After visiting Victoria Gardens we moseyed over to the United Kingdom and had a quick look through the shops and checked out the tea garden. I don’t drink tea so I never really gave where it came from much thought but it was a nice looking plant. It’s good to learn new things. And I loved the cute tea cup planters that were used.
When starting our adventures today, I had a plan in the back of my head that we would try to get over to MGM. (I know it was changed to Disney’ Hollywood Studios but I still call it MGM because old habits die hard.) There was a rumor that the new ride Toy Story Mania might be having a soft opening today and I thought it was worth a shot to see if the rumor was true.
I had revealed my 3 parks in one day plan to Mom and she was up for it. We discussed the various modes of transportation we would take between the parks and how we were going to take the boats from Epcot to MGM. I could tell Mom didn’t have a clue as to how that would happen but she trusted me and went with it. Every so often she would say "where are we going?" And I would say "to the International Gate." She would say "Oh. Where is that?" And I would say "between England and France." And she would say "where?" And I would say "just keep walking." And she did.
(As it turns out, Mom had never been to the Epcot Resort area and really had no clue about the International Gate or the boats or DVC - which I don’t understand because we have stayed at Saratoga Springs before. I’m not sure how this GIANT hole in her WDW knowledge/experience happened. I just assumed she was as schooled in the minutia of Disney World like me. Doesn't she read the DIS?!?!?)
We left the Her Majesty’s kingdom and as we walked up the only hill in Epcot there it was - the International Gate!!! Just like I had promised. And we even saw Dale as we walked down the only hill in Epcot. Not sure where Chip was though. And not sure I have seen one without the other.
We got in line for the Friendship launch and were only 2 parties from the start of the line. The boat came in a few minutes and we got to sit in the back - that’s my favorite spot.
Flat Brody loved the ride on Crescent Lake.
Ever the opportunist to push my Disney World agenda, I used the leisurely ride to MGM to my advantage by discussing the benefits of being a Disney Vacation Club owner with Mom. I was laying the seeds to hopefully harvest at a later date. This is a long term plan I had unintentionally concocted in my head and I needed to be subtle and try to not push too hard. It is difficult to not push too hard but I am determined to be successful and be able to got to WDW even more often!!! I WILL SUCCEED!!!!!!
We arrived at MGM rested and ready to go. I was ready to get my thrill on and scream uncontrollably as a haunted elevator dropped out from underneath me!!! My inner Disney Commando was itching to come out and I was just about ready to unleash it. But wait a minute . . . what all of that commotion on Hollywood Boulevard when all I want to do is plummet to my death just for the thrill of it?!?!
You guess it, it was the Block Party Bash!!!
Everyone was enjoying the frenetic action of dancing and jumping and swinging and tumbling and hootin’ and hollerin’. Except it blocks the entire area!!! The sidewalks at MGM are freakishly narrow to begin with and then there are benches on them to boot - so the Cast Member was directing people through the stores. It was like Grand Central Station on steroids - people were everywhere with no idea where they were supposed to go if they could even move. And you couldn’t hear anything over the endearing strains of a Disneyfied version of Kool and the Gang’s Celebration. Can you tell I don’t find this sensory overloaded "parade" charming in anyway, shape or form? (And I use the term "parade" loosely.) I seem to prefer a few princesses waving at me and a cute Jack Sparrow. What can I say? I am a girly girl at heart.
But back to happier endeavors. The street finally cleared and Mom and I made our way down Sunset Boulevard to either ride Tower of Terror or get a Fastpass Tower of Terror. Since the wait was longer than 30 minutes, we opted for a Fastpass with a return time of 4:55.
By this time our 11:00 lunch was pretty much gone and I was getting peckish and had a hankering for some kind of baked good and Mom needed coffee. Off to Starring Rolls for what turned out to be an eclair - or should I call it a stale gelatinous mess. It wasn’t very good but for some reason I ate it because I was hungry and needed a quick sugar rush. I do love Starring Rolls though since the patio there is so relaxing but you can still see some action from the streets. It is usually a hidden oasis - except for the eclair debacle - so I will give it another shot next month but probably not an eclair.
It wasn’t quite time for our Fastpass return time so I consulted our times sheet and noticed that there was a Beauty and the Beast show about to start. Mom had never seen this show so we gathered our belongings and made our way to the theater.
(We are really checking off a lot of the things Mom had never done. I will convert her to the dark side soon enough.)
We found seats towards the front of the theater but on the end. It wasn’t front row center but we could see well enough so we were pleased - and who can complain when you walk in 5 minutes before the show.
I really like this show. I haven’t seen the Broadway version but have seen a local theater production and the MGM version is a good glimpse into the full production. I love the dancing desserts. I do have one complaint - what is up with the Prince’s wig?!?!? It looked like straw and something a Fabio impersonator might wear. It just didn’t do much for me.
It was time for our terrifying ride on Tower of Terror so we walked to the end of Sunset Boulevard but something was wrong - we weren’t hearing any screaming. Always the optimist, I thought that it was just a temporary thing and not to think twice about it.
As we approached the gate so we could walk past the waiting masses of people unlucky enough to not have a Fastoass, we noticed that the Fastpass line was longer than the stand by line. Something was definitely wrong and I wasn’t liking it!!! The planets were definitely not lining up for my screamfest.
So, we did the only sensible thing and asked the Cast Member what was up. We got a lot Disney speak as a reply but I read between the lines of his happy babbling. Basically Tower of Terror was broken and that we should check back in an hour. Hmmmm, disappointing but not the end of the world. Besides we had other things we could do for an hour. We had animation to create!!!!!
Next installment – I think Piglet ate too much of Pooh’s huney!
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