So it was back to Hollywood Studios today. We were a bit nervous, as it had been so busy the first day we had visited we had barely scratched the surface of the rides we wanted to do. We had three priorities; Fast Passes for Toy Story Mania, and ride Rock n Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror...
Whilst Master and Mrs B jogged to Rock n Roller Coaster, where they had a 10 minute wait time I queued for Toy Story Mania Fast Passes. I say ' queue' as there wasn't really much of a queue, which was good news. I had to try and time the Fast Pass return times to fit around our dinner reservation so I let a few people in front of me before diving in and bagging the tickets. It was crazy, as the return times weren't going up in 5 minute intervals as they do for other rides - they were jumping in 30 minute intervals! Probably due to the popularity of this ride and the number of reservations made with Magic Bands using Fast Pass Plus. Anyway, I bagged the tickets and met Mrs and Master B as they exited their ride.
We all headed over to Tower of Terror where there was only a 5 minute queue! This was good news and it is a fabulous ride. You get bounced up and down in an elevator, and I thought it was a lot of fun - even though I don't usually like these 'thrill' rides. So even if you don't either - give it a go!
It was only 10.15 and we had done everything we had set out to do. We decided to head to the main plaza and see if any characters were out and we were lucky to see Donald and Daisy. Master B had his photo with both of them.
We stopped at Starring Rolls for some well deserved sustenance. We all had bakery goods, fruit and drinks and felt much refreshed. We then headed out of the park. We were intending to watch the show later, and didn't want to over do it, so we headed back to the hotel for a rest for an hour or so.
After a bit of a rest we headed back into the park and went to our dining reservation at Mama Melrose. Only a short wait and we were in and seated. Our server, Simon (from Birmingham, England!), gave us the menus and surprised us with what we could have. We booked the Fantasmic package, which gave us preferred seating at the Fantasmic show that evening, and also gave us starters, main course and puds - all for one Disney dining credit (you don't usually get starters). Mrs B and I went for the calamari, which was delicious and came with 3 dips, then I had the pasta and meatballs whilst the wife had chicken campanelle and we finished with a sharing dessert of three small puds. It was all pretty good. Master B had a pizza and some ice cream.
We then waddled along to Toy Story Mania where we skipped the lines with our Fast Passes and got straight on. Big difference from the massive queue we had last time! Anyway, that was good fun (although I think my gun was a little faulty).
We then headed to a firm family favourite: Lights, Motors, Action. This is a car stunt show and is a half hour of amazing car chases and stunts. It's cracking stuff and we always get wowed by it. One we will go back to again and again.
We slowed the pace a little after that and decided to get some photos done with some characters. We headed to the Magic of Animation section of the park where we saw Frozone and Mr Incredible (from The Incredibles), Vanelope and Ralph from Wreck It Ralph and Mickey dressed in his Fantasia costume (or as Master B put it - dressed like in Disney Infinity -ah the modern generation!).
It was pretty much time to head to Fantasmic and there was some jolly pre-show entertainment to keep us amused. Once the lights dimmed and the show started there was a spectacular water display with video projected onto it. Lot's of character involved too. It was much better than the Epcot fireworks, much more interesting, but I was still a little non-plussed by it. Mrs B loved it and Master B quite enjoyed it too, so I suspect we will pay a return visit. The preferred seating was front and centre, so really good seats, and if you are on the Dining Plan I'd recommend booking a Fantasmic package at participating park restaurants.
A late evening then, so it was pretty much home and bed. We did to a lot today and all agreed this should be a template on tackling Hollywood Studios for future visits.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
2013 Holiday Day 11 - Universal Studios & Disneys Animal Kingdom
Master B wanted to go and do some of the rides again at Universal. We only had the car for this morning, so we thought we may as well use it before it had to be returned.
After being parked in the cool interior of the multi-storey it was back to the roof and the hot Florida sun again... Why? It's pointless... Anyway, we cracked on over to Despicable Me and there was a queue already, even though the park had only just opened. It was quoted 20 minutes, and it probably was that, but it was a bit boring to queue. There was a fun quiz going on on TV monitors spread aroumd, but you couldn't hear the sound. Anyway, it was as good the second time - and didn't break down!
Master B and Mrs B rode Transformers again whilst I checked out Starbucks. There only a 5 minute queue. We then went to Men In Black where a rather silly man wouldn't let Mrs B on without taking off her camera bag that was strapped securely round her waist. She gave him a few words of advice about what he could do with said camera bag, before we quit the ride. Master B and I went back without camera bags whilst Mrs B soaked up the Florida sunshine (it was another warm day).
We then quit the park to take the car back. Those nice people at Alamo dropped us off at...
After being parked in the cool interior of the multi-storey it was back to the roof and the hot Florida sun again... Why? It's pointless... Anyway, we cracked on over to Despicable Me and there was a queue already, even though the park had only just opened. It was quoted 20 minutes, and it probably was that, but it was a bit boring to queue. There was a fun quiz going on on TV monitors spread aroumd, but you couldn't hear the sound. Anyway, it was as good the second time - and didn't break down!
Master B and Mrs B rode Transformers again whilst I checked out Starbucks. There only a 5 minute queue. We then went to Men In Black where a rather silly man wouldn't let Mrs B on without taking off her camera bag that was strapped securely round her waist. She gave him a few words of advice about what he could do with said camera bag, before we quit the ride. Master B and I went back without camera bags whilst Mrs B soaked up the Florida sunshine (it was another warm day).
We then quit the park to take the car back. Those nice people at Alamo dropped us off at...
Disney Animal Kingdom
...where we went to Camp Minnie Mickey to have a photo with Donald in his safari gear (irony is Mickey & Minnie have moved out!). We then legged it back to the main entrance to go to the Rainforest Cafe as we were starving! We got seated quite quickly (unfortunately next to a waterfall that was rather noisy) before ordering a hot dog for Master B (with some crisps), Mrs B had fried shrimp with slaw and fries and I had pot roast with mashed potato. We had some desserts; Mrs B went for cheesecake and I had a chocolate cake. We washed it down with soda. It was OK. The food was nothing special, but it wasn't horrible either.
Mrs B and Master B then joined the Wilderness Explorers club. You get a book of different challenges that earn you badges in different parts of the park. It's good fun. You get to walk around, talk to some of the experts and look for hidden codes and signs. I was happy following them around, holding the jumpers and watching the world go by as they did their challenges. We also stopped at The Boneyard which is a huge dinosaur-themed playground for kids. It was huge!
I think we must have spent a good couple of hours doing this as it was quite late when we finally left the park.
It was chill out and TV back at the villa before bed!
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
2013 Holiday Day 10 - Universal's Islands Of Adventure and more..
So it was back to Islands of Adventure today to mop up some of the rides we didn't do last time we were there, or do some of the favourites again. It was good news on the parking too. After two days being parked on the roof in the Florida sunshine, and coming back to a car your could cook eggs on, we were parked in the inside of the multi-story car park. Nice!
It wasn't a big queue to get in and we were soon walking up to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We decided to ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and were prepared for quite a queue. Turns out we only had to wait about 20 minutes, which is a massive difference from the last time we came when the ride was very new and we queued for an hour! For me, the ride was only slightly less rubbish than last time we rode it. There's lots of jolting about and spinning around and so on. There are a few models of dragons and dementors dotted about, which are all quite fun, but I still feel slightly sick getting off the ride.
Whilst I check my breakfast is still in the right place, Mrs B quickly hops on to Flight of the Hippogriff mainly so she can check progress on the new area of Harry Potter that is currently under construction. You get a good view from this ride. I buy Master B a pumpkin juice, which he wants desperately, and drinks about two sips of before deciding he doesn't like it. We kept the lid as a souvenir and ditched the rest of it. It's quite spicy - I'm not a big fan of it either.
To my surprise, Master B wants to go to Seuss Landing. I thought he might want to skip that this time round, but we are soon riding high above the ground on the Seuss Trolley Train Ride. It's a good bit of fun, with a nice Seuss-esque commentary and bits from the books to look out for. Master B also wants to go on One Fish, Two Fish which is a merry-go-round where you get squirted with water. It's a bit cooler today but we reluctantly agree. We get soaked!
We decide we are a bit hungry and thirsty (and wet) and so head to the Croissant Moon Cafe (which isn't marked on the map, but is near the Port of Entry). It's a bakery like the Boulangerie in the Studios park, and we chose pastries and drinks and feel refreshed (and slightly drier).
Master B wants to ride Spiderman so we head that way. I watch the super hero parade whilst Mrs and Master duck into the ride. As soon as the parade is over (about 2 minutes later) the wait time goes up from 10 minutes to 30 minutes as everyone does the same after the parade!. I drink my coffee and people watch and then when Master B emerges we just about manage to bag a photo with Captain America before he leaves.
We head over to Harry Potter to go to the sweet shop (Honeydukes) to get more goodies before we depart the park.
We get back to the hotel and have a rest before deciding to head out to...
It wasn't a big queue to get in and we were soon walking up to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We decided to ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and were prepared for quite a queue. Turns out we only had to wait about 20 minutes, which is a massive difference from the last time we came when the ride was very new and we queued for an hour! For me, the ride was only slightly less rubbish than last time we rode it. There's lots of jolting about and spinning around and so on. There are a few models of dragons and dementors dotted about, which are all quite fun, but I still feel slightly sick getting off the ride.
Whilst I check my breakfast is still in the right place, Mrs B quickly hops on to Flight of the Hippogriff mainly so she can check progress on the new area of Harry Potter that is currently under construction. You get a good view from this ride. I buy Master B a pumpkin juice, which he wants desperately, and drinks about two sips of before deciding he doesn't like it. We kept the lid as a souvenir and ditched the rest of it. It's quite spicy - I'm not a big fan of it either.
To my surprise, Master B wants to go to Seuss Landing. I thought he might want to skip that this time round, but we are soon riding high above the ground on the Seuss Trolley Train Ride. It's a good bit of fun, with a nice Seuss-esque commentary and bits from the books to look out for. Master B also wants to go on One Fish, Two Fish which is a merry-go-round where you get squirted with water. It's a bit cooler today but we reluctantly agree. We get soaked!
We decide we are a bit hungry and thirsty (and wet) and so head to the Croissant Moon Cafe (which isn't marked on the map, but is near the Port of Entry). It's a bakery like the Boulangerie in the Studios park, and we chose pastries and drinks and feel refreshed (and slightly drier).
Master B wants to ride Spiderman so we head that way. I watch the super hero parade whilst Mrs and Master duck into the ride. As soon as the parade is over (about 2 minutes later) the wait time goes up from 10 minutes to 30 minutes as everyone does the same after the parade!. I drink my coffee and people watch and then when Master B emerges we just about manage to bag a photo with Captain America before he leaves.
We head over to Harry Potter to go to the sweet shop (Honeydukes) to get more goodies before we depart the park.
We get back to the hotel and have a rest before deciding to head out to...
Epcot
...where Mrs B and I want to use up some snack credits at the Food & Wine Festival stalls and so get some more stamps in our festival passports! I start in Argentina where I have a delicious beef skewer, then move to Germany for Schinkennudeln (a pasta gratin) and Apple Strudel before finishing in Florida with a beef slider (a mini burger). All washed down with water, because I'm driving. Mrs B samples dishes in Australia, Italy and Scotland. She washed this down with a little Sam Adams Cherry Wheat beeer from USA. We enjoyed everything we ate. Master B had a sandwich before he left, but was happy enough trailing round after us knowing that if he was good, he'd get a chocolate frog I had bought him from Honeydukes.
We also rode the little boats that go from Mexico to Germany and Morocco to Canada. This saved a little walking as the sun was out again and it was pretty hot (about 83 F).
On the way out of the park, we stopped at House of Mouse to buy a couple of T-Shirts and rode Spaceship Earth because it had no lines and is a favourite of ours.
Then it was the usual eat, watch Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune and think about bed.
Another slow paced day. With the two weeks out here, we can afford to move a little slower and I think we learnt the lessons of the first few days where we burnt ourselves out!
Monday, October 28, 2013
2013 Holiday Day 9 - Universal Studios
Up and at 'em at the crack of dawn today. It was an early opening at Universal Studios due to it being a Halloween party tonight so we set off from base camp at 7:30am. We got there with about 5 minutes to spare before opening and were 5th in the line to get in the gate! Wahoo!
Once the gates opened we walked at a fast pace to get to Despicable Me. Well, I broke into a jog - I really wanted to ride this. There was no need to panic, we were in the first wave of people through the doors and there is a great video sequence with all the gang explaining how we were going to be transformed into Minions! It was really funny, we were is stitches. Then on to the ride. Which broke down halfway through. Booooo... This left us hanging for a few minutes, but they go it fixed and played it from the beginning, so we got one-and-a-half rides. We all enjoyed it.
Next we headed for Transformers - hopefully a fully working Transformers. As we rounded a corner we stumbled across Megatron doing a meet-and-greet so we had our photo taken with him. We went round the many queuing areas (guess this gets busy at peak season) and pretty much walked on to the ride. It was another simulator on a short track, like Spiderman and many other Universal rides. The story was better than Spiderman, but it had the usual water spray, vertical plunges, spinning around and stuff. Anyway, Master B really enjoyed it, and wanted to go on again. I was done with it, but Mrs B was happy to do it with him.
Next, there was another chance for me to wander round some of the movie facades in the park as Mrs and Master B went on Revenge of the Mummy which is another high octane ride I can't cope with. They both enjoyed it, though.
We walked round the lake in the middle and looked at the construction work happening on the new Harry Potter area, where they are building Kings Cross and Diagon Alley. All looked very exciting... We then headed to Men In Black: Alien Attack which is a shoot-em up ride (like Buzz Lightyear). We were a bit confused as to what were aiming at the first time round, but seeing as there was zero queue (this was really weird having no queues at all) we went on it again. Much better the second time round and our scores all improved.
We then moved on to the new Simpsons area and rode The Simpsons Ride. It was similar to Star Tours in that it was a simulator that rocked around whilst a movie played in front of you. Not in 3D though, which was interesting - and slightly odd seeing as most things are nowadays. Anyway, it was OK, nothing special. To be honest, to my mind, a lot of these Universal rides are very similar. I find them a bit repetitive, but Master B seems to enjoy them more than me and Mrs B, so very much more his thing than ours.
Anyway, we explored the new Springfield area and had some fun photos taken on the Simpsons' couch as well as looking round the other bits. Sadly, the eating areas like Moe's Tavern were closed - but it was still before 11am so not really surprising.
We were a bit peckish so headed to Beverley Hills Boulangerie for pastries and drinks. I had a cherry danish and coffee (a Lavazza coffee and he first decent cup I've had for ages), Mrs B had a hot chcoclate and a croissant and Master B had a cookie the size of a car tyre and a Coke.
Much refreshed, we headed back to Transformers to ride it a third time (clearly I didn't, I sat in the sun and finished my coffee) and then back to Springfield to see if the eateries were open. They were, so Master B had a Flaming Moe in Moe's Tavern, which he liked, and Mrs B had her photo taken with a plastic Barney!
It was still quite early, so we decided to ride ET. It's not the greatest ride and has a long old wait time even with no queue as you have to tell and operator your name so ET can thank you personally at the end of the ride. Except it's pointless as you can't hear it. Still, it may not be there much longer, so we rode it for 'old time's sake'.
We had pretty much no lines for the whole morning, but the park was filling up, and wait times were rising. We'd pretty much done what we wanted anyway, so we headed back to Saratoga Springs and hit the pool. Mrs B and I had burgers whilst Master B swam and played in the kids area. We spent nearly three hours there! We all had a good time.
We came back and had a lazy evening.
A good day - the early opening at Universal was useful and it was really quiet in there so we went round it in record time at a relaxed pace.
Once the gates opened we walked at a fast pace to get to Despicable Me. Well, I broke into a jog - I really wanted to ride this. There was no need to panic, we were in the first wave of people through the doors and there is a great video sequence with all the gang explaining how we were going to be transformed into Minions! It was really funny, we were is stitches. Then on to the ride. Which broke down halfway through. Booooo... This left us hanging for a few minutes, but they go it fixed and played it from the beginning, so we got one-and-a-half rides. We all enjoyed it.
Next we headed for Transformers - hopefully a fully working Transformers. As we rounded a corner we stumbled across Megatron doing a meet-and-greet so we had our photo taken with him. We went round the many queuing areas (guess this gets busy at peak season) and pretty much walked on to the ride. It was another simulator on a short track, like Spiderman and many other Universal rides. The story was better than Spiderman, but it had the usual water spray, vertical plunges, spinning around and stuff. Anyway, Master B really enjoyed it, and wanted to go on again. I was done with it, but Mrs B was happy to do it with him.
Next, there was another chance for me to wander round some of the movie facades in the park as Mrs and Master B went on Revenge of the Mummy which is another high octane ride I can't cope with. They both enjoyed it, though.
We walked round the lake in the middle and looked at the construction work happening on the new Harry Potter area, where they are building Kings Cross and Diagon Alley. All looked very exciting... We then headed to Men In Black: Alien Attack which is a shoot-em up ride (like Buzz Lightyear). We were a bit confused as to what were aiming at the first time round, but seeing as there was zero queue (this was really weird having no queues at all) we went on it again. Much better the second time round and our scores all improved.
We then moved on to the new Simpsons area and rode The Simpsons Ride. It was similar to Star Tours in that it was a simulator that rocked around whilst a movie played in front of you. Not in 3D though, which was interesting - and slightly odd seeing as most things are nowadays. Anyway, it was OK, nothing special. To be honest, to my mind, a lot of these Universal rides are very similar. I find them a bit repetitive, but Master B seems to enjoy them more than me and Mrs B, so very much more his thing than ours.
Anyway, we explored the new Springfield area and had some fun photos taken on the Simpsons' couch as well as looking round the other bits. Sadly, the eating areas like Moe's Tavern were closed - but it was still before 11am so not really surprising.
We were a bit peckish so headed to Beverley Hills Boulangerie for pastries and drinks. I had a cherry danish and coffee (a Lavazza coffee and he first decent cup I've had for ages), Mrs B had a hot chcoclate and a croissant and Master B had a cookie the size of a car tyre and a Coke.
Much refreshed, we headed back to Transformers to ride it a third time (clearly I didn't, I sat in the sun and finished my coffee) and then back to Springfield to see if the eateries were open. They were, so Master B had a Flaming Moe in Moe's Tavern, which he liked, and Mrs B had her photo taken with a plastic Barney!
It was still quite early, so we decided to ride ET. It's not the greatest ride and has a long old wait time even with no queue as you have to tell and operator your name so ET can thank you personally at the end of the ride. Except it's pointless as you can't hear it. Still, it may not be there much longer, so we rode it for 'old time's sake'.
We had pretty much no lines for the whole morning, but the park was filling up, and wait times were rising. We'd pretty much done what we wanted anyway, so we headed back to Saratoga Springs and hit the pool. Mrs B and I had burgers whilst Master B swam and played in the kids area. We spent nearly three hours there! We all had a good time.
We came back and had a lazy evening.
A good day - the early opening at Universal was useful and it was really quiet in there so we went round it in record time at a relaxed pace.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
2013 Holiday Day 8 - Kennedy Space Center
So it's a day off from the theme parks today as we head to the coast and to Kennedy Space Center. It's about an hour's drive and we make it with a few minutes to spare before opening. We are hoping to get the bus tour first to Saturn V. Anyway, we queue for tickets which takes ages. Then for bag search... Ages. Then we queue for the bus to the Saturn V exhibit. Well, guess what. It takes ages. There is lots of grumbling in the queue and people are shouting at the staff. Buses are coming in, but taking tour groups away - not general ticket holders like us. Eventually, after 25 minutes, a bus does arrive and we are on our way...
It takes about 15 minutes to ride the bus to the Apollo / Saturn V hall and the driver takes us on a road tour of the Vehicle Assembly Building and the Launch Control Center. Interestingly, last time we were here, the bus stopped at Launch Pad 39A - but this is now a separate tour which costs more money. Glad we did it last time! Upon arrival at the Saturn V hall we watch a movie about how the Apollo missions came about and then watch a simulation of the Apollo 8 launch - which was really, really good. Then it's into the hall - and Saturn V is just about the coolest thing ever... It's massive and beautifully displayed with loads of information. We had a good time wandering around. By now we were a bit peckish, so we stopped in the Moon Rock Cafe for supplies. It was reasonably tasty and filled us up.
We took the bus back to the main centre and headed for the Space Shuttle Atlantis hall. Mrs B had been really looking forward to this. Again, we had a couple of video presentations about the history and flights of the shuttle before entering the hall. It was fabulous, and again, a good job had been done on the information. In addition, there was a life-size section of International Space Station housing that Master and Mrs B crawled through and some exhibits about life on board ISS - such as how the crew go to the toilet. Master B found this fascinating... :-)
Master B had been desperate to do Angry Birds Space Encounter so we headed over there. It was rubbish. Just a few crappy games. Bit pointless really. We had done all the other areas last visit, and it was mid-afternoon now and we had spent a while looking at Saturn V and Atlantis. We decided to head home.
Once back at the hotel, we decided to walk to...
It takes about 15 minutes to ride the bus to the Apollo / Saturn V hall and the driver takes us on a road tour of the Vehicle Assembly Building and the Launch Control Center. Interestingly, last time we were here, the bus stopped at Launch Pad 39A - but this is now a separate tour which costs more money. Glad we did it last time! Upon arrival at the Saturn V hall we watch a movie about how the Apollo missions came about and then watch a simulation of the Apollo 8 launch - which was really, really good. Then it's into the hall - and Saturn V is just about the coolest thing ever... It's massive and beautifully displayed with loads of information. We had a good time wandering around. By now we were a bit peckish, so we stopped in the Moon Rock Cafe for supplies. It was reasonably tasty and filled us up.
We took the bus back to the main centre and headed for the Space Shuttle Atlantis hall. Mrs B had been really looking forward to this. Again, we had a couple of video presentations about the history and flights of the shuttle before entering the hall. It was fabulous, and again, a good job had been done on the information. In addition, there was a life-size section of International Space Station housing that Master and Mrs B crawled through and some exhibits about life on board ISS - such as how the crew go to the toilet. Master B found this fascinating... :-)
Master B had been desperate to do Angry Birds Space Encounter so we headed over there. It was rubbish. Just a few crappy games. Bit pointless really. We had done all the other areas last visit, and it was mid-afternoon now and we had spent a while looking at Saturn V and Atlantis. We decided to head home.
Once back at the hotel, we decided to walk to...
Downtown Disney
...for dinner. We chose a favourite: Raglan Road which is an Irish pub and restaurant. We were seated quickly and ordered sausage and mash for myself, shepherd's pie for Mrs B and fish and chips for Master B. Whilst waiting for our dinners, some delicious soda bread and dip was served. The mains were really rather tasty, but massive portions, so I think we all just about ate half of what was served. We wanted to leave room for pud though. Mrs B had the lemon clouds (a sort-of lemon meringue pie) and I had the apple and strawberry crumble. Lovely! Our server, Katie, was lovely and it was a good meal. We even got to see some Irish dancing and a band too!
After dinner, we went to the shops were Master B bought some more Lego in the Lego store and Mrs B bagged a Tee from the Disney store.
Then it was back home for TV and bed!
A nice pace change today. I don't think we want to do theme parks all the day every day. I think we have seen all that KSC offers now, so we shall have to find something different next visit.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
2013 Holiday Day 7 - Universal's Islands Of Adventure and more..
With the car we have a new found freedom to explore beyond the Disney boundaries. After breakfast we head off to Universal's theme parks and decide to begin in Islands of Adventure. For some odd reason, they start parking everyone right at the top of the multi-story car park. In the Florida sun. Great idea Universal! Now we get to come back to a hot, hot car! We then have to queue for ages to get our tickets. Grrr... Anyway, we eventually get into the park and start at Marvel Super Hero Island.
We start on The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman. I have no idea what it is, but Mrs B says it's like Star Tours at Disney Hollywood Studios (a simulator 3D ride). That's cool. Anyway, we get into the vehicle, with our 3D glasses on - and the vehicle is on a track. It's more of a part roller coaster, part simulator, with spinning and simulated vertical drops and attacks by bad guys with water and fire (so we get a bit wet and a bit hot). When we get off I'm a bit dizzy and can feel breakfast in the wrong part of my body. Master B loved it! He wants to go on again. Mrs B agrees to take him (she doesn't need a second invitation for thrilling rides) whilst I decide to look round the shops. With no wait time, it makes sense to ride it twice anyway.
After that, Mrs B wants to do Doctor Doom's Fearfall. Did I go on? Clue is in the name. Me and Master B go and have our photo takes with Spiderman whilst Mrs B rockets 150 feet into the air, then plunges back down again. She liked it...
Next on the max thrill rides is The Incredible Hulk Coaster. There is a little wait for this one - 15 minutes - but Mrs B does the ride and enjoys it. Not as much as Everest at Animal Kingdom, though.
We then walk through the streets of the Marvel Island and get photos with Dr Doom and The Green Goblin, then watch the superheroes arrive on their motorbikes. We stop in a couple of shops before deciding to head to Jurassic Park. On arrival, we watch the final plunge of the River Adventure ride, where you get absolutely soaked, and Mrs B declares it's too cold to go on (it's only mid-70s degrees F!) so we skip it. Master B stands near the wet zone and gets soaked by one of the ride vehicles plunging into the water. He's happy!
We then go to the Discovery Center which is a recreation of the one in the movie and Master B and Mrs B do some of the interactive exhibits. It's cool in there, so I take the chance to have a sit down!
After a pow-wow, Master B decides he wants a Butterbeer so we go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We did this a lot on our last visit, so we head straight past the sellers on the street with the long queues and go into the Hog's Head pub where there is no queue and order on Butterbeer. We sit in the back garden and enjoy it between us. We then head into the sweet shop, Honeydukes, to buy Peppermint Toads and Chocolate Frogs - just like in the books. They are scrummy.
We want to do some shopping, so we head out of the park around 1pm and hit the malls and Publix supermarket. We then head back to the villa with our purchases and Master B wants to head to the pool, which we do and spend a couple of hours in the Paddock Pool sunbathing and swimming. There is a cracking play area near the pool Master B takes full advantage of.
Around 5pm, Mrs B declares she is hungry, so we decide to drive over to...
We start on The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman. I have no idea what it is, but Mrs B says it's like Star Tours at Disney Hollywood Studios (a simulator 3D ride). That's cool. Anyway, we get into the vehicle, with our 3D glasses on - and the vehicle is on a track. It's more of a part roller coaster, part simulator, with spinning and simulated vertical drops and attacks by bad guys with water and fire (so we get a bit wet and a bit hot). When we get off I'm a bit dizzy and can feel breakfast in the wrong part of my body. Master B loved it! He wants to go on again. Mrs B agrees to take him (she doesn't need a second invitation for thrilling rides) whilst I decide to look round the shops. With no wait time, it makes sense to ride it twice anyway.
After that, Mrs B wants to do Doctor Doom's Fearfall. Did I go on? Clue is in the name. Me and Master B go and have our photo takes with Spiderman whilst Mrs B rockets 150 feet into the air, then plunges back down again. She liked it...
Next on the max thrill rides is The Incredible Hulk Coaster. There is a little wait for this one - 15 minutes - but Mrs B does the ride and enjoys it. Not as much as Everest at Animal Kingdom, though.
We then walk through the streets of the Marvel Island and get photos with Dr Doom and The Green Goblin, then watch the superheroes arrive on their motorbikes. We stop in a couple of shops before deciding to head to Jurassic Park. On arrival, we watch the final plunge of the River Adventure ride, where you get absolutely soaked, and Mrs B declares it's too cold to go on (it's only mid-70s degrees F!) so we skip it. Master B stands near the wet zone and gets soaked by one of the ride vehicles plunging into the water. He's happy!
We then go to the Discovery Center which is a recreation of the one in the movie and Master B and Mrs B do some of the interactive exhibits. It's cool in there, so I take the chance to have a sit down!
After a pow-wow, Master B decides he wants a Butterbeer so we go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We did this a lot on our last visit, so we head straight past the sellers on the street with the long queues and go into the Hog's Head pub where there is no queue and order on Butterbeer. We sit in the back garden and enjoy it between us. We then head into the sweet shop, Honeydukes, to buy Peppermint Toads and Chocolate Frogs - just like in the books. They are scrummy.
We want to do some shopping, so we head out of the park around 1pm and hit the malls and Publix supermarket. We then head back to the villa with our purchases and Master B wants to head to the pool, which we do and spend a couple of hours in the Paddock Pool sunbathing and swimming. There is a cracking play area near the pool Master B takes full advantage of.
Around 5pm, Mrs B declares she is hungry, so we decide to drive over to...
Disney Epcot
... to eat at the Food and Wine Festival. We head to the USA where I have a delicious Clam Chowder soup and the bread and butter pudding and Mrs B has the Lobster Roll. We are all a bit tired by now, so we stroll back to the car and get home in time for Wheel of Fortune.
A slower day today, but we needed it I think...
Friday, October 25, 2013
2013 Holiday Day 6 - Disney Animal Kingdom
It was a very early start this morning as were heading off for a character breakfast (where you dine whilst Disney characters wander around the tables to have photos with you) called Donald's Dining Safari Breakfast at Tusker House Restaurant. We headed for the bus stop and really noticed the drop in temperature that had occurred overnight. It was really cold! We got on the 7:15am bus and were soon signing in with our restaurant reservation and walking with other diners through a deserted Animal Kingdom. It was very tranquil and we stopped and looked in at several of the animal enclosures as well as having our photo taken right next to the Tree Of Life which dominates the centre of the park.
Breakfast was great and we all enjoyed it. We were greeted by Donald and had our photo taken and then headed inside for a fabulous buffet. There was something for all tastes in there. I had sausage, egg and Mickey waffles followed by a cinnamon bun and apple muffin. Mrs B had similar and Master B had the sausage with some baked good too. This was washed down with a fruit juice blend called Jungle Juice which was delicious. Mickey, Daisy and Goofy wandered around the tables and we took photos of Master B with them. He was wearing his Donald hat, which Donald had enjoyed, Daisy had kissed and Mickey - well - he wasn't too impressed!
It was bang on 9am when we finished and dashed straight to the front of the queue for Kilimanjaro Safaris. This is a tour of the wildlife park in a ranger vehicle where your guide takes you round the different areas and you get to try and spot the animals. Early in the morning is best when the animals are most awake, and because it was a cooler day, they were much more active too. We saw all sorts and were very lucky with pretty much seeing everything the reserve had to offer. Our guide was very good too.
After exiting this ride, we saw the gorillas at the start of the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. But we didn't go any further, choosing instead to head to Asia for one of the two big thrill rides in Animal Kingdom: Expedition Everest. This is a roller coaster, and so a bit too thrilling for yours truly, but Mrs B and Master B went on and enjoyed themselves, although Master B was a little unsure afterwards as to whether he did like it or not. He must have liked it, though, as he spent some holiday money on an Expedition Everest T-Shirt! Minimal queuing again. We were definitely in front of the main wave of the crowds.
We then went to bag the other big ride: DINOSAUR. I was told I would be OK on this ride, and I quite enjoyed it. We headed back in time to explore the world of the dinosaurs, but there is a twist which I won't give away, which makes it more thrilling than that. This was well done and we all liked it. Again, minimal queuing which was great!
As we exited this ride, Master B saw the Primeval Whirl ride which was a small roller coaster that also spun the carriages like a waltzer. I don't do spinning, so was on bag-holding and photograph duties but the other two quite enjoyed it.
We all fancied a slower pace after that, , so Mrs B suggested a bird show called Flights of Wonder. It sounded a bit lame to me, but I was up for sitting down for a bit. Master B was feeling the pace too. I sat on one of the benches, prepared to be a bit bored, but actually - to my surprise - it was fantastic. It was done really well, with a comedy character on stage the kids liked, as well as the serious straight-man who explained about the birds. The birds fly all around you too - swooping so close overhead you can feel their wings beating the air. Great stuff - definitely do that one again...
We didn't want to do the river rapids ride, as it was too chilly to get dry properly, so we headed for a walking tour of more animal enclosures called Maharajah Jungle Trek. We saw quite a few tigers and other animals, and it was a relaxing look at some of the other residents of this theme park. I liked the giant fruit bats best I think!
By now it was 12:30, and as we were hiring a car at 2:30, decided to leave the park and head back to the hotel for a long lunch. Best laid plans and all that... We must have just missed the bus because we had to wait ages. Then it hit just about every red light known to man and we eventually rolled into the hotel about an hour later. Nightmare! We had some lunch and were just in time to get the bus to pick up the car. We just ate a couple if pizzas in the Artists Palette quick service restaurant.
Master B positively refused to do anything else today. He was tired and fed up of walking. That's the trouble with these holidays - they are tiring - but you want to make the most of your time here - so it's a balance in trying to get that right. Clearly, there's no point dragging a miserable child around something, so I let him have the afternoon to himself and he played with his newly purchased Lego and on his iPod and watched some TV. Mrs B went for a walk to explore our hotel area more and enjoyed some time to herself.
We got some sandwiches from the Artists Palette as dinner, which I washed down with some beer, and after Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune on the telly we were pretty much done!
A good morning at Animal Kingdom, but circumstances went against us a bit after that. We have a slow day planned tomorrow too, using the car, so hopefully we will all recover some energy for more fuller days to come.
Beer consumed: Sam Adams - just regular old Sam Adams - but it's a lovely drop!
Breakfast was great and we all enjoyed it. We were greeted by Donald and had our photo taken and then headed inside for a fabulous buffet. There was something for all tastes in there. I had sausage, egg and Mickey waffles followed by a cinnamon bun and apple muffin. Mrs B had similar and Master B had the sausage with some baked good too. This was washed down with a fruit juice blend called Jungle Juice which was delicious. Mickey, Daisy and Goofy wandered around the tables and we took photos of Master B with them. He was wearing his Donald hat, which Donald had enjoyed, Daisy had kissed and Mickey - well - he wasn't too impressed!
It was bang on 9am when we finished and dashed straight to the front of the queue for Kilimanjaro Safaris. This is a tour of the wildlife park in a ranger vehicle where your guide takes you round the different areas and you get to try and spot the animals. Early in the morning is best when the animals are most awake, and because it was a cooler day, they were much more active too. We saw all sorts and were very lucky with pretty much seeing everything the reserve had to offer. Our guide was very good too.
After exiting this ride, we saw the gorillas at the start of the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. But we didn't go any further, choosing instead to head to Asia for one of the two big thrill rides in Animal Kingdom: Expedition Everest. This is a roller coaster, and so a bit too thrilling for yours truly, but Mrs B and Master B went on and enjoyed themselves, although Master B was a little unsure afterwards as to whether he did like it or not. He must have liked it, though, as he spent some holiday money on an Expedition Everest T-Shirt! Minimal queuing again. We were definitely in front of the main wave of the crowds.
We then went to bag the other big ride: DINOSAUR. I was told I would be OK on this ride, and I quite enjoyed it. We headed back in time to explore the world of the dinosaurs, but there is a twist which I won't give away, which makes it more thrilling than that. This was well done and we all liked it. Again, minimal queuing which was great!
As we exited this ride, Master B saw the Primeval Whirl ride which was a small roller coaster that also spun the carriages like a waltzer. I don't do spinning, so was on bag-holding and photograph duties but the other two quite enjoyed it.
We all fancied a slower pace after that, , so Mrs B suggested a bird show called Flights of Wonder. It sounded a bit lame to me, but I was up for sitting down for a bit. Master B was feeling the pace too. I sat on one of the benches, prepared to be a bit bored, but actually - to my surprise - it was fantastic. It was done really well, with a comedy character on stage the kids liked, as well as the serious straight-man who explained about the birds. The birds fly all around you too - swooping so close overhead you can feel their wings beating the air. Great stuff - definitely do that one again...
We didn't want to do the river rapids ride, as it was too chilly to get dry properly, so we headed for a walking tour of more animal enclosures called Maharajah Jungle Trek. We saw quite a few tigers and other animals, and it was a relaxing look at some of the other residents of this theme park. I liked the giant fruit bats best I think!
By now it was 12:30, and as we were hiring a car at 2:30, decided to leave the park and head back to the hotel for a long lunch. Best laid plans and all that... We must have just missed the bus because we had to wait ages. Then it hit just about every red light known to man and we eventually rolled into the hotel about an hour later. Nightmare! We had some lunch and were just in time to get the bus to pick up the car. We just ate a couple if pizzas in the Artists Palette quick service restaurant.
Master B positively refused to do anything else today. He was tired and fed up of walking. That's the trouble with these holidays - they are tiring - but you want to make the most of your time here - so it's a balance in trying to get that right. Clearly, there's no point dragging a miserable child around something, so I let him have the afternoon to himself and he played with his newly purchased Lego and on his iPod and watched some TV. Mrs B went for a walk to explore our hotel area more and enjoyed some time to herself.
We got some sandwiches from the Artists Palette as dinner, which I washed down with some beer, and after Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune on the telly we were pretty much done!
A good morning at Animal Kingdom, but circumstances went against us a bit after that. We have a slow day planned tomorrow too, using the car, so hopefully we will all recover some energy for more fuller days to come.
Beer consumed: Sam Adams - just regular old Sam Adams - but it's a lovely drop!
Thursday, October 24, 2013
2013 Holiday Day 5 - Disney Magic Kingdom and more...
A day to go down a gear or two after some pretty intense days here. Perhaps Mrs B can keep this kind of pace up, because she's very fit and very enthusiastic, and whilst me and my boy are quite fit and quite enthusiastic - we feel the pace much more. Anyway, we had agreed last night that this would be a more relaxing day.
We got a later bus (so not one that got us there for opening) which was a new experience for us, and got to the Magic Kingdom at 10am. We went for Fast Passes to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad which gave us a bit of time to ride Haunted Mansion. After a very short wait we were in and off! I had no real recollection of this ride, but it's a continuous loader that tours the inside of a mansion populated by 999 ghosts (there's room for one more, apparently, which could be you!!!). It's a fun ride, a mix of computer stuff and moving manikins. I guess it's a little dated, but we enjoyed it. Another one of those Disney classics that they shouldn't touch or improve in any way!
We then had time to head for Tom Sawyer Island and we spent a fun half hour exploring the island. There's lots of things to climb up and climb down and there is a lot to keep the kids entertained in particular. Master B is not renowned for his sense of adventure when it comes to exploring new places, he prefers it all mapped out, but he had a good time scrambling round the fort and through the mine in particular.
We got the boat back for Mrs B and Master B to use their Fast Passes on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. They didn't wait long and were soon roller coasting around on the runaway train. It's a bit of a Mrs B favourite - Master B was less convinced, but I think he secretly did quite like it!
After a short water break (whilst it was cooler today, it was still hot in the sunshine) we headed for the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover. This is a ride around Tomorrowland from a height so you can see all the attractions. It's a nice ride, nothing thrilling, but it is covered and their was a nice breeze, and we enjoyed the views over the park and looking down on all the people.
In a change this year, Mrs B and I decided we wanted to see some of the other resorts. We had only ever visited our own, Saratoga Springs, and I was keen to see the Contemporary. So...
We got a later bus (so not one that got us there for opening) which was a new experience for us, and got to the Magic Kingdom at 10am. We went for Fast Passes to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad which gave us a bit of time to ride Haunted Mansion. After a very short wait we were in and off! I had no real recollection of this ride, but it's a continuous loader that tours the inside of a mansion populated by 999 ghosts (there's room for one more, apparently, which could be you!!!). It's a fun ride, a mix of computer stuff and moving manikins. I guess it's a little dated, but we enjoyed it. Another one of those Disney classics that they shouldn't touch or improve in any way!
We then had time to head for Tom Sawyer Island and we spent a fun half hour exploring the island. There's lots of things to climb up and climb down and there is a lot to keep the kids entertained in particular. Master B is not renowned for his sense of adventure when it comes to exploring new places, he prefers it all mapped out, but he had a good time scrambling round the fort and through the mine in particular.
We got the boat back for Mrs B and Master B to use their Fast Passes on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. They didn't wait long and were soon roller coasting around on the runaway train. It's a bit of a Mrs B favourite - Master B was less convinced, but I think he secretly did quite like it!
After a short water break (whilst it was cooler today, it was still hot in the sunshine) we headed for the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover. This is a ride around Tomorrowland from a height so you can see all the attractions. It's a nice ride, nothing thrilling, but it is covered and their was a nice breeze, and we enjoyed the views over the park and looking down on all the people.
In a change this year, Mrs B and I decided we wanted to see some of the other resorts. We had only ever visited our own, Saratoga Springs, and I was keen to see the Contemporary. So...
Disney Contemporary Resort
...we headed to the monorail that would take us to this resort. The Monorail is a lovely little ride and we were soon disembarking inside the hotel. Yep, the station is in the hotel! It's pretty cool! The architecture is lovely and there were loads of shops and restaurants on the bottom three levels. We chose to eat in The Wave - Amercian Flavours which has a menu that changes with the seasons. It's broadly the same, they just alter bits of it slightly.
We hadn't booked, but there was loads of room and we were seated straight away. It was a very swanky restaurant with cloth napkins and lovely tableware. I had the 'build-your-own-burger' and went for cheese and mushroom with potato wedges; Mrs B had a pasta dish and Master B also had a burger and wedges. Everything was delicious. The burger meat was locally sourced and tasted fabulous - cooked perfectly to medium as I like it. I washed it down with a lovely berry smoothie, whilst Mrs B and Master B had sodas as usual. Desert was a set of three 'samplers' for the adults (we had different ones so sampled six puds!) and Master B built his own ice cream sundae - which he loved. Mrs B and I had jasmine green tea and coffee respectively to finish off. A lovely meal, great service from our friendly server, Tim, and we were absolutely stuffed with food!
We wandered round the two large shops and games arcade - which were much, much better than the ones at our resort - before heading back to the Magic Kingdom. The monorail only goes one way on a big loop so we had to go through three stops before getting back to where we started. It was a bus back to Saratoga Springs and we hit the main Springs pool for a couple of hours to enjoy the sunshine and let our dinners go down (me and Mrs B lounged whilst Master B swam!).
A quiet night in after that watching Jeopardy! and Wheel Of Fortune as we need to be up early tomorrow...
Beer consumed: A Florida Lager from the Florida Beer Company which was most pleasant with some Pringles.
A quiet night in after that watching Jeopardy! and Wheel Of Fortune as we need to be up early tomorrow...
Beer consumed: A Florida Lager from the Florida Beer Company which was most pleasant with some Pringles.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
2013 Holiday Day 4 - Disney Blizzard Beach and more...
We all slept pretty well last night and we had a bit of a lazy start, as Blizzard Beach doesn't open until 10am. We boarded the coach and headed off. It was a bit grey and cloudy, and we feared that it wouldn't be that nice in the park, but it was still pretty warm (a mere 88 F) so we'd be OK. We joined the small line that was waiting for the park to open. These water parks are interesting because Americans have to pay an additional cost to access them, whereas us Brits get them included with our tickets. So the line was mainly Brits! Who knew how to queue!
Once we were inside, we hired towels from a grumpy lady and then setup camp by Melt-Away Bay which is a one acre shallow wave pool. Perfect for bobbing up and down in a rubber ring on and getting acclimatised to the cool water. At first, I thought the water was too cold, but as the day wore on, we were glad it was! Because about 10 minutes after we arrived, the cloud burnt off and the sun came out and it was hot, hot, hot!
We learnt a few lessons from out last trip here two years ago, and we put the first into action straight away:
Lesson Number 1: Do Runoff Rapids first.
We did this last in our previous visit and it was knackering because you have to carry your rubber ring up an awful lot of steps. Do it first thing, when you are feeling fresh and full of energy. There were no lines to speak of so we rode it three times - once on each different tube. It was great fun, and it's one of the most enjoyable rides in the park.
Lesson Number 2: Do Summit Plummet and Slusher Gusher once, then don't bother. We did it last time we were here, it was fun, but we decided it was too thrilling for us so we left it.
Instead we headed to the Purple Slopes area and started with Snow Stormers. You lay on a mat facing forwards and three of you race each other down different slides. We all enjoyed it, but I got a faceful of water that blocked up my ear and nose. Whilst I sorted myself out, Mrs B and Master B did the other water slide Toboggan Racers. They reported back that it was OK, but we were done with these rides now.
Master B was keen to try the lazy river, called Cross Country Creek. There was a jumping on point near our camp, so we waited for some rubber rings to float past and jumped on them for a float around the perimeter of the park. We must have been on it 20-30 minutes, I'm not really sure, but it was pleasant and peaceful and shady and cool. There are a few splashing hazards to avoid - or enjoy - depending on your point-of-view. Mrs B avoided, Master B enjoyed!
Mrs B was a bit chilly after leaving the lazy river, so we headed back to our beach camp where Master B splashed happily in the shallows whilst Mrs B sun-bathed. We then headed to the children's play area, Ski Patrol Training Camp. There are some assault courses and slides for children to enjoy and he had a great time.
By now, we were feeling hungry, and learning our lesson from yesterday we headed for food. We chose to eat at Lottawatta Lodge because it had a lot of seating and a good choice on the menu. It's all fast food at these water parks, but it was tasty and there were some semi-healthy options. I had a grilled chicken breast in a roll with some fries and a cookie. Mrs B and a burger, fries and cheesecake and Master B went for a hot dog, fries and cookie. This was all washed down with soda and we all agreed it was tasty fare, despite it being a little salty. Master B found a table near the serving area where we got wafts of air conditioning come from behind the serving counter, so we were cool whilst we ate. All the other tables were outside, but they all had umbrellas.
Refreshed, we went back to the beach. Master B's children's meal came with a bucket and spade - a brilliant idea for the kids - and he spent a happy half hour building forts and moats whilst Mrs B nodded off in the sunshine on her sun lounger and I read. The sun was high in the sky and we all agreed we'd had enough, but whilst we were there, we decided to do a round of crazy golf...
Back to the bus stop and home for a rest before heading off to out third and final attraction of the day:
Next up was Journey Into Imagination With Figment. We had done this last time, but Master B had no recollection at all. Again, this is one from Mrs B's childhood. No queue again and we boarded the ride car right away and headed off. The ride is quite lame in places, but it's cute and has a few catchy songs and is superbly narrated by a mad professor played by Eric Idle. The interactive area after was good fun and we designed our own Figment and played some music by waving our hands at certain booths.
There is a fun area in Future World where there are some dancing fountains, and Master B had a fun time running around trying to catch the jets of jumping water. Quite tucked away this one, but well worth finding. It's by the Captain EO attraction, near the exit of Figment.
It was then time to head into the World Showcase and eat! The Food & Wine Festival passport had been examined on the bus over so I knew I was heading for the Belgium stand (located in the France area) for the Leek & Potato Waffle with Braised Beef, the Berry Compote Waffle and I chose to wash it down with a Leffe Brune. Everything was delicious, and I may have to break my own rule by having something from the festival twice. Mrs B headed to the USA area for Lobster roll, Craisin Bread Pudding and a Sam Adams Oktoberfest. She reported that it was all delicious, although she hadn't enough room to finish the very filling pudding. Craisins, by the way, are cranberries and raisins combined somehow. Whilst Mrs B nommed on her dinner, we listed to Boys II Men playing the America's Garden Theatre. I'm not a huge fan, but they sounded good and lot's of people seemed to have enjoyed them judging by the cheering.
We moved back to Canada as Master B wanted the crisps he'd had last time and a drink (he's got into American Lemonade, which is flat over here, not fizzy, and is very lemony). Then we staked out our spot for the fireworks about a half hour before they started. It started to rain a little, but it didn't bother us too much. The show began and it did indeed have a lot of impressive fireworks. Would I go again? I don't think so - it was a bit boring when the screens in the middle of the lake were showing things I couldn't see or understand. And then the crowds leaving afterwards were something else! Huge! Luckily we had positioned ourselves quite near the exit and so we didn't have to wait too long for a bus back to our hotel. However, I now know why there are lanes and lanes of ropes outside the bus stops because as out bus pulled away there were probably 100 other people waiting!
We got back just before 10pm. Pretty late for us! A bit of telly and then it was lights out in order to be ready for tomorrow...
Once we were inside, we hired towels from a grumpy lady and then setup camp by Melt-Away Bay which is a one acre shallow wave pool. Perfect for bobbing up and down in a rubber ring on and getting acclimatised to the cool water. At first, I thought the water was too cold, but as the day wore on, we were glad it was! Because about 10 minutes after we arrived, the cloud burnt off and the sun came out and it was hot, hot, hot!
We learnt a few lessons from out last trip here two years ago, and we put the first into action straight away:
Lesson Number 1: Do Runoff Rapids first.
We did this last in our previous visit and it was knackering because you have to carry your rubber ring up an awful lot of steps. Do it first thing, when you are feeling fresh and full of energy. There were no lines to speak of so we rode it three times - once on each different tube. It was great fun, and it's one of the most enjoyable rides in the park.
Lesson Number 2: Do Summit Plummet and Slusher Gusher once, then don't bother. We did it last time we were here, it was fun, but we decided it was too thrilling for us so we left it.
Instead we headed to the Purple Slopes area and started with Snow Stormers. You lay on a mat facing forwards and three of you race each other down different slides. We all enjoyed it, but I got a faceful of water that blocked up my ear and nose. Whilst I sorted myself out, Mrs B and Master B did the other water slide Toboggan Racers. They reported back that it was OK, but we were done with these rides now.
Master B was keen to try the lazy river, called Cross Country Creek. There was a jumping on point near our camp, so we waited for some rubber rings to float past and jumped on them for a float around the perimeter of the park. We must have been on it 20-30 minutes, I'm not really sure, but it was pleasant and peaceful and shady and cool. There are a few splashing hazards to avoid - or enjoy - depending on your point-of-view. Mrs B avoided, Master B enjoyed!
Mrs B was a bit chilly after leaving the lazy river, so we headed back to our beach camp where Master B splashed happily in the shallows whilst Mrs B sun-bathed. We then headed to the children's play area, Ski Patrol Training Camp. There are some assault courses and slides for children to enjoy and he had a great time.
By now, we were feeling hungry, and learning our lesson from yesterday we headed for food. We chose to eat at Lottawatta Lodge because it had a lot of seating and a good choice on the menu. It's all fast food at these water parks, but it was tasty and there were some semi-healthy options. I had a grilled chicken breast in a roll with some fries and a cookie. Mrs B and a burger, fries and cheesecake and Master B went for a hot dog, fries and cookie. This was all washed down with soda and we all agreed it was tasty fare, despite it being a little salty. Master B found a table near the serving area where we got wafts of air conditioning come from behind the serving counter, so we were cool whilst we ate. All the other tables were outside, but they all had umbrellas.
Refreshed, we went back to the beach. Master B's children's meal came with a bucket and spade - a brilliant idea for the kids - and he spent a happy half hour building forts and moats whilst Mrs B nodded off in the sunshine on her sun lounger and I read. The sun was high in the sky and we all agreed we'd had enough, but whilst we were there, we decided to do a round of crazy golf...
Winter Summerland Miniature Golf
Another great bonus with our British tickets is your get one round of mini golf a day. Just by Blizzard Beach is the Winter Summerland attraction offering two courses: Winter and Summer. The theme is Santa is on vacation and there are all sorts of crazy features on both courses. We chose Winter. It was very quiet, and spent a happy 45 minutes putting our way round the course. A top tip is the water fountains at the main gate are cooled, so the water comes out ice cold rather than ground temperature or - God forbid - tepid (like one fountain in the Magic Kingdom). We drank our fill and it was lovely!Back to the bus stop and home for a rest before heading off to out third and final attraction of the day:
Disney Epcot
Mrs B wanted to see the Epcot fireworks. We hadn't done any parks at night on our last visit, so we headed off around 5:30pm. The queues were short and we were soon inside and heading for Spaceship Earth where we pretty much walked right on. We had a bit more of a look round the interactive centre that is after the ride, which was quite fun. A few games for the kids to do - although 'few' was the operative word - as in 'not enough' even for tiny amount of people in there.Next up was Journey Into Imagination With Figment. We had done this last time, but Master B had no recollection at all. Again, this is one from Mrs B's childhood. No queue again and we boarded the ride car right away and headed off. The ride is quite lame in places, but it's cute and has a few catchy songs and is superbly narrated by a mad professor played by Eric Idle. The interactive area after was good fun and we designed our own Figment and played some music by waving our hands at certain booths.
There is a fun area in Future World where there are some dancing fountains, and Master B had a fun time running around trying to catch the jets of jumping water. Quite tucked away this one, but well worth finding. It's by the Captain EO attraction, near the exit of Figment.
It was then time to head into the World Showcase and eat! The Food & Wine Festival passport had been examined on the bus over so I knew I was heading for the Belgium stand (located in the France area) for the Leek & Potato Waffle with Braised Beef, the Berry Compote Waffle and I chose to wash it down with a Leffe Brune. Everything was delicious, and I may have to break my own rule by having something from the festival twice. Mrs B headed to the USA area for Lobster roll, Craisin Bread Pudding and a Sam Adams Oktoberfest. She reported that it was all delicious, although she hadn't enough room to finish the very filling pudding. Craisins, by the way, are cranberries and raisins combined somehow. Whilst Mrs B nommed on her dinner, we listed to Boys II Men playing the America's Garden Theatre. I'm not a huge fan, but they sounded good and lot's of people seemed to have enjoyed them judging by the cheering.
We moved back to Canada as Master B wanted the crisps he'd had last time and a drink (he's got into American Lemonade, which is flat over here, not fizzy, and is very lemony). Then we staked out our spot for the fireworks about a half hour before they started. It started to rain a little, but it didn't bother us too much. The show began and it did indeed have a lot of impressive fireworks. Would I go again? I don't think so - it was a bit boring when the screens in the middle of the lake were showing things I couldn't see or understand. And then the crowds leaving afterwards were something else! Huge! Luckily we had positioned ourselves quite near the exit and so we didn't have to wait too long for a bus back to our hotel. However, I now know why there are lanes and lanes of ropes outside the bus stops because as out bus pulled away there were probably 100 other people waiting!
We got back just before 10pm. Pretty late for us! A bit of telly and then it was lights out in order to be ready for tomorrow...
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
2013 Holiday Day 3 - Disney Epcot
After a pretty good nights rest we were ready to hit Epcot, and the race for getting in to the Test Track queue. Apparently, people rush to do two things in Epcot - Soarin' and Test Track. We rode Soarin' last time and didn't see what the fuss was about, but Test Track was great last time and has now been improved so you design your car before heading out on the ride!
The bus arrived quickly and we were soon waiting in line for the gates to open. Our dear American cousins still struggle somewhat with the concept of queuing and we were pushed and jostled as others tried to cut in. To us Brits this is one of the worst possible sins, so as we finally made it into the park we were a little wound up. However, this helped our foot speed as we charged towards Test Track. Fast passes were in short supply. Again... But we bagged ones for a 5-6pm return time. Bear in mind this was about 15 minutes after the park had opened, so there will be a lot of disappointed people behind us. The trouble stems from these new Magic Bands which allow you to pre-book your fast passes. This leaves very few in the park for other folks. Anyway, we joined the Stand By queue which had a posted wait time of 20 minutes but we were inside in 10! Wahoo! We got shown to our workstation and designed our car and then headed onto the ride vehicle to 'test it out'. This bit hadn't changed much, but had been improved in terms of integrating the ride with your vehicle design. Pity it was a bit broken and unreliable at displaying how well your car design did. A few gremlins to iron out. However, all in all, a great ride we all enjoyed.
Mrs B is a thrill seeker and really wanted to ride Mission: SPACE. I am not a thrill seeker, but wanted to get my food festival passport, so we split up. Master B came with me - he didn't like the sound of the ride. We met up a little while later with Mrs B saying how awesome it was and me and my boy thanking the gods we didn't go anywhere near it!
Next we decided to head to the Seas to do the Nemo rides. First up was The Seas With Nemo & Friends which is a continuous loader (where ride vehicles follow on closely on a conveyor belt so people can be continually loaded) so the line moved quickly. It's a fun little ride, nothing amazing, but there is a great bit at the end where Nemo and friends look like they are swimming in a tank of real fish. We then to Turtle Talk With Crush. It was quite a wait, as it is a theatre presentation. As the show takes about 15 minutes it can be a long old delay. We waited about 25 minutes I guess, but it's a great show and well worth it. I've included a video from last time we went:
I didn't take any video this time, and of course, that meant that when children were asked for questions Master B was picked by Crush ("The little dude with the dark shell and the browny noggin"). Master B asked how many teeth a turtle has. I think this stumped our turtle friend, as he kind-of avoided the question, but Master B was happy anyway! Well, I say 'happy', he didn't hear the answer because of some noisy kids next to him!
We moved to the Land pavilion next and rode Living With The Land. You take a small boat and go on a journey where you are told about how man has used (and abused) the world around for food. You then get to go through the greenhouses where Epcot and USDA scientists are researching more efficient ways to harvest food. This is the bit I like best. After the ride I booked tickets for us all on a tour around the 'backstage' of the greenhouses. More on this later...
Master B had been asking about doing Spaceship Earth pretty much since we entered the park as it's one of his favourites. We gave in, despite Mrs B's plan saying it would be really quiet when we left the park, and said we would ride it now. Big mistake for two reasons. Firstly, it was a 15-20 minute queue, and the queue was hot and right in the sunshine. Secondly, we were hungry. Shouldn't do Disney on an empty stomach. Leads to arguments and fatigue. Still, you learn from your mistakes! The ride itself is a continuous loader and Dame Judi Dench is our narrator as we head back in time and chart man's ascent through invention and progress to where we are today. It's a lot of moving waxworks, but there's lots of information and a couple of places where you can shut your eyes in the darkness and grab 40 winks!
Food! We headed to the World Showcase in order to try out some of the fare on offer from the Food & Wine Festival which runs every year at this time. We headed for Canada and some delicious fillet steak and mushrooms washed down with a cold, cold bottle of water! It was delicious! This was not what Master B wanted to we bought some Canadian Potato Chips (crisps!) from another stall and he happily destroyed those.
By now it was really hot and sunny. Whereas yesterday it was hot and cloudy, today the sun was burning. It was 89 degrees F and it was like walking around in an oven. We needed somewhere to cool off, so we headed to Mexico and another favourite The Three Caballeros ride starring family favourite Donald Duck. It was lovely and cool in there, and with a short wait, we were on a lazy river watching Donald's zany tour of Mexico. The thrills per second aren't high, but we enjoyed it. In fact, I was all for staying in Mexico until nightfall! However, Mrs B insisted we brave the sunshine and move on as it was nearly time for our tour of the greenhouses. But she promised us a treat on the way we would like...
We stopped off at Club Cool. Boy we were hot and me and Master B were flagging. Inside Club Cool are free samples of different Coke products from around the world. Brilliant! I tried them all and felt much refreshed! Mrs B and Master B drank a load of the gingery product from Mozambique. We washed the sticky soda down with water from a nearby fountain and felt much revived. Mrs B really came through on knowing about this hidden pit stop destination, and we love her for it!
It was time for our Behind The Seeds tour and one of the interns took us into the greenhouses and explained about the work scientists were doing. It lasted over an hour and I really enjoyed it. It was fascinating to see the work that goes on and how they are experimenting with natural pest controls, more efficient crop yields and the like. Mrs B smiled and nodded graciously and Master B was bored witless! Still, this was my thing and I think it was well worth the $20 admission per person.
We had booked a restaurant in Germany so it was back out into the furnace of the Florida heat to make our way there. We planned on taking the little boat that goes across the lake, but the tour had over-run and were wouldn't have made it in time. At this point, me and Master B had had enough and we complained loudly we wanted to go home. Mrs B looked disappointed as she had been looking forward to dinner, so we put on a brave face and walked to the restaurant. Master B had decided against a hat in the morning as the weather was predicted to be cloudy and rainy, and he didn't like any of the sun hats in the park (mostly Disney Princesses on them), so he and I were sharing mine (kids eh!). By the time we reached the Biergarten Restaurant I had a meltdown. Literally. I'm sorry to say I had a paddy and insisted I was too hot and wanted to go home. Mrs B (God bless her) calmed me down and said we should eat something. Inside the restaurant it was - well - magical. It was really was great. The tables are tiered and centered around a stage. The show time was about a half hour away, so we had loads of time to visit the buffet and eat our fill of soup, meat, veg and rolls. Everything was delicious, all washed down with iced water and soda (too hot for beer for me!). The show then started and it was fun - with a (very American) Umpa band playing some classic German tunes on different traditional instruments. It was good stuff.
I did feel better after eating, but losing my sun hat to the boy had taken its toll and I was feeling a bit odd. Luckily the sun was sinking low, so there was a load of shade, although it was still hot. We still had those Fast passes for Test Track, and after a family conference, Mrs B and Master Br headed of there whilst I looked one of my favourite shops Mouse Gear. It has loads of merchandise and I happily wandered around in the air conditioning looking at their wares. Mrs B and Master B returned from their ride and we headed out - pointing out to Master B the zero queue on Spaceship Earth - had he been more patient to wait! But, hey, it didn't matter. He really wanted to do the ride, so what the hey!
On returning to Saratoga Springs we inquired as to whether we could get magic bands now. Our hotel had begun issuing them, and we had missed them by a couple of days. Sadly, we couldn't, which was a bit mean. But nevermind. We were all exhausted and all pretty much collapsed in our room!
In summary, we made some mistakes. Firstly, we were too ambitious in what we thought we could do. The parks are more crowded than they were two years ago and combined with the lack of Fast Passes on popular rides, this is slowing us down. As is the heat. Secondly, we didn't eat when we should have done. We need to not be slaves to 'the plan', but look at the weather, crowds and hunger levels and adapt to those. Lesson Learnt!
The bus arrived quickly and we were soon waiting in line for the gates to open. Our dear American cousins still struggle somewhat with the concept of queuing and we were pushed and jostled as others tried to cut in. To us Brits this is one of the worst possible sins, so as we finally made it into the park we were a little wound up. However, this helped our foot speed as we charged towards Test Track. Fast passes were in short supply. Again... But we bagged ones for a 5-6pm return time. Bear in mind this was about 15 minutes after the park had opened, so there will be a lot of disappointed people behind us. The trouble stems from these new Magic Bands which allow you to pre-book your fast passes. This leaves very few in the park for other folks. Anyway, we joined the Stand By queue which had a posted wait time of 20 minutes but we were inside in 10! Wahoo! We got shown to our workstation and designed our car and then headed onto the ride vehicle to 'test it out'. This bit hadn't changed much, but had been improved in terms of integrating the ride with your vehicle design. Pity it was a bit broken and unreliable at displaying how well your car design did. A few gremlins to iron out. However, all in all, a great ride we all enjoyed.
Mrs B is a thrill seeker and really wanted to ride Mission: SPACE. I am not a thrill seeker, but wanted to get my food festival passport, so we split up. Master B came with me - he didn't like the sound of the ride. We met up a little while later with Mrs B saying how awesome it was and me and my boy thanking the gods we didn't go anywhere near it!
Next we decided to head to the Seas to do the Nemo rides. First up was The Seas With Nemo & Friends which is a continuous loader (where ride vehicles follow on closely on a conveyor belt so people can be continually loaded) so the line moved quickly. It's a fun little ride, nothing amazing, but there is a great bit at the end where Nemo and friends look like they are swimming in a tank of real fish. We then to Turtle Talk With Crush. It was quite a wait, as it is a theatre presentation. As the show takes about 15 minutes it can be a long old delay. We waited about 25 minutes I guess, but it's a great show and well worth it. I've included a video from last time we went:
I didn't take any video this time, and of course, that meant that when children were asked for questions Master B was picked by Crush ("The little dude with the dark shell and the browny noggin"). Master B asked how many teeth a turtle has. I think this stumped our turtle friend, as he kind-of avoided the question, but Master B was happy anyway! Well, I say 'happy', he didn't hear the answer because of some noisy kids next to him!
We moved to the Land pavilion next and rode Living With The Land. You take a small boat and go on a journey where you are told about how man has used (and abused) the world around for food. You then get to go through the greenhouses where Epcot and USDA scientists are researching more efficient ways to harvest food. This is the bit I like best. After the ride I booked tickets for us all on a tour around the 'backstage' of the greenhouses. More on this later...
Master B had been asking about doing Spaceship Earth pretty much since we entered the park as it's one of his favourites. We gave in, despite Mrs B's plan saying it would be really quiet when we left the park, and said we would ride it now. Big mistake for two reasons. Firstly, it was a 15-20 minute queue, and the queue was hot and right in the sunshine. Secondly, we were hungry. Shouldn't do Disney on an empty stomach. Leads to arguments and fatigue. Still, you learn from your mistakes! The ride itself is a continuous loader and Dame Judi Dench is our narrator as we head back in time and chart man's ascent through invention and progress to where we are today. It's a lot of moving waxworks, but there's lots of information and a couple of places where you can shut your eyes in the darkness and grab 40 winks!
Food! We headed to the World Showcase in order to try out some of the fare on offer from the Food & Wine Festival which runs every year at this time. We headed for Canada and some delicious fillet steak and mushrooms washed down with a cold, cold bottle of water! It was delicious! This was not what Master B wanted to we bought some Canadian Potato Chips (crisps!) from another stall and he happily destroyed those.
By now it was really hot and sunny. Whereas yesterday it was hot and cloudy, today the sun was burning. It was 89 degrees F and it was like walking around in an oven. We needed somewhere to cool off, so we headed to Mexico and another favourite The Three Caballeros ride starring family favourite Donald Duck. It was lovely and cool in there, and with a short wait, we were on a lazy river watching Donald's zany tour of Mexico. The thrills per second aren't high, but we enjoyed it. In fact, I was all for staying in Mexico until nightfall! However, Mrs B insisted we brave the sunshine and move on as it was nearly time for our tour of the greenhouses. But she promised us a treat on the way we would like...
We stopped off at Club Cool. Boy we were hot and me and Master B were flagging. Inside Club Cool are free samples of different Coke products from around the world. Brilliant! I tried them all and felt much refreshed! Mrs B and Master B drank a load of the gingery product from Mozambique. We washed the sticky soda down with water from a nearby fountain and felt much revived. Mrs B really came through on knowing about this hidden pit stop destination, and we love her for it!
It was time for our Behind The Seeds tour and one of the interns took us into the greenhouses and explained about the work scientists were doing. It lasted over an hour and I really enjoyed it. It was fascinating to see the work that goes on and how they are experimenting with natural pest controls, more efficient crop yields and the like. Mrs B smiled and nodded graciously and Master B was bored witless! Still, this was my thing and I think it was well worth the $20 admission per person.
We had booked a restaurant in Germany so it was back out into the furnace of the Florida heat to make our way there. We planned on taking the little boat that goes across the lake, but the tour had over-run and were wouldn't have made it in time. At this point, me and Master B had had enough and we complained loudly we wanted to go home. Mrs B looked disappointed as she had been looking forward to dinner, so we put on a brave face and walked to the restaurant. Master B had decided against a hat in the morning as the weather was predicted to be cloudy and rainy, and he didn't like any of the sun hats in the park (mostly Disney Princesses on them), so he and I were sharing mine (kids eh!). By the time we reached the Biergarten Restaurant I had a meltdown. Literally. I'm sorry to say I had a paddy and insisted I was too hot and wanted to go home. Mrs B (God bless her) calmed me down and said we should eat something. Inside the restaurant it was - well - magical. It was really was great. The tables are tiered and centered around a stage. The show time was about a half hour away, so we had loads of time to visit the buffet and eat our fill of soup, meat, veg and rolls. Everything was delicious, all washed down with iced water and soda (too hot for beer for me!). The show then started and it was fun - with a (very American) Umpa band playing some classic German tunes on different traditional instruments. It was good stuff.
I did feel better after eating, but losing my sun hat to the boy had taken its toll and I was feeling a bit odd. Luckily the sun was sinking low, so there was a load of shade, although it was still hot. We still had those Fast passes for Test Track, and after a family conference, Mrs B and Master Br headed of there whilst I looked one of my favourite shops Mouse Gear. It has loads of merchandise and I happily wandered around in the air conditioning looking at their wares. Mrs B and Master B returned from their ride and we headed out - pointing out to Master B the zero queue on Spaceship Earth - had he been more patient to wait! But, hey, it didn't matter. He really wanted to do the ride, so what the hey!
On returning to Saratoga Springs we inquired as to whether we could get magic bands now. Our hotel had begun issuing them, and we had missed them by a couple of days. Sadly, we couldn't, which was a bit mean. But nevermind. We were all exhausted and all pretty much collapsed in our room!
In summary, we made some mistakes. Firstly, we were too ambitious in what we thought we could do. The parks are more crowded than they were two years ago and combined with the lack of Fast Passes on popular rides, this is slowing us down. As is the heat. Secondly, we didn't eat when we should have done. We need to not be slaves to 'the plan', but look at the weather, crowds and hunger levels and adapt to those. Lesson Learnt!
Sunday, October 20, 2013
2013 Holiday Day 2 - Disney Magic Kingdom
"It's a great big beautiful tomorrow" sings the chap in The Carousel of Progress at The Magic Kingdom. Well, we can only hope that today sees us get to do more rides and activities at this park than we did yesterday at Hollywood Studios...
After a light breakfast it's the early bus to The Magic Kingdom. The bus fills up, but not as much as yesterday and we arrive in plenty of time to see the park opening show. Once that's done and dusted we are into the park and off at a fast walk to get to Fantasyland. This is new, and we want to make sure we beat the rush on some of the rides. We start on kiddie coaster The Barnstormer, which is more than enough roller coaster for me! Mrs B and Master B enjoy it too. We make an impromptu decision to do Dumbo as well, and Master B enjoys the play area for a few minutes before we ride. It's good fun with a few things for little ones of all ages.
We decide to head back to Tomorrowland to get to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin before the crowds arrive. Again, pretty much no wait, and we have a blast blasting Tharg and his minions. It can't hold a candle to Toy Story Mania at Hollywood Studios, but the no wait versus 75 minute wait more than makes up for this! We followed this with a trip under the sea in - er - Under The Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid. This had a lot of queuing area, but not much queuing, helped by the fact it was a continuous loader. It was OK. Fans of the movie will probably really love it. On the way to this, we made another spur-of-the-moment decision to ride Mad Tea Party spinning cups ride. I sit this one out, as spinning makes me feel really dizzy, but Mrs B and Master B have a ball. So far there has been minimal queuing, which makes a pleasant change from yesterday
Mindful of a lunch booking we have in the Liberty Square area we head off that direction and pass by "it's a small world". Master B and Mrs B are keen to do this again, and the lack of queue certainly swings in its favour, so we head off to watch lot's off dolls dressed in strange outfits singing a repetitive, catchy song that burrows it's way into your brain like a worm on acid... I shall wake at 4am tomorrow singing it I imagine! We decide a pit stop is in order and try out the Tangled toilets. These are new and about as fun as a restroom can be. They aren't marked on the park map, but are next to Small World and are fun to check out. There is some seating for picnics and the tower from the movie to have a photograph under too.
We are doing well so far. No real queues and not many people, so we are making good progress. Master B was desperate to do Pirates of the Caribbean so we headed off to there. Again, a minimal queue and we were soon on the boat. I remembered this ride as being a bit lame, so was ready to just yawn my way around it, but I actually thought it was alright this time. Maybe they changed it, maybe it was because I simply wasn't expecting much, but it was better than I remembered it It's not long before lunch, so Mrs B suggests Swiss Family Treehouse. This is a fun walk-through attraction where you climb stairs and look round a replica of the Swiss Family Robinson tree house home.
Now it's time for lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern. This is a lovely restaurant done out in a New England style. We didn't wait long to be seated. I had The roast turkey, Mrs B had the burger and Master B had chicken nuggets. The chicken nuggets weren't on the menu, but I asked anyway and the server said it was no problem to get them. We finished it off with a lovely toffee pudding and washed it down with sodas. Delicious!
I forgot to mention that we had popped along to Splash Mountain for Fast Passes before going to the tree house, so we were able to return after lunch. The crowds were beginning to build now, and the queue at Splash Mountain was advertised as being 50 minutes. With our fast passes we walked right past that queue and got straight on. There have been some improvements in this ride since we last came, and it was just as much fun as ever. The 88 degree F heat meant after the big splashdown we dried off pretty quickly!
After all that excitement, something more tranquil was in order and Mrs B wanted to do something from when she visited the park as a child - so we went to Walt Disney Enchanted Tiki Room, via Jungle Cruise for Fast Passes. The Tiki Room was not Master B's thing at all, but the rest time was appreciated. It's quite fun, but you get to sit down in a nice air conditioned room and watched some mechanical puppets sing some songs. Mrs B had a ball - but she was reveling in childhood nostalgia.
It was getting sunny, hot, humid and crowded and my energy levels were flagging. We wandered around some of the shops before heading back to the Jungle Cruise to cash in our Fast Passes. Ironically, this was probably the longest wait we had - about 15 minutes - even with the Fast Pass. Still, the jungle cruise is nice and the guide cracks bad jokes. Again, it's nothing that pushes the entertainment boundaries, but I have a soft spot for it (especially as Jaws, a similar ride at Universal is now gone, which is bad news!).
We have a conference and decide to head to Epcot for an hour or so for a wander around. However, the Monorail is not working and it's really hot on the platform. We get back together for another discussion and decide on going back into Magic Kingdom. Master B saw a water playpark and we all want to do Carousel of Progress, so back in we go! The Casey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak Station is packed with kids cooling off from the heat (and some Mums and Dads too!). Master B get's absolutely soaked, but has a great time. We walk back to Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress and enjoy the show just as we did the last time we were here. A definite Brewer family favourite and they must never take this show away!
Mrs B decided she wanted the Disney songs CD so we headed to Main Street USA to visit Emporium. The crowds were really building now and we were struggling against the tide (probably due to the influx of people coming to the Halloween show). The bus arrived after a short wait and it was back to Saratoga Springs for a well deserved drink and rest. Mrs B and Master B hit the pool, whilst I watched Amercian Football on the telly...
We decided to head in to Downtown Disney as I wanted to try Wolfgang Puck Express Quick Service restaurant as I was a bit hungry. Master B wanted to go to the enormous Lego shop to spend his holiday money. We had some trouble finding the place, as the map wasn't clear, and it just so happened to be the furthest building away from where we started our walk, but hey-ho... I had spaghetti with tomato and mozzarella, Mrs B had Mac 'N' Cheese and Master B wasn't hungry. We washed these down with some beers. Food and service were excellent and it was worth the trek. It was busy, but we managed to get a table and cleared out about 7.30pm. After a stop at the Lego Store it was back to the hotel for bed and a new day tomorrow!
So we did a lot today. We had a good run around Magic Kingdom and did loads of stuff there, had a bit of a swim and then did some of Downtown Disney too. Hopefully we can rest up for tomorrow and not get any blisters!
Beer consumed: Corona Light - with a lime twist - it was very refreshing
After a light breakfast it's the early bus to The Magic Kingdom. The bus fills up, but not as much as yesterday and we arrive in plenty of time to see the park opening show. Once that's done and dusted we are into the park and off at a fast walk to get to Fantasyland. This is new, and we want to make sure we beat the rush on some of the rides. We start on kiddie coaster The Barnstormer, which is more than enough roller coaster for me! Mrs B and Master B enjoy it too. We make an impromptu decision to do Dumbo as well, and Master B enjoys the play area for a few minutes before we ride. It's good fun with a few things for little ones of all ages.
We decide to head back to Tomorrowland to get to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin before the crowds arrive. Again, pretty much no wait, and we have a blast blasting Tharg and his minions. It can't hold a candle to Toy Story Mania at Hollywood Studios, but the no wait versus 75 minute wait more than makes up for this! We followed this with a trip under the sea in - er - Under The Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid. This had a lot of queuing area, but not much queuing, helped by the fact it was a continuous loader. It was OK. Fans of the movie will probably really love it. On the way to this, we made another spur-of-the-moment decision to ride Mad Tea Party spinning cups ride. I sit this one out, as spinning makes me feel really dizzy, but Mrs B and Master B have a ball. So far there has been minimal queuing, which makes a pleasant change from yesterday
Mindful of a lunch booking we have in the Liberty Square area we head off that direction and pass by "it's a small world". Master B and Mrs B are keen to do this again, and the lack of queue certainly swings in its favour, so we head off to watch lot's off dolls dressed in strange outfits singing a repetitive, catchy song that burrows it's way into your brain like a worm on acid... I shall wake at 4am tomorrow singing it I imagine! We decide a pit stop is in order and try out the Tangled toilets. These are new and about as fun as a restroom can be. They aren't marked on the park map, but are next to Small World and are fun to check out. There is some seating for picnics and the tower from the movie to have a photograph under too.
We are doing well so far. No real queues and not many people, so we are making good progress. Master B was desperate to do Pirates of the Caribbean so we headed off to there. Again, a minimal queue and we were soon on the boat. I remembered this ride as being a bit lame, so was ready to just yawn my way around it, but I actually thought it was alright this time. Maybe they changed it, maybe it was because I simply wasn't expecting much, but it was better than I remembered it It's not long before lunch, so Mrs B suggests Swiss Family Treehouse. This is a fun walk-through attraction where you climb stairs and look round a replica of the Swiss Family Robinson tree house home.
Now it's time for lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern. This is a lovely restaurant done out in a New England style. We didn't wait long to be seated. I had The roast turkey, Mrs B had the burger and Master B had chicken nuggets. The chicken nuggets weren't on the menu, but I asked anyway and the server said it was no problem to get them. We finished it off with a lovely toffee pudding and washed it down with sodas. Delicious!
I forgot to mention that we had popped along to Splash Mountain for Fast Passes before going to the tree house, so we were able to return after lunch. The crowds were beginning to build now, and the queue at Splash Mountain was advertised as being 50 minutes. With our fast passes we walked right past that queue and got straight on. There have been some improvements in this ride since we last came, and it was just as much fun as ever. The 88 degree F heat meant after the big splashdown we dried off pretty quickly!
After all that excitement, something more tranquil was in order and Mrs B wanted to do something from when she visited the park as a child - so we went to Walt Disney Enchanted Tiki Room, via Jungle Cruise for Fast Passes. The Tiki Room was not Master B's thing at all, but the rest time was appreciated. It's quite fun, but you get to sit down in a nice air conditioned room and watched some mechanical puppets sing some songs. Mrs B had a ball - but she was reveling in childhood nostalgia.
It was getting sunny, hot, humid and crowded and my energy levels were flagging. We wandered around some of the shops before heading back to the Jungle Cruise to cash in our Fast Passes. Ironically, this was probably the longest wait we had - about 15 minutes - even with the Fast Pass. Still, the jungle cruise is nice and the guide cracks bad jokes. Again, it's nothing that pushes the entertainment boundaries, but I have a soft spot for it (especially as Jaws, a similar ride at Universal is now gone, which is bad news!).
We have a conference and decide to head to Epcot for an hour or so for a wander around. However, the Monorail is not working and it's really hot on the platform. We get back together for another discussion and decide on going back into Magic Kingdom. Master B saw a water playpark and we all want to do Carousel of Progress, so back in we go! The Casey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak Station is packed with kids cooling off from the heat (and some Mums and Dads too!). Master B get's absolutely soaked, but has a great time. We walk back to Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress and enjoy the show just as we did the last time we were here. A definite Brewer family favourite and they must never take this show away!
Mrs B decided she wanted the Disney songs CD so we headed to Main Street USA to visit Emporium. The crowds were really building now and we were struggling against the tide (probably due to the influx of people coming to the Halloween show). The bus arrived after a short wait and it was back to Saratoga Springs for a well deserved drink and rest. Mrs B and Master B hit the pool, whilst I watched Amercian Football on the telly...
We decided to head in to Downtown Disney as I wanted to try Wolfgang Puck Express Quick Service restaurant as I was a bit hungry. Master B wanted to go to the enormous Lego shop to spend his holiday money. We had some trouble finding the place, as the map wasn't clear, and it just so happened to be the furthest building away from where we started our walk, but hey-ho... I had spaghetti with tomato and mozzarella, Mrs B had Mac 'N' Cheese and Master B wasn't hungry. We washed these down with some beers. Food and service were excellent and it was worth the trek. It was busy, but we managed to get a table and cleared out about 7.30pm. After a stop at the Lego Store it was back to the hotel for bed and a new day tomorrow!
So we did a lot today. We had a good run around Magic Kingdom and did loads of stuff there, had a bit of a swim and then did some of Downtown Disney too. Hopefully we can rest up for tomorrow and not get any blisters!
Beer consumed: Corona Light - with a lime twist - it was very refreshing
Saturday, October 19, 2013
2013 Holiday Day 1 - Disney Hollywood Studios
After a late landing flight, a long wait to get through US immigration at Orlando and a pretty rubbishy night we were up and about early ready to get ourselves to Hollywood Studios. In 2011, we started with this park and got round it pretty quickly. Today, however, it was a different story.
We are staying at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and were at the bus stop nice and early to wait for the bus (7:55 to be precise). We watched an Epcot and Magic Kingdom bus stop and leave empty (never seen a Magic Kingdon bus leave empty!). Eventually a bus turned up at 8:20. And loads of people got on it. In fact, as the bus toured the other bus stops at the resort it got fuller and fuller until it was so full it had to skip the last stop. This, plus the time spent loading a disability scooter, meant we didn't get to Hollywood Studios until just before 9:00am. And it was heaving at the gate... We rushed through the park as quickly as we could to get to Toy Story Mania, but the Fast Passes had pretty much gone for the day already (4pm onwards were available) so we joined the regular queue. The board said 60 minutes wait, but it was more like 75. Cracking ride, though, and well worth the wait, but it put us massively behind in our plan.
Next stop was the Jack Sparrow presentation, which we only waited about 10 minutes for. It was OK, some special effects in a big room and a cool 3D life size Jack Sparrow (played by Johnny Depp), but it was nothing to write home about.
We managed to get to 50's Prime Time Cafe for our reservation at 11:20am and got straight to a table. No wait (which was brilliant as we were starving). The service was great as always, and the food most pleasant. I had the meat loaf, Mrs B had the sampler dish (which had fried chicken, pot roast and meatloaf) and Master B had a hot dog from the kids menu. Malted milkshakes all round and a chocolate brownie loaded with extras to die for made this a fabulous lunch.
We debated between courses what to do next. We decided to go Indiana Jones Stunt Show. We'd seen it before, but enjoyed it very much. I was a little worried it wouldn't stand up well to a second viewing, but it did and was fabulous. It's a firm favourite of ours.
Next up was Muppets 3D show. We filed into the theatre only to be told it was broken and to come back later. Lots of grumbling from many people, including ourselves! However, after a short 'pit stop' we were walking past the Muppets and saw it had re-opened. We went back in. The pre-movie video int he waiting areas was pretty funny and well worth catching. The main feature iteself was fun, although if you aren't a big Muppets fan, it probably isn't worth doing. The 3D is great, but pretty standard stuff these days.
Finally, we rode Star Tours. Is this the only ride where we want a queue? It really is a great queuing area and we had to wait about 20 minutes, but they were a fun 20 minutes (unlike Toy Story which was BORING!). The ride itself is a real cracker. I'm not one for roller coasters or anything too 'hardcore' but this is just enough action to be thrilling, but not to make me feel sick! We visited Hoth and Coruscant on our journey. Despite having ridden the ride loads the last time we were here, Coruscant was new to us, which was fun. Master B bought an enormous toy replica of the Star Tours spaceship. Which will be fun to pack.
By then it was 3:30pm. We were all knackered, after a long days travelling the day before and a busier-than-anticipated park. It was much busier than the same time in 2011. Possibly because the weather was so warm (90F) or possibly we were just unlucky, but we will definitely go back again this trip.
Once we had got back to the hotel, we hit the pool for a bit, then got something to eat. We did go down to the bonfire after our food to toast some marshmallows which was good fun and kept Master B amused for a few minutes! But everyone is tuckered out now. Time for a bit of kip and see what tomorrow brings...
Beer consumed: Samuel Adams Octoberfest - king of the Octoberfest beer for me!
We are staying at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and were at the bus stop nice and early to wait for the bus (7:55 to be precise). We watched an Epcot and Magic Kingdom bus stop and leave empty (never seen a Magic Kingdon bus leave empty!). Eventually a bus turned up at 8:20. And loads of people got on it. In fact, as the bus toured the other bus stops at the resort it got fuller and fuller until it was so full it had to skip the last stop. This, plus the time spent loading a disability scooter, meant we didn't get to Hollywood Studios until just before 9:00am. And it was heaving at the gate... We rushed through the park as quickly as we could to get to Toy Story Mania, but the Fast Passes had pretty much gone for the day already (4pm onwards were available) so we joined the regular queue. The board said 60 minutes wait, but it was more like 75. Cracking ride, though, and well worth the wait, but it put us massively behind in our plan.
Next stop was the Jack Sparrow presentation, which we only waited about 10 minutes for. It was OK, some special effects in a big room and a cool 3D life size Jack Sparrow (played by Johnny Depp), but it was nothing to write home about.
We managed to get to 50's Prime Time Cafe for our reservation at 11:20am and got straight to a table. No wait (which was brilliant as we were starving). The service was great as always, and the food most pleasant. I had the meat loaf, Mrs B had the sampler dish (which had fried chicken, pot roast and meatloaf) and Master B had a hot dog from the kids menu. Malted milkshakes all round and a chocolate brownie loaded with extras to die for made this a fabulous lunch.
We debated between courses what to do next. We decided to go Indiana Jones Stunt Show. We'd seen it before, but enjoyed it very much. I was a little worried it wouldn't stand up well to a second viewing, but it did and was fabulous. It's a firm favourite of ours.
Next up was Muppets 3D show. We filed into the theatre only to be told it was broken and to come back later. Lots of grumbling from many people, including ourselves! However, after a short 'pit stop' we were walking past the Muppets and saw it had re-opened. We went back in. The pre-movie video int he waiting areas was pretty funny and well worth catching. The main feature iteself was fun, although if you aren't a big Muppets fan, it probably isn't worth doing. The 3D is great, but pretty standard stuff these days.
Finally, we rode Star Tours. Is this the only ride where we want a queue? It really is a great queuing area and we had to wait about 20 minutes, but they were a fun 20 minutes (unlike Toy Story which was BORING!). The ride itself is a real cracker. I'm not one for roller coasters or anything too 'hardcore' but this is just enough action to be thrilling, but not to make me feel sick! We visited Hoth and Coruscant on our journey. Despite having ridden the ride loads the last time we were here, Coruscant was new to us, which was fun. Master B bought an enormous toy replica of the Star Tours spaceship. Which will be fun to pack.
By then it was 3:30pm. We were all knackered, after a long days travelling the day before and a busier-than-anticipated park. It was much busier than the same time in 2011. Possibly because the weather was so warm (90F) or possibly we were just unlucky, but we will definitely go back again this trip.
Once we had got back to the hotel, we hit the pool for a bit, then got something to eat. We did go down to the bonfire after our food to toast some marshmallows which was good fun and kept Master B amused for a few minutes! But everyone is tuckered out now. Time for a bit of kip and see what tomorrow brings...
Beer consumed: Samuel Adams Octoberfest - king of the Octoberfest beer for me!
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