Our first full day at Disney. After a quick breakfast, we walked down to the Boardwalk and grabbed a boat to Hollywood Studios. The weather was overcast but warm enough to wear shorts with sweaters.
The place was buzzing as we walked up to the front gate. Jeremy and Corbin were excited. Tina and I noticed a lot of groups of Brazil. Like everywhere. We walked over to the Tower of Terror ride. Corbin didn't want to go on it, but I did manage to talk Tina into going.
Like all Disney rides, the waiting line is broken up into section. First, you get herded into a room where Rod Sterling appears on TV, telling you what happened at the Hollywood Tower Hotel. Then you end up in the basement. Next, you are guided to a number on the floor in front of the elevator doors. The doors open and you take your seat, buckle in and wait in anticipation. The ride moves up and you are treated to some more Disney theatre.
All of a sudden the 'car' moves forward and then into a completely dark room. Oh oh. Then the car drops. And I mean it drops. Then it goes back up. It drops. Up. Drops. I swear that on one drop the hang time was at least 5 or so seconds. Tina was screaming. That was a great ride. Exiting the ride, there was a boutique that had your picture. And there was Tina and I in our glory - me with my eyes closed (or looking away from the camera) and Tina with one of the best terrified looks ever. So we had to get the picture.
Corbin and I walked over to the Rock and Roll Roller Coaster and got a FastPass despite the tour groups were taking all the FastPasses. We wandered around some more, and ended up in the Pixar area. The wait for Toy Story Mania was at least 50 minutes. FastPass was available for 4:00 PM - I kid you not. So we waited in line to take pictures with Buzz Lightyear and Woody.
I noticed that the line to Toy Story Mania was much shorter and the wait was only 30 minutes. Part way through the line is a talking Potato Head that has a conversation with you. So Corbin had an excellent chat. Toy Story Mania is a ride - two people per car - where you wear 3D glasses and shot a gun at different scenes. It's a blast. Even my mom loved the ride.
Headed back to the Rock And Roll Roller Coaster. Didn't have to wait too long with our FastPass. Had an issue after boarding the ride in that Corbin put his arms inside the restraint. A castmember came over and politely told Corbin to put his arms outside. Then it was launch time. That was an amazing launch. Then loops and rolls and all sorts of crazy things. Stopped in at the photo booth and purchased the photo of Corbin and I for delivery to our hotel.
Grabbed our first Disney Dining Plan counter-service during lunch time. An ample individual pizza, salad, pop and a desert. Corbin gobbled up the pizza. Jeremy did too. The desert was good. We were all full.
Tina had had enough of Corbin's anxiety of waiting in line and walked over with Corbin to Customer Services to obtain a Guest Assistance Card. The rest of us shopped in the stores. My mom bought a beautiful jacket to keep her warm. The great thing about staying in the park is the ability to charge purchases to your room. No need to keep a lot of cash or credit cards on you.
The Guest Assistance Card made a difference. We were able to utilize the FastPass line when available. It also enabled us to wait in a more quiet area for any shows. It came in handy for the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. One of the Castmembers even gave us a tip about how to beat the crowd out (wait for Indy to shoot the gun and the explosion and then leave - where you can head over the Star Tours or Jedi Training Academy and beat the crowd). The Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular was a hit. We all loved it. Jeremy and Corbin were speechless.
Next we took a ride on Star Tours and then walked around some more going to a few more rides and attractions before calling it quits due to the high crowd levels. Those tour groups really messed up the day.
Posted by Adam
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