As we walked across the Epcot parking lot today a man exiting with his sun asked my husband and I if we'd like two Fast Passes for Soarin' later that evening. We actually had plans to leave the park prior to the 8:15 PM time stamped on the pass, but said we would gladly pay it forward to another group of two.
We did exactly that. First, we headed straight to the American Gardens Theater to see
Little Queen - The Music of Heart as part of the Epcot Sounds Like Summer series. A good show although I only recognized a few of the songs.
Next, we were starving so we popped into the American pavilion's Liberty Inn. What a mess that was. First the cashier did not follow line protocol (by alternating order to his left and right). 5 people were let to order ahead of that should not have.
Next, our order was "lost". It took FOREVER. I blame it on the servers. Instead of calling out order numbers (which would eliminate any confusion) they simply yelled out "chili cheese dog" or "chicken nuggets" and people in line would simply grab one and take off. People didn't even care that they were getting the wrong sides (apples vs fries) or sometimes servers were throwing both on the tray because of the mass confusion.
It was impossible to get anyone's attention. We had a large drink with our order, but none of the trays were coming out that way. Finally, I was able to convince one of the servers that our order was lost (our large drink had been sitting on the counter melting). A male server snorted that it was probably the one he already called out 10 minutes ago that no one claimed (it wasn't). After realizing we were wronged, she at least offered to give us a fresh drink since the one on the counter had obviously been there a very long time.
After we cooled off (literally and figuratively), we sat for a few minutes and took in the collection of flags that hang at Liberty Inn.
Last, but not least, we headed over to The Land in search of couple disappointed that the Soarin' Fast Passes had all been distributed for the day and the stand-by line was way too log. We found such a couple who were very happy to have the tickets. The experience of making someone's day made up for the less-than-Disney experience we had at Liberty Inn.
I'm a little embarrassed to admit that this was our very first time to ride Toy Story Midway Mania at Disney's Hollywood Studios. This really, really fun attraction opened in May 2008. Why did it take so long? Easy... the long, long lines.
When we go, we typically arrive at Disney's Hollywood Studio late in the day. By that time, every FastPass has already been distributed. In fact, I've heard that if you're looking for a FastPass after 10:00 am, you're likely too late. At least on busier days. So... if the Toy Story Midway Mania ride is on your must-do list, make sure you arrive early in the day.
Unlike someone on vacation at Disney World, we have the luxury of bypassing long lines and returning any other day. Well, that's what we've been doing with Toy Story for nearly 3 years. Crazy, right? Never before have we seen a Disney attraction sustain extra long wait times for this long after opening. It is not unusual for us to walk past lines with stand-by wait times of 90 minutes or more. I think the longest we saw for Toy Story Midway Mania was 240 minutes.
We finally decided that if we really wanted to experience the ride (and we did) than we'd have to plan an early morning trip. We arrived sometime before 10:00 am and headed straight to the FastPass distribution lines. It was a light day at the park (as we expected) but our FastPass return time was still for 3-4 hours later - we could return any time between 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm. Return time was later than we hoped.
On this morning, the stand-by time was 40 minutes. The line seemed to be moving quickly so we decided to hop in line (we usually refrain from waits longer than 15-20 minutes). Inside was filled with everything you'd expect to see - oversized versions of childhhod toys from Candyland to a Barrel of Monkeys... and, of course, a fully animated Mr. Potato Head. Sadly, I heard recently that a new toy version of this playful spud has been slimmed down. Really? It's a toy potato. Potatoes naturally come in all shapes and sizes. But I digress...
After about 15 minutes in line, we were whisked off to the side by cast members to the disability entrance. No one needing special assistance was boarding at the time so we very luckily shaved about 15 minutes off our wait time (at least by our estimate). As we headed off to a ramp on the right, other guests filed off to the left and up a stair case. We just happened to be at the right place at the right time. I guess it pays to wait 3 years.
We entered our car, put on our 3-D glasses and began our journey down the Midway. It was an exhilarating (almost exhausting) ride filled with fun arcade games and a little spinning. Fun, fun, fun. For a few minutes, we smiled and giggled non-stop (exactly the reason we love to escape to Disney). We wish we hadn't waited so long. In the end, I even scored a little higher than my husband - which NEVER happens when we ride the similar Buzz Lightyear attraction in the Magic Kingdom.
I see now why Toy Story Midway Mania is such a popular attraction. Hopefully, it won't be another 3 years before we return!
