that I remember was directly from a Disney film.
Anyway, during your next visit, take the time to see Wishes. You
will not be sorry.
We waited for 15 minutes to let some of the crowd disperse but,
it became apparent, there were tons still there. We joined the herd
on Main Street and did that Disney waddle out of the park to the
bus stops. Many of the stops had more people than could fit within
the railings so it was difficult finding the right line to get in.
We had to ask some folks “Is this the line for Boardwalk?”
Once in line, we watched a number of people saunter up to the railing
and ask and were pointed back to the end of the line. I’m
happy to report that I saw no line cutting or otherwise rude or
obnoxious behavior here. There was also a steady stream of buses,
one after the other, that got us out of there in 15 minutes. Not
bad at all.
We exited the bus at the first stop, the Swan, and walked to the
Boardwalk. We took in some Boardwalk entertainment (balloon animals
and card tricks) before heading up the room so I could watch my
beloved Jets take on the Titans.
When we get to the room, we’re surprised to find several
balloons attached to a card. It’s congratulations on our anniversary
and includes an autographed picture of Mickey and Minnie. I’m
very, very impressed and make a mental note (uh, oh) to commend
Mari for her attention to detail. I think it’s this type of
thing that helps separate Disney from everyone else.
I popped up some microwave popcorn, cracked open a beer, and watched
the game. It could not have gone better. The Jets won, 24-17, while
Steve McNair (my Fantasy quarterback) had a big night for the Titans.
McNair’s big night puts me into the playoffs with a chance
at some big money.
Musings and Observations- Parades tend to bring out the rudest
behavior in people – or maybe just the rudest people. The
Tower is still cool but Star Tours really needs an update. PTC is
a lot of fun. I haven’t eaten at Tony’s in 5(?) years
but it’s still very good. Wishes is awesome – a must
see. The Jets still have a shot – but not a good one.
Miles Walked Today – 9.6
Day 4...
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