We began our fourth full day at WDW by making a return visit to the Disney/MGM Studious, proclaimed the favorite of the parks by those in our group. It has long been my favorite and it seems to get better with each visit. There is something about Eisner's statement at the time of its opening that always comes back to me as I step through the gates and look toward the Chinese Theater/Great Movie Ride..."the Hollywood that never was and always will be". The so-called "suspension of disbelief" occurs almost immediately upon entry. As you walk past the shops and do as we did which is to head down to get a Fast Pass for Rockin Roller Coaster. This was just past 10am and our passes gave us some time so we decided to head over to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire as none of us had ever experienced this attraction and really weren't quite sure about whether we would enjoy it. But we did and this is one of the better productions in the park and I think that is because it is presently in a pretty straight forward manner and having the audience participate at the same time is a great idea. I'm struck by how quick some of the folks were with their answers. The young man chosen for the hot seat must have been all of 15 but he was good and he knew when to say when. We got most of the answers right but lacked speed. Nonetheless it was a heckuva lot of fun and something I'll look forward to doing again in the future. The lady who served as the program host (the Meredith Vierra role) was quite polished and seems truly destined for greater things.
Upon completion of the program we made our way over to Walt Disney "One Man's Dream". My wife and I had toured this last year and this display speaks volumes to me. I could probably spend a couple of hours in there looking at the old posters, the Mickey Mouse club items, the stuff that I've read and heard so much about. The recreation of Walt's office is quite striking and makes you think back to how we "hosted" him in our living rooms each week via the tv series and how he must have spent a good deal of time at this desk hatching ideas, many of which were on display and others which had materialized in one way or the other in the parks. The movie on Walt's life is a perfect compliment to the display. I hope they keep this thing going for awhile. It fits in quite well with the spirit of Disney/MGM Studios and especially for those of us in middle age who were "persuaded" by Walt and his dream. I still think he is one of the great salesmen this country has ever seen. He knew how to communicate his message, he had passion and belief in his product and had the perfect demeanor to "persuade" people that he knew what he was talking about. I fear that too many people don't appreciate the value of this display and that's a shame. The experience is akin to a Smithsonian of Disney history. I guess you get the idea that I like it and encourage anyone who ever heard of Walt or saw him on tv to take this in and take the unitiated with you. It's high time they learned.
On to Rockin Roller Coaster and utilization of our Fast Pass. Judy and I had only been on this ride once before and no one else in our group had any experience with it. We told them that it was a rush and cautioned them about the whole upside down thing, etc. No one was scared off so we boarded and had the rush we expected. We enjoyed it for a number of reasons, the fact that it is indeed unique and truly hi-tech. It's also less jerky and runs smoother than Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for example. Right before boarding this we had gotten a Fast Pass for Tower of Terror, our absolute favorite attraction in the park. This gave us time to do a couple of other things while waiting after completion of Rockin Roller Coaster. We utilized this time to take the Backstage Tour. We noted that the route had changed some since the last time we rode it as it bypassed the "homes". Once again our guide was quite good. He was good at what he did and represents one of those types that are too often missing these days. He seemed to enjoy what he was doing. He didn't rush his delivery. You knew that it was a script he was working from but his personality enabled him to make appear as though he was not working from a script. He did not make this attraction about himself by appearing to be too cheesy with his delivery of the script material. He presented the facts about some of the vehicles and props along the way and did so with enough enthusiasm to make you enjoy this attraction in a way similar to the first time you rode it. We've done this thing countless times and it would be pretty easy to get bored with it but thanks to this young man that did not happen.
We grabbed some lunch at the ABC Commissary and noted how the menu had changed. Even though we were eating well past the logical lunch hour the place was extremely busy and the lines seemed to move particularly slow. But we weren't on a tight schedule so we didn't get upset about it, although this was not our first experience with food lines moving slower than the lines at attractions. They seemed adequately staffed, it just takes longer I guess Upon completion of lunch we headed over to Tower of Terror and via our Fast Pass made a rather speedy entry and were delighted to experience a new sequence in the drop. This attraction continues to amaze me and I love it for a number of reasons. The period of time that it represents, the actual presentation and the ride itself...they are all special components of the experience. The music outside as you are in line is also great. This is something that MGM does about as well and maybe even better than the other parks. The music selection captures the essence of the Golden Age of Hollywood and Tower of Terror is no exception.
We made our way over to the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular next and were really looking foward to this show but less than halfway through it they had to cut it short due to inclement weather conditions. Rain and thunderstorms had moved into the area and while we understood the reason for the suspension of the show we were still disappointed. But Hurricane Bill's effects were being felt right in the middle of all of that magic.
As the rains came we went ahead and left the park knowing that we would be back and knowing that we needed to get ready for our evening meal at O'Hana's at the Polynesian. We went back to the room to rest and refresh for our 7:10 PS at O'Hana's.
We were looking forward to this about as much as anything we had planned. Judy and I recalled how good the food was on our last visit and shared our thoughts with the others in our group during our planning sessions before we ever left home. We were seated in pretty quick order and once the food started being placed on the lazy susan in the middle of our table it was obvious to me that we had not oversold the experience based on the expressions on the faces of the others in the group and in the way they attacked the food. And it was indeed good. As with our last visit the food was fixed to pefection...when you can keep grilled turkey breast moist, something is being done right. Our server was most attentive and per usual we ate well more than we should have but it was vacation and sometimes you take a vacation from caution and common sense and we really put it away. By the time we were done the Poly was buzzing with diners and guests milling about and it is at times like this that the true charm of the Poly begins to show. You know that there is something special about this place...you just know it.
The reviews were outstanding and Judy's oldest sister, the quasi Disney virgin proclaimed this to be her favorite...she particularly enjoyed the shrimp. We milled about the interior of the Poly for a while looking in the shops and then making our way out to the pier to watch the EWP. This became a favorite of ours years ago and is a must do on each trip. It's not loud or hard hitting, but it's special because of its simplicity. As the saying goes "the beauty of simplicity is seldom surpassed". There is something about standing out on that dock in the darkness of a warm summer evening and watching as the EWP does its thing. While we have pictures of this from years past I couldn't help but take some more. More as a reminder of the special day that we had experienced and how the evening had been quite incredible and the dining experience, well, it was probably the best we had on the trip. This day was one special day and a reminder of why you want to come back to Disney time and again. It's for the magic and the magic of romance and the Poly provides an atmosphere that makes for both. As for me I was in the company of my wife of nearly 25 years and we had enjoyed a great day in the park, a great dinner and had concluded the day with an evening under the stars watching something so special to us. It made me wish that I could freeze that feeling in time but as it is it has been stored to my memory chip which I will revisit from time to time and when I do I'll smile as will my heart.
The day ahead would hold more special times and would feature an evening of Fantasmic back at MGM and I'll document that day in the next report and note the disappointment with the dining experience at the Brown Derby.
Bill Yarbor
Haubstadt, Indiana
Upon completion of the program we made our way over to Walt Disney "One Man's Dream". My wife and I had toured this last year and this display speaks volumes to me. I could probably spend a couple of hours in there looking at the old posters, the Mickey Mouse club items, the stuff that I've read and heard so much about. The recreation of Walt's office is quite striking and makes you think back to how we "hosted" him in our living rooms each week via the tv series and how he must have spent a good deal of time at this desk hatching ideas, many of which were on display and others which had materialized in one way or the other in the parks. The movie on Walt's life is a perfect compliment to the display. I hope they keep this thing going for awhile. It fits in quite well with the spirit of Disney/MGM Studios and especially for those of us in middle age who were "persuaded" by Walt and his dream. I still think he is one of the great salesmen this country has ever seen. He knew how to communicate his message, he had passion and belief in his product and had the perfect demeanor to "persuade" people that he knew what he was talking about. I fear that too many people don't appreciate the value of this display and that's a shame. The experience is akin to a Smithsonian of Disney history. I guess you get the idea that I like it and encourage anyone who ever heard of Walt or saw him on tv to take this in and take the unitiated with you. It's high time they learned.
On to Rockin Roller Coaster and utilization of our Fast Pass. Judy and I had only been on this ride once before and no one else in our group had any experience with it. We told them that it was a rush and cautioned them about the whole upside down thing, etc. No one was scared off so we boarded and had the rush we expected. We enjoyed it for a number of reasons, the fact that it is indeed unique and truly hi-tech. It's also less jerky and runs smoother than Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for example. Right before boarding this we had gotten a Fast Pass for Tower of Terror, our absolute favorite attraction in the park. This gave us time to do a couple of other things while waiting after completion of Rockin Roller Coaster. We utilized this time to take the Backstage Tour. We noted that the route had changed some since the last time we rode it as it bypassed the "homes". Once again our guide was quite good. He was good at what he did and represents one of those types that are too often missing these days. He seemed to enjoy what he was doing. He didn't rush his delivery. You knew that it was a script he was working from but his personality enabled him to make appear as though he was not working from a script. He did not make this attraction about himself by appearing to be too cheesy with his delivery of the script material. He presented the facts about some of the vehicles and props along the way and did so with enough enthusiasm to make you enjoy this attraction in a way similar to the first time you rode it. We've done this thing countless times and it would be pretty easy to get bored with it but thanks to this young man that did not happen.
We grabbed some lunch at the ABC Commissary and noted how the menu had changed. Even though we were eating well past the logical lunch hour the place was extremely busy and the lines seemed to move particularly slow. But we weren't on a tight schedule so we didn't get upset about it, although this was not our first experience with food lines moving slower than the lines at attractions. They seemed adequately staffed, it just takes longer I guess Upon completion of lunch we headed over to Tower of Terror and via our Fast Pass made a rather speedy entry and were delighted to experience a new sequence in the drop. This attraction continues to amaze me and I love it for a number of reasons. The period of time that it represents, the actual presentation and the ride itself...they are all special components of the experience. The music outside as you are in line is also great. This is something that MGM does about as well and maybe even better than the other parks. The music selection captures the essence of the Golden Age of Hollywood and Tower of Terror is no exception.
We made our way over to the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular next and were really looking foward to this show but less than halfway through it they had to cut it short due to inclement weather conditions. Rain and thunderstorms had moved into the area and while we understood the reason for the suspension of the show we were still disappointed. But Hurricane Bill's effects were being felt right in the middle of all of that magic.
As the rains came we went ahead and left the park knowing that we would be back and knowing that we needed to get ready for our evening meal at O'Hana's at the Polynesian. We went back to the room to rest and refresh for our 7:10 PS at O'Hana's.
We were looking forward to this about as much as anything we had planned. Judy and I recalled how good the food was on our last visit and shared our thoughts with the others in our group during our planning sessions before we ever left home. We were seated in pretty quick order and once the food started being placed on the lazy susan in the middle of our table it was obvious to me that we had not oversold the experience based on the expressions on the faces of the others in the group and in the way they attacked the food. And it was indeed good. As with our last visit the food was fixed to pefection...when you can keep grilled turkey breast moist, something is being done right. Our server was most attentive and per usual we ate well more than we should have but it was vacation and sometimes you take a vacation from caution and common sense and we really put it away. By the time we were done the Poly was buzzing with diners and guests milling about and it is at times like this that the true charm of the Poly begins to show. You know that there is something special about this place...you just know it.
The reviews were outstanding and Judy's oldest sister, the quasi Disney virgin proclaimed this to be her favorite...she particularly enjoyed the shrimp. We milled about the interior of the Poly for a while looking in the shops and then making our way out to the pier to watch the EWP. This became a favorite of ours years ago and is a must do on each trip. It's not loud or hard hitting, but it's special because of its simplicity. As the saying goes "the beauty of simplicity is seldom surpassed". There is something about standing out on that dock in the darkness of a warm summer evening and watching as the EWP does its thing. While we have pictures of this from years past I couldn't help but take some more. More as a reminder of the special day that we had experienced and how the evening had been quite incredible and the dining experience, well, it was probably the best we had on the trip. This day was one special day and a reminder of why you want to come back to Disney time and again. It's for the magic and the magic of romance and the Poly provides an atmosphere that makes for both. As for me I was in the company of my wife of nearly 25 years and we had enjoyed a great day in the park, a great dinner and had concluded the day with an evening under the stars watching something so special to us. It made me wish that I could freeze that feeling in time but as it is it has been stored to my memory chip which I will revisit from time to time and when I do I'll smile as will my heart.
The day ahead would hold more special times and would feature an evening of Fantasmic back at MGM and I'll document that day in the next report and note the disappointment with the dining experience at the Brown Derby.
Bill Yarbor
Haubstadt, Indiana