Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, + Hollywood Studios: Thrillography's Great Floridian Expedition Trip Report - Part IX

Hello everyone! :}

This is the final update for this year's trip to WDW (booo!)

But it's also the biggest of the WDW updates and features two days worth of park time! (yaaay!)

This also marks the end of my amazing family vacation to Florida (BOOOO!)

But my very next update is actually a return to Florida to ride Kumba at Busch Gardens! (YAAAAY!)

And so the good times keep rollin' in Florida. Let's go!

Animal Kingdom was the first park of our WDW trip (since we ended up with an extra half-day), but we hadn't been back since. 

Here we are to enjoy the rest of what the park has to offer.

Like this egret. 

Or these other birds that are not egrets.

In fact, it's a regular bird takeover here at Animal Kingdom.

What's that hiding in the tree??

"It is I, Expedition Everest. I am also not an egret."

We'll be going for some much-needed rides on this noble beast later.

Time for a ride on central Florida's original river rapids ride (beating Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges at Universal's Islands of Adventure by seven weeks).

My mom and I love water rides! Almost as much as we love having FP for Kali's 60 minute standby line!

Once drawn up in the Animal Kingdom concept as a "water safari" to complement the traditional Kilimanjaro Safari, the wildlife habitat aspect of the ride was canned when concerns were raised about sending driverless vehicles through an enclosure home to thousands of animals. 

What we have today in Kali River Rapids is the 2nd half of the originally conceptualized attraction. So if you've ever asked yourself "why is Kali so short??" There's your answer.

I remember standing for what felt like an eternity in the sweltering heat of Kali's elaborate and seemingly endless queue, but in 1999 there just wasn't that much else to do otherwise.

Not even two years after Disney's first foray into the rapids concept, the higher, longer, faster (and grossly underrated) Grizzly River Run opened at Disney's California Adventure.  A third Disney rapids opened just this past June at Shanghai Disney; an Adventureland-esque clone of Grizzly River.

There may be bigger rapids rides out there, but this is certainly one of the most scenic. 

It's also the most ridden rapids ride annually, and probably the most well-loved.

We're certainly fans. 

BABY MONKEY!

Ok so I realize the last few Thrillography updates haven't exactly been very "thrilling" (unless you find watching a 3yr old lead her family around Fantasyland thrilling), but in this update we finally have a significant presence of roller coasters. Here we have my mom, Erin, and Mike in the front seat of Expedition Everest. 

My mom is very excited.

My mom let this random kid share the front seat with her because she's cool like that.

There's only so much you can photograph of Expedition Everest, but darn it, I'm going to make the best of it.

I want a BIG roller coaster with a BIG drop!

Everest big! YEAH YEAH YEAH!

It's not small! NO! NO! NO!

When you have four pictures in a row of the same thing it means a tilt-shift is coming. 

My folks aren't in this shot because I missed the front of the train because of my shortcomings as a photographer and as a person in general.

Front seat with my original coastering buddy, my dad!

Emma's not ready for Everest yet. She is ready for close-up, however.

I gotta say, I've gotten really attached to PhotoPass on this trip. 

Is this not just the cutest thing?

Ok! From the thrilling spoils of the jungle to the thrilling spoils of the old west!

Mom, Erin and Mike ride stuff Pt. 2: Splash Mountain.

Erin doesn't really like water rides but really wanted to see the inside of Splash Mountain. I told her that she "probably won't get wet" and hoped for the best.

Again with the excitement. 

Here they go!

Woo!

Naturally I get upstaged by PhotoPass's great work.

Let's see the verdict.

Erin's smiling! That means she didn't get wet. 

It's nice to see the riverboat chugging around Rivers of America. Disneyland can't do this right now.

The crane is remarkably unobtrusive from here.

Challenge time! How many birds? :}

This is such a nice area here. At Disneyland it's almost always unbearably congested. 

I've never done the big river boat at any Disney park. Maybe I will someday!

We found the infamous midway water artist at work in Fantasyland!

(this *so* would not work at Disneyland. Never a day goes by that a majority of  midways aren't jammed with people)

Now for something completely different!

But first: bonus Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride shot.

Enchanted Tales with Belle is an attraction that defies categorization, but it sure is fun. You start in the workshop, where you're asked to say a few magic words to this ordinary-looking mirror.

Through the miracle of wild-ass Disney witchcraft, the mirror starts to expand.

And then the dang thing becomes a DOORWAY INTO A SECRET ROOM, GUYS.

I THINK THAT'S PRETTY COOL.

The secret room is actually a large dressing room, home to this very buxom armoire.

Turns out that the "enchanted tale" is staring...us! Everyone who wants to take part in the re-telling of the story of Beauty and the Beast gets a part and a prop. 

After a quick rehearsal, we continue onto Belle's favorite place – the library!

Lumiere is pleased to see us. Belle doesn't know we're here; it shall be a great surprise!

"What are you people doing in my house?" asks Belle.

Just kidding! She was thrilled to see us!

Emma, on the other hand, had mixed feelings as usual.

Goodnight Magic Kingdom! Tomorrow's our last day, but it's going to be a good one!

Finally back for more Hollywood Studios! 

Emma was feeling like a princess today, so she's back in her Halloween costume. 

It took 7 days, but we finally rode Star Tours: The Adventures Continue!

MGM Studios' original thrill ride will be the threshold to the new Star Wars Land when it opens in 1-2 years. Unlike Disneyland's Star Tours, this one is conveniently located next to where the new land is going.

Similarly, the current home of Toy Story Mania, Pixar Studios, will serve as a gateway to the new Toy Story Land. Hooray for cohesion!

The queue for Toy Story Mania here is a lot cooler than in California. The atmosphere feels a lot like the little Toy Story Lands in Hong Kong and Paris. Can't wait for the big one to open here!

I don't know what Emma is doing here but it's cute. 

The riding instructions are adorable.

Yay! Almost time to ride!

New hotness coming soon!

We didn't need to come to Disney World to please Emma. All she needed was toys.

The basic-looking soundstage area of MGM Studios has a lot more to see now that it's overrun with Andy's toys. 

Here come the toy soldiers!

Emma isn't sure how to process seeing toys that have come to life. 

It's not all about Toy Story at Pixar Studios, mind you. There is this one iota of Monsters Inc. thrown in.

Each cell in this giant ViewMaster disk is a different scene from Peter Pan!

For our 2nd Toy Story Mania ride we crossed over into the new 3rd track. This track was added this year to help deal with the ride's overwhelming popularity. 

Me vs my dad! I beat him the first time, but he got me back in round two! He loves shooting games, so this is now one of his new favorite rides.

Tower of Terror is one of his other favorites. 

And so is Rock 'N' Roller Coaster. Basically this park was built for my dad.

Rode with the grandpa on one of my single-rider rides and he was beyond thrilled. He was hollering with delight in Italian. 

It still amazes me how well Rock 'N' Roller Coaster rides compared to Flight of Fear. Who would have thought that the Vekoma ride would come out on top?  

Tower time!

This ride is just beautiful. I know there are lots of rumors going around, but I sincerely hope (and believe) that the ride isn't going anywhere.

This ride has an astounding presence. The one in Anaheim is just sort of there.

(but not for long. Hehe)

I recall being very impressed with the ride in 1999.

I also recall the restraint system being mere lap bars for the entire row, instead of the individual seat belts it has today.

8-year-old me caught some scary-good airtime on this thing back in the day!

And even with seatbelts, the airtime is still great!

Nice, lengthy ride program, too. 

LOOK AT THIS CUPCAKE! It gives warm hugs. :}

"Come to the dark side. We have cake."

Time now for the original MGM Studios signature attraction, The Great Movie Ride!

While by no means thrilling, The Great Movie Ride opened as not only a tribute to numerous classic films, but also as a grand expose of state-of-the-art audioanimatronics.

This ride is what the original concept for MGM studios is all about – discovering and re-discovering classic moments in film history. 

Times have changed, however. Disney's relationship with MGM ended ten years ago. In the time since, Disney's Hollywood Studios has struggled with its identity. With the impressive (but completely fake) Studio Backlot Tour now gone, The Great Movie ride is now the last remaining opening day attraction at Hollywood Studios.

Let's roll!

I've heard rumors that The Great Movie Ride may be joining the Backlot Tour at the great Disney resort in the sky. While I sincerely hope not, I wouldn't be terribly surprised. 

The scenes in this ride are all wonderful, but only some of them relate to Disney. While a ride about classic movies, Disney or otherwise, was the ride's purpose, I would be surprised if Disney wasn't eyeing the real estate for something 100% Disney. 

Bearing that in mind, it would be a real shame to lose some of these scenes. This Mary Poppins scene in particular is gorgeous and would never not be relevant at a Disney park.

Our tour driver is held up at gunpoint in a seedy part of Chicago. Considering the world we live in, I think having a major plot point involving a hijacking with an unregistered firearm also probably puts the ride in danger.

The criminal who kidnapped us is bewildered when we suddenly transition into the old west. Hilarity ensues.

Further hilarity ensues when we end up on the spaceship from Alien. Here we have Ripley trying to keep her cool as her crewmates are being picked off one by one. Meanwhile a caravan of theme park guests led by a villain in a pinstripe pantsuit rolls by like everything is hunky-dory.

(speaking of Dory, has everyone seen Finding Dory yet?? Ripley has a nice cameo) 

OH SNAP!

(Is anyone here wondering why this sequence in The Great Movie Ride was OK, but having Extra Terrorestrial Alien Encounter stripped of its Alien IP before the attraction opened was somehow necessary? Yeah, me too)

WDW may not have Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye, but they do have the Indiana Jones show, as well as this scene in The Great Movie Ride.

Long story short, our assailant flew too close to the sun and got burned. The temptation of the temple jewel was too great!

Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled movie tour! Here we have Tarzan...

...Casablanca...

...FANTASMIC!...

And The Great Movie Ride's piece de resistance, the Wizard of Oz scene. 

Yes, MGM's crown jewel of films is the finale for The Great Movie ride. It's a dazzling scene full of detailed animatronics.

The Wicked Witch of the West shows up to harass us for killing her sister (even though it totally wasn't our fault). This animatronic was so impressive; I thought it was a person at first.

Hey! Those are the people who killed your sister, lady! After them!

While my dad, Mike, and Emma were on the Great Movie ride, Erin and Mom rode Tower of Terror with Goofy!

So at one point I went to find a bathroom, and on my way back I see these Storm Troopers.

And then of course my wise-mouthed father says something in their general direction.

And they arrest him.

(Meanwhile Mike is videotaping the whole thing)

But them Emma starts crying out of great concern for my father's safety, so they let him go.

We better leave before anyone else gets arrested. :}

Back at Magic Kingdom, we still have some unfinished business! Here's something else you can't do at Disneyland right now; the Disney Railroad! 

However, like Disneyland's Railroad, this train right here is stationary for now!

(let's take a moment to appreciate that Big Thunder Mountain's maintenance track literally crosses the WDW Railroad and has its own special switch track for doing so. What I wouldn't give to board BTM right here and ride up the little lift hill and across the railroad!)

Big Thunder has all brand new track now! It still has stickers on it to protect the rails while other parts of the ride are remodeled. :}

I SEE YOU, BOAT.

We did 1.5 laps on the train so we could see everything. :}

We ended in Fantasyland.

How perfect that the Fantasyland Train Station is located in the new Storybook Circus along side Casey Jr.? :}

I see you Seven Dwarfs Mine :}

Who's up for a ride on The Little Mermaid? 

Since this was like the 3rd or 4th time riding it this trip, I decided to take pictures.

This week on HOARDERS: BURIED ALIVE.

Ariel sure can cut a rug for someone with no feet. 

PLOT TWIST: Ariel gets feet. And also legs.

And then she meets a guy who's totally into her and doesn't find it at all strange that she can't talk. And rather than writing him a note explaining what's going on, she just thought  she'd let Sebastian do all the work in coaxing a kiss out of him. This movie would've been a lot shorter if she'd just written something out in the sand. 

My favorite part of the ride is when little background Ursula loses her ish.

There's a little walkway behind the Tomorrowland Speedway that connects Fantasyland  with Tomorrowland. It's one of Magic Kingdom's two designated smoking areas and also provides a nice short cut between the park's two most popular areas.

And you can watch the train go by. :}

Nice view of Space from here.

Now here's one I haven't done in a while! The Rockets!

The fam is ready to go.

It feels great to ride these things again on their rightful perch above the Peoplemover.

The original Disneyland Rockets actually were located on the ground until the opening of New Tomorrowland in 1967. Both WDW and Tokyo Disney followed suit with elevated rocket rides (even though Tokyo Disney lacks a Peoplemover).

Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Shanghai Disneyland all have their incarnations of the Rockets on ground level. Disneyland's clone of the Disneyland Paris attraction opened at the entrance of Tomorrowland in 1998 and has blocked the natural traffic flow ever since. I'd really like to see the Disneyland Rockets back on their perch, if for no other reason than to help fix the bottleneck problem Tomorrowland has now.

Being up here really adds to the experience. The Disneyland Rockets may be back on the ground like they were in Walt's day, but that doesn't make them better. 

Everyone wave to the Contemporary and the Carousel of Progress!

Again, Emma is the princess of mixed emotions. One minute we have this.

And the next minute we have this. 

Obviously we can't stand directly on top of the Peoplemover and then not ride it.

Here's a shot of where the Peoplemover threads the lift hills of Space Mountain! 

Now we say goodbye to Magic Kingdom. And to Halloween.

(although Halloween stuff will make a few appearances in the next few updates. And then pretty soon it will be Christmas stuff!)

My mom and I made an impromptu visit back to Hollywood Studios.

I realized after my ride on The Great Movie Ride that my mom would have really enjoyed it. Fearing for the rides future, I made sure we came back so that she could see it. She loved it. :}

We also snuck another ride on Rock 'N' Roller Coaster!

Because, why not end your trip to Disney World with the resort's most badass ride?

Still madly in love with these trains.

Someone please bring me this sign. I will love you forever.

The lights have gone out at the Hollywood Tower Hotel in Anaheim, but they still shine brightly here in Orlando.

Goodnight Tower of Terror. 

Goodnight WDW :}

This was the best family vacation ever! Thanks for sharing the magic with me! :}


I'm so happy to have finally done Disney World again and I can't wait to go back! 


Coming Soon: A new Busch Gardens update featuring Kumba, and more new coaster credits in California, Nevada, and Florida!


See you soon! :}