5/31 - 6/3 Trip report and observations.

Hi all. Just got back late Sunday night from a short trip to the World and had a great time as always. I'll try to keep this report as short as possible and go through many of my observations from new and changed attractions! I apologize for the lack of pics. I put my parents in charge of stills while I handled video, and they apparently didn't take very many good shots at all. I plan to edit the video in the near future and post it on youtube, so I'll post a link when it becomes available.

Ok, on to the observations!

Magic Kingdom:

I spent all Thursday and the afternoon - evening portion of Saturday at MK. Crowds were very light on Thursday, and surprisingly light on Saturday thanks to the rain that took place earlier in the day.

Jungle Cruise: Rode JC twice during the trip, and had un-interesting/un-animated tour guides both times. I was slightly disappointed by this and didn't have the time to ride it a third time. It's annoying how at least half of the tour guides sound like they are reading their script off a piece of paper.

Pirates of the Caribbean: I can't explain why, but I only rode PoTC once on this trip. Not much to report except for the fact that the Davie Jones sequence seemed very out of sinc. He was almost done with his monologue when our boat went through, and then started over right after we passed him by, with no boat in the vicinity at the time when he started over.

Stitche's Great Escape: I've been to MK once before since SGE opened, but I never decided to ride it until this trip. I was of course disappointed, and I can now fully understand why so many people complain about SGE on this site. Bring back Alien Encounter!!

Monster's Inc Laugh Floor: Saw MILF once and was pleasantly surprised! At one point, they chose a lady who didn't speak any English and couldn't understand the questions that the comedian was asking her. Hilarity ensued as the monster comedian did an excellent job of ad-libbing and poking fun at her. They asked her name and she said "Argentina." Then asked where she was from and she said "Anna." I thought for sure this would throw off the show but the interactive technology was flawless. The monster knew that she had answered the questions backwards.

Splash and Thunder: On Saturday evening, Splash and Thunder broke down simultaneously at one point and it happened to be right when I arrived at Frontierland. They both re-opened during the 9pm hour and I rode both with little to no wait. Thunder is amazing at night for some reason, especially when it's cool outside. I rode it once at night on Thursday, and again at night on Saturday after it re-opened. For most of Saturday, the waterfall was water-less on the big drop on Splash. The drop felt about the same, but didn't look nearly as cool to onlookers outside the ride.

Food at MK: In all the time I spent at MK on this trip, I somehow only ate one meal there, at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe. Since I'm trying to eat healthy, I opted for the grilled chicken sandwich and a cup of chicken noodle soup. The soup was okay but the sandwich was extremely dry and flavorless. Definitely my most disappointing meal of the trip. Avoid the grilled chicken at Cosmic Rays! I tried the fat free Ice cream at the Main Street Ice Cream parlor and it was surprisingly good! I had wanted to get a cookie at the bakery, but the bakery always closes so early and I got there too late.

Fantasyland: Not much to report on FL. Philharmagic was great as always, It's a small world is a classic that I never miss (and seemed to be in better condition that I expected, have they done any work on it recently?), and Peter Pan's flight had long lines all weekend but I rode it nonetheless.

Haunted Mansion: I rode HM 3 times because I love it. It's in bad shape, though. I'm glad they are working on it soon. The stretching room has skid marks on all the walls and the inside of the ride is dusty and out-dated. The graveyard scene desperately needs some updating! Every time I rode it I was trying to get on one of those new doom buggies but I never got one. That was a little disappointing.

Dolewhips: Are by far the greatest food creation known to man! Just had to mention them.:slurp: Also, I have a question. Has anyone tried those egg rolls that they sell on the street in AL? I walk by them on every trip but haven't ever actually gotten one. Are they worth it?

Those are all the major MK points that I can think of. I'm gonna add updates for the other 3 parks later tonight. For now, comment away on MK!

 

[Kman101]

Glad you had a good trip. Nice that it wasn't TOO packed

Can't wait to read more!

 

[primetime52]

Part 2:

Epcot:

I had an awesome time at Epcot on this trip. I can never decide whether I prefer Epcot or MK. Perhaps I prefer Epcot since the great food gives it a slight edge! I spent all of Friday and the second half of Sunday at Epcot. Friday crowds were pretty light but the Sunday crowds were almost unbearable.

On to the updates!

Spaceship Earth: It looks as though the SSE refurb can't come soon enough. I rode it 2 seperate times and both times, the speakers in my vehicle seemed to cut out at certain points. Jeremy Irons would be in the middle of a sentence and then would just cut out, kind of like on those funny cingular (?) commercials. Does any one know who the new SSE narrator will be?

The Project Tomorrow post show looks great! It is very well designed from a visual standpoint. Even though that giant video globe doesn't seem to serve any real purpose, it looks awesome. The body builder game is great, and superdriver is fun the first time, but doesn't really change at all if you play it more than once. I look forward to seeing what else they put in Project Tomorrow in the months to come.

The Seas with Nemo and Friends: I rode the Nemo ride for the first time and was pleasantly surprised! I had read mixed reviews on this ride so I didn't have high expectations going in. My expectations were exceeded, though. It had a cute story (even though it was quite predictable) and the visual effects were simple but very well done. The colors and lighting were great, and I especially enjoyed the scene with the attacking anglerfish. The Jellyfish scene was also very cool, and of course it was awesome to see the characters projected into the actual tank. I didn't get a chance to see Turtle Talk with Crush, the show times seem to be very spread apart. I was inside the seas twice, and both times I tried to go into the Crush theater I was told that the next show was at least 20 minutes away.

Soarin': I rode Soarin' twice, and thank goodness I had a fastpass both times! At one point on Sunday the Soarin' wait time was alledgedly 115 minutes!! That is hands down the longest projected wait time that I have ever seen at a WDW ride. That's five minutes away from 2 hours! When I saw this I assumed it was an error so I asked a CM about it but she told me it was accurate. Wow. It's a great ride, though, can't deny that.

Imagination: No matter how crowded the park gets, the line for Journey Into Imagination With Figment is always less than 2 minutes! Thus, I ended up riding it 3 times. I'll admit that it's not a very exciting ride, but I love Figment and can't seem to understand why NO ONE else seems to ever ride it (aside from us devoted WDW Magic fans).

Test Track: I rode TT only once, on Friday, with a fastpass. Wait times were VERY long for Test Track on both Friday and Sunday. When I rode it, it happened to be raining quite hard outside. During the outdoor speed sequence the rain drops felt like bullets as we were cranking up to 65 mph. It was a very weird feeling being pelted by raindrops in such a way, but TT was still great fun.

Gran Fiesta Tour: I was extremely excited to ride Gran Fiesta Tour since the 3 Caballeros was my favorite Disney movie growing up. It didn't exceed my expectations nor did it let me down. I sort of have luke warm feelings on it. It was mildly entertaining and certainly an upgrade over El Rio, but it's nothing special. It would have been nice to see more technology added to this ride aside from some new video screens.

The Maelstrom: I can't remember reading about this on any other threads, but it was interesting to note that they did not have the Norway video running at the end of the Maelstrom last weekend. Guests were told by CM's at the end of the ride to just walk through the theater, as no movie was currently running. Was this only a temporary thing, or are they re-doing the movie? Or perhaps they are just getting rid of it all together?

Food at Epcot: I had 2 World Showcase meals at Epcot and they were both fantastic!

On Friday we had lunch at the Biergarten, which was nice since I hadn't eaten there in about 10 years. The atmosphere is great, the food is very good, and I absolutely love the live bands playing German drinking music! Makes me feel like I'm at Oktoberfest! (which I celebrate every year at a German restaurant). The Wienerschnitzel was a little bit dry, but everything else was great, especially the Apfel Strudle. The atmosphere alone was enough to get me to go back on all my upcoming trips. Biergarten is my new favorite Epcot spot! I don't know what took me so long to go back.

On Sunday my girlfriend and I had lunch at the Nine Dragons Restaurant in China, which was also excellent! We had wanted to have lunch in Mexico but the restaurant had a long wait. We then headed over to China and were seated right away which was nice. That was another restaurant that I hadn't tried in years, but will certainly go back often as the food was great! We had the lunch sampler for 2, which was a great value price wise.

The American Adventure: I may sound like a bad American, but I saw the American Adventure show for the first time ever on this trip! As a US history buff, I don't know what took me so long. The liberty singers in the lobby were very talented, and the actual show was very interesting. It wasn't the most exciting attraction I've ever seen, but it was very well written and very informative. The combination of AA's and video backgrounds was very well done. I don't think I will see this attraction on every single WDW trip I take, but I will certainly make an effort to see it every few years, much in the way I do with CoP in MK.

Attractions that I didn't see: On this trip I didn't see Ellen's Energy Adventure and I didn't ride Mission: Space. I do enjoy EEA but just didn't get around to it, since I spent alot of time in WS on this trip. As for MS, I just simply don't like it. The G force doesn't bother me or anything, I just think it's sort of boring and doesn't fall into the thrill ride category imho. My parents rode the green version since my mom tends to get motion sickness, and they seemed to like it. They especially liked the fact that the line for the green version took less than 5 minutes.

Honey I Shrunk the Audience: I watched 'Honey' for the first time in years, and it was more entertaining than I remembered. The only complaint I have is that the prints for the film don't seem very clear. In many of the scenes, you can't seem to even make out the characters faces since they are too far away and not clear enough. It'd be nice if they could re format the prints into HD or something.

Overall, I had an excellent time at Epcot and was glad to eat at a couple of Restaurants that I haven't been to in years! I usually eat exclusively at Mexico or the Rose and Crown in the UK, so I'm glad I was adventurous enough to go to a couple other places for a change.

Tomorrow I will update on MGM and AK, which I will do together since I didn't spend nearly as much time at those 2 parks.

Sorry this update was so long. Comment away!

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

At one point on Sunday the Soarin' wait time was alledgedly 115 minutes!! That is hands down the longest projected wait time that I have ever seen at a WDW ride.

Oh you haven't lived until you've seen a wait time of over two hours :lol: Mind you - that was pre Fast Pass.

Thanks for the reports - patiently awaiting the rest

 

[FanofDinsey1981]

Part 2:

Epcot:


Food at Epcot: I had 2 World Showcase meals at Epcot and they were both fantastic!

On Sunday my girlfriend and I had lunch at the Nine Dragons Restaurant in China, which was also excellent! We had wanted to have lunch in Mexico but the restaurant had a long wait. We then headed over to China and were seated right away which was nice. That was another restaurant that I hadn't tried in years, but will certainly go back often as the food was great! We had the lunch sampler for 2, which was a great value price wise.

Sorry this update was so long. Comment away!

On my girls only trip in march, the four of us gals ate at the Nine Dragons Restaurant in China, and absolutly LOVED it. Great service, great food, and we really had a great time. I have only been there the one time, but next time we go back I think I am going to pick that as my meal for the family.

Glad you had a great time!

 

[primetime52]

Part 3- MGM Studios and Animal Kingdom

I must confess that I didn't spend nearly as much time at AK as I would've liked to. The Sunday and Saturday portion of my trip was plagued by rain and long wait times. Thus, we didn't get as much done on those days.

Disney MGM Studios

It was a Star Wars weekend at MGM, which meant the park was full of Jedis, Wookies, and Bounty Hunters. Thanks to rain and a tropical storm warning on Saturday morning, we didn't get into MGM until about 12:30. We only Stayed at MGM until about 5:30, then went back to MK for the evening.

Observations:

Sorceror's Hat: I'm so tired of that hat! It completely obstructs the view of the Chinese theater, which I view to be the most important park landmark in that park IMO.

Star Wars Weekend: I'm definitely not a Star Wars maniac, but I certainly admire the Star Wars weekends as a great marketing ploy. Lots of families seemed to be enjoying the Star Wars theme as there were more children in Jedi costumes than I could possibly count. There were also several adults who were dressed up.... I guess some people never grow up lol.

I hope that Disney decides to further capitalize on this Star Wars mania by redoing Star Tours! I've seen the rumors about a new Star Tours coming soon so I really hope it happens.

Great Movie Ride: This ride also needs to be re done, but I still enjoy it as a classic. I rode it once, and my group was obducted during the Gangster scene. It's been years since the last time I've been in a group that was obducted during the Western scene. The gangster who hijacked our tour was very entertaining and very much in to his part.

I must say that on GMR, I almost always get tour guides who are entertaining and animated. Huge contrast from the Jungle Cruise where I almost always get sub par tour guides.

Rock n' Roller Coaster: I rode RnRC with a fastpass, but I did notice the re-done que. I think the new que is great, since the non fastpassers no longer have to wait for an extended time outside. Now they get to spend the whole wait inside with air conditioning and Aerosmith Music! For those of you who haven't seen the new que yet, they took the turnstiles away from the outdoor portion and built a ramp that goes directly inside. The also changed the theater layout of the preshow movie. Now, rather than 3 levels, it's now just one main level, with a handicap ramp on a small upper level.

The actual ride was great, of course. My gf and I rode in the very back row, and it was an interesting experience. The beginning launch sequence feels twice as long before you hit the loop when you are sitting in the very back! I still think RnRC is too short, but it's alot of fun nonetheless.

Tower of Terror: ToT had very short wait times on Saturday, which seems to be commonplace ever since RnRC opened. I only rode it once, and happened to be in the preshow room with a very loud group. Even though I've been on ToT hundreds of times, I still like to enjoy the preshow and soak up the whole experience. My preshow group was talking loudly through the whole video and that was a little annoying.

The ride itself was great. It's still my favorite at MGM!

Backlot Tour: My girlfriend and I met up with 2 friends in the park, and the 4 of us got chosen to be the volunteers in the backlot tour preshow! Of course I insisted on being the captain, and I'm pretty sure I got less wet than the others! The only bad part about being a volunteer is the fact that you don't get to see the finished video sequence that we filmed. What a disappointment that was! I was looking forward to seeing the final product.

The tram tour was its usual semi interesting self. The coolest part was seeing the props and costumes for the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. I do have one question, though. Did they remove residential street from the MGM backlot? That used to be my favorite part of the tour when I was younger. My only thought is they might have tore it down to put in the LMA set. Bummer.

Food at MGM: At MGM, I happened to be with a group of six (me, gf, mom, dad, and 2 friends). Thus, it was extremely difficult to get a table at any table service restaurant. I desperately wanted to eat at the Sci Fi but it was going to take years to get in with six (I'll make ressie's next time). Then we tried to get a table at Mama Melrose but that was also impossible. We ended up settling for that fast food place right next to Star Tours (I forget the name). The food there is decent, but I had my heart set on the Sci Fi!

Animal Kingdom:
I know this is horrible, but I only did one single ride at AK, and of course it was Expedition Everest. I'm going back to WDW in 3 months and will surely spend more time at AK on the next trip. We went to AK on Sunday morning and the crowds were the heavyest we saw all weekend. Wait times for the Safaris, Kali, and EE were all well over an hour.

Expedition Everest: I rode EE without a fastpass for the very first time. Even though I waited over an hour, it was awesome to finally get to enjoy the theming within the que! I loved the Yeti Museum! EE has by far the coolest que in WDW. The 70 minutes in line went by fast. Where did they get all that clutter for the que? They should do an entire special on EE on the travel channel or TLC or something.

The ride itself was awesome of course. I never get tired of going backwards or dodging the Yeti.

Food at AK: My girlfriend and I went on to Epcot before lunch, but my parents stayed behind to ride the safaris and eat at the Tusker House. I just wanted to mention that they raved about the Tusker house food as always. It's the best counter service restaurant at WDW IMO. Are they really turning it into a buffet soon?

I also walked by the Yak and Yeti construction. It looks exactly like the most recent photos on this site, so there's not much to update. I wonder if it will really open before 2007 is over. Looks like it is going to be a very large restaurant. I'm excited to eat there whenever it's finished. AK doesn't seem to have very many restaurants at this point in time.

That's about it for my update. I had a great trip even though we severely neglected AK. I will spend at least 2/3 of a day at AK on my next trip. I don't consider it to be an all day park just yet.

Thanks for reading. Comment away!

 

[M:SpilotISTC12]

Great report. It makes me cant wait to go. They did have a special of EE last year for the opening on the discovery channel. It was called Building a Thrill Ride: Expedition Everest.

 

[primetime52]

Great report. It makes me cant wait to go. They did have a special of EE last year for the opening on the discovery channel. It was called Building a Thrill Ride: Expedition Everest.

Oh really? I'm sorry I missed that. Did they talk much about designing the que, or was it totally focused on building the actual coaster?