My Disney World Memories Part 3

In the previous installment, I began to recount the story of our Disney World Honeymoon (or Disneymoon) in 2003.  It was the first WDW trip I had ever planned and my inexperience showed.  The first day was a logistical nightmare that resulted in us experiencing one attraction while visiting three parks in half of a day.  On top of that, I had left my driver’s licence in the pants of my rental tux.

 A day like that would be a catastrophe to me now.  But as a novice, I didn’t see anything wrong with it.  I don’t even think I noticed that we had only experienced one attraction.  We had seen a lot of things even if we hadn’t been on a lot of rides.  At the start of our first full day, I was excited to get started in earnest.
Our first full day was at MGM-Hollywood Studios.  For the life of me, I don’t remember how that decision was reached.  Although I didn’t have much of a plan, I knew enough to go to the big ticket attractions first.  We grabbed FastPasses for the Tower of Terror and then queued up for Rock’n’Roller Coaster.
There was no line to speak of.  This would be true every day of our trip.  I have never seen nor am I likely to ever again see the Walt Disney World Resort as empty as it was in September 2003.  The FastPasses we picked up were entirely unnecessary.  We never experienced a wait longer than 10 minutes for any attraction.

I didn’t know this at the time, but Mindy has a bad reaction to rides with fast launches.  Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster goes from zero to 57 mph in only 2.8 seconds.  To make matters worse, she was wearing a cap.  There was a sign warning guests to secure any loose items.  This presented Mindy with a challenge.  She couldn’t figure out what to do with her cap and completely missed the countdown to launch.
If you have ever been on the ride, you might wonder how such a thing is possible.  The countdown is pretty hard to miss.  All I can say is, she was really preoccupied with the proper storage of her cap.  When we were rocketed forward, she was caught completely unaware.  I am happy to report, however, that the cap was not lost during the ride.

The next stop was the Tower of Terror.  But we still had time to kill before our FastPasses kicked in.  So we headed over to Beauty and the Beast.  It was a perfectly enjoyable little show.  But not something we have ever felt the need to repeat.
Rock’n’Roller Coaster had left Mindy a little shaken.  She was a little nervous about boarding another thrill-ride so soon after her cap-clutching limo ride.  What’s more, she really had no idea what to expect from a tower which was presumably filled with terror.
One of my favorite elements of the Tower of Terror is the creepy demeanor of the cast members who work there.  It’s more or less the same act put on at the Mansion.  But when you have a good cast member, it really enhances the experience.  That was the case here.
Long story short, we both really enjoyed the Tower of Terror.  It’s a “must ride” every trip.
As I am writing this nearly nine years after the fact, I don’t remember the exact sequence of events for the remainder of the day.  So what I am sharing is the more memorable moments in no particular order.

We wandered into the Animation building not sure what to expect.  The place was completely empty.  There was not a soul in sight.  But there were blue footprints on the floor.  I assumed they must lead to something cool.  Maybe a ride.  Instead, we found ourselves in a room with two characters we knew nothing about.
What followed was the first (completely unplanned) character meet and greet of our trip.  You can probably guess that the blue footprints belonged to Stitch.  But as adults with no kids, we had no idea who or what the blue furry thing standing before us was supposed to be.  Or the girl in the Hawaiian print dress either.
The cast members on hand were bored out of their heads.  I doubt they had seen a single guest yet that day.  They positively insisted we pose for pictures with Lilo and Stitch.  As a grown-up I didn’t know what to make of any of this.  It all happened very fast.  The next thing I knew, some kid in a furry blue costume had his or her arm around my shoulder and someone else was taking pictures of it.
And then it was over.  We were told where we could purchase pictures if we were so inclined.  We both thought the encounter was very strange at the time.  Although in retrospect, I wish I had bought that picture.  I know the look on my face must have been priceless.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofWNmmzN3O8] Elsewhere in the Animation Building, we were shown a movie celebrating Disney’s long history in animation.  The movie starred an abrasive Robin Williams in full-on man-boy mode.  But at some point they put together memorable clips from decades of Disney movies.  For the first time, I started to appreciate the long history of Disney animation.
Then we were given a tour of the facilities.  Back in 2003, there were actual animators on site.  They were supposedly putting the finishing touches on the soon-to-be-released animated feature, Brother Bear.  We were shown some concept art as well as a promotional video. 
As it turns out, Brother Bear was not a hit.  Shortly after the release of Brother Bear, the animation studio in Orlando was shut down.  The Animation Tour has never been the same since.

Mindy standing in front of the Muppets fountain in 2003.
At some point, we found our way to Star Tours.  Star Wars was a defining influence on me as a kid.  To say I was excited to ride Star Tours would be an understatement.  However, in 2003 Star Tours was in a rather sorry state.  It was run down.  I enjoyed the ride.  But it paled in comparison to Tower of Terror.
I was pretty excited when the ride exited into a Star Wars-themed souvenier store.  (I was so naive.)  I examined all of the Star Wars merchandise before finally settling on this picture:
Mindy’s going to LOVE me putting this on the internet!
That right there is the best $20 I ever spent!  Only two days into our marriage and I had cast us in the roles of Han Solo and Princess Leia.  Our life together was off to a great start!
However, we were about to hit another bump in the road.  Ever since Rock’n’Rollercoaster, Mindy had been somewhat unsettled.  But after Star Tours, she was looking a little green.  She told me she was feeling sick.
We found a place to sit down.  It seemed like our day would be cut short.  And then something occurred to me.  Back in those days, Mindy drank nothing but pure Coca Cola.  None of that diet stuff.  And water?  Forget it.  She brushed her teeth with Coke.  While it wasn’t a hot day, we had been out in the sun.  With nothing but Coke to drink, I was pretty sure Mindy was dehydrated.
When I shared my theory with her, it was met with skepticism.  The look Mindy gave me said, “Dehydration my ass!  Can’t you see I am dying?!?  Take me to a hospital immediately, you Star Wars-loving freak!”  Mindy’s looks can say a lot.
Undeterred by my glaring wife, I ran to the nearest snack stand.  I asked for an ice water.  They tried to sell me a $4 bottle of Dasani.  No thanks.  I ran to the next snack stand.  They gave me a tiny little cup of ice water for free (and Mickey wept).
Ice water in hand, I ran back to where I had left my wife.  She was still glaring.  She has a real talent for glaring.  If there was ever a glaring Olympics, Mindy would win the gold medal for sure.
She stopped glaring at me long enough to sip the water.  Setting the tone for our entire marriage, it turns out I was right.  (I am going to be in so much trouble when she reads that line!  Love you, honey.)  Our day at the Studios was saved.
In the next installment, we come face to face with Mickey Mouse for the first time.
My Disney World Memories – Part 4
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Sarah
11 years ago

Yes, you will be in trouble, but if it makes you feel any better, I got a good laugh out of this story. The good ones never get old.

daffystardust
Editor
11 years ago

Wonderful! I absolutely love the Star Wars picture! And I see that you dusted off the Dinosaur photo you commented on in response to my World of Harry Potter trip report. Hmmm…I wonder which two people had been on the ride before? Star Tours was still pretty lame in 2009. Not worthy of the great original film franchise or of the excellent theming leading up to the ride. But, of course, by then we had all gotten used to Lucas disappointing us. Your mention of Fantasmic reopens my itchy feeling about not making it to DHS this December. Ah well…there… Read more »

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