DAY FOUR - DISNEY-MGM STUDIOS
SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 1997
Today, all five Odessans are going to Disney-MGM together. Of course, I had to start the morning down in the Disney gift shop at the hotel. The bag that I had been carrying did NOT dry over night. I purchased a nylon tote bag with the WDW logo. Back up to the room to pack my still wet money and wallet and all the camera equipment. The girl’s backpack/purses are so wet that I will be carrying everything for all of us this day. Luckily the girls had let me carry a few of their traveler’s checks each the day before and we had left the majority of my money and most of their’s in the room safe. That day, I would be carrying three cameras, a camcorder, three rain ponchos, and extra batteries for the cameras and for the little bottle fans. It weighed a ton and I was hoping the tote was good quality. (Note: It was and I brought it back home packed with souvenirs, looking brand new. I will have it on our next trip to WDW. Second note: if you are traveling on traveler’s checks, or cash, rather than credit cards, take advantage of your room safe.)
We all decided to do the breakfast buffet at the Courtyard. Very good food, all you can eat, and it was only about $10.00 a person. Then it was off on the shuttle bus for Disney-MGM. We arrived about 9:30. That is late for us, but the night before had been a pretty late night by the time we got back to the hotel. Bob and Christina immediately wanted to go try Tower of Terror. Debbie and Amanda were chicken and had no desire to try it. I had promised my doctor that I would be good, so I just had to watch Bob and my child walk off to my favorite ride in that park. Debbie, Amanda, and I just walked down Hollywood Blvd. taking in the atmosphere and action. We had told Bob and Christina that we would meet them at the Beauty and the Beast Show on Sunset Blvd. So in a few minutes, we headed there and got seats. Just as the show started, Bob and Christi showed up. They said that line was too long, so they just came to join us. After the show, Christina wanted to go to "Heaven’s Bakery." For the rest of you, that is what she calls "Starring Rolls." She swears that if there is a bakery in heaven, it will be just like this one. We all had coffee and pastries. I think this is the main reason that Christi wants to go to Disney-MGM. The ladies’ then needed to go to the restroom. So we went next door to the Brown Derby. The girls were very impressed by the ladies’ room here.
We walked over to Super Star Television and watched the show there. Christina wanted to be picked for one of the parts, but it didn’t happen. Next we went next door for the Sound Show. By then it was approaching parade time and I wanted a good spot to videotape it. I knew one place on Hollywood Blvd. where I could sit on a bench until the parade and then stand and have an unobstructed view. I told them others where I was going and that I would save a place for them. They all wanted to go to Star Tours. Once again, I knew that my doctor (and probably my neck) would not approve. For those of you who are uninitiated, Star Tours is a simulator ride that takes you on a journey into space and war. The ride is very rough and choppy. The ride (and your seat) go up, down, and side to side at a fast pace. This is not a ride for people with back problems, ear problems, pregnancy, or weak stomachs. It is a fun ride and I recommend it for anyone who is not recovering from surgery or has one of the above named medical conditions. So they all went off to Star Tours and I went to find my park bench.
When Christi and I were here last November, the parade at Disney-MGM was "Toy Story." I knew that it had now been replaced by "Hercules." Therefore, I was anxious to both see and video the new parade. The girls joined me about 40 minutes later, in fact just as the parade was starting. The music is rousing and the parade was cute. I don’t think I’d sit there for an hour again, but I am glad I did it this time. Bob and Debbie joined us again after the parade. They wanted to see the Indiana Jones Stunt Show. Christi and I didn’t care about seeing it since we saw it a few months earlier and it is not our favorite attraction. Amanda also wanted to see the show which was scheduled to start in fifteen minutes. We said that we would shop and look around the Hollywood Blvd. area while they did that show.
Christi and I went "shopping." I really have a strong rule with my daughter, and now Amanda. You can browse at any store in the parks. But I buy very little inside the parks. Almost everything you see in a park store is also somewhere at the Disney Village. If you are a Magic Kingdom member (as I am), all of your purchases are 10% off at Disney Village stores, but not in the parks. This may not sound like a lot, but it can add up. We buy lots of gifts to take back home and !0% covers the sales tax and a little left over. There are few things you cannot get at Disney Village and those are primarily linked to a specific ride, such as Tower of Terror. So if you want a Tower of Terror shirt get it at the park. But if you want Disney logo apparel or jewelry, wait for Disney Village. It also keeps you from having to carry it all day long.
We met with Amanda, Debbie, and Bob about an hour later. It turns out that the show was full when they got there. They came right back looking for us and couldn’t find us, so they went ahead and ate lunch. By that time, Christi and I were starving, so they sat with us while we ate at Hollywood and Vine Cafeteria. Christi and I really enjoy this place for a quick bite. We had snagged a nice outside table and were going to watch people while we ate. But a thunderstorm blew in and it quickly became too wet even under the roof. So we all trooped back inside and found a table. Bob and Christina then decided that it might be a good time to go back and try Tower of Terror. Off they went and we three other gals went off to "shop" again. Considering that I don’t even particularly like shopping, this seemed to be my day for it. It is a good time killer, when the group has to separate. Bob and Christina met us less than 30 minutes later. The heavy rain had done its job and the line was cleared out. They got right on the ride with almost no wait. We all walked over to the Muppet*Vision 3-D . The outside wait was probably 30 minutes, but most of the queue area is mostly covered and there are funny posters of pretend movies staring the Muppets to read as you walk and wait. This is a FUN show and the pre-show is also hilarious. The jokes are corny, but funny. I think I like the 3-D effects at "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" better, but the ones here are good also. Bob, Debbie, and Amanda all laughed out loud. Christina and I had seen it in November and loved it then. We would not have missed seeing it a second time. Afterwards, we all decided to go and do the Studio Backlot Tour. This is the tour by tram of the backlot areas of Disney-MGM. Even as crowded as the park was, the wait here in the late afternoon is not usually bad. As you wait to enter the pre-show area and then the trams, you walk though the prop area where you can see various items used in actual movies or to be used in the future. The tour includes a short show on water (ocean) special effects, Catastrophe Canyon, New York Street, a residential street, the wardrobe shop, the carpentry shop, and actual vehicles used in television series and movies. After the tour, Christina and I had to stop at Loony Bin Fotos. This is part of the shopping area at the end of the tram tour. We had our photo taken in November with the Winnie-the-Pooh characters. This is an actual digital photo of you that is computer enhanced with cartoons. It was one of our favorite keepsakes of the last trip. We wanted one this trip with Amanda. This year we selected a pose with a WDW logo, the year "1997" and all of Mickey and his gang. You get to see the completed digital image and approve it before they print the photo. We ordered two 8X10's. The photo came out great. But the wait was over one hour to get it taken and then printed. The Loony Bin had two cast members on duty. There were at least four groups ahead of us to start with. But the biggest problem was the group two ahead of us. They had fourteen members of one family and wanted everyone in the group together. The cast member kept taking the photo over and over. Either everyone couldn’t get in or the group didn’t like something about it. That group took almost 45 minutes. Meanwhile, behind us the crowd was growing with others wanting their photos made. I would have left in disgust, but we had the one from last year and I was determined to have a picture with Amanda and us in it. I had the feeling that Bob and Debbie were ready to go, but they walked down the street towards "Backstage Pass to 101 Dalmatians" and waited for us. Deb liked that movie and really wanted to see the attraction, but her feet were hurting and it is a 35 walking tour (after the wait). We had 8:00 p.m. Priority Seating at the 50's Prime Time. It was shortly after 7, so we walked on over to see if we could get in early. Everyone was pretty tired by then. We still had to wait about thirty minutes, but did get in a little early. This is a great Disney restaurant because of the cast members. The waiters and waitresses pretend that they are members of your family: a cousin, brother, sister, etc. They ask if you washed your hands, scold you for elbows on tables, and generally help the whole place celebrate. It is a great way to end a long day at Disney-MGM. After a leisurely dinner, we left the park (after hitting just a few more shops). There was talk of waiting for the "Sorcery in the Sky" show, but the general consensus was that everyone was TOO TIRED. So we headed for the parking lot to catch the shuttle bus back to the Courtyard. It turns out that we got to see the fireworks from the parking lot while we waited. We couldn’t hear the music, but it was beautiful.