I waited with Kayla and Cooper while Robert and Kory rode the Tower of Terror, because I can really do without free falls, and thought I had “been there, done that” at Six Flags in my younger years. Silly me. This IS Disney World after all. More on that later.
Next we rode the Great Movie Ride, which was a tour through classic movie sets with animatronic versions of Gene Kelly, Julie Andrews, Clint Eastwood, and James Cagney. Just when we thought that was the extent of the ride, some actual humans entered the scene, and became involved in some live action. It was a bit more intense than one of our kids bargained for, but everyone came out unscathed, and sans any gunshot wounds, thankfully.
Right next door to the Beauty and the Beast stage stood the Tower of Terror. You know, the ride I skipped earlier in the day, because I don’t really love free falls. (You can hear the screams coming from the Tower from near and far all day long.) Throughout the day, Robert kept talking about how well done the props and story line were for that particular ride ~ a Twilight Zone theme. Well, I watched a fair amount of Twilight Zone growing up, so I began to get interested in seeing it all for myself ~ even if it meant enduring a free fall.
Oh, it was so worth it! The theme is that of touring an old haunted Hollywood hotel, and entering the Twilight Zone once inside the hotel’s elevator and reaching about the fifth floor of the thirteen story building. The special effects were simply incredible (IF you could keep your eyes open to see them, that is), and the free fall was not a singular fall, but rather a series of faster-than-free-fall drops at very unexpected times after the initial “snapping” of the elevator cord at floor thirteen. Wow. I don’t know if it gets any more “thrilling” than that!?! (The seat belt is an absolute necessity on this one!) We also learned that Disney programs the ride with random drop sequences, so you really can’t know exactly what to expect if you ride multiple times. Robert appreciated it even more the second time around, as he could keep his eyes open, and refrain from grabbing the leg of the guy sitting next to him. (True story.) So glad I took the plunge, literally. ☺
Toy Story Midway Mania is the pure delight part of this post! We rode it once first thing in the morning and once in the afternoon via a Fast Pass. I think many people agree that it is one of the most fun and entertaining rides in all of Disney World. A series of virtual midway games, it allows you to compete for high scores in a 3-D shooting gallery of many variations as you ride and twirl around in your car/booth. I’m so glad we rode it twice, because my score greatly improved the second time around. ☺ Difficult to explain how wonderful this ride is with words or the few photos I got while we waited to get on, but trust me ~ you wouldn’t want to miss it! If you don’t want to wait in line for an hour or two though, then riding it or getting a Fast Pass first thing in the morning is the ONLY way to go! Fortunately, we got to do both!
We had to get this umbrella photo, because it just really never stopped raining ALL DAY. (There are definitely pros and cons to rain at Disney!) We left in the late afternoon, after our Fast Pass time for Toy Story and after taking in the museum and movie about Walt Disney himself. What an amazing man he was.
Disney World was not something I had ever really desired to do with my kids, since we live in a part of the country that is so rich with history, landscape, and adventure, but now I’m really thankful we got to experience it. It was a really wonderful way to bring our sabbatical to an end, full of laughter and new experiences, and we have our wonderful church family near and far to thank. It was their sacrificial giving ~ financially and otherwise ~ that enabled this extended time of rest and refreshment for us. We will never forget it, and will forever be blessed by it. Feeling extremely grateful tonight.
I just love this post. The great movie ride…rockin roller coaster…the tower of terror…Robert grabbing the stranger's leg next to him. Love it all!
-Laura