Saturday 26 May, 01
The Cast:
Sean Yoda age 36
Pamela ‘meeko’ age 32 ½
Biscuit Meeko stuffed raccoon age 5 1/2
Brer Bunny (Biscuit’s stuffed buddy) age
1 ½
Mickey woke us again, and not for the first time, we wondered if the wakeup system didn’t have some serious glitches in it. There was about a 15 second lag between when the phone is answered & when Mickey’s message is delivered.
Today we were to have fun at the Star Wars Weekend at Disney Studios. Sean & I headed out on the bus to the Disney/MGM Studios and got there around 10am. Outside the gate was a huge crowd. Sean reassured me these were just folks buying tickets but we still had a bit of a wait to get through. The heat was pretty intense and we worked on finishing our sodas from the food court while the line slowly passed through the turnstiles.
While we waited, a couple of stormtroopers clad in their white protective armor walked above pointing their laser rifles at us and heckling us with sound loops. People took photos and laughed at their little sound bites. After each loop you could hear what sounded like perhaps a jet or space cruiser taking off. I never figured out what it was supposed to be, as we were through the gate and on our way to the guest relations window for our Fantasmic! Dinner Package PS.
The latest PS they could give us was Mama Melrose’s at 420pm. We also took a PS for 50’s Prime Time Café. We had about an hour for our lunch. What to do?? We first went to “Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Play It!” and got a Fastpass for the 1155am show. Hopefully we would get served quick at lunch and be able to make it before the 1205pm expiration. We walked around and took some photos and then headed back to check in for our PS.
We checked in there and they had us wait in the ‘living room’ until “MOM” called us in for lunch. I had a great time walking around taking photos of the different setups, the 50’s style bar and the old TVs where you could see a reel of opening day at Disneyland! Sean walked around taking video of the place. I can’t wait to see it! =) Eventually after we had taken in everything, used the bathroom down the hall (where it’s shared with Hollywood & Dine).
Christy was our server and she immediately gave us the ground rules about not putting our elbows on the table and that we’d need to set our own table. I found later that she was a very mellow server as the “mom” at the next table was constantly haranguing her guests and had actually placed a paper hat on a guest that read “Elbow King.” I got a good giggle out of that, but noticed a few minutes later the poor fellow had donned a pair of sunglasses so he wouldn’t be recognized. Not that any of us would have known who he was.
Sean & I started off with a couple of Malts. Sean had chocolate & I had strawberry. They came in those ice cold steel tumblers that we had to stir a bit to get the malt mixed in right. Pouring them into our glasses they just looked so good & tasted quite yummy! For lunch I ordered what was called a “bbq chicken sandwich” and Sean had the fried chicken.
Sean’s fried chicken looked good. A hearty portion served with mashed potatoes and green beans. My chicken sandwich was HUGE and was served with steak cut french fries. I actually managed to finish most all my sandwich, but left a couple fries on the plate. I did ask our server about one thing. The chicken is listed as “bbq rubbed chicken sandwich” but really doesn’t have any bbq or spice on it. The only thing we can figure is the light coat of black pepper sauce they put on it before grilling the chicken. It was a great sandwich but it had no kick to it as I had expected it might.
For dessert, Christy had brought out the ViewMaster earlier, which I joked “hey it’s the pinkeye ViewMaster” and Sean quickly noted that he wasn’t actually putting his face to the device. I looked too, and it had about 7 different traditional dessert items but nothing really appealed to me after such a huge meal. So we thanked our server and paid our bill when the time came.
Next we headed quickly over to WwtbaM and got in the FastPass line. The door was already opened and we went right in. I think we wished they didn’t have to go through the same old spiel every time, but you know the first time it was really great and every time is someone’s first time we figure.
This show we had to do fastest finger and it was to put movies in the correct order from most recent to oldest. I of course did it backwards in my rush to be fast. The fist up was a fellow at the end of our row from Winter Park. He went down and complimented the audience left & right which of course garnered him much support from us. =) He got only about to the 1000 point level before missing a question and having to be sent back to pick up his winning lanyard.
The next fellow up was a HR manager from Indiana who was vacationing with his wife and daughter, who it turns out, were all AP holders and had one of his daughters worked for Disney and the other wanted to intern at the park. He used his first lifeline at 16,000 and then he ran out of time. He was on a roll though, and was asked if he would come to the next show. He said he would of course, and Sean & I dashed out the door with the other folks to jump into the standby line.
The heat was pretty intense out there but we were very excited for the fellow from Indiana who was doing very well. I told Sean I could easily see someone spending a day hooked on playing this attraction. He asked about DCA, and I agree that this attraction would do quite well in the new Disneyland Resort Park. I think it would definitely bring the numbers up for them.
Back to our game. We were sat in a row on the opposite side from where we were before and at a level where we could actually see the names of the top 10 players on the screen. Last time I got very frustrated as I couldn’t see the top 3 on the list and reading the questions was difficult as well.
This time around we had a different host. It was still a lady, but a different one and she was very engaging and interacted well with the audience and the contestant. The fellow was brought out and got in the hotseat. He played well up to 250,000 before losing on a question about the book of Genesis. “What besides the land & sea was created on the third day?”
Sean & I did our best on this game. Sean came up as 2nd highest in the top 10 scores they put up on the screen. I made it to number 5! That didn't do us any good, but being in the top 10 out of like 2-300 people wasn't bad! =)
It was a good game and we headed out and then headed to the Star Wars Experience, a preview of Star Wars Episode II playing by the Animation Courtyard. They let us in, but they were experiencing technical difficulties. In the interim a CM went over a page or two of trivia questions which most everyone in the audience knew. He then went over some fun facts and then in a last ditch tactic for time stalling, asked people for their ‘Disney moment.’ We got through one and thankfully, the film started up.
It basically was a little about where the episodes where going and included a behind-the-scenes look at the set dressing. We got a look at the young actors playing Uncle Owen and Aunt Buru, (sp?). There was a lot of George Lukas talking about the making of the films and I watched in shocked disbelieve as Sean, mega-fan and Yoda namesake, started to pass out into a light slumber while George droned on. About a half hour later, the film was over and we were booted back into the heat.
Our next mission? The Animation tour. Last time Sean & I had been, we had seen a Big Meeko! Was it still there? In order to find out, we had to sit through the “Back to Neverland” film with Robin Williams & Walter Cronkite. This show is one of five attractions at the Animation Building at DCA, so I moaned about having to see it for the fifth time. Sean reminded me that it was only his third or fourth time seeing it. “It’s not that bad,” he said. Sigh..
So we watched the film, and I noticed how old their copy was with its scratches and lines running on the screen and different intervals. I managed to get through just fine, and then we were ushered to the next room where a CM.. er, an animation specialist walked us through a rough sketch of Milo from “Atlantis.” We all sat on the floor but this one woman who stood there and when she realized she was the only one, she went to the back of the room where she wouldn’t block anyone’s view.
Sean & I looked through the dark windows. It was a holiday weekend and they had most of the rooms dark & empty. In the next area, it was still empty, but some of the lights were on and you could see all the fun stuff scattered on the desks. This is my favorite part; seeing all the different toys & plush on display at different cubicles. In one of the last areas, we spotted a Meeko! It was a “Big Biscuit” version and another Meeko quest was born! =)
Outside, we both hit the bathrooms and then went on to First Aid for some headache relief. Before we got to the station, we spotted some characters making a mob scene outside the collectibles shop. There were several characters including Minnie, Chip –n- Dale in their Director outfit, Beast, and…. Meeko! I forgot my pain momentarily and dashed over to see him & I chanted like a 2 year old “MEEKO! MEEKO! MEEKO!” He wasn’t too busy and I was able to walk up to him after a minute's wait. I showed him my Disneyland USA baseball hat with all my Meeko pins on it. I told him what a big fan I was and he seemed pretty pleased. He gave me a big hug and I then got his autograph. I told him how great he was and thanked him and was off again on my search for asperin.
I told Sean I actually felt a little better! Not cured, mind you, but better. So off we were to first aid. It wasn’t very busy there, and I walked right up to the counter. They were willing to give me some asperin but they needed my name. My name?? Pamela Rouse, I replied for the first time ever! =) I got some water from their fountain, and Sean said “Wow! It’s even better than the first aid station at Disneyland.”
Time for dinner and we headed over to Mama Melrose’s. We were seated within a few minutes, and as we walked in, Sean took my hand and we were seated at our table to the strain of “I left my heart in San Francisco.” Just when I was thinking it was Kismet, they played another song that reminded us of the Sunshine Plaza loop at DCA. Sure enough, one after the other, they played what seemed like the entire DCA loop.
For dinner, we ordered a couple of sodas and then Sean got the Chicken Marsala and I ordered one of the wood-fired pizzas. I was assured it was small, “about 7inches” our server had stated. When it came, I thought it was a bit more than that, easily shared by 2 people. I ate about half and had to take a ‘to-go’ container.
Feeling a little tired, we headed back to the resort. I passed out for a quick nap while Sean worked on his email and the LP discussions. When I finally woke up, I wasn’t in much of a mood for leaving, but after a while I got my energy back up & we headed out. First we drove over to the food court for a refill on soda, then ended up taking the bus to Disney/MGM for Fantasmic!
Entering the park, we took the right turn into the ‘backstage’ area reserved for Fantasmic PS holders. It was about 8pm and most of the seating was filled. Sean & I found some prime seats in our section about 3 rows up from the front. I tried taking a 180 degree photo of the stage area, and hopefully it’ll turn out. =) The light started to go out of the sky, the SwOLPHIN put their lights out so as not to distract from the show, carts of junk was pushed back and forth in the attempt to get a few bucks from the captive audience. Finally a few attempts at ‘the wave’ were made; regular, slow, fast, and then the announcement in five languages or so. The show was starting!
I liked the show ok, but the Columbia is certainly noticeably absent and the Pocahontas section really doesn’t quite replace it. When it came to the Villians, Sean had said “Well, it’s true what they say… More isn’t always better.” Something like that. Anyway, I took several photos and Sean managed to tape it despite being so close to the spraying water. He said he had to wipe the lens off twice during the show because of the spray.
After the show we waited a while for our chance to escape behind the horde of folks bottlenecking the exit. We decided we would take the monorail to MK for Spectro and so we got in line at the Contemp bus stop. The bus was pretty crowded and when we made our first stop at the TTC, we got off.
At the TTC, Sean asked the driver if we could sit in the front on our way over to MK. He obliged us and Sean taped our drive over. It was wonderful seeing everything from up high and I only wished it wasn’t at night, as I could have easily taken some great photos. From above we could see Electric Water Pageant passing by MK and as we got out of the train, we could hear the unmistakable sounds of the parade. Sean had gotten all he needed for taping and we were in a rush.
First stop would be the Pooh Patch as I often call the "Briar Patch" which is the shop nearby Splash Mountain. At one time perhaps the shop might have been totally devoted to Brer Rabbit & his associates but now all the Splash items are relegated to one display, many of which don't evan have the Brers on them. It seems Mickey & his friends are the owners of Chickapin Hill, if you were to believe the merchandise they have now.. Sigh. Anyway, I don't want to stay on my soapbox too long.. we had a mission! We were afraid the store might be closed, as it had been the previous night we came with Rob & Keith. Lucky for us, it was still open!
We had to get a couple of those Big Thunder Mountain T-shirts we'd seen on previous occasions. They were super cute with Big AL and the gang sleeping in the cars. We both wanted to get a couple XXL's as they are pretty comfy to wear and still fit just as good after they shrink in the wash. There was only one XXL and the CM took it to the back to find a mate for it. He wasn't able to, and I found out later, not only did he not find a mate for the XXL, he dropped the one we gave him in favor of an XL. So.. now we have a couple XL's which is ok, (they fit fine) but not as baggy as I would prefer. =) Happy with getting the shirts before the store closed, we headed back toward the hub to catch the parade.
Spectro hadn't started yet, but the hub was crowding up some. Sean & I got to sit behind the folks sitting on the curb and there were other folks sitting up on the short wall behind us. While we waited for it to start, Sean got his camcorder ready and I went over to a nearby cart for a couple of sodas. They didn't sell them in the bottle here and I didn't want to take the time to shop around. For 2.50 each, I got a Sprite & a Coke in a 'souvenir' cup. I think Sean would have preferred the bottles & so would I most likely. I joked when I came over, "Guess what we got??? More souvenir cups!! What's that? Like 5 now?" sigh.. well they are ok anyway. They are small and each character on the cup represents a different land in MK.
Settling in, the parade was about to start. I could hardly wait to see those Fantasia floats this time. I was really hoping I would be able to get better photos this time. I quickly dug in Sean's backpack for an extra roll of film in case I got a little camera-happy with the parade. Soon the parade started. At first I wasn't overly excited, but as the parade progressed, the floats kept getting better & better! I think Rob is right, though, the Fantasia floats are the best. I took a bunch of pictures of everything though. I'll be looking forward to seeing if they turn out ok.
The only thing I would complain about was that the blood in my legs stopped circulating. When the parade was over it was very difficult to stand up and then I couldn't walk for fear to fall down. My feet were completely numb and I had those awful needles in the soles of my feet!
Argh! I called out to Sean to help me get over to the side, but he just said, "I'm going over to the other side ok? Be back in a minute!" Ack! Well, to his defense, he didn't hear me and I just stood there in a panic. I told a passing CM "my legs are numb from sitting down," I guess I thought she might do something, I don't know what. Laughing at me wasn't one of the things I expected. She laughed and kept going. She had a lot of stuff to sweep up. Ironically, I was right next to a trash can (and no, it wasn't talking) and I took one step forward and collapsed against it. So I just stood, leaning there like some crazy drunk person until I could get enough feeling back in my legs to step over to the side and start rubbing my calves.
Sean came over & asked if I knew he'd gone to the side, I replied yes & launched into a bit of a rant about how I called for him & he wasn't there. Then I think I apologized for being so witch-y and we went on back to the gate to catch the bus home. I was very glad we went, despite the fact I am not good at sitting on pavement,(this happens to me when we see DL Fantasmic! too, as they don't have any bleachers or seats of any kind). I think Sean's video might be very good (we haven't viewed it yet) and my photos will be wonderful.. Happy thoughts, yes! =)
Back on the bus we got to the South Depot, which is closest to the Lobby. Sean & I were hoping the foodcourt might still be open, or to be more precise, the drink station. No luck. Sean says we'll have to get the drink out of the machine, which is no big deal, but I swear the soda in the cans tastes funny. Sean thinks the canned soda is made with the same funky Florida water. The Coke has a funny after-taste to us, anyway.
So we got in the car, which we had left at the Lobby parking area, and
drove back to our building. Once there, we picked up a couple
sodas
from the machine (it's a buck for a 12 oz.) and I only drank a little
of
my soda before falling asleep. Sean worked on the computer for a while
before he too, hit the hay.