Disney World - Hollywood Studios

I was up first this morning and spent the time transcribing more notes and sorting photographs. Documenting our journeys does consume a lot of time. Eventually, the rest of the gang got up and dressed for today's visit to Hollywood Studios. On the way to the bus stop, the girls took a moment to engage in their new pastime, counting geckos.

Look! Another gecko!!

The Disney transportation system really is a marvel. We caught our bus just before 9:00 and disembarked at Hollywood Studios just in time to get to Disney Junior Play 'N Dine at Hollywood & Vine. This was a character breakfast buffet of the first order. The only complaint I had was that there was too much food.

Hollywood Studios

Hollywood & Vine Restaurant

This was why we were here

Waiting for our table

Our table

Doc McStuffins

Jake

Handy Manny

Sofia the First

Playing along

After breakfast Kim, Jolene and I had FastPasses to the Tower of Terror. Sandy and Mike don't like rides that move too suddenly, especially downwards, and Robyn wasn't tall enough. In the line, there was a mother with two crying girls who wondered what her husband had been thinking by booking them for this. They used a special exit designed for those harbouring second thoughts.

The ride was good. Better than I remembered. After a Twilight Zone setup, it finally dropped us unexpectedly. Then it bounced and dropped again. Jolene said it was intense.

Mike and Robyn wait for us to be terrorized

The moment of the drop

The three who skipped the Tower had FastPasses to the Ariel Show. Fortunately, it wasn't very busy so the rest of us got into the same show. Then we wandered through some exhibits of things from Walt Disney's life before getting a screening of scenes from the upcoming movie The Good Dinosaur.

Our next ride was Toy Story, another shooting ride similar to Buzz Lightyear. I though I had done quite well but it turned out that Mike beat me 155,000 to 75,000. I am still scratching my head over that since I waxed his butt on Lightyear.

It was hot so we repaired to some shaded outdoor tables next to a bar. Alcohol in Walt Disney World. What a treat. Kim was carded while ordering a Margarita, which made her day. I got into a conversation with a couple from Phoenix who ran a landscaping business. They were afraid they might have to lay people off due to increased costs stemming from Obamacare. Remember when it was considered impolite to talk politics?

Hydrate often

When Mike, Kim and the girls headed for Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, Sandy and I decided to return to the hotel.

On our way to the bus stop

Waiting for the bus

A happy looking family

On the bus back to the hotel, Sandy and I noted that the two girls sitting behind us were having a conversation in which every second word was "Like". They were cute but it was annoying. Back at the Contemporary, we found a market behind the Fantasia gift shop. They had all manner of things and many could be had for a Snack credit on our meal plan.

The rest of the family arrived back just before 4:00 PM. Mike took the girls to the pool while Sandy and Kim napped. I worked on the blog again while letting Milk of Magnesia help me resolve an ongoing issue of a personal nature.

Around 7:00 PM, we wandered over to the Contempo Cafe for supper. I had a large tuna pita which was very nice. Afterwards, we returned to the room where we were able to watch the lights and gear the music as the show barges were towed around the lake. I was the last one to fall asleep around 10:00 PM.

Disney World - Magic Kingdom and Disney Springs

The kids slept all night in our room with nary a sound. Mike and Kim told us that they got back to Epcot for the late hours and found the rides were open but all the booths, restaurants and bars (the reason they went back) were closed.

Today was supposed to be an off day, a day when we could do whatever struck our fancy. We downloaded some MemoryMaker photos and then headed out for the Magic Kingdom. The original plan had been to stop at the Contempo Cafe for breakfast but we were running late. Let me point out that trying to make up time by skipping a meal is not the best way to keep oneself operating at peak performance. Or even at the much lower performance level I am capable of.

When we got to the Magic Kingdom about 9:45, we found that in the last 10 hours that the park had been closed, Christmas had arrived. There was a big tree in the square on Main Street and all the lamp posts were decorated. So were the picture windows of every shop. This theme continued throughout the park. I would like to see what kind of project and task lists they use to enable this to get accomplished overnight.

Merry Disney Christmas

Decorated in 10 hours flat

The reason we were in a rush was to make the FastPass time we had for Pirates of the Caribbean. Unfortunately, after a high speed walk to Adventureland, we arrived to find the Pirates shut down for the foreseeable future. We got an Email a short while later informing us of the shutdown and telling us we could use a FastPass on any of a list of other rides any time prior to park closing. This is where the smart phone beats my old flip model hands down.

It wasn't all bad, though, because the girls got a front row seat at a live pirate show. In fact, Jolene even got to act with the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow.

Get a good seat

Waiting for the pirate show to begin

Robyn didn't want to get on stage

Cap'n Jack sharing some pirate secrets

Avast! Take that!

One on one coaching from the best

Cap'n Jack referred to Tic-Tac-Toe Olaf

The new crew is ready to plunder

But first, a score needs to be settled

From Adventureland, we walked across the park to Tomorrowland where Sandy, Kim, Jolene and I had FastPasses for Space Mountain. We were concerned that Robyn wouldn't make the 44" height limit, so Mike took her on the Test Track.

Iconic Disney World Photo

Robyn and Mike on the Test Track

Space Mountain

Plus Sandy

After we were done on Space Mountain, we met Robyn and Mike at a Tomorrowland cafe where the girls split an order of hot dogs and apple slices. This made up for their not having breakfast. I was still waiting to make up for MY missing breakfast, but we were off for a FastPass to see Tinkerbell on Main Street first.

Quick snack for the kids

Tink and the girls

Plus the rest of us

It was strange to be on Main Street in 100 degree heat with Christmas carols booming out from the speakers. Sandy was in the gift shop when a kid stepped on her foot. She actually apologized (for having her foot there, I guess) and he stuck out his tongue. This was nothing at all like the polite child from back home that we met yesterday.

I spent some time talking to a young cast member in the gift shop. His name was Dayvon and he moved to Florida from Staten Island when he was 14. His education was in programming but he was in the employ of The Mouse until he could find a position that he liked. Many of the cast members (staff) come from all over the world.

There were many happy kids shouting and playing in the town square. We saw a group in red shirts escorting wheel chair bound children in some sort of Make-A-Wish kind of scenario. It is great that people will donate time to help these young people have a positive experience.

Some of the folks escorting the handicapped kids

Robyn and Jolene with new mouse ears

Heading for the monorail station

We got back to the rooms about 1:40. Some flaked out for a bit while I used the time to sort some photos and transfer some blog notes. The Disney Memory Maker package was good for getting high quality photographs of our adventures, but the interface was cumbersome and downloading the pictures was far from intuitive. I spent some of the time sorting these out.

Nap time!!

Rested and relaxed, we all headed out to the hotel pool for a swim. I didn't take the camera so a few good moments didn't get recorded. They have a good water slide here that Robyn chose to go down all by herself. When no one was right at the bottom to catch her, she splashed for a moment shouting "I can't swim" before Mike grabbed her. She explained loudly that he should have been ready for her, then immediately headed back up for an instant replay.

The girls are ready for the pool

After pool time, we got dressed and headed out to catch the bus to Disney Springs, formerly know as Downtown Disney. I stopped on the way to have the concierge correct a charge from last night that got crossed up between our accounts. These folks are always friendly and helpful.

Waiting for our bus to Disney Springs

Disney Springs is undergoing a makeover and had a lot of construction going on. The map I had grabbed in the lobby was out of date so we got a new one that was different but still deficient. We finally asked for directions to Wolfgang Puck, where we had a table reserved.

We finally found Puck

Settled at our table

The food at Puck was OK but nothing spectacular, I had chicken Alfredo that used noodles instead of linguini and was only warm, but my steak was good. David, our server, never refilled my coffee, a sure-fire way to get a tip reduced. I should point out that Puck is an independent operation, separate from the Disney company facilities. So far, this was my least favourite dining experience.

After supper, we wandered the crowded streets. There were outdoor musicians playing and the atmosphere was very cheerful. We topped at the Goofy Candy Store for some treats to take back with us.

Buzz Lightyear

Haven't seen this in quite a while

There were many people waiting for the bus when we got back to the platform. It was hard to tell which was ours because there was a gate 3a and a 3b. We managed to get the right one and found seats at the back. Then it filled up. One lady had a scooter, so the driver had to come back and lower the ramp at the back door. When she was finally aboard and everything was buttoned up, she suddenly realized she was on the wrong bus and the driver had to reverse the process. I gave my seat up to a lady just before we finally got moving.

I found myself standing next to a young fellow from New Jersey (Jersey Week) who used to ride a sport bike but gave it up after he became a father. The passengers were all in a good mood and we laughed and joked a lot on the way back to our hotels.

We were back in the room by 9:00 PM and the girls went straight to bed. So, for that matter, did the adults. This place can tire you out very quickly.

They look so peaceful.......

Disney World - Magic Kingdom

We were up at 6:30 for another day of fun and frolic. Today, our target was the Magic Kingdom.

Sunrise from our room

Someone is slow to get going

Jolene and I set out on another day of adventure

Disney parks are busier in November than they were 30 (or even 15) years ago. But in 1985, there were only two parks and two on-site hotels. You could wander the parks and climb on whatever ride struck your fancy with very little waiting. Not so today. This was compounded by a phenomenon called Jersey Week. It seemed that every second person was from New Jersey as the state shut down for a combination of election plus teacher conferences. One knowledgeable site does suggest, however, that as many people stay away during Jersey Week as come for it so it balances out.

We had an early meal scheduled in the park so we skipped breakfast and walked over before the 9:00 AM opening. Since Kim hadn't been able to book a FastPass for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller coaster, we intended to rush in as soon as the gates opened and make a bee-line for that way back in Fantasyland.

Cast members about to open the park

Our idea wasn't that original. It seemed that half the people at the gate headed the same way and the line was already long when we got there. A few of us laughed about this but we decided to stick it out and it didn't take us that long to get to the front.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Part Deux

And down we go

We had a gap before our meal reservation so we wandered over to the Carousel where there was no line.

Robyn on the Carousel

Grandma and Mommy

Jolene

Mike wasn't self conscious at all

Next, there was a short line for a photo up with the ugly step-mother and step-sisters. They looked pretty good to me.

Cinderella's step kin

We still had some time before our food reservation and Enchanted Tales With Belle was right there. They had to keep telling me what each princess was famous for because I am way out of touch with the newer Disney stories. This attraction was an interactive scenario and the girls got to play roles in the story.

Jolene was Mrs. Potts

Jolene and Belle

Robyn and Belle

The Be Our Guest Restaurant in the Beast's Castle was right next door. This was the only Quick Service breakfast or lunch that took reservations. They took our orders at the front and gave us the locator device. Before long, someone came around with a rolling cart that had our food on it. I had a roast beef sandwich that proved to be massive along with fries. I don't recall what the dessert was.

Settled in for lunch

Robyn likes her mac and cheese

It was hotter when we came out at 11:20 but the humidity seemed to have dropped. We left Fantasyland for our next FastPass reservations in Frontierland, stopping at the Trading Post for hats. Then we took advantage of a walk-in with no lines to the good old Country Bear Jamboree before moving on to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Big Thunder Mountain does not have any major drops but there were a lot more dips and dives than I remember. Once upon a time, we rode this many times in rapid succession.

Done Big Thunder Mountain

The next adventure was Splash Mountain, a flume ride, but we had some time to kill. Down by the water, we found a pair of rocking chairs and a checker board. This was adjacent to one of only three designated smoking areas in the whole park. It is amazing how much the anti-smoking Nazis have managed to prevail.

Checkers, anyone?

This is the smoking area

When the time arrived, we entered the FastPass line for Splash Mountain and were soon seated in our hollow log, floating along through dioramas where Br'er Rabbit and others sang Zippity Doo Dah with gusto. It was interesting that the song survives but Uncle Remus was nowhere to be seen. At the end of the ride, we went over the drop and were rewarded with a cascade of water spraying up over parts of the log.

Splash Mountain - down we go

We stopped at a vendor for ice cream. A young fellow tripped over my foot and said "I'm sorry". I complimented his parents on his manners and found they were from Waterloo, Ontario. I should have known.

Snack time

Jolene wearing as much as she ate

On the way back to Liberty Square, we were crossing a bridge when Mike looked down and saw a small alligator. It was hanging out in the shade and moved around enough for us to be sure it was real.

Small gator in residence

Kim moved FastPasses around with her app (you can do that) and lined us up for the Haunted Mansion. This ride has been around forever but was still fun, although the girls didn't think it was that scary.

Looking back at Frontierland

Now that all three FastPasses had been used, we went to the FP Kiosk in Liberty Square and added a new one. We picked Buzz Lightyear over in Tomorrowland for just before our supper reservation on Main Street. As we came out, it was obvious that they were preparing for the afternoon parade, so Kim and Mike and the girls settled down to wait for it.

Waiting for the parade

 Everyone loves a parade

 So many princesses

And magical chipmunks

Sandy and I went up to the Liberty Belle riverboat dock where they had shade, benches and water fountains that were colder than any others we had found anywhere on the property. When the parade was over, the rest joined us and we took the twenty minute riverboat ride around Tom Sawyer's Island.

Setting our course to supper by doing a lap of the park, we walked back to Fantasyland. One word about strollers. Are there ever a lot of them. And they have special parking places. And then there are electric scooters for (mostly) older adults who can stand and walk but choose not to for one reason or another.

Stroller parking

There was no lineup for the famous Mad Tea Party Teacups ride so we did that and then moved onto the even more famous Flying Dumbo's where Mike and I watched the girls ride.

Mad Tea Party

Flying Dumbo's

Tomorrowland was right next door and we were soon at the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. On this ride, you can spin your space vehicle around to shoot lasers at various targets. I managed to score 68,000 but found that the I was nowhere near the high score of 509,900. Yikes! I thought I had done well.

Master Blasters

Don't mess with Mike

Interesting expressions

After Buzz, we took a ride on the Peoplemover. We were stopped for a bit because the moving sidewalk up to the loading platform wasn't working. Eventually someone realized that our legs would do the job and people started walking. Moments later, the walkway fired up again. This ride takes a leisurely route above Tomorrowland and, most interestingly, goes through Space Mountain. We'll have to ride that tomorrow.

Tomorrowland

It was a very short walk to the Plaza Restaurant on Main Street, stopping for a couple of photos along the way.

Classic photo

Main Street, USA

Waiting to be seated

The Plaza has lighter fare at a Table Service price, but it was good. I had a club sandwich with home made potato chips. I wish they sold just the chips. Maybe they do. Anyway, I was doing well until they brought out the brownie sundae dessert. Holy crap.

I'm going to eat it all

I finished most of mine

We took the Monorail back to the hotel, arriving about 7:00 PM. The girls came over to our room and fell asleep while Mike and Kim headed back to Epcot for Date Night. I admired their determination, but I was asleep not long after the kids.

 Not me, I hope


Kim and Mike's night at Epcot