WDW On Short Notice - Part 1 (8/21)
Primary Cast:
Me - 26 y/o dude, lost count of how many times I've been to WDW many years ago. 20 times would be a reasonable guess.
Mom - Indeterminate age. She too has been to WDW many times.
Dad - Slightly younger than dirt. He has been to WDW many times, but doesn't necessarily remember. (Dad: "Wow! The Boardwalk is nice! Do you have to be a member to stay here?" Mom: "...No. WE stayed here two trips ago! Don't you remember?" Dad: "Hmm?")
Extended Cast:
Aunt T
Uncle S
Cousin S
Cousin A
Day the First (Sunday 8/21)
My parents and I left our hotel (Sleep Inn of Kingsland, GA) and headed down to WDW. Since this trip was a bit spur of the moment, we booked rooms at the All-Star Movies. Mom and I had been to ASMu before, but ASMo was new to all of us. This would actually be a trip of many firsts for us, which will be detailed in the following trip reports.
We arrived and checked in. Our original plan actually didn't involve Dad coming on the trip, because we assumed he couldn't get time off. But lo and behold he was able to come, which required changing a few meal reservations and adding an additional room. So in addition to this being our first time at ASMo, it was also my first time having a hotel room to myself. We got adjoining rooms, so it essentially meant we had one giant room with 4 beds, 2 bathrooms, and most importantly 2 TVs!
Our family WDW tradition is to check in to whatever resort we're staying at, and then drive over to the Grand Floridian and eat at the Grand Floridian Café for lunch. We never make reservations there because we're never sure of when we're going to arrive, but this time I went to WDW with one of those snazzy newfangled phones and I downloaded that Disney Mobile Magic app. I made a reservation from the room using the app, which was a nice surprise for my mom when we got to the GF Café and they said they didn't know how long walk-ins would have to wait. And BTW, if you can get it, I highly recommend that app. It was incredibly useful for maps, making reservations, and looking up ride wait times.
After lunch, we hopped on the monorail ("'Mono' means 'one,' and 'rail' means 'rail.'" - Lyle Lanley) and went to the MK. Using the app I saw that wait times seemed to be fairly short in Adventureland, so we went there first. Got fast-passes for Jungle Cruise and then went to the Enchanted Tiki Room. It's great to see the old show again! Although, taking the bitter with the sweet, I will say I do miss the pre-show from the "Under New Management" era ("Who am I to challenge the status crow?"). Jungle Cruise is corny, and awesome, as always. I heard my absolute favorite joke ever on the Jungle Cruise some time in the mid '90s. I don't remember the exact names, so using substitutes: "If you enjoyed your trip, then my name is Mike and this was the Jungle Cruise. If you didn't like the trip then my name is Steve and this was the monorail." I think about that every time I ride it.
We did everything in Adventureland, and then went over to Frontierland/Liberty Square and did everything there, even the two mountains. In the Hall of Presidents I tried to get a "Mill-ard Fill-more *clap clap, clap clap clap*" chant going, but no one joined in. Shame. We also did the Haunted Mansion, and we saw the new interactive queue. It's pretty nifty, I suppose. The line was fairly short, so we didn't really have time to thoroughly examine all the bells and whistles. The Haunted Mansion isn't as scary now as when I was younger, or even when I was in high school, and I greatly appreciate it. I actually kind of like the ride now. Yep, I'll admit it - from age 3 to age 25 the Haunted Mansion terrified me. Now it's slightly less scary, although we did it in the late afternoon. There's still no way I'll go anywhere near that ride after dark.
Dinner that night was at the Liberty Tree Tavern. Now, while it technically wasn't our first time at the Liberty Tree for dinner, it was our first time in many years. I had actually seen some people post negative reviews of the place in the Dining section of Intercot, but to be honest I enjoyed the dinner very much. I really liked the salad, and my parents and I agree that dinner had some of the best beef and turkey that we've ever had. We also had a nice table right next to the window in the "Washington Room," and I got to see some of the fireworks.
After dinner, Mom went back to the room and Dad and I used the time for Extra Magic Hours to do Fantasyland (except for Peter Pan which still had a huge line) and Tomorrowland - where Dad had a bit of trouble getting out of the rocket at Space Mountain. In fairness, even I have a bit of trouble getting out of the ride. My strategy is basically to plant both feet firmly on the floor of the car, jump up with as much power as I can muster, and hope for the best. Dad's strategy seemed to be to fidget and flail around wildly. In Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Dad did beat my score. He was a Space Ace, and I was Planetary Pilot.
We got the bus back to ASMo, which I was pleasantly surprised to see was not being shared by the other two All-Stars, and that was the end of day 1.
