Originally Posted By Dabob2 Day Three: May 2. It was Thursday, and our early entry day. Took that marvelous fire stairway shortcut out of the Grand, and right into DL, nice and early. We’d been saving the classic FaL dark rides, so it was straight through the castle and on to Peter Pan. After all these years, I still dearly love this, and the second large room (Neverland with ALL those stars) is still tres romantique. Always steal a kiss there – just one of our little DL traditions that make a day even nicer. Next was Mr. Toad, which is my 2nd favorite, and had been closed on our last visit. Mr. Toad! Yay! Toad rocks, always has. We peeked around the corner to Alice, but it was 101. So we went over to Pinocchio and rode, then Snow White. These two always play second fiddle for me to PP and Toad, but they’re still wonderful. Over to the Matterhorn next, right side this time. I like the left side better at the beginning (and in general), but the right side finishes better. Gotta do ‘em both. Alice was still down, and the park had opened, so we went over to AL and the Jungle Cruise. Our first time seeing some of the new additions; I have to say it was nice to see something new, but the piranha effect didn’t impress me as much as I thought it might. I probably just expected too much and had read all the spoilers – if I hadn’t been expecting it, it would have been great! I wish we’d had a better guide though – ultimately, that’s what makes or breaks a trip on the JC. We did Indy next. Still no rats. Pirates was next, and unfortunately the trip was marred by nearly a boatful of flash picture takers. We were in the back row, and the first four rows were a large group. Nearly all with cameras, taking flash pictures. And I’m not talking once or twice. Constantly. They started in the caves. It was so bad, a voice came on the speakers: “No flash photography, please.†I thought that would do it and so I kept my mouth shut. They started up again at the battle scene. By the time we got to the mayor in the well, the voice came back, louder this time: “STOP TAKING FLASH PICTURES, PLEASE!†Didn’t do much to immerse one in the atmosphere. They stopped momentarily, then started up again. At that point, Jerry decided if they were going to do it, he might as well get a shot or two as well. Just when he took his one and only pic, the voice came back, almost exasperated: “NO FLASH PICTURES IN THIS RIDE!!†He sounded like he couldn’t believe they were still doing it. Neither could I. Unfortunately, Jerry kind of took it personally, like they were singling him out. It was just the timing though; the voice came back just when he took his shot. I wondered if security might actually have a word or two with these people when we got off, but no such luck. It was kind of a ruined trip; luckily, we’d have another before we were done. What was weird, also, is that the two figures at the end who are attempting to lift their loot up the last hill were missing, after having just been there two days earlier. When I got back, someone said they were the first figures to go in preparation for the update – but it was weird to see them missing like that. Passed the still-shuttered HM and went to Splash next, and happily the lines were still manageable. Haven’t actually bought the picture since Jerry’s first time on it, but was tempted to do so this time. Not because we looked good, but because there were the cutest little kids (bro and sis I think) in the front, really cheesing it up for the camera. Made us smile after the weirdness on Pirates. Just about time for our mid-day break so instead of walking out of the park from Splash, we went to the NOS RR station and boarded. Love that smell, love that trip, still love the GC and Primeval World. After the break (and lunch), we went back into DCA via the Grand entrance. I’d read online that RRCT was reopening after a rehab, so we checked it out. Unfortunately, some portions were still closed, so it seems they hadn’t finished doing everything they needed to yet. So we mostly just walked around – I do like the national park vibe in there. I really wanted to do TOT again, so we went there. Enjoyed it very much again; I noticed the music more this time, especially in conjunction with the drops – well done. The whole thing, especially the fact that there’s no clunky 5-D room, just makes for a giddier experience than at MGM. From there, it was over to Monsters for our second trip to Monstropolis. The first time, Roz seemed to be saying pretty generic things, and I thought maybe her “helper†was on break or something. But it happened this time, too; maybe we just got an uncreative helper. I even tried talking TO her, but it didn’t seem to do any good. Oh well, this is still a very nice addition to DCA, and maybe next time we’ll get a Roz a little more on the ball. From there it was Muppets and, as much as I’ve always loved them, I’m getting kind of tired of this particular show. Jerry felt the same – it’s just a little manic for me, especially “Waldo,†and not funny enough. I admire its ambition with all the different elements, but I’ve just had enough for now. Interestingly, this reaction may have subconsciously kept us from doing HISTA or Bugs, even though I’d have liked to have seen Bugs again, if I’d thought of it (!). I really wanted to go do Space again, since I’d enjoyed the new version so much, so we decided to head back to DL. But before we went, since we were right there, we hit TOT again, and had probably the best of the three times on it. Primarily due to the bellhop we got this time. WONDERFULLY deadpan. Imagine having Steven Wright as your bellboy. Loved him. Almost felt like doing it again just to see if we could get the same bellboy, but DL was calling. This was the first time we’d exited DCA out the main entrance, so it made sense to check out our paving brick in the esplanade. Earlier I’d tried to find it, but forgot exactly where it was – plus it was dark and hard to see. This time it was getting dark again, but somehow coming out of the DCA entrance made it easier to remember just where it was, and I found it almost immediately. It’s near the center compass, slightly closer to DL and to the right. Our names and anniversary, and when you lift your head, you’re looking up at the Main Street train station. How cool is that? Space had a bit of a wait, so we grabbed fastpasses and went to the original coaster, the Matterhorn. Left side this time, in the dark. Woo hoo! Our bobsleds were pretty well packed, so we seemed to go faster than usual. We noticed that Alice was up, after having been down in the morning, so we made sure to get her in. I guess it’s all but impossible to keep the “leaves†you wind down outside when it’s almost over free of black marks for very long – it seemed like they were probably freshly pained for the 50th, as they were cleaner than usual, but the black marks were definitely making a reappearance! Inside was great though – the sound seemed better than I remembered it. It still wasn’t time for Space and I was still feeling the need for speed, so we walked over the Big Thunder Trail to BTMRR and took another spin. Got nearer the back this time, which is my favorite. A perfect night for it too – JUST cool enough to get a little chill on the fast parts. Our fastpass time for Space had come, but Jerry decided he’d rather shop a little and meet me in DTD for dinner. Truth be told, Space crunches Jerry’s 6’7†legs a bit. Well, more than a bit. He can do it, but it’s kind of uncomfortable. So he went shopping somewhere, and I did Space solo, loving it again. The darkness and smoothness really made it feel like it did when it first opened, and the new ending puts a better “pow†on the ending than ever. I was feeling a bit tired, and not like walking through TL, down Main Street, and all the way through DTD when there was such an obvious alternative just steps from me – the monorail of course. So even though I had to wait for the second monorail (it’s now in shuttle mode, of course), it was more than worth it. When I got off, I was basically right at ESPN Zone, where I made sure to have the yummy tortilla soup again. Mmmmmmmmm! And so ended Day 3. Back at the Grand, the news said for the first time all week that Friday (tomorrow) might NOT be a complete wash-out, maybe only the morning. This was great news – they’d been predicting rain all day and night prior to this - might we get to see fireworks after all?!
Originally Posted By gadzuux >> Space crunches Jerry’s 6’7†legs a bit. Well, more than a bit. He can do it, but it’s kind of uncomfortable. << I'm 6'5" and have the same problem. But SM is a lot easier than pooh! Toughest ride in the parks for legroom is pooh.
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 Arrrrr, we have been on the Pirates boat with flash picture takers before too. It's soooo annoying. One picture OK whatever but multiple is maddening. Last year we chose to loudly say "ARRRRRR" like we were Pirates and were annoyed when the flash went off, sometimes we would kind of do a startled jump and hold our arms up. It didn't stop the picture takers but it made us laugh I'm enjoying reading your reports
Originally Posted By nevadarebel Pirates is my favorite ride and I don't think I could handle that so tactfully, I probably would not have been nice at all.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <2nd worst - 'mullholland madness'.> Jerry won't even try that one. I think one of the Pooh rows (the front?) is slightly larger than the others, so we've sat there. Alice is a bit tight too, but not so bad.
