September 7, 2014

Day two

 

As I have been doing the last couple of years, My first breakfast on property is Boma right after I eat there for dinner the night before.  Since you can’t travel from resort to resort, I need to go to a theme park or Downtown Disney first. I plan to go to Animal Kingdom then transfer to a Animal Kingdom Lodge bus.  My ADR for Boma is 9 am.  My alarm is set for 7 am. I am out of the room by 8 with the scooter.

 

My shirt of the day, just for the studios

 

What I always wanted on the back

Of my scooter, a Coney Island Pennent

 

Even though my bus went from Pop Century to Animal Kingdom, that doesn’t mean it will be returning back to Pop Century.  They redirect buses all the time to where they are needed.  When we arrive at Animal Kingdom, we park where I am pretty sure is the bus station for the lodge.  I asked the bus driver and sure enough our next stop will be Animal Kingdom Lodge, well after we stop at their DVC resort.  So I will be making good time.

 

I check in and get seated all the way in the back.. as usual. Looks like a table I had last year.  Too bad they don’t have more tables for two towards the front.

 

I get a couple of made to order omelets, scrambled eggs, bacon mostly.  I get Apple juice to drink.  The made to order omelets, I have them add cheddar cheese, onions, and bacon bits.  Did I mention I like made to order omelets? :)  I do.

 

After eating, I am heading to the bus station and Disney Hollywood Studios, what I call just the Studios.

 

I entered the studios and head up Hollywood Blvd.  Here is what I will be calling ‘scooter cam’  Video taken by a pair of sunglasses with a built in camera.  This is video of me once off the bus, heading towards Toy Story Midway Mania.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 People are already lining up a parade.  Anna and Elsa from Frozen.  I head toward Toy Story Midway Mania.  I roll up and ask the person about the new handicap system.  They tell me both lines can handle scooters now.  I will ride this later.  So I decide to go to the Backlot Tour.

 

Because of lightening in the immediate area, they have this attraction shut down.  One of the workers does comment about my Warriors t-shirt.  Heading to Muppetvision.

 

Here is the video taken of the preshow.  Don’t let the first minute or two turn you off from watching it.  It does get better.

 

 

 

 

 

And here is the video of the main show, sans the 3d effect of course.

 

 

 

 

 

When I get to Muppetvision 3D.  It is the same handicap system that has been in place for years.  Watching the preshow, I see they added elements from the latest Muppet movie.  I am glad I recently watched the movie so I can understand what was going on better.

 

I head to the Great Movie Ride.  Again I get to the fast pass entrance, seeing if I can enter through here.  He sends me to the normal queue.  Now the normal queue is totally empty till you enter the room where they show you the same loop of movies forever.  If the queue was so empty, the person manning the FP entrances could have let me enter there.  The ropes in the normal queue were sometimes very narrow.

 

Here is a video of me entering the queue with my scooter and some part of the ride… before the batteries died in the Scooter cam. :)

 

 

 

 

Exiting Great Movie Ride, it is raining very heavy.  This is why I got the canopy for the scooter.  The water does pool up on top, and when I make turns, it pours down, mostly on my legs.  Not sure what to do.

 

I decide to go on Toy Story again.  The posted wait says 55 minutes.  But people are exiting the attraction, and the wait seems shorter.  One of the handicap cars has besides the pull string to shoot, also have a button on it.  I get this car.  It is allot easier on the arm then pulling the string.  I have a FP+ return time for Toy Story in a ˝ hour.  I am going to request the button gun again.

 

 

 

my score

 

Some photos around the park

yes, the sign does say 10 minutes, but I don’t ride it

 

 

To use up some time. I went to the Writer Shop, got a cookie and a drink.  A sugar cookie shaped like Mickey with its ears dripped in chocolate.  I get a Powerade with it. I try and pay for it at the counter where I got the cookie, but their computer register isn’t working or something and I sent to another line.

 

After eating outside on the scooter, which is making the chocolate melt.  I head back to Toy Story to use my FP+.  I get to the point where I use my Magic Band.  But I had a little incident.  I am wearing my camera around my neck.  When I went to do ‘Mickey to Mickey’, the camera lens pushes against the reverse lever on the scooter and I start moving backwards before realizing why it was moving.  No one got hurt.

 

I make it to the handicap ride entrance.  I ask for the gun with the button.  The CM says it will be a longer wait, about 5 minutes for that ride car to cycle through the attraction.  I tell him, I don’t mind waiting, but I am given the car with just a pull string.  I do get a better score then before, but it is still hard on the arm.

 

the view from the handicap boarding area

 

my second score of the day

 

Exiting Toy Story… its raining again.  What else is new?  I ride my rain proof scooter to One Mans Dream.  Lots of people are ducking into the walk through attraction.  I joke to the CM making sure the entrance is clear of people seeking cover from the rain, that I meant to come inside, not just because it is raining.

 

Some photos

Walt Disney’s office

 

a original Dumbo from the attraction

 

from a certain favorite movie, which spawned a favorite ride, sadly, no longer there

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am in the third rain event of the day.  I am starting to worry about Fantasmic tonight.  I head to The Voyage of the Little Mermaid.  My fast pass plus is for 3:10, which gets me in the 3:30 show.  In one of those what am I thinking moments, I wait for my 3:10 FP+ return time.  I could have entered the attraction before, but I wasn’t thinking.  So I wait around the corner watching those brave souls run around in the pouring rain.

 

I enter the FP entrance and directed to the normal handicap entrance.  The CM guided me, telling others they can’t sit where the handicap scooters and wheel chair parties queue.

 

Here is my video from Voyage.

 

 

 

 

 

After Voyage, its raining again.  Now it feels like a constant rain, not a quick downpour and clearing.  I stop by the Fantasmic entrance and ask, Since I have the Fantasmic Dinner Package, which is only dated for today, what can I do?  I am told that if the show is rained out, I can use the pass for the next 5 performances.  Hopefully it isn’t rained out. I know my next couple of nights, I have hard plans, can’t be changed.

 

I decide to do a little shopping.  I head to the Sorcerer’s Hat to look at pins.  Remember yesterday buying that Spectromagic pin?  I see two others, not on display, but a photo on a peg board.  I ask the CM at the counter about it.  She is very nice.  She tells me there is a set of 4.  I show her the pin I bought yesterday.  I had the photo of it on my smart phone.  She tells me, she has 2 of the missing pins at this location.  The 4th is at another pin station near the intersection of Hollywood and Sunset Blvds.  I purchase the two pins she has, and she offers to escort me to the other pin kiosk to purchase the final pin of the set.  I feel bad, I have a scooter, but she needs a cane to walk to the short distance.  I do get the missing 3 pins.  Here they are.

 

 

and here again is the photo of what I bought yesterday

 

I am not one for pin collecting, but I am happy I have the full set of these pins.  These are keepers, not for trading.

 

I ride over to the Muppetvision souvenir store.  They have some interesting new items, but nothing that attracts my attention.  They do have this poster from the last movie.

 

 

I head to do Toy Story for the third time today.  Even the CM recognized me by saying welcome back. :)  Again I ask for the gun with the button as some people never heard of it before, and I wanted to take a photo to share.  Here is the photo.

 

 

and my score…

 

The ease of having to press a button as opposed to pulling the string doesn’t help my score.  But it does help my arm not hurting.

 

I head over to Hollywood and Vine for my dinner adr.

 

I checked into just after 6 at Hollywood and Vine.  I waited about 10 minutes to be seated.  I rate my service at buffets like this.  Great service means I get a new glass of soda before I finish the old one.
Average service, I have to wait a minute to get my glass refilled.  Bad service is I have a long wait to get a new glass of soda.  The service went from bad to great.

 

My Fantasmic Dinner Package Pass

 

Create a pasta dish



I finished eating after
7:30.  I then headed to the Fantasmic theater.  It’s a steady rain, not a quick downpour and done.  But everyone is still saying it may be possible still.

Once at the theater itself, I was shown where to park the scooter and I transferred to a regular seat in the appropriate section for dining package.  I again asked what would happen if the show was cancelled.  I was told that my pass is good for 5 days.  So I put on my rain poncho, water proofed my smartphone and took out my waterproof camera just in case they did do the show.  The bench itself was wet, but sat down anyway.

They made several announcements saying the show may be delayed or canceled due to weather.

 

At 8 pm for a 8:30 show, I look around the theater, and its very empty.  Here are some photos.

 

sorry about how the image came out,

it was raining after all :)



The theater itself with 15 minutes before the start was just about 1/2 empty.  I have never seen that theater so empty.  I wonder, who is smarter, the people waiting out for the show, or the people who just didn’t bother to show up.

At
8:27, they made the announcement, due to bad weather, the show was canceled.  But they will do a Fantasmic 'Light' show.  It played the ending music with fire, water screens with no projection on it, explosions, and fireworks.  Show lasted a couple of minutes.  Here is the video

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Leaving, another worker mentioned that those with the dinner package will have their pass honored for the next 5 performances.   I maybe able to see it Thursday. I have both dessert packages and not so scary for the next couple of days.

Even with the theater 1/2 empty, getting out was still a chore.  The amazing part was the bus that pulled out of the Studios back to Pop wasn’t full to capacity, just a couple of people had to stand.

Tomorrow is
Magic Kingdom finally with breakfast at The Crystal Palace.