Jeff's Orlando Trip: Disney/MGM Studios

Disney/MGM Studios

I spent more time at the Studios then anywhere else. It could be that two of my favorite rides, the Tower of Terror and Rock'n Rollercoaster, live here. To make things even more convenient, they're right next to each other!

The new drop sequence on the Tower of Terror is first-rate. Just when you think you're done, something else happens. I love this ride even more now.

The Rock'n Rollercoaster (starring Aerosmith) was very good -- one of Disney's best. The ride is way too short though (like Space Mountain at DLP), and after riding Hulk it seemed real tame. But it's a ride the whole family would go on (but it seemed like they didn't, considering all the people waiting in the plaza!)

One new thing I wasn't so sure about was FastPass. On the surface, it sounds good, but here's a scenario that was irritating, especially on the RnRC. The FastPass "return time" was a few hours later, and we wanted to ride, so we got into the 40 minute "standby" line. When they say standby, they mean it-- you are a second class citizen. Everyone with a FastPass just breezes right by, and the cast member who served as the "traffic cop" made no effort to squeeze in the standby folks when there was an opportunity. Thus, the line that should've been 20 minutes, took closer to an hour.

Of course, if you have a FastPass and you're passing up everyone in the standby line, it doesn't seem to bother you as much. One funny thing that happened at the Magic Kingdom: We had just picked up a FastPass for Splash Mountain, and we were headed to Pirates in the meantime. On the way, we found three FastPasses for Space Mountain, which had just a few minutes left on them! We hurried over to Space Mountain, and rode -- and then returned for our Splash Mountain ride!

Look, only one ToT picture this time! I've pretty much covered this one before in my other WDW trip reports.

Here's the entrance to the RnRC plaza.

The cool Fender Stratocaster outside the entrance. The ride itself is actually in another huge "soundstage" nearby.

A closer look...
My only wish was that you didn't have to sit through the preshow everytime... "better make it a super-stretch!"

Here's the train ready to launch. This is a fantastic, super-fast LSM launch.
One funny thing I noticed is that when the train stops at the station and before the launch, it stops, then moves forward a little. Why it doesn't just stop in the right place is beyond me. It also backs up a few feet before launch, presumably to hook up to the pusher car.

This photo really doesn't do the trains justice. They are the best looking coaster trains anywhere... styled like an old Cadillac, complete with tail fins.

An awesome night shot of the Great Movie Ride (aka Mann's Chinese Theater). For my best night shots, I would put the camera down (most often on a trash can), set the timer, and open up the shutter for a second or two.

Fantasmic, Osborne Family Christmas lights, and more on page two

	Look, only one ToT picture this time! I've pretty much covered this one before in my other WDW trip reports.
Here's the entrance to the RnRC plaza.
	The cool Fender Stratocaster outside the entrance. The ride itself is actually in another huge "soundstage" nearby.
A closer look... My only wish was that you didn't have to sit through the preshow everytime... "better make it a super-stretch!"
	Here's the train ready to launch. This is a fantastic, super-fast LSM launch. One funny thing I noticed is that when the train stops at the station and before the launch, it stops, then moves forward a little. Why it doesn't just stop in the right place is beyond me. It also backs up a few feet before launch, presumably to hook up to the pusher car.
This photo really doesn't do the trains justice. They are the best looking coaster trains anywhere... styled like an old Cadillac, complete with tail fins.
	An awesome night shot of the Great Movie Ride (aka Mann's Chinese Theater). For my best night shots, I would put the camera down (most often on a trash can), set the timer, and open up the shutter for a second or two.