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Walt Disney World Pre-Cruise – January 5 to January 18, 2003

sunday, january 5^th – fly from los angeles, california, usa to orlando, florida – disney’s grand floridian resort & spa 

monday, january 6^th – walt disney world-epcot  

tuesday, january 7^th – walt disney world-magic kingdom 

wednesday, january 8^th – walt disney world-animal kingdom & epcot 

thursday, january 9^th – walt disney world-Disney/mgm studios  

friday, january 10^th – walt disney world - epcot world showcase 

saturday, january 11^th – walt disney world - resort hopping & epcot  

sunday, january 12^th – walt disney world - monorail resorts & epcot  

monday, january 13^th – walt disney world - disney/mgm studios & epcot  

tuesday, january 14^th – walt disney world - magic kingdom  

wednesday, january 15^th – walt disney world - epcot  

thursday, january 16^th – walt disney world - animal kingdom & studios  

friday, january 17^th – walt disney world -summary 

sunday, january 5^th – fly from los angeles, california, usa to orlando, florida
 disney’s grand floridian resort & spa

Promptly at 10:00 AM, we were picked up by the limo driver and driven to LAX for our United Airlines flight to Orlando departing at 1:35 PM.  The ride was uneventful, there was no traffic at all, and we arrived at LAX within an hour. 

We were a bit taken aback as we passed Terminal 1 as the line for baggage screening was snaking along the sidewalk the entire length of the terminal.  Luckily, the United terminal wasn’t quite as chaotic.  Not outside anyway.  There were lines for skycaps on the sidewalk, but we couldn’t quite discern what they were doing.  After going inside and seeing the ridiculous crowds, we went back out to the skycap line.  We did briefly look for a First Class check-in, but it was a distance away, so we gave the skycap a shot.

Here came the first snafu.  Crystal Cruises had booked flight reservations through to Miami, but we only had tickets to Orlando.  Since we aren’t flying to Miami, today or ever, we shouldn’t have had a reservation or a ticket.  However, this raised a red flag and the skycap had to call a supervisor.  We insisted he make the luggage tag only to Orlando, but he couldn’t do it with the reservation we had.  So, he took us to the First Class check-in line and told us that we would have to work it out there.  He was pleasant and trying to be helpful, but we never did see the point of their services even with a proper reservation.  Our advice is to skip the skycaps, and the tip that goes along with them, and go directly to the ticket counter as long as security is as tight as it was at this time.

The ticket agent fixed our reservation and climbed across the scale to give our bags to the screener who was in front of the First Class counters.  The screener was very careful and helpful, even locking our luggage when he was finished.  What the point of all of this is, we have no idea.  He did open the bags, then ran a bomb-sniffing wand around the inside edge, closed it up, and stuck a big red sticker on it.  We weren’t allowed to touch the bag again, so the ticket agent had to climb across the scale, retrieve the bags, and put them through to be checked.  All of this took place within five feet of the counter.  The whole process didn’t take all that long, but it obviously needs some work.

We ran into Daniel, the head wine steward from Crystal Harmony, on his way home.  We had observed a busload of people arrive with a Crystal sign in the window, but it didn’t dawn on us it was from Crystal Harmony.  Daniel recognized us before we saw him, which is amazing in itself.  We could understand if he was expecting to see us, but this was totally out of the blue.  We don’t even know if he knows we live in California.  Is it a small world or what?

Since we realized Crystal thought we were flying to Miami at some point, we began to worry that we might not have a car to pick us up when we arrive in Orlando.  So, we called both numbers they had given us to verify our reservation.  Neither company had a reservation for us today, so we made our own arrangements through the same company we used to get to the airport today.

By this time, we only had about 20 minutes to wait until boarding time.  They called First Class to board and the entire room rushed the gate agent.  Of course, he allowed everyone to board, so the advantage of priority boarding was pointless.  There are only 12 seats in First Class, so it was obvious all 100 of these people should not be in this line.  None of this makes any difference to us, but why offer priority boarding if you aren't going to enforce it?

Dave’s carry-on ended up stored in the closet because it wouldn’t fit under the seat.  At least they didn’t make him check it.  The departure was delayed because some dip checked a diaper bag containing all of their baby’s formula and such.  However, the same person brought on a giant carry-on bag.  She ultimately decided she wanted to swap bags and get the baby’s bag back.  This was literally seconds before the door was to be closed.  At first they weren’t going to look for the bag, but someone on the ramp decided to do it and did eventually find it and bring it on board. 

The flight was uneventful except they ran out of the chicken selection for lunch after asking only two people.  Everyone else ended up with a choice between a bone-dry cheeseburger (which is what we had) and a pasta dish.  They really shouldn’t have even offered a choice on a flight like this, but at least they served a meal.

We both fell asleep at various times, so the time went by really quickly.  It was clear almost the entire trip, so there was actually a view to look at, even after dark.

Arrival was just a few minutes late, no big deal.  When we got to the baggage claim, there were three drivers holding up our name.  Oops!  None of them had ever heard of Crystal Cruises, so we didn’t know which one we had booked and would ultimately be charged for, and which Crystal was paying for.  All of them were willing to give us up and just let us choose one.  We finally figured out which one we thought we had booked this afternoon, so we let her go.  The other two were from Crystal, one for the luggage only and the other for us.  However, we shipped our huge stash of luggage and didn’t need a separate van.  So we ended up taking just the van with everything. 

The driver was very friendly, as is usual in this part of the world.  This area has grown so much that it is unrecognizable from the last time Dave was here 25 years ago.  However, from the moment we arrived until the time we got to our room, we probably didn’t see more than 10 people.  The roads are empty, the hotel is empty, etc.

The desk clerk had a bit of a problem getting our information correct because we arrived just after the concierge floor attendants had gone home.  She wisely decided it would be prudent to start over rather than try to figure out what they had done ahead of time.  When she found out we had worked at Disneyland, she told us all sorts of things she shouldn’t.  For example, they are at below 70% occupancy this week, which is practically empty by Disney standards.  We asked if we needed Priority Seating for the restaurants, but she didn’t think we would this week at all.  Our recommendation would be to make Priority Seating arrangements for any restaurants you can't live without, even in the slow season, just in case.  

After giving us a packet of helpful maps and other information, she sent us off with a bellman who had no clue where he was going.  Not only didn’t he know where he was going, but he couldn’t see where he was going, literally.  He was very pleasant, but he took us first to the wrong floor, then in the wrong direction.  In his defense, however, we have to say that Disney uses the most incoherent numbering system ever for its rooms.  We are in room 4305, which one would naturally assume is on the fourth floor.  Wrong, it is on the third floor.  The first number means it is in building #4, which is the main building.  However, nobody ever explained any of this to us or the bellman.  When we arrived in front of the room we had to stop the bellman from passing it by, but we did eventually make it.

We weren’t sure what kind of room we would end up with since the desk clerk didn’t say anything about it except it is on a concierge floor.  Our reservation said we wanted a non-smoking, king bed, with a water view.  A Magic Kingdom view had been requested, but this is never guaranteed.  We didn’t care what bed configuration we had, which is a good thing because we have two queen beds.  The room doesn’t say it is non-smoking, but there are no ashtrays.  The best part is that we have a dead-on view of Cinderella Castle from our balcony.  This is the most sought after view there is and we have probably the best there is of it. 

The room decor is very nice with a Victorian theme as throughout the hotel.  The bedspreads have various Disney fairies in the pattern, the sofa pillows have teacups featuring characters from Alice in Wonderland, and topiary wallpaper in the foyer and bathroom shows some of the topiaries carved into Disney characters.  There is also a Mickey Mouse lamp on the dresser.  Very cute.  For a hotel in this price range ($600+ per night), the room isn't really anything special, although it is comfortable enough.

Today was the last day for the Christmas decorations, so there is still a 5-story Christmas tree in the lobby and all sorts of lighted garlands and such everywhere.  It’s nice that we got a chance to see some of it before it disappears.

Since we had almost nothing to eat all day, we went down to the 24-hour Gasparilla Grill and Games which is located directly below our room on the ground floor.  There is a convenient elevator just down the hall that serves the pool in the same area, so we don’t have to walk all the way to the lobby to get downstairs.

Although nicely themed, the grill was somewhat grimy and worn.  The service was friendly, but rather inept.   For example, the cashier had no clue how to do a room charge, although two people ahead of us did the same thing.  Rather than ring it up on the computerized register in front of him, he wrote everything down, added it up from prices on a printed list with a calculator, and then hand wrote a charge slip for a signature. 

Our meal of two orders of very tasty chicken strips, fresh melon salad, two giant cookies, a brownie, and two drinks, cost about $35. We hate to see how much a table service meal is around here.  No wonder they serve food on the concierge floors!  Too bad we arrived too late or we could have had that instead and for free, too.

monday, january 6^th – walt disney world-epcot

There were a couple of things we neglected to mention yesterday.  First was an observation we’re not sure is company policy or not, but after the front desk clerk wiped her nose with a tissue, she immediately took out a hand sanitizer to use before touching anything.  If that was her own idea, it’s a good one, and very considerate.  The other item isn’t quite as good.  We found someone’s underwear hanging on a hook in our closet when we first arrived.  Then tonight we discovered leftover sliced meat in our mini bar refrigerator.  What happened to noticing the details?  And this is the slow season.

Back to today.  We had planned to sleep in today, which we did, but much later than we intended.  It was a bit difficult to sleep because of a constant fog horn sound from outside.  It’s something we are sure we will get used to, but it was somewhat disruptive last night.  Then, at around 7:00 AM and thereafter, we could clearly hear the theme music from the grounds, the train whistle from the Magic Kingdom and the ferry’s whistle.  We’re not complaining, just making observations and excuses for not getting out of the room until 1:30 PM.   Here is the daytime view from our balcony.

We ate the fruit we bought yesterday and set off for Epcot via the monorail. On the way past the concierge desks on our floor, we encountered a group of at least ten of them, none of whom stopped talking among themselves when we approached. Had we actually wanted something, it would have been necessary to interrupt them, which is, in our opinion, unacceptable.  At least one of them should have immediately stopped talking on the off chance an approaching guest needs something.

 It is a beautiful day in the low 70’s, clear and sunny.  It took about 45 minutes to complete the ride to Epcot because of the stops at the Magic Kingdom and the Contemporary Resort.  An unexpected stop along the track provided this view of the Grand Floridian.  We then had to transfer to the Epcot monorail at the Transportation and Ticket Center.  There were no crowds at all anywhere, so lines were a non-issue.

We had vouchers to exchange for Annual Passes that will allow us to park hop as often as we like.  There is a bit of a savings if they are purchased ahead, but we don’t know how much.  We do know we saved about $5.00 because the tax rate had changed.  The ticket seller said, “Mickey will pay the difference.”  Our answer to that was, “He can afford it.”  That prompted him to say, “No kidding.”  The ticket seller was extraordinarily  helpful and friendly.  He whipped out a pre-marked map he had made of his favorite spots for attractions, food, etc.  There were no other guests at the ticket booths and none in front of us to enter Epcot.

The entry plaza in front of Spaceship Earth sports huge granite monuments called “Leave a Legacy” where guests may purchase a small spot on a metal plaque for their photo to remain “forever.”  In our opinion, these monuments are an eyesore.  Disney now has photographers, similar to those one would find on a cruise ship, available to take photos of guests in front of major icons.  They aren’t pushy and we think this is a great idea.  We had our photo taken in front of Spaceship Earth, then heard about the photographer’s son who had just returned from Afghanistan.  This tangent caused him to neglect to inform us where to go to collect the photo.  After we prompted him, he gave us a receipt to retrieve the photo when we are ready at the Camera Shop under Spaceship Earth.

The posted wait time for Spaceship Earth was “0” and we walked right on to this signature attraction.  It is a slow-moving audio-animatronic ride through an abbreviated history of mankind that spirals up inside the geodesic sphere that houses the ride.  This is a classic Disney attraction complete with dramatic music and story line, but it is time for an update.  We hear there may be a drastic change in the works for this original attraction.  Although we love these somewhat kitschy Disney attractions, we can see why they are planning to change it. 

One thing that struck us upon entering Epcot is that it is much smaller than we expected.  That isn’t to say it is small, but we had the impression that the pavilions are farther apart than they are.  In fact, some are just a few feet apart.  That’s probably a good thing, or the walking would be ridiculous.

There are many interesting touches that only Disney would do.  For example, even the directional signposts are interesting.  Some are mobiles, others light up, while others spin. There are fiber optic lights embedded in the walkways that were the hit of the party with adults and kids alike.

We didn’t take time today to wander through Innoventions and instead walked past the huge dancing fountain in the central plaza and toward Test Track to get a FastPass for later today.  We stopped for another photo opportunity with the fountain in the background.  There really are no crowds to speak of, but we had read on various websites that even on slow days it is a good idea to use FastPass for this attraction.  The posted stand-by wait time was only 45 minutes and the FastPass return was about an hour away (5:15 – 6:15 PM), but we got a pass anyway.  Then we headed off toward the Universe of Energy.

On the way we passed the nearly completed Mission: Space.  If the attraction inside is anywhere near as interesting as the building itself, it should be great.  We skipped Wonders of Life and went directly to view Ellen’s Energy Adventure.   This was the longest wait we had all day, five minutes, and that was only because it wasn’t quite time for the next show to begin.

The line began moving promptly and we were inside within seconds.  The first part is a pre-show where Ellen introduces the concept of the attraction.  Bill Nye the Science Guy also stars in the attraction.  The premise is that Ellen falls asleep watching Jeopardy, begins to dream and becomes a contestant against her college roommate, a stuck-up know-it-all played by Jamie Lee Curtis.  Since Ellen knows nothing about where energy came from, she is taken back to prehistoric times by Bill Nye to learn about it.  Guests enter a theater to watch another brief wide-screen movie that continues the story. 

After the film, the theater breaks up into six sections and the guests move in their huge traveling theater sections past what is essentially a souped up version of Primeval World at Disneyland.  The animatronic part is rather short and we end up in another wide-screen theater for another film on energy sources.  From there we travel back to the original theater where Ellen promptly beats her rival at Jeopardy with her new-found knowledge.  It was cute, but too heavy on films with not enough action.

Epcot is divided into two sections, Future World and World Showcase.  World Showcase stays open until 9:00 PM, so we thought it would be better to see a few more attractions in Future World (closes at 7:00 PM) before our FastPass return for Test Track.

We wandered to the other side of Future World, stopping to watch the musical show put on by the fountain in the plaza.  There were some impressive antics by the waterworks, then we moved on to take some pictures of the front of The Living Seas, The Land, and finally Journey Into Your Imagination.  This attraction was recently revamped after an unsuccessful attempt to update the original show. Apparently, that resulted in numerous complaints that it was too odd and too short.  This latest version is still short, but it restores the popular Figment character and cleans up the story somewhat.  Guests board short trains of cars that stop briefly for each scene.  The premise is that the Imagination Institute is hosting an open house to show off its latest developments.  Of course, Figment gets in the way and everything goes awry.  So, we end up on a weird journey through our imagination.  The ride is amusing and typical Disney.  We would gladly ride this again.  This attraction was also a walk-on with no wait whatsoever.

Also part of the Imagination pavilion is Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, a 3D presentation.  The story here is that we are attending the Inventor of the Year Awards and “something goes terribly wrong.”  The audience ends up being shrunk and menaced by mice, a giant snake, and then sneezed on, complete with water effect, by a giant dog.  The 3D effects were outstanding, but the film is showing its age and needs a new print.  This was also a fun attraction.  There was no wait for this either.

At this point it was time to return for our Test Track ride, stopping briefly along the way to take some nighttime shots of the fountains in front of Imagination.  Most of the Christmas lights are still up, including the tree and an every-changing archway of lights that leads to World Showcase.  We’re glad we had the chance to see at least some of the décor.

The stand-by wait time for Test Track was only about 30 minutes, but the FastPass line was maybe 10 minutes, if that.  Guests enter what appears to be an automobile testing facility, attend a briefing about how they test new models, and then board vehicles that are used to conduct the road tests.  This is a mild thrill ride with speeds up to 60 miles an hour on the outside track that circles the building.  It was fun, but only because we had virtually no wait.  Ordinarily the wait is several hours and there is no way this ride is worth that much of a wait.  It is a good premise for a GM sponsored attraction.

We took a few more nighttime photos and went back toward Spaceship Earth to see if we want to purchase the photos taken earlier.  At first glance, the system seemed to work fine, but we ran into several more inept cast members, continuing today's trend.  Everyone is pleasant and friendly, but either their training is lacking or they simply don’t care.  A cast member helped us view our photos on a computer screen, cropped them and made some adjustments.  Then he gave us a receipt and told us to pay the cashier.  It was easier to charge the purchase to our room than it was at the hotel itself, but having the package sent to the hotel, which is supposedly a common thing, was a time-consuming nightmare.  First we were handed a form to fill out.  No problem, except the man next to us, who had been waiting for his photos to print for quite a while, asked why his pictures hadn’t printed.  The woman who was helping us went to poke at the printers.  The cast member standing directly in front of us did nothing for several minutes until Dave asked her if there was something else they needed.  Then she tried to fill out the form, but didn’t know the location number where she works.  No one else there knew either.  If we ever get the pictures, we’ll be amazed.  We were going to ask how long it  takes for delivery, but decided to cut our losses and leave.  We’ll figure that out later.

By now it was nearly 7:00 PM, so we started walking around World Showcase looking for some food.  There aren’t a lot of choices unless one wants a full, sit-down meal and has Priority Seating for it.  Even with the low attendance, there were lines at most restaurants with no apparent rhyme or reason to them.  We didn’t want anything more than take-out anyway, so we kept walking toward the Yakitori House in Japan.  World Showcase is beautiful and very well themed, but it is quite dark at night.  They really could use more light on the walkways to help guests dodge strollers and such.  We didn’t stop at any of the countries along the way, but we do plan to come back another day to shop and attend the attractions.

We found the Yakitori House in the Japan pavilion with little trouble.  Since it was quite chilly out by now, everyone was inside the small space. Bill went to claim a table while Dave went up to the window to order two Kushi-Yaki combinations.  It would have been easier if the cast member at the counter had looked up or acknowledged his presence, but after moving to the other line he was able to place the order.  When someone walked up to the comatose woman who didn’t serve Dave, she did wait on him, so her line was open.  Guess she didn’t like Dave's looks or something.  There really is an oddly poor sense of service so far everywhere we have been.  Our two orders of food consisted of a skewer each of shrimp, chicken and beef, accompanied by steamed broccoli and sticky rice.  We also got two large Cokes.  Charging to our room was easy and hassle free.  The total for this order was slightly over $20.00.  We were satisfied with the food and the quantity received.

Next door to Japan is the American Adventure, so we wandered there with the intention of viewing the 30-minute show.  While we were approaching the building, the Tapestry of Dreams parade began, so we stood along the empty route to watch this interesting cavalcade.  It consists of giants puppet contraptions and huge rotating drums that is sort of like The Lion King concept on Broadway.  The performers were enthusiastic and did a good job interacting with the sparse crowd.  There was plenty of space along the route, even arriving at the last second.

At this point is was 8:10 PM, so we went into the American Adventure for the 8:15 PM show.  In the huge lobby there is a display of a flag saved from the rubble of the World Trade Center, plus huge paintings depicting scenes in American history. 

We were ushered through a large doorway, up an escalator and into the enormous American Adventure Theater for the multi-media presentation.  It is difficult to describe this extravaganza, but it is basically a wide screen movie used as a backdrop for some of the most life-like audio-animatronics one will ever see.  The story is narrated by Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain, the latter complete with a smoking cigar.  They are joined by great people in American history in a variety of scenes.  The presentation ends with a moving montage of historic figures and scenes of American life shown to the strains of the inspiring, “Golden Dreams.”  This is Disney showmanship at its best and should not be missed.  If there is an epitome of audio-animatronic presentations, this is it.

The show let out just ten minutes before the beginning of Illuminations, a spectacular presentation in the World Showcase Lagoon.  Dave knew that a good viewing spot was between Italy and Germany, so we headed in that direction.  Our point was proven about the darkness of the walkways when Dave tripped and fell on the steps of a bridge.  He wasn’t seriously injured, but did find out later he had skinned his knees.  Considering how diligent we are about watching where we are walking, we would think many people would trip in the dark.

We didn’t know it until the show began, but we found a perfect, unobstructed view of the presentation.  It begins with a burst of fireworks in the center of the lagoon where a huge fireball dances to the music.  It is at least 100’ across the water, but we could feel the heat from this fire.  There are also fountain and laser effects.  An enormous rotating Earth with video screens making up the continents, floats out to the enter of the lagoon and becomes the centerpiece of the remainder of the show.  Lights outline the World Showcase pavilions at various times during the program and some spectacular laser effects add to the excitement.  This is a show not to be missed.  It ends as the Earth opens like the petals of a flower and an enormous torch lights up the center of the lagoon, joined  by the flaming cauldrons that ring the lagoon.  Beware of the direction the wind is blowing.  We were rained on several times by ashes from the fireworks.

Epcot closes as this presentation begins, so everyone leaves at the same time after the show.  We think at least a few refreshment stands should be open to serve the crowds as they leave, but it didn’t really bother us.  Just seems like Disney is missing a few extra bucks.

We followed the crowd through Future World and out to the monorail to the TTC.  We were able to get on the first train that came in, but we had to stand for the short ride.  Almost no one transferred at the TTC to the resort monorail, so that portion of the journey was fast and easy.  When the monorail cast members stopped talking among themselves long enough, they kicked some guests out of one section of the train to admit someone in a wheelchair.  It was clearly marked that the specific train was designated for handicapped guests, but the woman who was asked to move had to make a scene over it.

Upon arrival back at the Grand Floridian, we made our way to the concierge floor and past the two concierges engaged in conversation between them to the point they didn’t even see us come out of the elevator and walk directly in front of them.  Let’s face it, we’re hard to miss, so there is no excuse.  They should have stopped talking the moment the elevator doors opened on the off chance there might be a guest who needs something.

Here are some photos of our room, in case you are interested:  Room Photo 1, Room Photo 2.

tuesday, january 7^th – walt disney world-magic kingdom

Anyone who is a light sleeper or who wishes to sleep later than 6:00 AM, should choose a different resort than the Grand Floridian.  Besides the constant fog horn sound we have mentioned previously, the theme music from the grounds begins at 6:00 AM, the soundproofing between rooms is minimal, and the maids seem to be having a party in the hallway most of the morning.  We have never actually seen a maid in the hallway, but they certainly are noisy early on.

Something we didn’t mention yesterday is the overall maintenance condition we have witnessed.  Honestly, we didn’t mention it because we saw nothing of the poor upkeep we had read about.  Epcot in general and all of the attractions we visited were in like-new condition.  Pathways were clean, landscaping tidy, etc.  The only areas we saw that maybe needed a paint touch up were in queues where one would expect it would be difficult to keep things looking perfect.  Otherwise, we thought it looked great.  If you think we are mentioning this as a prelude to what we experienced today in the Magic Kingdom, you guessed correctly.

We visited the concierge lounge in search of food, but found only a basket of cookies and some cheese spread.  No kidding, that’s it.  In addition to coffee and tea, they had two kinds of lemonade and a pitcher of iced tea, plus a tray of bottled water.  No ice was in sight.  Maybe this is due to the slow season, but there is no way enough food is provided to get by without restaurant visits as we had been led to believe by reading various reviews of the hotel. We are in the main building, by the way.

The weather today is a bit cooler, but still clear and sunny.  A jacket was necessary all day, but it wasn’t unpleasant.  We didn’t exactly rush to the Magic Kingdom and so arrived via monorail at around 1:00 PM.  We found it a bit busier than Epcot was yesterday, but certainly not crowded.  With the exception of Tomorrowland, which we will discuss shortly, the exterior maintenance in the Magic Kingdom is rather good.  We saw no evidence of peeling paint or neglect, however, it is painfully obvious that the most attention is lavished on the shops and not the attractions in this regard.

There were no delays in passing through the cursory bag check by security and we found ourselves in front of the famous floral Mickey embellished by the 100 Years logo and a topiary of Mickey Mouse.  Main Street looks as it always has, with Cinderella’s Castle looming in the distance.  Our focus, based on information from various websites, was to stop by Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin to pick up a FastPass.  We stopped on the bridge leading into Tomorrowland for another photo of the castle, then continued on toward our destination.

The posted stand by wait time for Buzz being only 5 minutes, we jumped in line.  The wait was just a couple of minutes and we were off defending the universe.  This is a cute ride, but we wouldn’t wait hours for it.  Timekeeper and Carousel of Progress were “Closed Temporarily” with no signs out front informing guests of this fact.  They just looked abandoned.

The Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland makeover is far more appealing than Disneyland’s dismal failure.  We thought the atmosphere was interesting and a good concept.  Unfortunately, the land is in dire need of a thorough cleaning and a paint job.  It simply looks terrible.  More on this later.

Next stop was Space Mountain, also with a stand by wait time of only 5 minutes.  No need for a FastPass, so we got in line.  This version of the ride is much rougher than Disneyland’s incarnation, but nonetheless enjoyable.  We much prefer the side-by-side seating Disneyland offers, plus the added soundtrack.

We thought a serene trip around Tomorrowland was in order, so we boarded the Tomorrowland Transit Authority with no wait at all.  The condition of the station was abysmal!  Paint was peeling, ledges were filthy, trash was piled up in areas not easily reached by sweepers.  All in all, really disgusting.  How hard can it be to bring out a hose and rinse it off once in a while?  The ride itself was enjoyable and made us long for the good old Peoplemover at Disneyland.  Judging by the number of guests riding this attraction, it does appear that it appeals to many of them.  None of the trains were empty in spite of the light crowds.

From here we went directly to Alien Encounter, again with no wait.  The pre-show area was in dire need of a good dusting, but everything was functional.  We enjoyed this attraction, but a young child behind us was absolutely terrorized.  We’d hate to be her parents dealing with the inevitable nightmares. 

We continued on toward Fantasyland to pick up FastPasses for Winnie the Pooh.  The posted wait time was 45 minutes with a FastPass return a little over an hour away.  FastPass in hand, we took a ride on It’s A Small World.  The condition of this signature attraction was appalling.  The queue area was so dusty that the dirt was hanging in tendrils from the edges of the exit ramp.  The colors of the banners above were dull and they were coated with dust.  Railings were completely rusted through and the boats were so faded and stained it was impossible to discern the original color.  There also seemed to be something amiss with the belts that propel the boats through the loading area.  The ride was so bumpy that it actually made one of us bite our lip.  The interior of the ride was in reasonably good condition though.  We would give Disneyland’s version the edge on this one.

The stand by wait time for Peter Pan was 60 minutes, so we skipped it.  Snow White had a posted time of 15 minutes, but the line seemed to be far longer than that, so we bypassed it also in favor of a stop for food at Pinocchio Village Haus.  We ordered two ¼ lb. Cheeseburgers, fries, and Cokes.  Cost was about $16.00.  The food was edible, but that’s about all we can say for it.

We still had some time to kill before our Pooh return time opened up, so we wandered over to the Haunted Mansion.  The posted wait time was 5 minutes, FastPass was not available or necessary.  This is a classic attraction, not to be missed.  Everything was properly maintained and functional.  We would give this version a slight edge over Disneyland’s original.

Next up was a viewing of the Hall of Presidents.  There was about a 20 minute wait for the next show, which was less than one-quarter full, if that.  The latest incarnation of this show is quite impressive and should be seen by more people.

Time for our return for a ride on Pooh, so we walked back across the park to Fantasyland.  With FastPass there was no wait at all.  We thought this was a cute attraction, but would not want to wait hours for it.  It’s a good enough replacement for Mr. Toad.

It was about 4:00 PM by now and we had covered most of the E-ticket attractions with time to spare.  Next destination, Frontierland to check the wait time for Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Railroad.  Splash’s wait time was only 5 minutes with no FastPass offered, so we picked up FastPass for Big Thunder, which had a wait time of 45 minutes posted.

Maintenance at Splash Mountain was really lacking.  From the beginning of the queue, the entire ride smelled strongly of mildew and rot.  The paint was faded and chipped, the logs were water stained and dull.  All of the animatronics and effects seemed to be in working order, so we do think they are continuing to keep up maintenance on the mechanical aspect of things.  However, the mildew was in evidence on many of the show scenes.  Quite of few of the characters’ clothing was stained with mildew as well.  The ride itself was fun.  We would give the track layout on this version the advantage over Disneyland’s, but we think the animatronics in the original are superior.

We still had some time to kill before our return window for Big Thunder, so we walked over to Pirates of the Caribbean and boarded with no wait whatsoever.  Maintenance on the interior of this attraction was also poor and way overdue.  Time for a complete makeover as they did at Disneyland.  We prefer Disneyland’s version to this one, but it was enjoyable.

Time for a ride on Big Thunder, so we redeemed our FastPass and joined the line.  The 45-minute wait for stand by was manufactured by cutting down on trains and using only one side of the loading dock.  Even with FastPass the wait was about fifteen minutes. Again, we found the lack of upkeep disappointing.  The paint was so faded on the trains that the original color was long gone.  The ride itself was enjoyable, but again, we would give Disneyland’s version the advantage.

Our main purpose in coming to the Magic Kingdom today was to view SpectroMagic at 6:15 PM.  This time of year it runs only on Tuesday and Saturday, so we thought it best to get it done today rather than on a busy Saturday.  With a few minutes to kill and nobody waiting along the street to speak of, we headed over for the last show at the Enchanted Tiki Room - Under New Management at 6:00 PM.  Only about 15 others were in attendance.  We rather liked this updated version for what it is.  Better than ripping it out entirely if that’s the alternative.  Honestly, we didn’t expect to like it, but we thought it was fine as long as the original exists somewhere.

It was 6:15 PM at this point, so we wandered over to Frontierland to find a spot to watch the parade.  No need to worry about finding a place because 75% of the space along the ropes was completely empty.  We found some benches to wait on until just before the parade arrived, at which point we moved up to the rope with no problem.  Even after the parade began there was plenty of room right up front for anyone who came up.  We thoroughly enjoyed the parade and long for the days when something similar appears at Disneyland again.  SpectroMagic Photos:  Fanfare, Peacock, Garden, Ursula, Fantasia, Finale.

The park closes with fireworks at 7:00 PM, so we moved closer to the castle for a view. We weren’t in the best location, but we did have a perfect view of Tinkerbell’s flight and the changing colors of the castle.  They really need to update the fireworks show with something similar to that of Disneyland or Disneyland Paris.  Had we not seen those, we would have thought this was fine, but it pales in comparison.

We hung back a bit for the “crowd” to dissipate, then started slowly making our way out of the park.  We did stop briefly to look in the Disney Gallery shop near the end of Main Street, but didn’t find anything we couldn’t live without.

There was a huge line for the express monorail to the parking lot, but the resort monorail was somewhat more manageable.  The trains arrived almost continuously, so we were on board in less than ten minutes.  They really do have this down to a science.  We were back at the Grand Floridian within 45 minutes of the park’s closing.

We were both extremely tired from lack of sleep and walking all day, but we went in search of food.  We weren’t in the mood for anything fancy, so we had hoped to find something in the concierge lounge.  Sorry, nothing at all at 8:15 PM.  We went down to Gasparilla Grill and picked up an individual cheese pizza, roast beef sandwiches, two small salads, a chocolate shake, two fruit bowls for tomorrow morning, three muffins for tomorrow, a milk and an orange juice.  This set us back about $45.00.  Service was a bit more organized than it was yesterday.

We brought the food up to our room to eat.  By this time, they had set out some desserts in the lounge, so we added a few to our dinner.  Again, we wouldn’t consider what was offered to be sufficient for a meal.  In the ten minutes the food had been set out since the last time we looked, the entire supply of finger sandwiches had been wiped out.

wednesday, january 8^th – walt disney world - animal kingdom & epcot

After filling ourselves with the fruit bowls and muffins we purchased last night, which were very good, we headed down to the bus stop for transport to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  The weather today is the same as yesterday, breezy, cool, and sunny.

A word about Disney transportation…while both the busses and monorail transportation are well organized, clean, and efficient, it is rather time consuming to use them.  We have often waited 20 minutes or more for a bus.  That combined with the actual driving time usually means it takes at least 45 minutes to get from one point to another.  We are here long enough that this isn’t really an issue, but anyone who is trying to squeeze in several theme parks into a limited stay might want to consider taxis or a rental car.

We waited about 20 minutes for a bus to arrive going to Animal Kingdom, which is about a ten-minute drive away.  Disney really should add a monorail link to this park if they expect to build attendance because it is rather isolated.  Once on board the very clean bus, we traveled down the main entrance road toward the park.  We had planned to visit Animal Kingdom Lodge, but we somehow forgot to get off at that stop, so it will have to wait for another day.

The entrance to Disney’s Animal Kingdom is rather unassuming and hidden in the forest.  Once inside the gates, guests choose various winding pathways through the lush vegetation.  The landscaping alone is almost worth the price of admission.  Even the light poles sprout tropical plants.  There are animals in small habitats along the trails, but there were very few animals visible.  We doubt many guests even notice them because the signs are very small and inconspicuous.

Once through the Oasis, we crossed a bridge over the Discovery River to reach the core of Animal Kingdom, Discovery Island and it’s icon, The Tree of Life.  The tree is intricately carved with hundreds of animal figures cleverly entwined in its gnarled roots.  They need to do something about the obviously fake green color of the plastic leaves because the whole thing sticks out like a sore thumb.  Maybe that’s the point, but the tree is so tall that it would hardly be lost in the forest.

Although the walkways look crowded in the photos, the longest posted wait time for anything was 5 minutes.  No FastPass stations were operating as there was no need for it.  The walkways appear crowded in our photos because of the narrow design.  We would hate to try to negotiate this park on a hot, crowded summer day.  They do have misting fans strategically located along the paths, but we would guess they are of limited effectiveness in such a large park.

Our first stop was It’s Tough to be a Bug, a 3D attraction housed under the Tree of Life.  The queue winds its way through the roots of the tree and eventually underground to a bug’s world.  The walk to the entrance took longer than the actual wait, which was about 5 minutes until the next show started.  In addition to the charming 3D movie featuring characters from A Bug’s Life, the attraction features a few audio-animatronic characters, scents, and sensory experiences we won’t spoil for those who have not seen this show.  We enjoyed the show, as did the audience.

We worked our way back toward the first “land”, Dinoland, USA.  The various sections of Animal Kingdom radiate out from Discovery Island.  They have no internal connections to other lands, so a visit here requires a lot of backtracking and walking.  The signage is adequate and we only had to consult a map once.  Entering Dinoland, guests pass under a skeleton of a huge dinosaur that houses a play area.  To the left is the new Chester and Hester’s Dinorama, a recreation of a tacky roadside carnival, complete with midway games and typical rides.  While we agree with critics that this area is rather incongruous, the themeing in itself is quite detailed, right down to the cracked asphalt roadway and rusted old cars parked in the lot.  We didn’t partake in any of the attractions here, but it was fun to look at and note the interesting details.  We do think Disney needs to concentrate more on designing attractions rather than pretty eye candy, but we have to admit this area looks great.

We veered to the right to visit Dinosaur, one of the park’s few major attractions.  It utilizes the same technology as the Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland.  Guests enter a natural history museum, pass 50’s style exhibits and then venture into a new wing where the curators have devised a way to send guests back in time.  Of course, “something goes terribly wrong” and we are sent careening through a meteor shower while encountering ferocious creatures along the way.  This is a fun attraction, but many of the effects are rather stiff and cheesy.  Half of the attraction is so dark there really isn’t anything to see.  In our opinion, this is a bit of a waste of the expensive technology employed.  However, we did enjoy the ride.

After Dinosaur, we wandered through Dinorama and into the newest land, Asia.  Guests cross an authentically themed bridge over the Discovery River.  The themeing in this park is absolutely incredible.  Perhaps it is lost on guests who haven’t traveled to these exotic locales, but take it from us, they have hit all of them right on the head.  Wires dangle every which was from telephone poles, the streets are rutted, weeds sprout from the tops of ramshackle buildings, etc.  The attention to detail here is outstanding.

Animal habitats resemble temples under restoration.  They need to do a better job of labeling these exhibits because no one seemed to realize they were anything except more elaborate themeing.  Along the riverbanks, they have even placed laundry on the stone steps.  Nothing is overlooked in the details.  One could spend hours just examining the amazing scenery.

Asia is the location of another major attraction, Kali River Rapids.  Guests get soaked on this ride, so we opted not to ride.  We don’t mind getting splashed, but soaked is another thing entirely.  The rafts have a covered section in the center for guests to store items they wish to keep dry.  We walked around to the exit of the attraction, passing more elaborately themed structures, but viewing the exit and the guests wringing out their clothing only convinced us we had done the right thing by passing this up.

Adjacent to Asia is Africa, which consists of a ramshackle village authentic down to the last detail.  Well, maybe not all of the details because the bathrooms are clean and nobody grabs at you to sell trinkets.

This area is home to the Kilimanjaro Safari, an amazingly accurate recreation of a safari trek through the savannah.  There is a story line centering around poaching and trying to prevent it, but we thought that it was a bit out of place among the real live animals on display.  Guests board large safari trucks with a live guide who drives them through the various scenes.  The roadway looks like a rutted mud path, but is really a concrete recreation.  Since it is cool out today, we saw many animals up close and personal:  Giraffes, Rhinos, Flamingos, Elephants, and more.  The habitats for the animals are the most realistic we have ever seen.  Zoos with far less money than Disney must be green with envy.  You all know we are hard to impress, but we were IMPRESSED.

At the exit of this attraction is an exploration trail where guests view Bengal Tigers and Gorillas, again in outstanding natural displays.  The tigers are housed in what appears to be an authentic temple ruin.  Along the way are various animals in the most natural habitat possible.  Cast members provide brief explanations and answer questions.  There are several of these exploration trails throughout the park, but we have lost track of exactly where they are located or what we saw.

We didn’t attend either of the live shows.  One is an exotic bird show, the other is Tarzan Rocks, a jungle rock concert concept.  We also skipped the train to Rafiki’s Conservation Station where various ideas regarding conservation are presented.

We’re not sure exactly when we arrived at this park, but it was likely around 11:30 AM.  It is now 1:30 PM and we have seen all of the major attractions and walked the entire property.  While the park is certainly beautiful, Disney needs to get snappy and add attractions to this park pronto.  We realize this elaborate décor costs money, but we doubt many guests on a budget are willing to pay the high admission cost just for pretty scenery.  Since we have annual passes, we don’t care, but for a day visitor the price is simply too high.

We stopped for some fruit smoothies ($3.50 for about 10 ounces) and sat on a rustic concrete bench to watch the guests and take in the scenery.  Have we mentioned enough how authentic the scenery is?  Even the restroom building is themed to resemble a private residence with shops below.

After reviving with our drinks, we browsed the shops.  The merchandise selection in every shop at Walt Disney World is generally the same.  It doesn’t seem to matter what the underlying theme is. For example, in a shop in the most ramshackle section of Africa, one will find Disney Princess paraphernalia.  Can we say sore thumb?  Otherwise, the shops are full of t-shirts, plush, hats, and the usual Disney merchandise.  To be fair, there is usually a token section of whatever the theme happens to be, but by far the vast majority of the items are exactly the same from shop to shop.

We did find a couple of items to purchase.  The cast member offered to send the items to the hotel, which we did.  No inept service in this park.  Everyone is uniformly enthusiastic, friendly, efficient and knowledgeable about whatever it is they do.  Every sales person asked if we wanted our purchases delivered to the hotel, which is a first.  We have always had to bring up the subject on our own.

With nothing else of interest to us, we took another ride on Dinosaur and It’s Tough to be a Bug, with no wait.  The wait time on Dinosaur at 3:00 PM was down to zero minutes.  After this we worked our way back toward the entrance to the park.  The animal-theme Christmas tree still stands out front where they have also installed a shop attempting to unload holiday decorations and ornaments.  Unlike everywhere else on the planet, nothing was on sale.

After finding our way to the bus stop, we waited alone for more than 20 minutes for a bus to Epcot.  Several busses came and went for the Disney/MGM Studios and the TTC, but we’re assuming that is because they are in closer proximity to Animal Kingdom.

Epcot is about a fifteen minute ride away with no traffic whatsoever.  There were quite a few people arriving at Epcot at this time, but it was by no means crowded.  It was, if it’s possible, even less crowded inside than a few days ago.

Our goal was to attend some of the attractions we had skipped last time and then have dinner.  Walking all day and a lack of enough sleep had taken its toll on us by this time, but we pressed on anyway.  First stop was The Living Seas pavilion.

Guests enter a round foyer with a sort of circlevision screen upon which is projected an image of water.  There was, however, no preshow here, just a choice of going to directly to Seabase Alpha via the Hydrolators or viewing a 7-minute movie about the seas.  Guests went either way split about 50/50.  We viewed the movie since we had never been here before.  We don’t remember anything about it other than it was about how the seas were formed and how important they are.  The ceiling of the theater was severely stained with mildew, but otherwise this pavilion is in the same immaculate condition as everything else at Epcot.

After the movie, guests board small “elevators” called Hydrolators that give the illusion of diving to the depths of the ocean to access an undersea research station.  The effect is convincing enough, but could be better.  Once in the station, there are various rooms containing display cylinders of marine life, again in immaculate condition.  Apparently, there used to be a ride that took guests beneath the large tank in the center of the attraction, but this has been walled off and is no longer mentioned.

Honestly, this attraction pales in comparison to some of the newer aquariums in the U.S. and around the world.  They keep pointing out how big the main tank is, but it just isn’t very impressive.  Perhaps it was 20 years ago, but it isn’t all that interesting now.  Our opinion is that this pavilion is rather dated and needs to be revamped.

Hunger called us to the Coral Reef Restaurant that we had heard good things about.  We arrived at 4:20 PM, so we had to wait until the dinner hour of 4:30 PM to be seated.  We did not have priority seating arrangements, but they would not have been necessary even for a later arrival.  We were seated directly in front of the huge glass panels into the main tank.  During our meal a dive session with guests included was in progress.  The leader brought the guests to the windows to wave at the diners.

Our very friendly and efficient server informed us of the day’s special and told us of her favorite items. We ordered some blended drinks, which were outstanding.  A party including four children and about five adults arrived and proceeded to order cheese pizzas for everyone.  Mind you, this is a fish restaurant and none of those items were on the menu.  They were accommodated however.

At our server’s suggestion, we both ordered the Seared Ahi Tuna and one order of the Crab Fritter appetizer.  The appetizer was satisfactory, but nothing special.  The Ahi was outstanding and some of the best we have ever tasted.  It was beautifully presented atop pureed ginger carrots that had a spicy tang.  For dessert we had a sampler of three sorbets and a cheesecake that sounded like an odd flavor, but was very tasty.  The sorbet came with an elaborate display of green “kelp” and a macadamia nut encrusted cookie in the shape of a seahorse.  The server quizzed Dave on what the three flavors of sorbet were.  He knew right away that one was apple, the other strawberry, but couldn’t place the third one.  He finally guessed pineapple, which was correct.  She said no one ever figures out all three of them.  This was by far the best service we have received at Walt Disney World to date.  It is also the most expensive, $96.00 before tip.

Next stop was The Land. We left the Circle of Life film for another day and continued down the ramp to Living with the Land, a boat ride through the greenhouses and a diorama of mildly educational scenes about how we utilize and abuse the land.  This attraction has FastPass, but from what we could see this is simply a way to save manpower and cut down on the number of boats.  We waited about fifteen minutes, during which no boats at all came in to the station.  The interior of the pavilion looks pretty much like a food court from the 80’s.  It is in very good condition, but again, this pavilion is in desperate need of a revamp.  Living with the Land was enjoyable for what it is, but we wouldn’t kill to see it again.

At the exit to Living with the Land is the entrance to Food Rocks, an audio-animatronic show presented by various healthy food items resembling famous rock stars.  Up until the show actually started, we were the only two guests in attendance.  It was almost 7:00 PM, but it appears that the configuration of the entrance causes guests to bypass it without even seeing it.  The show was, well, it’s hard to say.  It wasn’t bad, but looked like it was done on a budget and the story tried too hard to get the point across.  Plus, we’re not quite sure what healthy eating has to do with The Land.  We wouldn’t return to this attraction either.

It was dark by now, but we headed over to ride Journey Into Imagination with Figment again.  There were only four other guests in the immediate vicinity and on the ride itself.  We really enjoyed this attraction.  Although we never saw the original incarnation, this must be a big improvement over the version without Figment because he seems to be the major entertainment factor in the show.  We highly recommend this ride.

The large Christmas tree at the entrance to World Showcase had been removed and the planter re-done with new annuals since our previous visit a few days ago.

Although we were quite tired of walking by this point, we decided to do a couple of World Showcase pavilions.  We started with Mexico’s El Rio de Tiempo, a sort of Mexican version of It’s a Small World combined with rear-projected movie scenes like the old If You Had Wings attraction that used to be in Tomorrowland.  Boy, does this ride need an update or what?  Talk about stereotyping.  The fireworks effect in the final scene was good though.  This is the only World Showcase pavilion that is completely inside.  The boats travel past a Mexican restaurant ala Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland.  The center of the pavilion resembles a village square selling every manner of Mexican crafts and souvenirs.  We checked the price on a brightly painted ceramic sun that we had seen in Mexico for $2.00.  It was $15.00 here.

Next to Mexico is the Norway pavilion and it’s attraction, Maelstrom.  This ride has FastPass, but it was not operational and there was no wait.  By the way, we don’t have any photos of World Showcase yet because we have always visited at night.  We promise we’ll get there during the day and bring you come pictures!  Maelstrom is a boat ride through Norwegian tales of trolls and such.  When we invade a troll’s forest, he sends us backwards over a waterfall.  A very short waterfall, however.  Other than the interesting way the boats are turned backwards, there isn’t much excitement here and the ride is very short.  Again, an update should be in the works or we can’t imagine why FastPass will be necessary in the future.  The ride ends with a 5-minute movie about the Spirit of Norway, which 80% of the guests walked right through as soon as the doors opened.  We viewed the film and found it mildly interesting.

After this we decided to beat the crowds and head toward the main entrance.  We stopped to shop along the way for all sorts of stuff we don’t need, will never use, and probably won’t be able to imagine what the heck we were thinking when we bought it.  However, the service was friendly and everyone offered the hotel delivery service.  Again, all of the shops sell basically the same plush, t-shirts and such.  We always buy something we can turn into a Christmas ornament, assuming there isn’t a ready-made version.  We found some ornaments to buy with the 100 Years logo, but we still wanted something with the Epcot logo alone.  We searched all of the shops and found nothing.  Everything is either 100 Years or WDW generic.  Finally we asked someone working in Mouse Gear, a huge character merchandise shop in the center of Future World.  She immediately found keychains that would suffice for the purpose.  However, the entire stock of Epcot logo merchandise consisted of two kinds of keychain and a sweatshirt.  Let’s get back to the park-specific merchandise and ditch some of the generic plush, OK?

Some advice if you visit Epcot, leave before the end of Illuminations!  We exited the park at around 8:45 PM and found virtually no one waiting for the monorail to the TTC.  The same was true when we transferred from the Epcot monorail to the resort monorail at the TTC.  No wait at all.  Just fifteen minutes later and the wait would be at least 30 minutes just to board.

Back at the Grand Floridian we dragged ourselves to the elevator to the third floor.  There, we found a concierge standing directly in front of the elevator doors.  He said nothing to us and did nothing to acknowledge our presence, in spite of the fact that we were less than 2 feet away from him.  Another young man stood behind his desk looking like a deer caught in headlights. He also said nothing as we passed him.  When we turned around to go up the stairs to check the food selection, we found that the concierge at the elevator had returned to picking his face in the shiny brass plate on the wall.  Charming.

We did find the dessert selection to be much improved tonight.  There were several trays of mini fruit tarts, fancy individual pastries, cupcakes, a basket of cookies and pitchers of milk.  This was a reasonable amount of food, but since it is rather inconsistent it really isn’t something that should be relied upon.

thursday, january 9^th – walt disney world - disney/mgm studios

Although we woke up early, as usual, we didn’t venture out until around 11:30 AM.  All we had for breakfast were the two bananas we got from the concierge lounge last night, but we wanted to get started with our day.  It is warmer today than it has been this week, but it is no where near being hot.  No jackets necessary today though.

We arrived at the bus stop at the same time a bus to the Studios did, so no time was wasted in transit today.  The drive took about fifteen minutes and we were at the gate.  There were only about eight other guests on the bus.  So far, every bus we have taken to a theme park has gone there directly with no stops.

The scene is set at the Studios with a main gate resembling the façade of the Pan Pacific Auditorium.  Immediately inside the gate is the “Crossroads of the World” monument topped by Mickey Mouse.  The themeing here is incredible in its recreation of old Hollywood.  Anyone familiar with Los Angeles or Hollywood will recognize most of the buildings along Hollywood Boulevard.  Shops are housed in buildings such as an old gas station, a craftsman bungalow, art deco office buildings, etc.  There are “Streetmosphere” performers along the road to provide another touch of authenticity.  Although Sunset Boulevard, the route to the Tower of Terror attraction, looks crowded in the photo, the park was no more crowded than any have been this week. 

We headed directly for the Tower of Terror to pick up a FastPass, but upon arrival we discovered this wasn’t necessary.  The posted wait time was 13 minutes all day.  The details of this derelict hotel and its overgrown grounds are astonishing.  The queue winds through the gardens, past a ruined fountain, and into the dust and cobweb covered lobby.  The scene is set as though the people in the lobby just vanished and left their belongings behind.  Guests are ushered into a cobweb filled library for the pre-show introduced by Rod Serling himself on a black and white TV in the corner.  Cast members wear old bellhop costumes and attempt to adhere to the theme with their attitude.  Most of them really seem to get into it.

From the library, we proceed in to the basement boiler room to board freight elevators.  These elevators take us up to view the ghostly apparitions of five guests who vanished when the hotel was struck by lighting.  After the guests disappear, the hallway transforms into a very convincing star field with a window at the end.  The window starts to rotate and float toward us when it suddenly shatters and we move up another few floors.  At this point, the doors open and we are transported into the Twilight Zone.  The elevator car rolls into complete darkness and begins to drop suddenly.  A variety of spooky scenes appear and the car rises and falls several times.  All the while, the elevator doors open onto the section of the hotel that is missing to reveal that we are 12 floors above the ground.  The attraction was recently reprogrammed so that each ride includes a random pattern of drops and special effects.  We rode the attraction three times and never experienced the same drop sequence or effects.  We expected this would be a fun attraction, but it was far better than we anticipated.  This is a not to be missed attraction.

After our second ride later in the day, we stopped to purchase some ride-specific merchandise.  The manager serving us told us that the version coming to California Adventure will be a full-fledge, state of the art update and not a stripped-down budget attraction.  We’ll believe it when we see it, but it would be nice.

We can’t quite recall the exact order we experienced all of the attractions today, but we were able to see everything we wanted to except the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular.  After the first ride on Tower of Terror, we rode the Rock ‘n Roller Coaster with no wait at all.  This ride was fun, but nothing special. 

Lunch was at the authentically recreated Hollywood Brown Derby.  We were seated without a wait and no Priority Seating.  We found the food and service to be outstanding.  We had the cobb salad, a BBQ chicken Caesar salad, a chicken quesadilla, and the famous Brown Derby Grapefruit Cake.  Everything was fine.  Price for all of this was about $47.00 with no alcoholic beverages.  We were amused by the casting of the crotchety old maitre ‘d and the old lady as the hostess.  We don’t know if they do it on purpose, but they certainly were authentic. When we walked by this establishment at 6:30 PM, the line was out the door.

We strolled past the Farmer’s Market food court and back to the center of the Studios where a giant sorcerer’s hat (and shop, of course) obscures the view of the former park icon, the Chinese Theater.  The theater façade and lobby are faithful reproductions of the original.  The Great Movie Ride is housed here.  This ride is in dire need of a technology update.  If guests are going to be that up close and personal with audio-animatronic figures, they need to look more lifelike than these do.  The ride recreates famous scenes from the movies.  Along the way the large vehicles are accosted by either a gangster (this is the scene we got) or cowboy bandits.  Live actors interact with the animatronics to somewhat limited success.  We really didn’t see much point to any of the live action.  The “grand finale” is a movie montage that is a total letdown.  There are certainly some who love this attraction, but we really do think it is time for a major revamping.  The concept is good, it just needs some tweaking.  This was the longest wait of the day, fifteen minutes.

Next we wandered in the wrong direction in search of another attraction.  The layout of this park is very confusing with many dead ends and areas that look like they should house shops or attractions, but do not.  We had difficulty figuring out the correct route even after consulting the map.  We ended up on New York Street which is billed as a movie set.  The area was nearly devoid of guests and looked as though we shouldn’t really be there.  At the end of the street is Washington Square, behind which is Residential Street.  This area is used for the Osborne Lights display, but it had ended on the 5^th.

We also viewed “Beauty and the Beast Live” just because the timing was right.  It was OK for a theme park show, but we wouldn’t attend if time was limited.  We felt the same way about the Backstage Studio Tour.  This tour consists of a walking tour and water effects show involving some members of the audience, then a tram tour through the expected studio workshops and a section called Catastrophe Canyon where “something goes terribly wrong” and we are nearly drowned.  This tour was a complete waste of time and could be presented in a much more entertaining way.  The wait was only 5 minutes, so it wasn’t a total loss.

Muppet Vision 3D was a walk-on and very entertaining.  The show includes some funny gags and special effects.  We would visit this attraction again.  We also walked through the 100-year attraction, One Man’s Dream to view models, photos and memorabilia from Walt Disney’s life.  This attraction concludes with a movie biography of Walt Disney that was informative and interesting.

We rode the Tower of Terror two more times.  The first had a wait time of about 20 minutes due to some technical difficulties.  However, we exited and walked right back on with no wait whatsoever.

It appeared that the entire attendance was flowing toward the showing of Fantasmic at 6:00 PM.  The performance is at 7:00 PM, so get there early if you are interested in seeing it.  We didn’t care since we have seen the Disneyland version, so we stopped in a few shops and bought more stuff we don’t need.  The service at this park is uniformly friendly and efficient.

Just a general comment that the upkeep at the Studios is outstanding.  No peeling paint or dusty attractions here.  It is a shame that the attractions in the Magic Kingdom have been allowed to deteriorate so badly because it really does make a difference when rides are clean and like-new.

We beat the crowd by about a half hour and rode the bus back to the Grand Floridian.  We stopped briefly at the Contemporary and the Polynesian, but no one got on for the ride back to the Studios.

Completely worn out after walking all day, we stopped by the room briefly to clean up before going to Narcoosee’s Restaurant overlooking the Seven Seas Lagoon.  We had to wait for about ten minutes, which was acceptable.  We didn’t have Priority Seating arrangements.

The service and food were outstanding and couldn’t be better.  Every employee we encountered during our meal went out of their way to be pleasant.  Service was so  prompt we couldn’t believe it, especially since the restaurant was full.  We had the mixed garden greens salad (satisfactory, but nothing special), and the Grilled Pork Loin, which was outstanding.  We didn’t order dessert.  Price tag for this meal was $67 before tip.

On the way up to the room, we stopped by the concierge lounge to pick up some dessert.  The selection was as bountiful as it was last night, so we were able to stock up a bit.  We also stopped at Gasparilla Grill for some muffins for breakfast tomorrow.

Back at the room we basically sat around watching TV.  At around 11:00 PM there were fireworks over the Magic Kingdom in full view of our room.  We assume the park was open for a private party since there is a large convention group staying at the hotel.

friday, january 10^th – walt disney world - epcot world showcase

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