Disney World Trip: Day 3 & 4

DAY THREE: Saturday - June 12, 2004

Because I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to attend MGM Studios during Star Wars weekends… we did early entry to MGM to start our third day. We began by riding the ‘biggies’… then we attended the special Star Wars millionaire show. Again, very well done. I knew all the answers… but I just wasn’t fast enough to get into the hot seat. After the show, my wife turned and asked what I was good for if I couldn’t even win a Star Wars trivia game? I think she was joking… maybe. Before the show began, several SW characters roamed the crowd; including a Gamorrean Guard and Chewbacca.

The cast members who dressed up as Star Wars characters were great. I saw a guy who wanted to get his picture taken with an Imperial Stormtrooper, so he started to put his arm around the Stormtrooper’s shoulder. The Stormtrooper knocked the guy’s arm off his shoulder and quickly turned and waved his finger ‘no’ to the guy. Then he proceeded to aim his gun at the guy’s chest at looked at the camera for the picture. It was very funny to see and added a nice touch to the experience.

I really enjoyed the ‘One Man’s Dream’ tribute attraction for Walt Disney. It was nicely done and very interesting to watch. I was, however, VERY disappointed with the ‘new’ animation tour; it was sad to not see any animators working. This attraction is only a shell of what it used to be.

My three favorite attractions at MGM Studios: Rock ‘N Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Muppetvision 4D (yes, this is getting old, but it is such a riot! I would pay money to get the preshow on DVD!) My two least favorite attractions: Great Movie Ride, Animation Tour.

After a relaxing afternoon, it was off to the Magic Kingdom for the night. Another one of our traditions at WDW is to go to the Dole Ice Cream in Adventureland to order some Pineapple Ice Cream each time we visit the Magic Kingdom. We did this in the pouring rain… then we targeted some indoor attractions like Country Bear Jamboree and my personal favorite: Haunted Mansion.

I really love Magic Kingdom at night! (Really, the same can be said of each park that remains open after nightfall.) I especially enjoy Main Street and Tomorrowland at night.

I was also reminded that there really is no good time to go to Magic Kingdom… that park seems like it is always full. We ate dinner at the Tall Tale Inn and we both ordered this chicken wrap salad type thingie. We both loved it. It was my favorite counter service meal all week.

We decided to skip the parade and fireworks and just focus on attractions this evening. So, we were able to take in Pirates of the Caribbean, (almost empty) the Tiki Show, (maybe twenty people total watching the show) and the Transit Authority (Now paging ‘T. Morrow’). The Magic Kingdom truly is a place that has something for everybody.

DAY FOUR: Sunday - June 13th, 2004

Because I am a geek, we went back to MGM Studios on Sunday morning to continue to enjoy the last day of Star Wars weekends. We saw a little documentary on the Star Wars trilogy… it definitely piqued my interest and got me excited about seeing Episode III next May.

We also stopped by the Indiana Jones Stunt Show in the morning. I know that I’ve read a few people say that the attraction is getting old and the dialogue is predictable… but I really enjoy this show. Maybe it’s just me being sentimental about the movies that I loved as a kid… but I really enjoy seeing the big sets that I am so familiar with. I love how the explosions are so big that you can feel the heat all the way in the back of the stadium! This show never gets old for me. I hope the Motor stunt show doesn’t put Indy out of business. (Unless it means them building an Indy dark ride like the one at Disneyland!)

We were able to take the Backlot Tour. I had mixed feelings about this. Is it just me, or does it seem like the studio is leaning more and more towards being a full-time theme park… and less and less towards being working movie studio? We try to visit WDW every two years or so… each time we ride this ride… the Back Lot seems to get less and less active and interesting. The canyon remains the highlight of this tour… but it is becoming the ONLY highlight. The only other interesting thing back there is seeing the construction of the Motor Stunt Show.

I have a couple other thoughts about some of the other attractions at MGM. I really enjoy Star Tours, but I really wish they could work with Lucasfilm to shoot a few more shows. Maybe a tour through the snow-walker battle on Hoth, or a different tour through another space battle. Another attraction I visited was ‘Sounds Dangerous’ (this was actually the first time I experienced this one). I thought it was pretty funny and intriguing.

We finished our day at Epcot… our vote for the best park at night. We ate dinner at the Garden Grill… a rotating restaurant that served their meal family style. All the while, Chip, Dale, and the Big Mouse himself were strolling by our tables trying to infuse our meal with a little Disney magic. It was in these awkward times that we really missed our daughter. We would have loved to see her face when Mickey Mouse came by the table for a visit. All in all, the food was pretty good and we both decided that we would be willing to visit that restaurant again.

I love the American Adventure. I forgot how much that show pulls your patriotic heart strings. We also took in Illuminations. Not enough can be said about how amazing this show is. Disney certainly knows how to put on a light and firework show! From the pyrotechnics to the big globe in the middle of the lagoon… this is such an unforgettable experience!