My First Attempt At A Trip Report (7/14-7/18)

I apologize for the length, but I tried to cover everything.

Day 1 – Wednesday, July 14th – Magic Kingdom

We arrived at the Magic Kingdom around 8:45 to see the opening celebration. We then followed a large crowd to Space Mountain to get a fast pass.

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin – 0 minutes.
The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh – 0 minutes. They are still working on finishing the tree at the front of the ride. This seemed to keep the lines shorter throughout the day.
Peter Pan’s Flight – 5 minutes. The new paint job looked nice on the outside. They were still working on some of it.
It’s A Small World – 0 minutes.
Mickey’s PhilharMagic – 10 minutes. Our goal was to get all of Fantasyland done first and this was our longest wait.
Snow White’s Scary Adventures – 5 minutes.
Space Mountain – 5 minutes via fast pass. This was my first time on since the big refurbishment. None of the games were working in the line. I am assuming this was due to the fact that the line was only 45 minutes, but I’m not positive. Everything that was done during the refurbishment was well done. I still would have killed for the speakers to be installed on the cars.

We then went to pick up a fast pass for Splash Mountain. The line was already over 60 minutes at the time.

Country Bears Jamboree – 5 minutes. I still think the audio on this is far too quiet. Everyone in my group agreed.

It was finally lunch time. I went with my traditional baked potato in Liberty Square.

Hall Of Presidents – 10 minutes. The Obama AA was phenomenal and the rest of the show is definitely better than it was when I was younger. This is without a doubt an improvement.

We then waited about 25 minutes for the Haunted Mansion, only to get turned down at the door due to technical difficulties. I have never seen this ride down in my many visits to the park. This was of course during the hottest part of the day, so it was pretty steamy in the queue.

Pirates Of The Caribbean – 10 minutes.
Splash Mountain – 0 minutes via fast pass. Either this or Expedition Everest are the best fast passes to get in all of WDW. This always saves you at least 45 minutes and in this case probably over an hour.
Thunder Mountain – 90 minutes. The reason for this wait was due to lightning. It hardly rained this day, but it just wouldn’t let up with the thunder and lightning. This was our longest wait of the entire trip.
Jungle Cruise – 20 minutes. This one seemed a little slow to re-open after the lightning because the line wasn’t that long and we didn’t move for the first 5-10 minutes. We had a solid skipper, but a very lame audience.
The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management – 0 minutes.
Haunted Mansion – 15 minutes. We stopped a few times during the ride, but I don’t think they were due to technical difficulties.
Tomorrowland Transit Authority – 0 minutes.
Carousel Of Progress – 0 minutes.
Stitch’s Great Escape – 0 minutes.

We stopped to eat at Cosmic Ray’s. I always have enjoyed my meals here, but I know a lot of people frown down upon it. I had the rotisserie chicken as always and it was probably my worst experience here, but still good.

Monsters Inc., Laugh Floor – 10 minutes. My dream of being “That Guy” was once again shattered.
Space Mountain – 5 minutes via fast pass. A random guy came up to us and offered us two fast passes and we gladly accepted them.
Mad Tea Party – 10 minutes.

We left around 9:15 and were able to get out of there before the Main Street Electrical Parade ended. Overall, it was very hot as expected and very crowded, but we really didn’t wait in line for too long. Had it not started storming, we would have had no waits over 20 minutes. That’s pretty remarkable for how crowded the park was.

Day 2 – Thursday, July 15th – Hollywood Studios & Epcot

We arrived at Hollywood Studios about 10 minutes before rope drop. There were about 5 times the amount of people that were there around that time during my visit in February of 2009. We went along with over half of those people directly to Toy Story Midway Mania. By the time we got our fast passes, the line for the ride was already out the door and they were claiming that it was 45 minutes.

Star Tours – 5 minutes. This will be my last time ever riding this version of the ride. It certainly isn’t what it used to be, but the queue and building are still awesome and the ride has some fun moments. I’m very excited to see what they come up with next. And this is coming from someone who is not a Star Wars fan.
Jim Henson’s Muppet*Vision 3D – 0 minutes. I didn’t think there were too many noticeable differences after the recent refurbishment. The picture seemed a little bit clearer, but that’s about all I caught.
Studio Backlot Tour – 10 minutes. My friend really wanted to do this as he remembered it being one of his favorite attractions when he last visited (which was about 10 years ago). He quickly learned that it is quite a bit different than it was then.
Toy Story Midway Mania – 5 minutes via fast pass. This was a favorite of the two non-thrill seekers in our group and still a definite highlight for me, as it was only my 4th time riding it.
Beauty And The Beast Live On Stage – 15 minutes.
Great Movie Ride – 15 minutes. You know the park is busy when you actually wait for this one.

We then stopped for a snack. I really am not a huge fan of the food selection at this park. It is by far the weakest of the four. I went with a pretzel that I had to wait 10 minutes for. I remember those days quite well as a former pretzel wagon operator.

American Idol Experience – 5 minutes. This was my first time experiencing this attraction. I am no fan of the show, but this was quite fun. Not a must see, but if you have time, it’s definitely worth your time.
The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror – 5 minutes via fast pass. The newest version of the ride is great fun, but I didn’t notice too much of a difference. This is still Disney’s best themed ride.
The Magic Of Disney Animation – 10 minutes. I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to do the Drawing Academy while here. The line was long and no one else in the group was really wanting to wait for that.
Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream – 10 minutes.

We were then going to catch the 4:30 showing of Lights, Motors, Action, but the worst rain storm of our trip just started coming down like crazy. I’m not quite sure why this show only has two show times, but my friend was disappointed he didn’t get to see it.

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith – 10 minutes via fast pass.
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular – 15 minutes. About a third of the way through the show, the lightning started coming back and they had to cancel the rest of the show.

We then decided to hop on over to Epcot and were surprised to see how less crowded the park was. Once again, we lucked out by having someone hand us fast passes for Test Track.

The Sum Of All Thrills – 0 minutes. I was very pleased to see this had no wait because it was one of the things I was most looking forward to. This is a very cool attraction that definitely calls for multiple visits.
Test Track – 10 minutes via fast pass.
Spaceship Earth – 0 minutes. I still don’t get why everyone hates the ending of this ride so much. Everyone I know has enjoyed the interactive ending. I’m not saying it’s better than “Tomorrow’s Child”, because it certainly isn’t, but it is far from bad.

We got some dinner over at the Sunshine Seasons Food Court. My friend and I really enjoyed the Mongolian beef, but the girls absolutely hated their sweet and sour chicken. I’ve never had a bad experience here and perhaps they just got a little unlucky.

Living With The Land – 0 minutes.
Illuminations – 15 minutes.

I was very surprised how empty Epcot was. Even for Illuminations, it wasn’t nearly the as busy as it normally is when I see the show. Hollywood Studios on the other hand was as busy as I had ever seen it, only to be topped later on the trip.

Day 3 – Friday, July 16th – Universal Studios & Islands Of Adventure

We arrived around 8:30 and decided to go to Universal Studios first. They actually let everyone in about 20 minutes early and allowed people to do either Shrek or Jimmy Neutron. After about 5 minutes, we could go anywhere.

The Simpsons Ride – 5 minutes. This was my first time on this attraction and I have to say I was a little disappointed. The simulator effects are fantastic and the ride is definitely fun, but it seems to be lacking something. I felt it had a little too much going on and I think it would have been better had the animation been hand drawn rather than CGI.
Men In Black: Alien Attack – 5 minutes.
Jaws – 0 minutes.
Revenge Of The Mummy: The Ride – 25 minutes via the single rider line. This line could have moved a whole lot quicker had they had both loading areas open.
Twister: Ride It Out – 5 minutes.
E.T. Adventure – 0 minutes.
Rip, Ride, Rockit – 20 minutes. This was also my first time on this attraction and it exceeded my expectations. The music really adds to the ride and the thrills are quite good. This is not mind-blowing, but it is a fun roller coaster, comparable to Incredible Hulk and Dragon Challenge.

We then decided to hop on over to Islands Of Adventure. The park was the most crowded that I had ever seen it in my 15+ visits to the park.

Popeye And Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges – 30 minutes. I have never seen this wait longer than 5 minutes. Granted, it was very hot and all the water rides were longer than normal, but still. I didn’t even know parts of this queue existed.

We then stopped for lunch. I grabbed a turkey leg and regretted it. I always enjoy the first five bites or so, then it’s all downhill from there.

Dragon Challenge – 30 minutes. We waited for the front row, which added about 10 minutes. This ride is always worth waiting for the front row so that you get the full effect. I was disappointed that the tracks were not repainted and looked old.
Harry Potter And The Forbidden Journey – 60 minutes. The sign said that it was a 75 minute wait and for about 10 minutes the ride broke down. So the line does move you quickly. The outdoor portion of the queue is dull and very hot. The inside is phenomenal. I can’t give Universal enough credit for this. The biggest complaint is that the walkways throughout the area are very narrow and the entrance for the ride is confusing. I have never seen a Harry Potter movie or read any of the books, so the fact that I still enjoyed this as much as I did really shows how good of a job they did on this.

I stopped and tried some of the frozen butterbeer. It was very sweet, but enjoyable. At the $4.25 cost, I doubt I’d buy it again, but it’s definitely worth a try.

The Amazing Adventures Of Spider-Man – 25 minutes via single rider line. My one friend said that Harry Potter made this feel a little outdated. I disagree. This is still perhaps my favorite ride, if not in my top 5.
The Incredible Hulk Coaster – 10 minutes.
Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls – 15 minutes via single rider line.
Jurassic Park River Adventure – 20 minutes.
Harry Potter And The Forbidden Journey – 30 minutes via single rider line.

Like I said, this was as busy as I had ever seen Islands Of Adventure. The wand shop alone had to have been an hour wait, if not longer. However, despite the phenomenal job that Universal did with The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter, the rest of the park is really starting to show it’s age. My last visit there was in 2009 and in those two years, the park has really taken a turn for the worse. A lot of the paint is fading, most noticeably in the Dr. Seuss area. On the Incredible Hulk, there were parts of the exit area that were rusting. Now that they’ve added on three big attractions, I think it’s time to do some refurbishments. Islands Of Adventure still really lacks shows at the park.

Day 4 – Saturday, July 17th – Epcot & Magic Kingdom

We arrived at Epcot around 9:15. We were a little late since we parked over at the Magic Kingdom and took the monorail over to Epcot. We went and got our fast passes for Soarin’, although the wait was never as long as I anticipated it to be.

The Seas With Nemo And Friends – 0 minutes.
Turtle Talk With Crush – 5 minutes. This was hands down the worst audience I had ever had for this show. Now, it was very early, but the area was about half full and not one kid asked a question. The performers did their best to make up for the lack of participation.
Journey Into Imagination With Figment – 0 minutes.
Captain EO – 5 minutes. This was a definite highlight of the trip. I know the response to this will definitely be mixed, but I am very glad I got to see this at least one more time. The story is nothing special, but the overall show is fantastic. One family did leave the show due to their child being scared of the villainess.
Soarin’ – 10 minutes via fast pass.

We stopped and got some nachos at the Mexican quick service cart. At this point the world showcase was nearly empty and the sun was beating down hard.

Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros – 0 minutes.
Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure – 0 minutes. This mission was in China and was probably the weakest of the three I have done. I had previously done the UK and Mexico and felt those clues were more fun. It didn’t help that we were just baking in the sun during this.
Maelstrom – 5 minutes. I did notice that during the scene where you go backwards that there were quite a few ceiling tiles missing. This is something I have never seen in a Disney attraction. This was really the only major thing I noticed on the trip.

I then decided to try some of the spicy tuna sushi at the Yakitori House and it was fantastic. It was very fresh tasting and a good snack that held me over for the rest of the afternoon.

Voices Of Liberty – 0 minutes. We ran into this on accident and really enjoyed the show. The vocals were phenomenal and it almost made up for the fact that I didn’t get to see my beloved British Invasion. I would consider this one of the highlights of the day.
The American Adventure – 5 minutes. This was nap time for the other three members of my party. They all fell asleep at one point of the time. I, on the other hand, loved the show and am glad I gave this a second chance last year.
O, Canada! – 10 minutes.
Don’t Waste It – 5 minutes.
Mission: Space – 5 minutes via fast pass. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve gotten used to this ride, but this was the least dizzy I’ve felt coming off of it.
StormStruck – 5 minutes.
Segway Central – 10 minutes.
The Great Piggy Bank Adventure – 0 minutes. This was the most time I’ve spent in Innoventions probably since the year it opened. I was glad to see that they have added a lot more attractions, rather than just random exhibits. It was a good break from the hot sun.

As we were heading back to the Magic Kingdom, we were told that the monorail was down. I later found out it was due to the fact that one of the drivers got electrocuted. We had to take a bus and it slowed us down quite a bit. The line for the ferry across to the Magic Kingdom was crazy, so we decided to eat at Captain Cook’s at the Polynesian Resort. The flatbread pizzas were good and it was nice being able to get free refills on drinks.

Haunted Mansion – 10 minutes.
The Main Street Electrical Parade – 45 minutes. It was nice to see this again. I can’t really say if I like this better than Spectromagic, they are about equal in my book.
Summer Nightastic – 5 minutes. Since we caught the parade towards the end, we didn’t have to wait as long for the fireworks. Has there ever been a bad Disney firework show? This was another great addition to their repertoire.

The monorail lines after the fireworks were insane. We waited at least 30 minutes to get on and then were crammed in. This kind of stuff doesn’t bother me too much, but it was a little frustrating. I was very surprised how slow Epcot was, especially once I saw how crowded Magic Kingdom was.

Day 5 – Sunday, July 18th – Animal Kingdom & Hollywood Studios

We arrived at about 8:45 and they were already letting people in. I didn’t have this down as an Extra Magic Hour, but I could have written it down wrong. Our first move was to pick up our Expedition Everest fast pass.

Kilimanjaro Safaris – 10 minutes. I would say this safari would rank in my top 5 of the 30+ I have been on. Many of the animals were active and the baby elephant was adorable.
Pangani Forest Trail – 0 minutes.
Dinosaur – 10 minutes.
Finding Nemo: The Musical – 30 minutes.
Flights Of Wonder – 5 minutes. This is still the most underrated show in all of WDW. The theatre was only about half full and it really is a shame more people don’t check this out.
Expedition Everest – 0 minutes via fast pass. Like I said earlier, this and Splash Mountain are the two best fast passes to get.

We then stopped at Restaurantosaurus because I promised my friend a hot dog. This wasn’t my top choice, as I really like Yak & Yeti, but Disney does have good hot dogs.

Kali River Rapids – 5 minutes via fast pass. This was the longest I had ever seen this wait be.
Maharjah Jungle Trek – 0 minutes.
It’s Tough To Be A Bug! – 5 minutes. This was the best audience reaction we experience in any show the entire trip. It seems to always get a good reaction and that’s why I am so surprised that so many people seem to think that it’s just okay.
Festival Of The Lion King – 15 minutes.
Expedition Everest – 10 minutes via single rider line.

We then hopped on over to Hollywood Studios. The girls went to Voyage Of The Little Mermaid, while we went over to see if we could get on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster via the single rider line. The single rider line was closed and the regular wait time was about 90 minutes. Tower Of Terror was about 60 minutes. Then as we were about to head over to something else, it started to pour. As we waited for the girls to get out, we hung out at the Magic Of Disney Animation. We then decided to call it a day, as the park just seemed ridiculously packed, even more so than the first day we visited.

Overall, the trip was a success, as we saw far more attractions than I thought we would. I would have liked to have rode a couple more twice (Splash Mountain, Test Track, Tower Of Terror, Toy Story Midway Mania, and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster), but that’s something that is more possible when you go in the winter or spring. Our next Disney trip will probably not be until 2012, as we are planning to go to Disneyland to see all of the new additions. I can’t wait!

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My First Attempt At A Trip Report (7/14-7/18)

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