Disney World May 2012 Trip Report Pt 2
After the parade, we met up with another friend, and headed to the Big Ugly Stage in front of the BAH to watch the 5 minute opening announcement. Eyesore stage in front of an eyesore hat. At least Disney is consistent!
It was time for lunch, so we headed over to Studios Catering Company. We have raved about this restaurant a couple times on the blog, but we have yet to review it. I’ll have to remedy this soon. In short, it’s our favorite counter service restaurant at the Studios. It has a fairly small menu, but it has nice variety, and there are a few gems that we really enjoy. My favorite item is the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. Admittedly, it’s nothing revolutionary or overly unique, but I love it. Everything from the dressing to the bun to the breaded chicken is just perfect.
Our next stop was One Man’s Dream, where the New Fantasyland model had just been installed. We didn’t go to D23, but I had seen some photos of this model in the past. I was expected a model, in a size comparable to the other models in One Man’s Dream. This thing took up the entire end of a room in One Man’s Dream! I was shocked at how large it was. I’m terrible with dimensions, but if I had to guess, I’d say it was about 6’ by 12’. For those living outside the US…I’m not very good with metric…but I think the conversion would be approximately 13.5 kilometers by 54 meters. I think.
The model was really cool to see, and gave me a new appreciation for what’s coming to New Fantasyland. In the past, I haven’t been overly excited about New Fantasyland (I’ve already experienced The Little Mermaid dark ride), but now I feel differently. I’ll discuss this more in the Dumbo portion of the trip report.
Next up was Darth’s Mall. Sarah and I didn’t want any Star Wars Weekends merchandise, we just wanted to see what was causing the (reported) two hour waits earlier that morning. And, perhaps there would be something cool that we just couldn’t live without.
I don’t know quite what to say about Darth’s Mall. If I could describe it in one word, that word would be “ugh…”
There are multiple pages in this Walt Disney World trip report installment. Navigate to the next page below!
Just wanted to say that I love that you named the squirrel “Henry”. Growing up, somehow all squirrels in our neighborhood were also called “Henry”. They must give off some sort of vibe 🙂
I have no real evidence of this, but I suspect that Disney’s rights to the use of Star Wars only extends to the Star Tours ride, gift shop, and the use of costumed characters. Whatever agreement they have may even go so far as to prohibit the use of Star Wars characters in a parade, thus this obviously lame motorcade situation. I can definitely see Lukas being particular and specific in any agreements made with a company outside his control. The most compelling evidence for my theory, I think, is this absurd Avatar themed land in Animal Kingdom, theoretically as some sort of enormously misguided effort to compete with Harry Potter’s presence over at Universal. Why would they even consider such a thing if they truly had the rights to use Star Wars in their back pockets? I could brainstorm about a hundred Star Wars related theme park attractions right now, and I’m sure imagineers could too. Admittedly, I’m a nerdy Star Wars fan, but I think it’s proven itself as a property with legs — Avatar, not so much. I really hate to think that the folks making decisions at WDW are so myopic that they COULD use Star Wars and just don’t want to.
Based on what I’ve heard from some reliable folks, I don’t think this is exactly true. I think there would be difficulty expanding a permanent Star Wars presence in the parks, but as far as Star Wars Weekends go, Lucas is pretty lax.
Just creeping through old trip reports and came across this gem of a reply! Well well well….funny how that one panned out, Star Wars Land is upon us!
” I think the conversion would be approximately 13.5 kilometers by 54 meters. I think”
Tehehe.
13 kilometers would be a five minute drive. I would want a model that big! I wouldn’t have to visit the park!!
the size would be around 1.8 by 3.7 meters.
Love me some Buffalo Chicken Sandwich at Studios Catering Company!
Tom, it’s funny that you mentioned you guys having kids down the road. My wife and I visit your site quite a bit and we can only imagine the kinds of candid photos you’ll eventually take when you do have kids, as well as the ones you might have now that showcase the non-Disney part of your private lives.
By the way, our two year-old son is named Henry. He sometimes makes the same face as the squirrel in your pics. 😛
So you’re telling me that you named your son after a squirrel?! That is SO weird! 😉
I know this post is really old but I love browsing through your blog and am already planning our next Disney Vacation for next May! Considering the Beach CLub Villas hence re-reading this post.
Anyway! I too remember and love the mist at ToT, it really makes the walk up creepy and they need to bring it back. I agree Disney is all about the atmosphere and the small details. Bring back the mist Disney!
Thanks for this brilliant blog!
Gemma
The fog Tom…the fog! You are right, it was there, I saw it, that happened.
I couldnt agree more about the point you made about the ‘small’ things that are scaled down.
I took a picture last year of the 13 minute (aka zero) wait time for ToT and made the comment, ‘they probably will have cut that back by the time I come back next year’.
As you say, for Disney fans these things matter.
But – great report! Its getting me truly in the mood for my DHS day in a few weeks time (get me to Gertie!)
Thanks for sharing, I would have named the squirrel Cyril though. 🙂
Glad to know I wasn’t crazy about that fog! It is the little things that make a big deal, and it bugs me when some bloggers point to attendance numbers or other stats as “proof” that these things don’t matter. That’s a flawed argument for soooo many reasons.
I felt the same way about Brave! It was a good movie, but for Pixar standards it was seriously lacking. I have a small obsession with all things Scotland (especially Highlands) and this was a disappointment for me.
Glad to know I’m not alone. When I shared my opinion on Twitter, most people disagree. But I think most Disney fans are biased towards Disney films no matter what their quality.
Tom, while you took pictures of “Henry”, did you happen to be reminded of the kid who took tons of squirrel pictures during your disneymoon? xD
HA! No, but unfortunately now I am. I am just as bad as that poor kid I poked fun at. Actually, I’m worse. Not only am I an adult, but I also poked fun at someone else for doing the exact same thing I ended up doing later.
I blame the lack of sleep…
We went to Star Wars weekends in 2007 with my two year old daughter for her first trip to Disney World. She spent most of the time in fear of the characters we saw at different dining experiences and throughout the parks. They were great from across the room, but when they were close, she was not a fan. We stood in line for quite a while to take a pic with Jedi Mickey. When it was our turn, she walked right up to him grabbed his hand and leaned in to hug him. As a Star Wars fan for a very long time, I was beaming. Thanks for bringing that great memory back today!
Geek rant – the dude that looks like Boba Fett is Jango Fett, Boba Fett’s father. He was also the model after which all of the clone troopers were built. He saved one clone of himself to be his son, Boba. –Geek rant over
I like the separate pages. Love the report so far.
I think Brave fits better as a “Disney” movie than as a “Pixar” movie. The themes really seem more classic Disney as compared to the Pixar stories like Wall-e and Up. And I think Disney and Pixar know this since Merida is in Magic Kingdom rather than DHS…