Friday, June 1
Hollywood Studios
This was our first time driving to a Disney park and parking in its lot. It didn't go badly. Everything is clearly signed, and there are castmembers showing you exactly where to park your car. I like how the lots are organized in such a way that allows a lot of guests to pull out forward. Julie showed me how to save my parking location on Google Maps. Another one of those things we wonder how we survived without before now.
When we finally got to the gate (our magic bands still worked, sure enough) it was nearly 11am. I led us directly to Tower of Terror because I was under the impression that we had a 10:55 fastpass. I get there and scan my band only to be told that our fastpass isn't until 12:00. At first I was convinced that the system had reassigned our time without my authorization, but after taking a deep breath, I accepted the likelihood that I had simply gotten the time mixed up. So we just did some shopping and looking around to kill and hour.
While browsing in one gift shop, we actually ran into Jordan's band instructor. This was the only day his band had planned to be in the same park we were.
When noon finally arrived, we headed to the Tower. All four of us were riding this time, not just me and Jacqueline like last time. It was as great as I remember. No ride video this time, just as I was told, due to old magic bands.
After this, the kids started hollering for something to eat. We basically wandered around until we found ourselves at the ABC Commissary. It was packed. I hadn't expected to see crowds like that until after Toy Story Land opened, which wasn't due to happen for almost a month. But the wife and kids managed to find a table, and although they tried to short me a lemonade, I finally got all our food. I cannot say I was impressed with this dining experience. My chicken strips were okay but nothing special. I do not watch network TV that often, but I did see something on display from my favorite ABC series.
After lunch, we had a fastpass for Rock & Rollercoaster. I've never been a big fan of Aerosmith's style of music, but I recognized their legendary status in the industry. The theming was cool, and the ride itself was pretty awesome. Jacqueline was a little afraid when she learned that it included an inverted loop, but once she did it, she decided she loved it. Poor Julie, with her meniere's disease, had some difficulty with the wild twists and turns. Jordan seemed to handle it okay. From here we went to Walt Disney Presents (formerly One Man's Dream) and enjoyed a look back at the man and his creations. We got to see the miniature mock-up of Toy Story Land, knowing we would be long gone before it was open. I was a little disappointed they didn't have a full-size model of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge; they only had a couple of the buildings modeled. I was, however, thrilled to see there was at least some memory of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea here. That is one of my all-time favorite Disney films.
After watching the Incredibles 2 preview at the end of WDP, we rode Star Tours. Well, some of us did. Julie knew from last time that she couldn't handle this ride, so she went shopping. I loved Star Tours as much as ever, but I felt my stomach being pushed to its limits. I don't know if it was a full stomach, the heat, or both. When I got off the ride, I discovered that Julie had bought me a pair of Star Wars light-up headband ears. It looks really cool in the dark, but it's a little heavy and hard to wear without worrying constantly that it will fall off.
Julie had thought about trying to catch a later showing of Beauty and the Beast, but by now everyone was pretty much ready to go. We hadn't had dessert after lunch, so we consulted Google Maps for the nearest ice cream place. There is a Cold Stone Creamery in Celebration, so we went there. It was great, even better than our Marble Slab back home. It wasn't crowded, either. It was a nice way to relax after a hot, busy day at a park. After we were done, I ran to the Publix next door to grab some water and drinks to get us through until I could do a full shopping trip at Walmart. The Publix in Celebration is nice and quiet but very expensive.
Later, we went to Golden Corral for dinner. It was insanely crowded, but we managed to have a decent meal.
That night, when everyone else went to bed, I made my first (and last!) trip to the new Walmart on Old Lake Wilson Road. I had thought I had seen "busy" Walmarts before, but this one took "busy" to a whole new level. But I needed a lot of stuff. Especially more bottled water. The tap water in that area is absolutely horrible. It tastes like sulfur and smells like barely treated sewer water. I did not remember the water being that bad during our last trip three years ago. Anyway, after filling my basket and surviving the insane checkouts, I headed back to the condo and went to bed.
